Newspaper Notes: 1875-1902: Articles of Rib Lake and Vicinity from Taylor County Newspapers

1892

1/16/1892		TC STAR AND NEWS		PERKINSTOWN TANNERY -- Teaming between this city [Medford] and Perkinstown is now done over the River Road, and the hills on the town line road are thus avoided.			A tannery was operating in Perkinstown and hides and equipment had to be hauled from the railhead at Medford to and from Perkinstown. No railroad ever reached Perkinstown. The horse trip was at least 10 miles long—one way. Hills needed to be avoided for two reasons: first-horses worked hard to get to the top. Secondly, brakes on wagons and sleighs were non-existent or ineffective. The kinetic energy of a load could easily overpower a team of horses with disastrous results. The answer lay in having a road on nearly level ground and avoiding all hills. Contrast that situation to Rib Lake; the new Rib Lake tannery was on the rail line.
1/23/1892		TC STAR AND NEWS		LETTERS OF ADMINISTRATION TO MICHAEL GALLAGHER -- In Probate---Taylor County Court In the matter of the estate of Patrick Gallagher, Letters of Administration on said estate having been granted to Michael Gallagher, and 6 months from and after the 18th day of Jan., 1892, having been by order of said court allowed for creditors to present their claims against deceased for examination and allowance. Notice is hereby given by the judge of this county; court will on the 6th day of September, 1892, at the Probate Office of Medford, Wisconsin, examine and adjust all claims and demands of all persons against the said Patrick Gallagher, deceased. Dated this 18th day of January, A. D. 1892.By the Court, /s/ Clinton Textor, County Judge -- John H. Hogarty, Atty’s for Estate.
1/30/1892		TC STAR & NEWS		DAVIS & STARR MILL AT LITTLE BLACK -- A [railroad] train of logs, the first one from Plummer, passed through here [Medford] Wednesday bound for the Davis & Starr Lumber Co. mill at Little Black. The company will put in about 7,000,000 feet at Plummer…and expect to run daily trains between that place and Plummer.			Davis and Starr, originally an Eau Claire, Wisconsin, lumber co., bought and logged extensive pine stumpage near Westboro and shipped it by train to its Little Black sawmill. I suspect that “Plummer” was north of Westboro and the Wisconsin Central Railroad. In any case, Plummer is, in 2013, a ghost town. A Google search produces nothing re “Plummer.”
1/30/1892		TC STAR &NEWS		WISCONSIN CENTRAL LINES -- Northern Pacific Railroad Co “lessee”[advertisement] -- FAST TRAINS with Pullman Vestibule Drawing Room Sleepers, Dining Cars and Coaches of the latest design, between Chicago, Milwaukee, St Paul and Minneapolis. THROUGH PULLMAN VESTIBULED DRAWING ROOM AND COLONIST SLEEPERS via the Northern Pacific Railroad between Chicago and Portland, Oregon. CONVENIENT TRAINS to and from Eastern Wisconsin, Northern and Central Points, affording unequalled service to and from Waukesha, Fond du Lac, Oshkosh, Neenah, Menasha, Chippewa Falls, Eau Claire and Hurley, Wis., and Ironwood and Bessemer, Michigan.			The Wisconsin Central was the railroad providing service to Rib Lake as well as Westboro, Chelsea and Medford. It had just been leased by the Northern Pacific Railroad that had a line from Ashland, Wisconsin to Portland, Oregon
1/30/1892		TC STAR AND NEWS		RIB LAKE -- The greatest amusement here in winter is “going to camp,” which, by the way, is a great pleasure to one and all, as the [ice] roads are grand, the cooks smiling, and camps warm, clean and inviting, and the vitals—words can not describe them. You must partake of them individually to get an idea of their excellence, if you want a taste of the genuine pleasure Choose a day when the sun shines clear and bright, The weather not too cold, A sleigh load of friends, a dashing team And a driver both careful and bold. The branches wave above you, You see on every side, The beauties of an evergreen forest, As swiftly on you glide. The road like a silver ribbon winds, Through a forest of stately trees, The oder of pine and hemlock, Is wafted along by the breeze. If you wish to enjoy yourself beyond measure, I assure you you’ll never regret, A trip to the Rib Lake lumber camps, ‘Tis a pleasure you ne’er will regret.			This was part of the weekly column entitled “Rib Lake.” It was an unwritten law that a lumber camp cook never turned away anyone seeking a meal. The cooks at most camps worked hard to gain and sustain a good reputation. Eighty year old Dan McCluskey of Interwald told me about his experience with camp cooks. His father worked at camp 28 and Dan would walk out there late Friday afternoons to meet his father and walked with his father to their home. Whenever Dan got to camp, he made a bee-line for the cook shanty where the cook would allow the boy to eat his fill of ginger snap cookies. The walk to the camp guaranteed that they would—and did—taste great.
2/13/1892		TC STAR & NEWS		RIB LAKE TANNERY HAS STARTED -- Sam Hagen and Ben Hoey, two Rib Lake citizens, made the usual report of “no news [going on in Rib Lake] and then GAVE THE INFORMATION THAT THE TANNERY WAS RUNNING LIKE A CLOCK…			J.J. Kennedy, on 6/25/1891, sold the land for the Rib Lake tannery to Fayette D. Shaw the deed required the prompt construction and operations of the tannery. This article confirms that the tannery was operating in Rib Lake in February, 1892. It permanently ceased operations in 1922.
3/19/1892		TC STAR &NEWS		WOMAN’S CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE UNION -- The Rib Lake ladies in attendance on the County Convention of W. C. T. U. were: Madams’ Bonnett, Hagan, Harding, Warren, Clark, Angus Kennedy, Bailey, Johnson, DeGroat and McLennan. Mrs. Angus Kennedy was the president of the [Taylor County] association.			Angus Kennedy was a brother to J. J. and the general manager of his Rib Lake lumber enterprise.
4/23/1892		TC STAR AND NEWS		RIB LAKE TANNERY -- F.D. [Fayette Delos] Shaw is advertising for 200 men to peel bark in Rib Lake and T. F. M. & F. D. Shaw are after 300 men for the same kind of work at this place [Medford] and Perkinstown.			At this time there were 3 tanneries in Taylor County. Fayette Delos Shaw was the sole owner of the tannery at Rib Lake and the co-owner—with relatives—of the tanneries at Medford and Perkinstown. Each tannery ran its own “bark camps” in summer at which ‘tanbark” was stripped from felled hemlock trees; the tanbark was conveyed to the tanneries where it provided tannic acid with which the hides could be tanned into leather. The Shaw camp operations rivaled in size and economic importance those of the lumber companies.
4/30/1892		TC STAR & NEWS		RIB LAKE TANNERY -- MONDAY LAST, THE FIRST [RAILROAD] CAR OF LEATHER TANNED AT Rib Lake was shipped from that place. The car contained ten tons. The date of the shipment WAS JUST NINE MONTHS FROM THE DATE OF THE ARRIVAL OF Mr. Fayette Shaw AND Mr. Drake at Rib Lake, preparatory to breaking ground for the new tannery... One of the first results of the work on the new site was the discovery of a spring of pure, cold water, and Mr. Shaw, who is partial to water, attributes much of raw good luck that has attended on the enterprise to this water. He writes: “I defy whisky or beer to show a better record.” That the enterprise may continue to grow and prosper is the wish of this paper.			Fayette Avenue in the Village of Rib Lake is named for Fayette Delos Shaw. While originally born out East and a longtime resident of Boston, he died and was buried in Phillips, Wisconsin, in 1942 while living with a daughter.
4/30/1892		TC STAR & NEWS		POLITICS– J.J. Kennedy and A. [Albert] J. Perkins were elected by the Taylor County Republican convention as delegates to the State Republican convention.			Active at the same time in Taylor County were the Democrats and Prohibitionists. The June 11th edition reported that a large number of people went to the Republican National Convention held in Minneapolis; “Among the Taylor County delegation to the Minneapolis convention, this week, are J.J. Kennedy, Duncan McLennan, and William Kennedy [a brother of J. J.], of Rib Lake, Peter Doyle, J. H. Wheelock, Frank Perkins, W. P. Price, Sollie Smith, Fayette D. Shaw, Edgar T. Wheelock and G. L. Shattuck of Medford. J.J. Kennedy and others returned Thursday and report that both Minnie and her brother Paul [Minneapolis & St. Paul] were too crowded with visitors for convenience. A letter from another of the party describes the situation as “CONFUSION WORSE CONFOUNDED.”
5/28/1892		TC STAR & NEWS		COUNTY BOARD REPRESENTATIVES -- Ben Hoey, Rib Lake; Thomas Brehm, Greenwood; P. M. Campbell, Westboro and William Wicke, Chelsea.			Ben Hoey worked in J.J. Kennedy’s company store. Thomas Brehm and his wife arrived in Chelsea in 1884. He eventually established an important, rural general store and post office just north of St. Ann’s Catholic Church. The Highland Grade school was built across the street from the store. For many years this cluster was identified as “Brehm” on maps.
6/18/1892		TC STAR AND NEWS		NEW RIB LAKE -- John Logan and A. S. Russell returned Thursday from Rib Lake, where they have been platting land into village lots, preparatory to the great boom that will soon strike in that immediate locality. On the site of old village of Rib Lake seven streets have been laid out, and an even 100 lots platted. These lots vary in size as many of them were already occupied and, to avoid moving buildings, the lots were made to accommodate the buildings. Where there were no buildings, the lots were made 50x100 feet in size. The railroad engineer, Mr. Agnew, was recently in Rib Lake and laid out a site at the lake and laid out a site for a new depot, near J.J. Kennedy’s store. A track will be laid directly to the depot and another to Shaw’s tannery. Another plat of lots and streets has been made to the north of the race track, to accommodate those employed in the tannery who wish to purchase lots. More particulars in regard to this matter will be given latter. It is also rumored that other industries will soon blossom out at Rib Lake, and there is no reason why they should not.			The first plat was recorded with the Register of Deeds on May 23, 1895 and entitled “Original Plat of the Village of Rib Lake.” It was created under the direction of J.J. Kennedy and his wife Flora and remains to this day as the plat defining the size and locations of lots on the south side of Rib Lake. You can see a color version of this plat at the folder: Kennedys: MOVERS AND SHAKERS; www.riblakehistory.com Fayette Delos Shaw authorized and created a plat of land around his tannery on the north side of the village. Note the reference to the horse race track in the very center of the village; it operated for years to meet the widespread interest in amateur races at the time. In 1897 A.C. McComb—for whom McComb Avenue was named—platted that land into “McCombs Racing Park Addition to the Village of Rib Lake.” For years, the south side of Rib Lake was known as KENNEDY TOWN and the north side as SHAW TOWN.
6/25/1892		TC STAR AND NEWS		E.C. GETCHEL -- E. C. Getchel came down from Rib Lake Thursday evening to talk to his mother and sister. This is his first visit in ten weeks.			E. C. Getchel became a prominent Rib Lake businessman and banker. In 1892 he held the elected position of Taylor County Superintendent of Education. He eventually built a beautiful mansion of a house at 933 West Street in Rib Lake; in 1937 Elmer Taylor converted it into a funeral home. A succession of morticians have owned it to the present; Kenneth & Ruth Mannel, James & Karon Dallman, Thomas Kniewel and now “Smoky” Hemer.
7/16/1892		TC STAR & NEWS		KENNEDY -- Among those spoken of as candidate for [the Wisconsin State] Assembly on the Republican ticket are J.J. Kennedy of Rib Lake, a prominent and well-to-do lumberman and Mr. Albert Perkins, of the City of Medford. Both of these gentleman are well known and would be a good nominee, especially so with MR. KENNEDY FOR HE IS NOT ONLY WELL KNOWN AMONG THE LABORING MEN BUT IS WELL LIKED AS WELL. (emphasis added)			This article was reprinted in the TC STAR & NEWS from the Phillips Bee.
7/23/1892		TC STAR AND NEWS		AT RIB LAKE -- The writer visited Rib Lake Friday last on a missionary errand, and took note of the improvements which are numerous. The enlargement and improvement of Mr. J.J. Kennedy’s mill have been mentioned in these columns before, but one who has not visited the mill since the changes can not appreciate the increased facility with which lumber is made and handled. The planning mill is busy dressing and preparing last years cut for shipment but it will take until autumn to complete this task. The most marked change at Rib Lake since last year is, of course, the F. D. [Fayette Delos] Shaw Tannery, and the collection of spic and span new houses that have grown up around it. The tannery is a model, PROBABLY THE BEST OF ITS SIZE IN THE WORLD. When nature molded the earth’s surface at that site the probable location of a tannery must have been taken into account, as the slopes and ravine, the water supply and drainage are all perfectly natural. This tannery is about the same size as the Medford tannery, but they are doing more work there [at Rib Lake] than here [at Medford]. [The Rib Lake tannery puts out] …550 sides of hides each day into the vats. [Building] lots have been laid out near the tannery and many houses have been built where workmen with families reside. There is a boarding house for the single men, also. E. C. Getchel is book keeper and the first lieutenant to Mr. Fayette Shaw who manages the entire enterprise. Among the new things at the lake is the new M. E. [Methodist Episcopal] church, the foundation of which has been laid. The building will be small but tasty in design. The size of the main lecture room will be 30x40 on the south end, opposite the platform will be a classroom 15x20, connected with the main room by folding doors. The money for this building has all been raised, and there will be no debt as an ornament when completed. Chris. Wollesen has taken the contract for the work [of building the church] for $600, material furnished on the ground and, as Christ is a good workman, there is no question about the church being well built. He expects to have it ready for services in September.			The tannery site in Rib Lake is worth a visit; Tannery Lane runs north from Fayette Avenue through the site. Two blocks north of Fayette Ave is tannery pound; it is a 7 acre lake created by damming tannery creek. The pond supplemented wells in meeting the needs of the tannery for water. In 2012, solid concrete pillars 3 to 4 feet high still stand in rows along Tannery Creek; the pillars supported a huge vat house over 300 feet long built over the creek. Wastes were dumped into the creek which served as a convenient sewer; “out of sight—out of mind.” In 2012 two original tannery buildings remain; the former “pan” house is now a home. The former boiler house/power plant is a concrete two-story residence at 248 Tannery Lane. Without question the most impressive remnant of tannery days in Rib Lake is easily seen on Fayette Ave just north of its junction with McComb Ave. Seven former company houses once occupied by tannery laborers stand side-by-side on the north side of Fayette Ave. While some have been remodeled, their classic 1½ story size and rectangular shape declare to the world that they are classic company houses. The M. E. Church is the proud home of United Methodist Church on Church street in 2012. It is as neat and well maintained as when constructed 120 years ago.
7/30/1892		TC STAR AND NEWS		TANBARK -- The men now employed in the woods by Joseph Gibson will soon complete their season of bark peeling, with a stock of 3,000 cords. All of this will be delivered to the Medford tannery during the winter, and the logs stripped of bark will be banked on the Black River for Sawyer & Austin.			The bark peeling season was short. The only time to do it was mid spring to early summer when the tree was in rapid growth. Note the win-win situation. The bark of the hemlock tree was sold to go to the tannery and its logs were sold to go to the saw mill. The hemlock landowner had a bonanza. And Taylor County was hemlock heaven—hemlock and yellow birch were the dominant species in the virgin forest in Taylor County.
7/30/1892		TC STAR & NEWS		TEACHER’S INSTITUTE -- A teacher’s institute will be held in the high school building at Medford, Wis., commencing August 22nd and will continue five days. Every teacher is expected to be present every day and to take an active part in the exercises. The work for the institute has been carefully prepared and no teach can afford to miss this opportunity for self improvement. Friends of education are cordially invited to be present. Teacher examinations will be held as follows: Medford, August 29 and 30, and Chelsea, August 31 and Sept 1st. A supplementary examination will be held in the west side building at Medford, Wis., Oct. 21 and 22 for teachers wishing to write in the first and second grade braches… Exercises will begin promptly at 9 o’clock each morning and all should be present at that time. Applicants will provide themselves to write with ink upon legal cap paper. School boards should see that the teacher holds a certificate good for the entire term of school, and has credit for having attended institute five days this year. Dated at Rib Lake, Wis., July 26, 1892 /s/ E. C. Getchel, County Supt.			At the time every Wisconsin county had the position of county superintendent of education—an elected position. E. C. Getchel held the position at this time and resided in Rib Lake where he become general manager of the tannery under Fayette D. Shaw. Getchel went on to become a prominent businessman and banker in Rib Lake. He built a mansion of a house at 933 West Street; in 2012 it is the Dallmann-Kniewel Funeral Home. My father, Herman A. Rusch, was born in Rib Lake in 1902. His father worked in the tannery but kept one cow on his 4 acre lot on Fayette Ave to provide fresh milk for his family. The Rusch family sold fresh milk and cream for extra cash. My father told me that the Getchel family was his best customer. Not only did they pay for the milk and cream, but they often left dad a tip of five cents—then a generous sum. Notice the emphasis on LOCAL teacher education. Almost no teacher had a university education; most attended a local “normal school” [teacher’s college] for one year before starting their teaching job. Rib Lake did not have a high school building until 1904.
7/30/1892		TC STAR & NEWS		JUST AS EASY -- As grass falls before the mower’s scythe, so fall the baseball clubs before the Medford aggregation of ball tossers. Last Sunday two clubs met defeat in this city [Medford]. In the forenoon Rib Lake found defeat, and in the afternoon nine young men from Eau Claire searched in vain for runs that could not be found... In the game against Rib Lake, F. [Fayette] D. Shaw acted in the capacity of pitcher and, as Delos’ right arm has not forgotten its cunning, he made conundrums that the Rib Lake batters could not guess…..			Medford beat Rib Lake 11 to 7. Fayette Delos Shaw was the owner of the Rib Lake tannery and part owner of several more. He had hundreds of men working for him and yet found time to play baseball. Shaw was a super pitcher – the first in the county to throw a curve ball.
8/6/1892		TC STAR AND NEWS		TEN HOUR WORK DAY -- The striking mill men at Merrill and Wausau have returned to work, their demand for a ten hour [work] day being granted. At Stevens Point the strike is not yet settled, and there is about one ripe at Rhinelander.			I surmise that the 11 or 12 hour work day prevailed at the Kennedy saw mill. The edition of Aug 27th reported that the Davis and Starr saw mill at Little Black went from an 11 hour work day to 10 “with no reduction in wages.”
8/6/1892		TC STAR & NEWS		YOUNG PEOPLES SOCIETY AT RIB LAKE -- A Young Peoples Society, in connection with the M. E. [Methodist Episcopal] church has been organized at Rib Lake. Weekly meetings will be held during the year, a subject chosen for each meting, a leader appointed. The officers of the society are: Tena Kennedy [daughter of J.J. and Flora Kennedy], president; Dana Thomas, vice –president; Clyde DeGroat, secretary; Mary Nolan, treasurer; Myrtle Thomas, organist. Rev. H. P. Waldron, the pastor of the Rib Lake church is a young man of energy, and his work is already bearing good fruit.			Note that this was a Methodist Episcopal church. Here the term Episcopal did not refer to the Christian denomination of Episcopalians. Episcopal is taken from the Greek word for bishop; that is how the term is used here. This branch of the Methodist church had bishops.
10/8/1892		TC STAR AND NEWS		TRAIN SCHEDULE -- The Wisconsin Central Railroad trains passed through Medford four times daily: TRAINS GOING NORTH FROM MEDFORD: Mail 10:30 am; Passenger 4:10 am; way freight [local freight] 9:30 a.m.; through freight 8:04 pm. TRAINS GOING SOUTH FROM MEDFORD: Mail 6:22 pm; passenger 11:45 pm; way freight 5:00 pm; through freight 5:28 am. RIB LAKE TRAINS: Leave Chelsea at 11:20 am; leave Rib Lake to return to Chelsea at 12:35 pm. LIMITATIONS ON TRAINS THROUGH MEDFORD; Nos. 40 and 41-freight—carry passengers between Mellen and Abbottsford. No. 38 will carry passengers between Medford and Abbottsford; No. 39 will carry passengers between Abbottsford and Westboro			I suspect this schedule did not admit to trains on Sunday.
10/8/1892		TC STAR & NEWS		FIRE AT RIB LAKE -- The hotel and boarding house at Rib Lake was entirely consumed by fire last Tuesday afternoon. The building belonged to J.J. Kennedy, was valued at $6,000, and was insured for $3,000. A part of the furniture was removed, but much of it was destroyed. Our reporter was unable to learn how the fire started. The two streams of water from the pump at the mill were used to save surrounding property to good effect, as the flames were not allowed to spread from the burning buildings. Just across the street from the boarding house, which was a monster frame building, was Mr. Kennedy’s large store, and beyond that there was a row of dwellings, all of wood and ready to burn on very little provocation. The men from the saw mill and tannery gathered to fight the fire and worked like heroes, with splendid results. The Medford fire department was wired for help, and responded, but did not arrive with their [fire fighting] machine until the boarding house was burned and the fire was under control. The wind was blowing with considerable force from the north, and carried sparks from the burning building across the lake, setting fire to an old slashing. It is very fortunate that the wind was not from the east that day, for had it been so, no power on earth could have saved the lumber yard with its millions of feet of lumber. To Mr. Kennedy we tender our condolence and congratulations in the same breath.			The hotel-boarding house, the Commercial House, was primarily a boarding house for single men working for Kennedy. It was rebuilt and lasted about 10 years before it too burned. The “slashings” were a logged over area. The sun dried tree tops and residue from logging made them highly burnable. Rib Lake is a good quarter mile across, so the flying embers had a good flight before setting fire to the slashings.
10/15/1892		TC STAR AND NEWS		KENNEDY -- J.J. Kennedy has forwarded one hundred dollars to the Medford fire department as remuneration for the company’s exhibition of good will in promptly responding to the call for assistance at the time of the recent fire at Rib Lake. Our boys and fire extinguishing apparatus arrived too late to be of any assistance whatsoever, and to say that the donation was appreciated does not begin to express the feelings of the company.
11/12/1892		TC STAR & NEWS		KENNEDY CHILDREN AT BOARDING SCHOOL -- J.J. Kennedy of Rib Lake took the Thursday night train for Chicago. He will return early next week, as he expects to spend Sunday with his children at Lake Forest, where they are attending school.			J.J. Kennedy and his wife Flora had five children: Donald Angus, born Oct. 30, 1876; Christena Maud born Sept 16, 1872; Jennette born October 1874; William G. born June 6, 1880 and Elbert Carpenter born January 5, 1884. The Rib Lake Herald of December 23, 1904 reported; “Bert Kennedy came home from Lake Forest, Illinois, to spend Christmas at home. He is a student at Lake Forest College.” On June 4, 1897 William J. Kennedy graduated from 9th grade after attending Rib Lake public school. On December 24, 1892 the paper reported: “J.J. Kennedy and his two daughters attended the Arion Band dance in this city [Medford] Thursday evening. The young ladies are home from Lake Forest school, to spend the holiday season.” Christina Kennedy was 20 and Jennette 18 at the time. Image #14135 in the Photo and Document Collection shows a picture of each taken in 1960. Lake Forest is a western suburb four miles from Chicago on the Fox River. It was and is a well-to-do community separated from Chicago by Oak Park, the boyhood homes of Earnest Hemmingway and Frank Lloyd Wright.
11/12/1892		TC STAR &NEWS		TANNERIES TO GET ELECTRIC LIGHTS -- The men who are to put the electric light plant in the [Medford] tannery have been in town this week making preparations. Yesterday they drove out to Perkinstown to look over the tannery at that place. The Shaws have convinced themselves that the safest and best light for their tanneries is the electric light, and soon all their establishments will blaze with that bright and beautiful light.			Note that the men were installing an electric light plant. This predated electric line or municipal power plants. They would be installing the equipment at each tannery to generate the electricity to power the lights there. Since each tannery had several steam boilers, the electric generator would also be steam powered.
11/12/1892		TC STAR AND NEWS		JOHN DUNCAN REMOVED AS WESTBORO POSTMASTER -- The Westboro post office at last has changed hands. In July last Andrew Peterson was appointed postmaster in place of John Duncan, [who was removed], and he filed the necessary bonds, etc. shortly after. On August 22 his commission was mailed to him from Washington but it never reached him. In October a duplicate commission was forwarded to him in care of the editor of this paper and, consequently Peterson got it all right. Then he demanded the post office and Duncan refused to turn it over. Several excuses were made to cause delay, and at last post office inspector Pulcifer was asked to give a hand in the matter, which he did last Wednesday, and now Peterson is postmaster.			Earlier this paper had a short article that the Town of Westboro claimed John Duncan had embezzled funds while he served as town clerk and after a long delay the Town was filling suit. Nothing further has been reported to date. John Duncan was one of the earliest businessmen in Westboro. With William S. Taylor and James Ritchie he purchased land from the Wisconsin Central Railroad and opened a large saw mill. Duncan eventually became the sole owner of the saw mill.
12/3/1892		TC STAR AND NEWS		KENNEDY AND HIS RAILROAD -- J.J. Kennedy has the iron [rails] laid on about 1 and ½ miles of his logging railroad. The road will be about five miles in length before spring, and the logs will be hauled thereon during the winter. Last Thursday Angus Kennedy got his hand pinched while coupling [railroad] cars on the new road, and came to Medford to have it dressed. One finger was dislocated and severe bruises mark the other fingers. Angus will content himself hereafter with his position of general superintendent, leaving car coupling to more experienced hands.			THIS WAS THE FIRST LOGGING RAILROAD IN TAYLOR COUNTY AND ONE OF THE FIRST IN THE STATE. Ironically, when the Rib Lake Lumber Company hauled its last railroad conveyed logs to Rib Lake in 1948, it was the last Wisconsin lumber company still doing so. We know almost nothing regarding Kennedy’s first efforts at railroad logging; Guy Wallace’s history of Rib Lake said the railroad ran to the northwest of the village and it was a failure. At the time railroad cars were coupled together using what was called a “link and pin.” This was an extremely dangerous procedure which resulted in thousands of men losing fingers and hands. The worker had to stand in between the two cars to be coupled as the locomotive pushed one car toward the other; the laborer had to simultaneously hold the link horizontal so it would fit over a bracket on the other car thru which the laborer had to insert the pin. It is no surprise at all that Angus got hurt attempting this—there was no safe way to do it. In 2018 Mr. Curran showed me artifacts he had found using a metal detector along the abandoned Camp 8 railroad spur right-of-way. The metal artifacts included a link and pin once used to couple together railroad cars.
12/10/1892				AT THE [MEDFORD] TANNERY -- All bark delivered at the tannery now is weighed on Howe scales, and paid for by weight instead of measure. The scales have been put between the office and vat yard, and a house built over them. This is one new improvement. Another improvement is the electric lights which will probably be burning tonight for the first time. A dynamo house has been built on the west side of the roll house and it contains a small [steam] engine and dynamo [generator]. One hundred lamps [electric light bulbs] of sixteen candle power each are distributed about the different departments, and wires are run across the railroad track to four houses on the hill, the residence of the Shaws, A. J. and F. [Frank] M. Perkins and Joseph Hammel. The electric light plant at Perkinstown tannery has been running for some time and is giving unqualified satisfaction.			Note the cluster of homes getting electricity from the tannery; these large houses exist in 2012 along South Second Street south of Perkins Avenue. Fayette Delos Shaw just announced in the paper his new home had been completed. Joseph Hammel owned and operated the drug store in Medford.
12/24/1892				KENNEDY OVERJOYED BY FREEZE -- The cold weather of this week has been very acceptable to lumbermen, as the swamps will not freeze in warm weather, and when the swamps are not frozen over the life of the average lumberman is dull and uninteresting.			This small article says a lot that is easily overlooked in modern society. The last glacial ice melted from what is Taylor County just 10,000 to 12,000 years ago. It left poorly drained topography with wetlands covering 10% or more of the typical section of land. Most wetlands could be crossed by oxen or horses only after their surface has frozen and thereby ‘firmed up.” These facts also tell us why J.J. Kennedy wanted a logging railroad; it would be immune from the vagaries of weather. While crossing a wetland with a railroad had its own problems, one typical technique was to use long logs placed perpendicular to the rails. Such logs formed a mat above the wet, unstable surface. Such logs were easily cut from hardwood and other “junk” trees; they were readily available and their supply was inexhaustible.
12/31/1892		TC STAR AND NEWS		RIB LAKE -- The people of Rib Lake, being human, enjoy eating at intervals, the good things of the land. Fully aware of the weakness on the part of people, certain parties, to the writer hereof unknown, have decided to advantage themselves by giving an oyster supper at the Town Hall. Who would not wish to be thereat?			The paper regularly carried an ad by a Medford merchant for oysters. “Headquarters for Oysters” “Andresen’s is as usual the Headquarters for Oysters. They are received by express [train] three times a week direct from Headquarters and are sold in cans or in bulk.” Note that the supper would take place in the Town of Rib Lake Town Hall. Until 1902 there was no incorporated Village of Rib Lake; there was a single political entity, the Town of Rib Lake. Its Town Hall was located in what would become the Village of Rib Lake. In 1902, after the incorporation of the Village, the remainder of the Town of Rib Lake built a new Town Hall on the northeast corner of current STH 102 and CTH C. The 1902 Town Hall lasted until c 1900 when the Town Board had it burned by the fire department; it was replaced by the current structure at the same location. In 2012 the President of the Village of Rib Lake is Wayne Trusty. The Chairman of the Town of Rib Lake is Joe Knorn. The former town hall building in the Village had a long life. It was remodeled into a municipal power plant generating electricity. Later, it became a general store, which finally closed about 1970. The store was owned by the Heindl family.