Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1903-06-09
A GREAT DAY AT ATHENS.
The Occasion Of the Annual Meeting Of the Western Guer
sey Breeders Association. The Most Successful
Meetings Ever Held in Wisconsin.
Few Observations of the Editor of the Pilot the Towns
of Athens and Edgar and Vicinity.

( worthy of the master effort of land
scape artist. 1t is on an elevation and
seemed nesting in the shady retreats
of hardwood forest and the carpet OF
emerald extended unbroken from the
open, so high and stately were the trees
OF maple, bass, ash and elm, and above
all fioated the stars and stripes, for 1t
was a gala day in Athens. Handsome
residences were presented to view and
in the valley were manufacturing plants
in full operation, and the shimmerlng
waters of Black Greek. 1t is picture
that cannot help but to at once cap
tiyate every visitor.
The stream winds about the town,
and with its tributary, Potatoe Creek,
waters three sides of the village. The
banks of Black Creek are very high but
not too precipitous, sloping gently to
the waters edge on either side, render
ing most delightful and picturesque
effect. On the north side of the stream
is the large farm of Fred Rietbrock, the
home of his famous herd of Guernseys.
1t comprises 200 acres about one-half
plow land and one.half pasture. In
the background, directly facing the
village, is one of the handsomest hard
wood groves in the county, and it was
there that the meeting of the Western
Guernsey Breeders association was
held The main improvements which
greeted the eye were the immense
stables, silo, creamery, Ia picture of the
same is given in this article through
the courtesy of the Athens Record)
windmills and there were pure bred
cattle, sheep and hogs, growing fat and
sleek on the succulent feed. Tn the
| 60 ba F,1n6oTr hnr0Q nf
w. L. Erbach, who has tia superln-
tendency of Mr. Rietbrock's interests
at Athens
The picture shows only the Guernsey
barn and the silo on this great farm.
The former is 36x72 and is arranged to
accommodate twenty-four head of
milking cattle, twelve stalls on either
side and an alley way in the center;
running along the rear of the stalls is
cement gutter for droppings which
carries liquid manure to the vault so
that none of its fertilizing value may
be lost In front of the stalls is a mar
row passageway to allow the feeding of
cattle and for visitors. The entire floor
is of cement, as are also the troughS,
for feeding and watering the cattle.
Water to every part of the stables is
furnished by large wind MILL A
trolley for the manure carrier runs the
entire length of the stable which takes
the solids to the manure vault There
is granery in the rear, 16x30 feet.
The silo is built on the most improved
plan and is fourteen feet in diameter,
thirty-four feet high and opens into the
granery. A covered manure vault
sixty feet long, eighteen feet wide, joins
the Guernsey and Short Horn stables.
Il
space of 30x70 feet. 1t is built on the
Canadian plan. The milk product of the
herd is separated in the barn and the
warm skim milk fed to the calves and
the cream is manufactured in a model
dairy located about one hundred feet
from the stables. The fresh butter
milk helps to keep 100 hogs in good
condition. The butter commands top
prices to favored customers, mostly in
Marshfield and Milwaukee.
The stables are among the finest in
the state of Wisconsin and a great OBJ
iect lesson to farmers of Marathon
county. 1t will pay any farmer, in
tending to build a good barn, to first
take trip to Athens and look over Mr..
Reitbrock's model structure.
A dam crosses Black Creek, opposite
Athens, which backs up the water and
forms mill pond and where is located
the Rietbrock saw and planning mills,
an institution which has been sof great
importance to the town since its in
ception.
1t is nearly thirty years since "Billy"
Allen and Fred Rietbrock laid out the
town of Athens, and it is the universal
opinion of all who have been there that
they performed their work we'll,
Mr. Rietbrock might have, as many
men in this part of the state have done,
monopoized all the business of the
settlement thus founded. Owning the
entire town site he could have put in
company stores here and controlled
all business and manufacturing plants
He could, also, have stripped the tim
Der from the surrounding country in a
few years with no thought of the future
In 1876. when he founded this settle
ment, our Wausau lumbermen thought
he was crazy in laying plans for a
farming community in the wilds OF
northwestern Marathon, but the course
pursued has proven the foresight and
business ability of MIR. Rietbrock. He
has conserved the timber in his terri
tory so that his mill has twenty year
run before it to help support the busi-
| uCSc vi htAtnos dueA OF NiC Cn0 VI tbhA
period the village will thrive from the
products of one of the best agricultural
districts in the union
He was instrumental in inducing
men of education and energy to locate
at Athens and they in turn have brought
others, until it is hard TO imagine q
town of its size that contains 20 many
good business men who are thoroughly
congenial and who know no politics or
religion when it comes to matters per