Lincoln High School - Ahdawagam Yearbook (Wisconsin Rapids, WI)

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9 TH E AHDAHWAGA M Them rakes are altogether different from the rakes we use in our yards and gardens. They are box-like contrivances. On the Uottom of the rake is a row of long steel teeth aUmt ten inches long, a quarter of an inch apart. There is no side perpendi- cular to these teeth, and only half a side on the top. There are two handles to this rake: one comes over the top, similar to the handle on a loasket, and the other is a stout stick that extends out from the back of the rake. These rakes are heavy and it takes a strong person to handle one. A good raker gathers from ten to twenty bushels a day. and is paid by the day. A dance hall is provided on the marsh for the en- tertainment of these people. The musicians, who are furnished, play every night from seven until half past ten, but on Saturday nights the pickers are allowed to dance until twelve o'clock. These dances are necessary, as some form of amusement has to 1 furnished in order to break the monotony of the picking so that the pickers will stay until the work is finished The length of the season depends upon the size of the crop. After the lorries are picked, they are put into crates, and allowed to dry in a drying house. They are not picked o er for two or three weeks after the nicking season. Then they are looked over by girls. The e are two long table-like structures, on each of which is an endless strip of carpet. These strips are kept in motion by an electric motor. Aliove this room is tin c anberry mill, which is run by the inofo and a hopper. The hopper is a loox-like con- trivance into which the berries are emptied. From here they are itassed over a grader, which assorts them int » three different grades. The assorted beiries then fall down onto a series of steps, called jumpers, that empty them onto the moving strips of caT)et. The girls sitting at the table, pick out the poor l enies as they pass along. There are little pockets on either side, into which they put the i oor Dairies. The good lorries drop into a barrel, which is at the end ot the table. As soon as the loarrel is full, th • top is clamped on by a luirrel header, and the label is paste.l on. With one of these modem mills. a'M nt two hundred luirrels can loe picked over in a day. .lust as s x n as the lorries are bar- reled. they ;ie put into refrigerator cars and shipped. Sane peo tie think that the expense of keeping up a can I terry marsh is not very great, but they would lie surprised to know how many improvements have to be miulc each year in order to keep the marsh in good condition. It costs from one hundred and twenty five to one hundred and seventy five dollars to plant just one section. Then there are other things needed. It is necessary to have at least two cranberry houses, a drying house, a tool house, at least three or four buildings for the pickers and rakers, a cook house, store house, dance hall, and the two pumping plants. A house. Itarn. and other huiidings are also furnished for the man and his family who stay the year around on the marsh. The pickers are paid fifty cents a bushel for the lierries they pick, and the rakers are paid from ♦ 1.7ft to $2.2ft a day and their board. It costs altout ♦ .00 a barrel to get the lierries ready for market. The 1 terries are sold for $0.50 to $8.50 a barrel, some times they are sold for more than that. The yield of the Wisconsin crop was this year fifty thou saml barrels. History of Grand Rapids. Jeannette Daly. Grand Rapids is located on the Wisconsin River in the central part of the State of Wisconsin. The city was called Grand Rapids because of the rapids which were tamed through out the Northwest Territory. Wisconsin became a state in 1848 Grand Rapids was founded in 1843. Before the white people settled here, it was an Indian village My great grandfather. Joseph Wood, one of the first settlers, came to Grand Rapids in 1843. The county of Wood was formed between 1843 and 1845 It was named for my great grandfather, who was the first county judge and the first assemblyman to the State Legislature S we of the early settlers were the Neeves, Lyons, Rahlins and Garrisons, who were in the lumber business Mr Seth Reeyes was the first Mayor of Grand Rspids Mr I L Mosher was the first county treasurer Thr, first two lawyers were Mr. J D Witter, who gave $50,000 for our Manual Training school, and Judge Webb The first store keejter was Mr Thomas B Scott who had a store where ihe Wood County National Bank stands at the present time His store was a small shanty The counter consisted of rough hoards laid across Itarrels Mr. Scott gave the T B Scott Free Public Library to the city The first white child ltorn in Grand Rapids was Mr. H A Sampson, now living near the Court House His father was a pioneer saw mill man. The Neeves owned a saw mill locat- ed just altove the present Northwestern Railroad bridge The group of small islands is all that mark the site now The first school house stood on the vacant lot across from the Mathis home on the coroner of 8th and Baker Streets The second school house stood on the grounds of the present Howe School When the Howe School was erected, this building was moved over to the Lincoln grounds and used for many veirsas a county fair building. It burned later The Howe School was built in 1878 It was called the Howe School hecause Ly- man Howe gave the city funds, which enabled them to build it It was the High School until the Lin coin was built in 1902 The Lowell School on the West Side was built about 28 years ago I he principal industry of Grand Rapids was lumbering The old Centralia Pulp and Water Power mill was built in 1888 There was a saw mill near where the brewery now stands As the lumlter was cut out. it was floated down the river in huge rafts. The first railroad, the St Paul, came in 1873. The Green Bay and Western railroad came in 1870 The North Western was built into Grand Rapids in 190 • Our industries have developed un- til we have four railroads, a street railway, a Hour mill, two furniture factories, a foundry, the Badger Box ami Lumber Company mill, the E W. Ellis mill, th» Consolidated mill and an electric light and water works system The first disastrous fire occurred in 1872. It wiped out all the huiidings along the river bank from the Library to the Witter House The great est floods that ever occurred in Grand Rapitis came in 18 7. 1 Sti4. 1880. 1881. 1900. 1905 and 1911 The

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8 T HE AHDAHWAGA M when opened, it was allowed to pass off into the other ditches and from there into the main canals. There were also dams between these sections. The large dams were on each side of the main canals, and the small dams were between the small or side ditches. In times of frost, the marsh was flooded by allowing the supply of water in the reservoir to flow down the main canals, and from there into the side ditches. By doing this the .surface of the marsh was covered with water. Fires were often built along the dams on frosty nights in dry seasons when there was not much rain fall. The lorries were rij e enough to l e picked alnmt the first week of Septemlier. The picking was done by hand, generally by Indians. The length of the picking season deluded upon the size of the crop. The lx rries were picktsl over on tables which was very tiresome. The owner of the marsh disposed of his crop by peddling the l»erries around the country in alsjut the same way that some farmers ) eddle their potatoes and other products today. Today the eranl rry is extensively cultivated in several northern states, esjjocially in the Cape Cod region, which includes Massachusetts and New Jer- sey. and in Central Wisconsin. A cranljerry marsh of today somewhat resembles one of the earlier cultivated marshes, except that many improvemente have l een made. For instance there are pumping plants, cranberry rakes, fanning mills, and picking over machines. If one desires to start an up-to-date marsh today, it is necessary to have, as a foundation, a soil of muck or peat that can Ire drained for al out twelve or eighteen inches below the surface. A large sup- ply of water Is needed so that the marsh may l»e flooded at will. The marsh is fiist laid out in sec- tions, each section containing al out one or two acres and sometimes only half an acre. Between these sections, the main canals and side ditches are dug. Then there are bulkheads that connect the different sections, which when closed will allow the water to pass off into the other ditches and from there into the main canals. There are also da ms between these sections. The large dams are on each side of the main canals, and the small dams are between the side ditches. There are two reservoirs: one to hold the supply of water that has l een drawn off from the marsh by a pump, and the other to hold the water that is to lie used to flood the marsh. A cranberry marsh is not planted from seeds, but by transplanting the vines. These newly planted vines yield a few lierries in a I x ut two years, but do not liear a full crop for five or six years. The best vines can Ik distinguished by the wiry texture of the wood, and the greenish brown color of the leaves. The j oorer plants are greener, bright er, more vigorous, and have a bushier foliage. Many jieople think that there is not much work in keeping up a cranberry marsh, but they are mis taken. The canals and ditches have to lie cleaned twice a year. One would Is surprised to see the large water lily plants that have to Is» taken out. The roots are very long and are often us large as a man's fist. The grass on the dams has to lie mowed, and new sod put upon them, and one has to keep a continual lookout for the holes dug through the dams by muskrats. Great damage would l e done if these leaks were not discovered in time. Con siderable weeding has to In? done, for wild sage brush, cut grass, feather flue, pitcher plants ami other grasses tend to outgrow the cranl erry vine if not taken away. The owner of the marsh has also to contend with the danger of frosts, which occur in spring, occasion- ally in the summer and in the fall. When there is danger of a frost, the bulkheads are all opened. The water then flows down the main canals into the ditches. In this way the surface of the marsh is covered with water, and the vines are protected froyi the frost. On up-to-date marshes there are pnm] s to force more water onto the marshes if it is needed. It is very interesting to watch one of these pumps in motion. The vines l egin to blossom alxmt the last of June and are in full blossom about the eighth of July. The flowers are of a delicate pink color, and look something like the flower of the blueberry. About the first week of September the 1 jerries are ready to be gathered. They are not fully ripe then but they ripen later. Berries gathered early keep better. The crop is gathered by men. women and children, who make a practice of gathering the lierries every fall. It is very interesting to watch a crowd of these people when they arrive. On the marsh that I have reference to. some of these people (young people) come from the neighltoring towns where they are employed as domestics or clerks. When they come, they bring and wear their very best clothes. They make a dash for the buildings, which have lieen pro- vided for them, toselect their rooms. Their baggage is brought on a 1k x -ar. which is switched off on a side track. These pickers work together in sections, and are watched by an overseer. A good picker can pick from two and a half to four bushels a day. Oc- casionally one can pick five bushels a day. These ]HM ] le are paid fifty cents a bushel. The men are engaged as rakers to rake the lorries in those sections of the marsh wheie there is much cut grass. It is almost impossible for hand pickers to work in such sections.

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10 T HE AHDAH W A G A M worst«»f these was the flood of 1880 which washed away the main street of the town Cables were attached to buildings and every available means was used to prevent the buildings from being washed away. In spite of these precautions the flood took a hardware store, the old SpatTord and Cole building qnd a boarding house Huge logs, trees, and other debris floated down main street What is now the East Side Market Square liecame a rustling torrent and the current was as swift at that point as it was in the main channel 0r the river One man. Mr Furgeson. was drowned in this flood. In the fall of 1881 the water rose to within 18 inches of the flood mark of the previous y ar The Mavor ordered a dam built along the river bank by the Library and less damage was done by the high water In the Spring of 1888 the wagon bridge whs taken out by an ice jam. In the old days the houses were all clustered around the mills The first Court House stood where the brewery now stands The old Magnolia House was the principal hotel It stood where A L. Fontaine s home now stands It belonged to my great grandfather whose home stood where that of his son, F. .1. Wood stands at present Thu Mag- nolia was the only hotel between Portage and the little village of Plover All supplies were hauled from Portage before the coming of the railroad The people ami the mail traveled by stage from Portage to Grand Kapids Some la er hotels were the K.ihlin House, built in 1868. which stood where the Library now stands, and the Koach House At the corner Of Oak and First Streets there was a frame building occupied by the old music hall, a «tore, and a bank In 1868 there was no bridge across the river A ferry ln at which was run by Mr Henry Hablm carried people across. In one day the boat brought 400 Indians and their ponies across the river The first bridge across the Wis cousin river between the East and West Sides was a wooden structure It was a toll bridge and Mr William Bell was the gate keeper. Mr Hell was janitor of the Howe School for at least 25 years. The Neeves home, «here the E W Ellis residence now stands and the home of inv grandmother on the corner of High (Third) and Vine streets weie th only houses on that street in 1858 Even in 1800 the town was very small. The settlement on the west side of the river was called Centralia until 1800 «hen it united with Grand bapids The first Catholic church services «ere held at the home of Mr M .1 MeBaitli in the old house .cross the street from the present Catholic Church. 'I he town has grown wonderfully An Indian settlement in 1840. it is now a thoroughly modern city with a population of about 8000 and a prospect of gro«ing CLASS PAG i:s SENIOR Just Before Xmas in German IV. It was five days before Xmas. Or some-were 'round dere I would say. Yen all we Germans together got To celebrate dere holiday. Ve started in by singing. Cnd we sung mit might and glee While sitting on some leetle chairs Around dat Xmas tree. I do not mean dat Mullen poy When I say, E. Gill got a tub. M. Atwood received a dolly That looked like a little cub. We all’did get our presents. Which was very nice you l»et: I can not remember any more. So I shall quit already yet. Next we had ein gates lunch. It’s the schonste | art you know. The way dat Pud Welch tackled it. Believe me. was not slow. After all dat excitement was over Und everyone was filled mit cheer We adjourned our leetle meeting Wishing all “A Happy New Year. “It's the little things that tell. said Weeks as he pushed her young brother out from beneath the sofa. Spent Xmas Vacation. Herliei t went to Uundoin Lake. Mary tried Chicago weather. But what a queer coincidence They liotli came back together. A New W.ay. Wendland—“Do 1 owe you anything? Mohlke—“No. I guess not. Wendland “Well, then lend ine a quarter. Natwick s Idea. Don Natwick was at the Ideal Theatre the other night, and behind him sat a lady with a crying child on her lap. Unable to stand it any longer Don turned smilingly to the the lady and asked. Has that infant of yours lieen christened yet. ma'am? “No sir, replied the lady. “Then if I were you 1 would call it. ‘Good Idea.’ said Don. “And why Good Idea? said the lady sharply. “Because. said Don, it should lie carried out. It was, and Don enjoyisl the show.