I would like to congratulate all of the Forest County high school graduates! We are so proud of you! Now go out into the world and make your own history! In honor of the occasion I have attached a Forest Republican article detailing the 1939 Crandon High School graduation as well as a photograph of a few of that year’s graduates. According to the article it was the largest graduating class to come through Crandon yet, with 42 students in the senior class. At that time it was tradition for the senior class to put on a play for the public. This year’s play was entitled ” He was a Gay Senorita” and it was hailed a success by the local newspaper. If anyone has more photographs of local graduates from the past please feel free to share with us!
I found an article in a Forest Republican from December 10, 1915 that I think captures one of the most exciting events in early Forest County history and allowed for many more opportunities. The column covers the grand opening of the Wisconsin and Northern railroad in Crandon which would connect to Shawano. This caused an increase in logging, allowed tourists to enjoy the natural beauty of the northwoods, and gave Forest County residents quick access to a larger city and all its amenities. I found the description and flowery language of the article amusing so I am including the entire column in this blog.
Big Crandon Turn Out
Twelve hundred people headed by a brass band met the first regular passenger train on the Wisconsin and Northern Railroad from Shawano Monday morning, December 6, 1915. The train arrived on time to a minute and when it rolled into the station a roar of voices greeted it. As it appeared along the shore of Lake Metonga, Mayor Himley grasped a spike maul and drove the last spike in an artistic manner. The crowd boarded the train of new coaches and had a look see all expressing satisfaction over the appearance of the long expected second link with our neighbors to the southward.
Some of the officials of the new road were expected to arrive on this train but failed to show up. Some railroad men are said to be very modest and perhaps this was the cause. Crandon had an orator loaded and primed for this auspicious occasion but he had to reserve his ammunition.
The train crew of this first train consisted of Harry Collins, conductor, Ed Swamer, engineer, Len Gunther, fireman, and Emil Frank, brakeman. Mr Guenther who formerly resided in Crandon was hauled out of the cab to shake hands with old friends.The turnout was spontaneous exhibition of friendliness toward the new road, its owners, officers,and employees.
In the afternoon of the same day Traffic Manager Trathen of the Wisconsin and Northern invited nineteen business men of Crandon to accompany him to Shawano on the return of the first passenger train. The train left here at 3 o’clock and made a quick run to Shawano. The party expressed surprise at the smooth running of the train which made fast time all along. The new line traverses nearly all the way a heavy body of timber scarcely a stick being cut until Neopit is reached. Many beautiful trout streams are crossed and we imagine there will be a fishing ground that will attract hundreds of fisherman next summer. The soil through the territory we crossed is excellent and when Lily was reached several fine farms could be seen from the coach windows. This is going to be a beautiful county when it is cleared up and will support great population of farmers for the timber will pay many times for the clearing of the land.
The party had supper at the Murdock House and then went out on a hand shaking tour about the little city which of late years has greatly improved in appearance. Although the people of Shawano knew nothing of our coming it was easy to find many acquaintances and the time passed swiftly until bedtime. Everyone received a cordial greeting and also a little joshing regarding our fear of catching something although the Shawano folks said we did the right in postponing the proposed excursion. The Shawano people are as much pleased over the building of the road as are Crandon people, Shawano expecting a substantial benefit from the line that will open this great territory to them.
The Crandon men who made the trip feel under obligations to Traffic Manager Trathen for his courteous treatment in taking them to Shawano.
Hotel Murdock early 1900s www3.familyoldphotos.com
As I was going through the agricultural and forestry artifacts that the Forest County Museum I came across a booklet entitled “Annual Report of the County Agricultural Agent in Forest County Wisconsin 1928”. On several of the pages there are notes from the Forest County Land Council, which organized on February 11, 1928. The group was put together to create a balanced program of forestry, agriculture, and recreation. They were a group of business men with ties to not only farming but logging, milling, and resorts so that all areas of the county could prosper. One of their initiatives was to create three school forests in Crandon, Laona, and Wabeno made up of a total of 160 acres. This was a revolutionary idea, Forest County is the home of the first school forests in the United States. The Land Council came upon this idea with the help of H. L. Russell, Dean of the College of Agriculture at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Russell had seen Australian children planting trees on public tracts of land and believed the practice could be adopted in Wisconsin. Forest County was in desperate need of reforestation after fifty years of heavy logging that had stripped the land ( https://environment.madison.k12.wi.us/forest/edwischf.htm).
The Dedication ceremonies for the school forests were held on April 26th and 27th with H.L. Russell, John Callahan, State Superintendent of Public Instruction, and W. McNeel, State Leader of the Junior Forest Rangers giving the speeches. The school children planted 83,700 Norway and White Pine seedlings with 2,400 of the seeds being planted on farms as a demonstration tool and the rest being deposited in the school forests (Annual Report, 1928). The school forests of Forest County are still being used today as an unique teaching tool for students.
Crandon School ForestLaona School ForestWabeno School Forest
This week I was getting the Forest County Historical Society Museum into shape for another summer season. While rearranging the school room exhibit I came across an interesting packet of papers. It was a high school newspaper created by the Crandon High School junior class in January of 1947. The two editors-in-chief were Jeanne Sturzl and Cliff Asbach. There was also the sports editors: Bob Marsh and Bonnie Duff, gossip editors: Lillie McCabe and Jerry Cronce, humor editors: Bill Mountain and Margie Greisinger, music editors: Jane Russell and Danny Dehart, and advertising editor, Allan Stranz.
The front page article details what they believe Benjamin Franklin’s New Years resolutions would be based on the rules that governed his life. The second page is the humor page which features gems like a song matching contest like: “Rootin Tootin Cowboy” for Loyal Abney, “Why Did I Kiss that Girl” for Rod Chartraw, and “Rum and Coca Cola” for Mr. Geske. The third page names everyone in chorus (60 people!) and explains what the group is doing in the new year. The last page is my favorite, the gossip column. There are a few of the most interesting contributions:
” What girl is taking inventory of all the available men in high school? That’s right Virginia Sharon!”
“Why was Rosie Spencer crying in her coke at Marsh’s Tuesday night? Is Joe Mean to her?”
“Miss Broulais came back from Christmas vacation with a sparkle in her eye and a sparkler on her hand! Wonder when the big event will be?”
I sincerely wish the local high schools still had newspapers they published because it is wonderful to look back on a certain time through the eyes of teenagers. I found three copies of this school newspaper at the museum but if anyone has other school newspapers I would love to see them.
Cover of newspaperAdvertisement in back of newspaper
Everyone knows about the large town cemeteries located around the county but not everyone is aware of the smaller burial sites that are no longer used. Cemeteries hold valuable information for researchers and genealogists. The gravestones can give the person’s birth and death dates and the location of the person when they died. This information can be used to conduct more in-depth research into county records and the archives.
Recently, a research request was made for information about a small burial plot outside of Crandon known as the Gibson Cemetery. With further investigation I learned that it was actually a burial site not a cemetery because the town never owned the property. According to research done by a Forest County Historical Society member the Gibson Cemetery began when a lumber jack working on the George Gibson farm as a laborer for the summer suddenly died. The man’s name and date of death were not recorded. As time passed the Gibson family allowed the area to be used by their neighbors as a final resting place for their loved ones. The burial site has approximately twenty graves but not all of the people have been identified. Some of the graves were marked with wooden crosses and field stones except for one grave that is marked with a headstone. The woman with the headstone was Clarinda Smith and she died eighty-seven years ago today. My hypothesis is that she died in child birth because a baby girl was buried with her that shared the same death date. Not much is known about the individuals who were laid to rest on the former Gibson Farm. I could not find an obituary or census information for any of them. This must have been an isolated community that formed outside the town of Crandon. It is a common belief that is community was mostly made up of migrants from Kentucky.
Around 1996 a small group of Forest County community members banded together to clean up the Gibson burial site and replace the deteriorating wooden crossed with metal ones. Since this time the cemetery has again fallen into disrepair. The land is now owned by the county and I think it would be in the county’s best interest to form a task force to once again clean up the cemetery area. If anyone is interested in being a part of this group please let me know. If you have any information on the individuals buried in the Gibson Cemetery or know any other small cemeteries in the county please contact the Crandon Public Library.
People Buried at Gibson Cemetery
Clarinda Smith B. December 1, 1888-D. May 1, 1928
Baby Girl Smith B. May 1, 1928-D. May 1, 1928
Sara June Pence B. October 5, 1912-D. September 25, 1914
Lula Smith Pence
Charles Reva D. September 28, 1922
Eliga McPherson D. July 7, 1931
Columbus McPherson
Mrs. Columbus McPherson
Robert McPherson December 12, 1923
Andrew Brown
Roddie Osburn
Baby Roda Gibson
Baby Girl Westimayer B. May 4, 1941-D. May 4, 1941
Baby Eckart B. December 5, 1919-D. December 5, 1919
Gibson Cemetery
John Rich, reportedly Clarinda Smith’s great grandson placing flowers on her grave
We all know that city budgets can be tight especially in small towns but at least we don’t have the monetary issues that past Crandon residents had to deal with. According to the April 20, 1939 edition of the Forest Republican, so many community members did not pay their real estate taxes that the city was forced to turn all the street lights off. The city was to remain in darkness until some funds flowed into the city treasury. The budget for that year was $29,000 but only $17,000 was received. The city was not able to keep all of the money they had received they had to turn $4,000 over to the grade school and $4,000 to the high school. The city was in “tough financial straits for the next year” (Forest Republican 1939).
Check out these sections of maps created by the Chicago and Northwestern Railroad Company in 1917. To see the full railroad maps of Forest County and the surrounding area visit the Crandon Public Library.
In honor of National Library Week, which begins April 12th, I thought I would share with you some details of the humble beginnings of the Crandon Public Library. A newly discovered newspaper article revealed that the Free Library in Crandon was launched November 14, 1899. According to the Forest Republican(1899) a public meeting at the church was held for the purpose of introducing the new traveling library to people and enlighten them regarding the rules of book use. The meeting was called to order by Egbert Wyman, President of the Local Library Association. Miss Ella Helm played a selection on the organ and G.Y. McClathcie, the chosen librarian, explained how the books could be borrowed. If a person wanted to check out a book they first had to sign a card stating they agreed with all of the library regulations and then another person put their signature down testifying that the original signer was a responsible human being! A person could only check one book out at a time for a two week period and could renew it once if no one else requested the book. There was a fine of one cent per day if the book was not returned on the due date. After the rules were laid down there was more musical entertainment by community members (which I wish existed at current library meetings). The Reverend R.B. Norton spoke on the types of books available and let people know which ones he preferred. Reverend E.B. Rankin gave a speech about the positive attributes of reading and the dangers of bad literature. The President then appointed a committee to create a constitution and by laws and the meeting ended with the people present being allowed to peruse the books. I find the end of the article the most poignant:
“It is the desire of many of our citizens that this small beginning may, in the near future, result in an establishment of a permanent library in this village. Good books are like wise friends, advising and instructing, an uplift to those who seek their counsel” (Forest Republican 1899).
It is heartening to know the desire of the community for a library over one hundred years ago has not lessened over time. There are many patrons that visit daily that have the same thirst for knowledge and love for the library!
Books from Traveling LibraryOriginal Traveling Library Chest
This week digital copies of three photographs from the Bingham family were donated to the Crandon Public Library and Forest County Historical Society.
This photograph features Henry Bingham and his wife Mary Ella Johnson Bingham with children: Allen, Harriet, Nellie, Henry, Maud and baby Ray.This picture was taken at a photography studio in Clintonville in the early 1890s (Bingham, Lowell 2015). Henry Bingham was born in Royalton, New York in 1850 but moved to Michigan as a young child. His family did not settle in one place long, he moved from Michigan to Illinois and finally to Wisconsin. He wed Miss Ella Johnson in 1880 and in 1885 he moved to Norrie, Wisconsin. While residing in Marathon County he held a number of prominent public positions and farmed the land. Around 1908 he moved to Crandon where he lived until his death in March of 1928. Bingham was known in town for the janitorial work he did on a daily basis for the Methodist Church. He was seen always with a smile and a kind word to his fellow Forest County residents (Forest Republican 1928). A large number of the Bingham family are buried at the Lakeside Cemetery.
The photograph above is Howard Henry Bingham in his World War I uniform. Henry was born in Clintonville, Wisconsin to Henry and Ella Bingham. He moved to Crandon, Wisconsin with his family in 1908 where he spent the remainder of his life. Howard worked in the woods for a living. He married Viola Fredrick in 1934 and had two children. Howard died in the Veterans Hospital in Wood, Wisconsin in 1940 and there are records of his burial at Lakeside Cemetery as well as a veterans cemetery in Milwaukee (Forest Republican 1940, Burial Registers, Military Posts and National Cemeteries, 1862-1960).
It is always wonderful to learn a new story and see physical evidence of a past Forest County resident. The Crandon Public Library always welcomes donations of local history photographs so we can continue to provide new information about our unique history.
To end National Women’s History Month I would like to tell you the story of a local teacher who was discriminated against because she was a woman but persevered in the end. Grace Ison was born in Pholox, Wisconsin to Andrew and Iva Schmidt in 1925. She graduated from Antigo High School in 1943 then went on to Normal School and received her education degree in 1945. After graduating she taught in Lynnhurst, Wisconsin for one year. In 1946, she married George Ison and the couple settled in Crandon. Grace continued her career as a teacher in Crandon at the Range Line School and then continued at the School District of Crandon (Forest Republican, Nov. 20, 2002). But Grace’s career as an educator came to a crashing halt when she became pregnant in 1957. According to resolution put in place by the Crandon School District:
” Married women teachers now employed, or married women teachers that may be employed in the future, that in the event that they become pregnant the respective teacher is to resign when her condition becomes apparent or the fifth month of pregnancy has been reached whichever comes first” (Chester Jackson, 1957).
Concerned about this resolution Mrs. Ison wrote to the State Superintendent to plead her case. She detailed her confrontation with the District Superintendent and principal in the letter. When she first alerted principal of her condition he assured her that she could finish out the school year, have the baby in the summer, and return to teaching in the fall. But on March 18, she was called into the office and the Superintendent explained:
“We are always glad to have a family increase but after five months of pregnancy our teachers are asked to resign. And we must replace you for another year as we do not know the baby will be born on time, and we can’t afford to hire two teachers. We have had to use force in some cases but its a nasty situation so we’d rather not have trouble. You will not need to come back after April 1st” (G.E. Watson, 1957).
This would cause her to lose her insurance and her career! She said she was willing to take two months leave without pay and without insurance but she would not resign. The State Superintendent responded by saying they did not like to get involved with contractual status of teachers. Soon after Grace received a letter not renewing her contract for the following school year. They had replaced her with the secretary in the office (Jackson, 1957).
According to her obituary, Grace Ison continued her teaching career until the Fall of 2001 so in the end Grace came out on top and got to carry on with the job she loved. The passing of Title IX in 1972 did away with these horrible sexist resolutions put into place by school boards (www.nwhm.org). Women’s rights have come a long way but women still make thirty cents less an hour for doing the same jobs as men. So follow the example of passionate women like Grace, and stand up for equal rights!
