Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1903-06-09

A trip to the western part of Mara
thon county is always refreshing and
inspiring, and at no time more so than
in June, when the day is full of
sunshine and the breeze is from the
south.
1t was the good fortune of the
editor of the PILoT to be able TO at
tend the meeting of the Western
Guernsey Breeders association
which was held at Athens on
Wednesday last. The trip was made
to Edgar on Tuesday evening by train
and from there to Athens, distance of
thirteen miles, on Wednesday morning
by team. The sun came up with clear
face aud shed glow of warmth over
all nature which responded with its
prettiest garb Of green. AS old Sol
peeped over the tree tops he also
lighted on the face of ye sleeper and
routed him out of bed at $50, and a
very pleasant hour and half was spent
looking over the progressive town OF
Edgar, and it was 4 pleasure that grew
into enthusiasm us we proceeded up
one street and down another and be-
held what had been done there within
the past few years.
Conspicuous, are the large mills of
the Quaw Lumber company and the
Wausau Lumber company, the
Menasha Wooden Ware compauy's
stave and heading factory and Tom
Hills Brick Works, which has a capac-
ity of $4,000 bricks day. These four
institutions employ q large number of
men the greater part of the year, and
are the four principal institutions OF
Edgar
Several fine churches are very promi-
nent and the excellent school house is a
great credit to its people as well as to
the town. 1t is modern, solid brick
building and has four rooms; is heated
by furnace and has an excellent system
of ventilation, inside closets, and is
ap -to-date in every particular. Four
teachers are employed with A. l..
Drown, principal.
The town has its own independent
telephone system and every man has
his place of business and residence con-
nected with the central office.
The large and splendidly built
stores will surprise all who may
visit Edgar They certainly com
pare well with those at the county seat;
bank, several good hotels, and every
thing had the appearance of thrift and
enterprise, which means that back OF
Edgar luSllIullOHS are lHeH u push
and energy AS we passed along, the
signs indicated the owners of the differ
ent institutions, viz A w. Puch-
ner, hardware: DeLong & Roberts,
general store; Chas Riheman, Forest
House; NJ. Bowe, general store; M.
Schill, Northwestern Hotel; Gust.
Baersch, tailoring; \. G. Wegner, post
master and dealer in furniture; &. G.
Barrett, real estate and loans; George
Rifleman, real estate; Amos Rogers,
livery; Bank of Edgar-G w. Dudley,
president and cashier; Geo Nichols,
Edgar Hay and Grain company; j. +.
Marquardt, hardware; Perick Bros,
general merchandise Slepyan Bros,
general store; w A. Ladwig, physician
and surgeon; Pr Zepp; Goldberg's sale
stable; Lutz u Pfrong, general mer,-
chandise; two papers-Edgar Press and
Enterprises Tomkiewitz's drug store;
A. j. Cherney dealer in lumber,
shingles and laih. Among those who
are connected with the lumber institu-
tions who make their home in Edgar
are VIM. Gamble, f. K Bissell, w. II.
Mcdonald and Gus. Ringle. They are
all of the right sort of men to build up
town and to make the community
prosperous and congenial.
Edgar has about 800 inhabitants 1t
is the center of one of the best farming
communities IN the county and the
products of the forest and farm make
it an important shipping point. This
fact alone means that Edgar VIII cen
time to grow and always be a pros
porous town of old Marathon.
One thing that impressed us was the
lovely disposition of the dogs At that
M, a hla hnnr most SPrn nnO
would have chased a suspicious charac-
ter up a tree, at the first opportunity.
Thatthey did not do so demonstrates
good breeding.
About 7:30 O'Clock, in one of Rogers
livery rigs, we were soon speeding on
towards Athens, passing through some
of the most fertile lands in the county.
The distance of thirteen miles is almost
one continuous farm; now and then
were patches of hardwood forest that
were delightful to the eye and seemed
very inviting. Half way to Athens is
the little town of Poniatowski. Here
there is large general store and post
office conducted by Joseph Chesak; a
public and parochial school; a large
church, cheese factory and blacksmith
shop.
ATHENS.
| Marathon county has many pretty
towns, but the PILoT is of the opinion
| that none are more so than Athens.
This village of one thousand souls, is
beautifully located on the banks of
Black Creek. The town was first
named BLACK Greek Falls" after that
stream and because of the rapids at
that point. The scene, as one APP
proaches Athens on the Edgar road, is