Penultimate Memoirs
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Penultimate Memoirs Stories from the Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune 2009-2015 Dave Engel Engel RCMVIII Penultimate Memoirs 1 RCMVIII Engel Second-to-last of this series: River City Memoirs (1983); River City Memoirs, Vol- ume II (1984); RCMIII (1985); Age of Paper (1986); Home Mission: First Congrega- tional, United Church of Christ (1987); The Fat Memoirs (1988); Shanagolden: An Industrial Romance (1990); River City Memoirs V (1991); Home Front: River City Memoirs VI (1999); Cranmoor: The Cranberry Eldorado (2004); Ghost of Myself: River City Memoirs VII (2009); Building for the Future: Mid-State Technical College (2010). The last, Ultimate Memoirs, will be a collection of Daily Tribune stories since 1980, currently unpublished in book form. Wisconsin Rapids native commonly referred to as Uncle Dave has lived in the vicinity of Rudolph since 1972. Director Emeritus and Archivist, South Wood County Historical Corp.; Publisher of Artifacts, SWCHC history magazine; River City Memoirs Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune columnist since 1980; Wisconsin Rapids City Historian since 1983; Founder, Historic Point Basse; Founder, Mid-State Poetry Towers. Assisted by his wife Kathy, retired librarian, McMillan Memorial Library, Wisconsin Rapids, and Wisconsin Rapids Public Schools. Printed on Verso Sterling Premium 80# Matte Text River City Memoirs 5597 Third Avenue Rudolph WI 54475 [email protected] ©Dave Engel 2015 2 Engel RCMVIII Penultimate Memoirs Stories from the Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune 2009-2015 By Dave Engel 3 RCMVIII Engel David Donald Engel (1945-), Gary Alan Engel (1950-), Donald August Engel (1918- 91), Kenneth Kee Engel (1955-2007), Arline Emily “Sally” Engel (1920-99) Kathryn Sarah Engel (1946-88). White fence surrounding the Two Mile Avenue back yard marked wiffle ball home run. In flowers—ground rule double. 4 Engel RCMVIII To Them 5 RCMVIII Engel Table of Contents Photos 4 2010 Town of Grand Rapids 1896 map 8 Town of Grand Rapids 1948 map 9 $2,000 a Month Smoking Fish 29 Photos 10 Dr. Robinson 30 Penultimate Memoirs 11 Ahdawagam Again 31 Badminton in the Field House 32 2009 Consolidated Benefits 33 Witter 40 Takes Blame 34 Founders of SWCHC 12 Josie (Joan Haasl) 35 Everybody’s (MLK) 13 George Mead’s Mother 36 My Civil War Soldier 14 Gilardi 37 Democrat Landslide 1958 15 Columbus Day 38 Recession of 1958 16 Totally Bonkers 39 River City by the Centuries 17 2-Headed Calf 1960 40 Tribune 1959 18 Photos 41-42 Creeping Charlie (Development) 19 Thinking Big 1959 20 2011 Volume VII: Hail Mary 21 River Rats 1959 22 State Capital? 43 History: Ghost of Myself 23 Desperate Housewives 1961 44 Charlie Manuel, Twin 24 What Democracy Looks Like 45 Arnie Strope, Voice of Rapids 25 Jerry Wood 46 Photos 26-28 1961 Potluck 47 Masons 48 Last Train to Rudolph 49 Bookworm 50 Witter Revisits Museum 51 Civil War Sesquicentennial 52 Farm Journal 53 Twinkling City Greeted Heroes 54 Photos 55-58 6 Engel RCMVIII 2012 Callie Nason 90 Last Uncle 91 Home Front 1861 59 Winnebago Warriers 92 Uncle Dave’s Waldens 60 Indian Agent 93 Sarah Case’s Civil War 61 Mescalito’s Revenge 94 Wild Bunch 62 Born Here 95 Looking Back at Looking Back 63 Gulf of Tonkin 1964 96 Homage to Clio 64 Bill Granger, November Man 97 Rablin 65 Granger, Trouble in Paper City 98 Barns 66 Photos 99 Local Guy, Big Time Dolls 67 Civil War Edwards Surrogate Slain 68 2015 Nite Owl 69 Krohn 70 Eggs Manske 100 Photos ` 71-72 Parking Lot Wars 101 Lovingstone’s Leap 1862 102 2013 Forgetting Frank Compton 103 Sand Hill 104 Roberson Players 73 Gunderman’s Uniform 105 Tales of Brave Hiram 74 Don 106 Frugal Ledger 75 Silver Threads Among the Gold 107 March 1863 76 Telling Tales 108 Betty Boop’s Popeye 77 Black Sock 78 Index 109-119 Scarborough 79 Billy 80 Grim Natwick 81 Johanna Kellogg 82 1963 83 Ellen 84 Photos 85-86 2014 Arnie Strope 87 Moptops 1964 88 Dorothy Karberg 89 7 RCMVIII Engel Town of Grand Rapids, 1896 Early view of “Sand Hill” and environs are marked by dotted line. Familiar names are Vaughan (farm by river), Neitzel, Daly, Webb, Giese, Spafford, Sampson, Snyder, Lutz, Brahmstadt, Herschleb, Hill, Wittrock, Hamm, McGrath. Four Mile Creek shown became Nepco Lake where it crosses Milwaukee Ave., now 8th Street/Highway 13. Two Mile school, surrounded by Stainbrook property, was a “state-graded” or country school when Uncle Dave attended in the 1950s. Most of the area in 1896 was undeveloped farm or woodland. 8 Engel RCMVIII 1. 2. 3. Subdivided, 1948 In 1945-46 the Don Engel family inhabited a second-floor apartment at551 1/2 11th Ave. N. while Don was building the small concrete block house (#1) on Clyde Avenue, originally meant to become a garage. In 1950, having sold the block house, they moved further west on Clyde, across Lincoln Street (#2). The temporary home, owned by Stanley Trelka of Junction City, Wis., included a yard susceptible to flooding, an outhouse and inside, an oil burner known for its signature “poof poof” sound. At the Two Mile house (#3), located in the Luedtke plat, sons Gary and Ken were born. After Don died in 1991, Arline (Sally) would live in the residence until her death in 1999, after which the house was sold. The Village of Port Edwards has expanded into the area surrounding Nepco Lake, on a stream here called “Buena Vista,” also known as “Four Mile Creek.” At the time of this map, John Murgatroyd had not yet bought the Ridges golf course property. 9 RCMVIII Engel Cub Scout with Pal, 1953 10 Engel RCMVIII Penultimate Memoirs If you know how Milladore got its name, you Then there are the books. Beginning in 1983, with probably read the “penultimate” River City Memoirs intermittent subsidies mainly from Dan “Philleo” column. Meyer of the Consolidated Papers foundation, I tried If this story you’re reading is the “ultimate,” or to publish one every year. last in a series, the story just before it was the “pen- The first, referred to as “Volume I,” was originally ultimate,” or second-to-last. Likewise, “Penultimate a 1,000-print run that sold out quickly, never mind the Memoirs” is the name of my next [this] book, signify- pages falling out. ing that it will be the second-to-last River City Mem- The effort was furthered by B. Dalton, a book- oirs book ever to be published. store in Rapids Mall that ordered by the boxful, cut- To arrive at this septuagenarian juncture takes a lot ting their profit discount in half for local publishers of stories—since 1980, something over a thousand. and paying in cash. At the same time, ladies of the I’ve said it before and maybe too often—that Riverview hospital auxiliary and South Wood County the 1980s were days of glory for “River City” and Historical Corp. pitched in to help sell out a second for River City Memoirs. Then, local history articles printing of another thousand. somewhat like this appeared every week and often Now it has been more than six years since the lat- spanned whole pages through the forbearance of pub- est collection, “Ghost of Myself: River City Memoirs lisher-owner William F. Huffman Jr. and the editor VII, published by subscription in 2009. who hired me, Joe Karius. The ultimate Memoirs will be a collection of his- When Huffman sold the Tribune to the Thomson torical material previously published in the Tribune newspaper chain in 1983, the status of RCM was still that hasn’t yet made it into a book. Second-to-last? on the rise under editor Bob “Kahuna” Des Jarlais. That would be this year’s “Penultimate Memoirs,” The next editor, Bob “Shots” Walker, relieved me of aka River City Memoirs Volume VIII. photographic duties in favor of exclusively pursuing These and other topics will be covered in “Penul- the history beat. timate Memoirs: Also in the prodigious Eighties, there was a sem- Several 50-years-ago looks back in time, begun in blance of community recognition when Rapids mayor 1989; Twins manager Charlie Manuel; Arnie Strope James “Kubie” Kubisiak recognized me as the first and WFHR; Dr. Robinson and Robinson Park; the and only City Historian; Historic Point Basse was word Ahdawagam; Lincoln field house; Consolidat- founded; I actually made public appearances; and I ed papers; Witter vocational school; George Mead’s became the first director of the South Wood County mother; Bernard Gilardi; Masons; Civil War; last Historical Corp. train to Rudolph; But every Narcissus needs a Nemesis and one ap- Two Mile School; 32nd Division; Centralia; Buf- peared, a Tribune editor who yearned to deep-six me falo Bill; John Rablin, pioneer; Neal Smith and Mari- and finally succeeded, after a famously controversial lyn Monroe; John Edwards Jr., draft dodger; Fritz tribute to the Nimrod in us, dubbed, “Got’m!” The Peerenbohm, Nite Owl; editor, since relocated to corporate communication, Don Krohn, photographer; Roberson Players; Dan found references to the Biblical Nimrod and state- Rezin and U.S. Grant; W.C. Handy and Grim Nat- ments like “Every Narcissus needs a Nemesis” in- wick; comprehensible, in a bad way. Happy Felsch, baseball’s Black Sock; Mark Scar- Now it seems like only yesterday that then-editor borough, journalist; Bill Thiele, classmate; Johanna of the (since-2000) Gannett-owned Daily Tribune, Kellogg, beautification; Mark Treinen, asked me to resume contributing. That Ellen Sabetta, curator; Terry Stake, WFHR; the was 15 years ago. Beatles; Dorothy Karberg’s book; Callie Nason, mill Continuing editor-wise, I was glad to indulge in manager; Wilmer, my last uncle; Native American brat-eating contests at Rafters games with Treinen’s WWI volunteers; Rapids Indian Agency; peyote gone successor, Allen Hicks.