Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1911-08-08

recall 1t was here that the bulk of
the shingles were shaved by hand be-
fore the advent of the machine-made
shingle, hence the name.
Across the slough was Clarke'S ISL
and, and to the left of the bridge the
highest point was Clarke's boarding
house, while below it was the old saw
mill which a few years later was de-
stroyed by fire and rebuilt. On the
right side of the road leading from
the slough bridge to the old covered
falls bridge was a continuous row of
stores, boarding houses and saloons
a few years later but at this time the
north end of the island was occupied
by the old Thayer grist mill, John
Barteldt's saloon and store, and the
homes of the GritZmachers and Baer-
walds.
On the west side of the river there
was nothing to be seen but a few
scrub pines and poplar bushes until
one reached the residence of Mrs.
Mary Poor, about half mile north
of the bridge. A cabin a short dis
lance south of the bridge was in
habited by "Pegleg" and his wife. [
do not now recall this mans name,
but he went by the name of "Pegleg"
because he wore wooden stump. He
was of somewhat bibulous nature,
and it often occurred to me when /
saw how difficult it was for him to
navigate the streets that a prudent
nature might better have given him
two additional legs than to have taken
away one of those with which she had
originally endowed him.
Right here my mind recalls another
character familiar to the people in
those days, being none other than
Billy Somers, who having been ship
wrecked on the Fiji, Sandwich or
some other cannibal island, had been
permitted to live after having passed
through the ordeal of having his ears
and nose cat off and his body covered
with network of tattoo marks from
head to foot. AS | remember him |
think | am safe in saying they did
not improve his beauty any, but if he
had lived at the present day he could
have made a fortune by exhibiting
himself in circus side show.
Back to Washington and Main,
just north of the Lake Superior house,
on the west side of Main street was
the home of Congressman W. d. Nc
Indoe almost hidden in the Well-kept
outrageous yard in front, and still
further north lived Hugh McIndoe,
his brother. VIM. Whittaker'S home
was on the corner north of Hugh
McIndOe's, and on this lot, but nearer
the river, Werheim & KickbuSch
built the first woodworking estab-
liShment in WauSau. Beyond Whit
takers were the residences of Jack
Peters, lumberman and pilot, August
Hett, carpenter and builder, and VIM.
GOwen, master millwright and in
ventOr of set works that revolution
lied lumber saving. On the east side
of Main street, opposite w. d. Nc
Indoe'S, were two small cottages
owned respectively by Charley and
Jack Clarke.
North of the Willard homestead, at
Washington and Third, was the home
of NJ. D. Corey, and perhaps if it had
not been for board that accidentally
fell off of the tight board fence be-
tween our place and Corey's, we boys
would never have discovered what
luscious crab apples, plumS, ETC., grew
on the other side of the fence. Across
the road from Corey'S on the west,
was VIM. Bradford'S residence. Mr..
Bradford was the government black
smith on the Indian reservation at
Lac du Flambeau, out it may be news
to some of the old settlers even, to
hear that Mr.. Bradford invented a
piece of field ordnance during the war,
of the rapid fire order, but although
strong pressure was brought to bear
upon the government to adopt it
nothing ever came of the invention.
East of Corey's house was an old
workshop of Corey & Willard, and in
which Dick Daniels established the
first steam shingle mill in northern
Wisconsin.
The corner northeast where the
gas company's building now stands.
was then used as dumping place for
the shingle saw dust. 1t was a great
playground for the boys who. by
means of boxes, barrels, scraps of lum-
Der, etc, built system of tunnels
beneath the sawdust piles with holes
here and there to crawl in and give
ventilation. The place of an evening
when the boys were playing bars
down" resembled nothing more than
a colony of prairie dogs or gophers.