Curtiss Village

Curtiss Village

Curtiss, an incorporated village of about 350 people, is situated right in the heart of the rich dairy belt of Clark County, on the "Soo" line, between Owen and Abbotsford, and on the line dividing the townships of Hoard and Mayville. The land was owned by the Wisconsin Central Railroad Co., who gave the village its name when the line was pushed through this part of the state in 1880. The principal industries of the village are a sawmill, a planing-mill, and a creamery and cheese factory. The creamery and cheese factory is a prosperous institution, distributing good sized checks twice a month to the farmers nearby. The mercantile and kindred industries consist of two general stores, the Curtiss Produce Co., a grocery store, hardware store, harness shop, two blacksmith shops, a shoe shop, a hotel, and a meat market.

Among the early settlers of Curtiss were: A. B. Mathias, who came from Loyal, Otto Jenke, from Sheboygan County, G. H. Thayer, who came from Fond du Lac County with his parents in 1887, Arne Olson, Wanre Ellis and Steve Platt, now dead. Bass & Clark started the sawmill in 1882 and moved the town from the flag station where the railroad intended it to be to the present site.

The village of Curtiss was platted Nov. 17, 1882, having been surveyed by Edwin R. Parks. The first steps towards incorporation were taken in 1914, a census being taken by B. B. Green, Sept. 10, and the survey made by S. F. Hewett in October. The application was made Oct. 20, 1914, and was signed by B. B. Green, Charles Bloc, H. Machlette, Frank Kraut, Alb E. Laabs and Herman Boehm. The petition was granted Nov. 28, 1914, and the charter election held at the old schoolhouse in Curtiss, Dec. 22 following, the judges and inspectors being F. W. Laabs, Glen Reibsamen and B. B. Green. Thirty-six votes were cast, the ayes numbering thirty-three and the noes three. On petition to the Circuit Court, signed by Henry Boehm, Henry Machlette, Frank Kraut, A. E. Laabs, Charles Bloc and B. B. Green, after examination of all papers in the case, Judge James O'Neill declared the incorporation null and void, Feb, 1, 1917.

On Feb. 5, 1917, a new petition was filed by B. B. Green, T. B. Peterman, Henry Machett, William Fahrenbach, John V. Sturner, Herman Boehm, Charles Black, F. W. Laabs and Glen Reibsamen. The survey was made by Sherman F. Hewett, Nov. 21, 1916, and sworn to Jan. 29, 1917. The petition was granted March 30, 1917, the election, of which the judges were B. B. Green, Glen Reibsamen and F. W. Laabs, taking place April 24, following. Forty-one votes were cast, the proposition being decided favorably by a vote of thirty-two for and nine against.

Humbird is a thriving village, situated in the southwest corner of the county, on the first railroad built in the county. Near it is the overhanging mound which early gave the vicinity the name of Rocky Mound. It is a thriving town, surrounded by a rich and prosperous farming country, and being on the main line of a great railway system enjoys unusual transportation advantages.

The village has first class schools, the system being made up of High School, Graded Schools and Rural Schools, with an efficient corps of teach- ers. The high school is accredited to the State University. The school library has over a thousand volumes which are available for public use. A Social Center club is maintained in the village, which holds semi-monthly meetings in the high school room. The community is closely connected by local and rural telephone lines.

The West Wisconsin road was graded through this vicinity in 1869, and a village platted Sept. 9, 1869, on land owned by Almond Alderman and others. It was named from Jacob Humbird, who had charge of building the railroad. The village at once became an important trading center, grain and lumber being shipped out, and provisions and goods of every description being received and transported over the tote roads to inland hamlets and camps. A number of stores and business houses went up the first few years. L. D. Wilder opened a store, Peter Wilson a blacksmith shop, Andrews & Gunderson a brewery, William Schmidt a flouring mill, G. W. King the Rocky Mound House, E. D. Carter and F. W. Whitcomb a store, and E. Edwards a wagon shop.

In the fall of 1873, the village was overtaken by a visitation of the small-pox, which created a panic among the inhabitants and retarded its growth for several years. About twenty-five residents died during the continuance of the scourge, the bodies being burned at night; business was suspended, and trains rushed by the station as if fleeing from wrath in pursuit. All the winter of 1873-74 was one of desolation, indescribable ; nor did the spring bring encouragement to the afflicted residents. As the year advanced, business, however, began to revive, an occasional traveler would come in and decide to remain, and with the dawn of the Centennial year of American Independence, Humbird had fully recovered from the effects of this temporary paralysis.

Since then the village has enjoyed a steady prosperity. It now has a bank, a newspaper, three churches, three general stores, two hardware stores, one grocery and market, one drug store, one hotel, one garage, one barber shop, one livery stable, two restaurants, one blacksmith shop, one creamery, one cheese factory, one warehouse, a stock yard, and a very successful canning factory.

Humbird has no village government but is a part of the township of Mentor. The first town election was held April 3, 1867, the following officers being elected: Supervisors Orin Wilson (chairman), 10 votes; William R. Thomas, 13 votes, Thomas Hurst, 10 votes; clerk, Oliver A. Buell, 14; treasurer, William Orr, 14; assessor, Thomas Fitzmaurice, 6; justices, David Nettleton, 12; Thomas Hurst, 11; Fernando Wage, 12; Peter Beaver, 11; constables, John Russell, 13; James Jefcatt, 12; James Orr, 12. There were two defeated candidates, Thomas Hurst, who received two votes for chairman, and George S. Travis who received five votes for assessor. The first town meeting was held April 3, 1867. A tax of $500 was laid for building a road running westward from Section 13, and a $50 salary was voted the town clerk. The first board meeting was held at the home of Oliver A. Buell. A 5-mill tax was voted for road purposes, $5 was voted for stationery, and the pathmasters were ordered to give bonds for double the amount of the funds in hand. A petition was signed Jan. 2, 1868, asking for a change in the route of a road from King's Mills to the east part of the township, and "rescinding the vote to raise money or to appropriate it for other purposes." It was signed by David Nettleton, William H. Nettleton, Charles Williams, J. P. Jewett, H. O. Hickman, S. L. Hickman, H. Hickman, 8. A. Wise, A. Alderman, J. F. Russell and James Mc- Burney. But at the special meeting called to consider the question, Jan. 18, 1868, no vote was offered and no business was transacted. Before the end of the year, William Henry Nettleton was appointed as supervisor in place of Thomas Hurst.

The first post office was established at Humbird in 1860, Thomas Hurst being the first postmaster. The office was opened in a small building which was located where the bank building is now. D. D. Travis, who was the second postmaster, erected a building and moved the office into it. He had charge of the mails for eleven years and was succeeded by S. C. Baxter, who, during President Cleveland's first administration, moved the office one door from the old location. C. B. Travis was next appointed postmaster and held that position for four and a half years, being succeeded by Albert Alderman, whose term of office lasted four years, when C. B, Travis again took charge and continued as postmaster for four and a half years. His successor was James Waters, who erected the building in which the office is now located, and who served until J. W. Lawrence was appointed in 1915, since which time no further change has occurred. Humbird was made a registry office under D. D. Travis, and a money order office in the second term of C. B. Travis. Rural routes were established in 1906.

The first school opened in the vicinity of the village was taught in a small frame building which stood opposite the Webster House, and was continued in that locality until 1870. In the latter year the number of pupils was so in excess of the accommodations that it was decided to establish a graded school, and an edifice was accordingly erected at a cost of $2,500.

This also in time proved inadequate and arrangements were made for the construction of a large and modern school building, which is now the pride of the village. This schoolhouse is a neat and substantial brick building, 60 by 80 feet in ground dimensions, consisting of two stories and basement, and was erected in 1916 at a cost of $25,000. The building is heated by hot air and lighted by electricity. The basement contains the gymnasium and toilets. On the first floor are the four grade rooms, and on the second are three recitation rooms, the laboratory, library and principal's office. The assembly room contains a stage and is used for all entertainments. In addition to the usual eight grades, a full four-year high school course, including agriculture, is provided. Five teachers are employed in addition to the principal.

Humbird is the home of the Farmers Life Insurance Association, which was established and incorporated in July, 1905, the promoters and officers being: B. J. Stallard, president; W. E. Waters, vice president; S, M. Marsh, general counsel; G. H. Horel, secretary; A. F. Hahn, assistant secretary; John Babler, treasurer; Dr. J. R. Breakey and Dr. J. F. Farr, medical directors. B. J. Stallard is now president, W. E. Waters secretary, John Babler treasurer, and Dr. J. F. Farr medical director, and these gentlemen are also directors, together with J. W. Lawrence, James Wilson, S. M. Marsh, J. R. Breakey, John Babler, Fred Theiler, E. T. Hale, B. J. Stallard and Richard Yerbel.

The Fairview Cheese Factory, located in Jackson County, just across the line from Clark County, gets its milk supply largely from the latter county. This factory was organized in 1898, and has always been operated as a cheese factory. The building is two stories high, with living-rooms in the upper story. The concern was organized as a co-operative company and was operated for one year with Fred Theiler as manager. For four or five years the company sold the milk. In 1906 they again started on the co-operative plan, with Fred Theiler as manager, which position he still holds. The number of pounds of milk received during 1917 was 1,323,926; pounds of cheese made, 127,368; total money received including cheese drawn by patrons, $30,450.05; average price per 100 pounds of milk, $2.1214. The present officers are: Frank Hafner, president; Frank Emer, secretary and treasurer; Fred Theiler, manager; John Bremer and Albert Thur, directors.

The Humbird Co-operative Creamery was incorporated with a capital stock of $5,000, the building being erected in 1905. The enterprise has been a successful one, as may be seen from the following statement which was presented at the annual meeting of the shareholders held at the town hall on Saturday, Jan. 26, 1918, for the year ending on that date. Dr. - Cash on hand Jan. 27, 1917, $79.14; cash received for butter, $18,149.79; butter taken out by patrons, $522.38; cash received for buttermilk, $140.96; cash received for salt, $15.00; total, $18,907.27. Cr. - Paid patrons for butterfat, $16,126.24; buttermaker, $960.00; manager, $120.00; taxes, $29.44; supplies, fuel hauling, etc., $1,492.24; cash on hand to balance, $179.35; total, $18,907.27. The total number of pounds of cream received was 104,890; average test, 37; total number of pounds of fat, 39,148; average overrun, 20.5; total number of pounds of butter manufactured, 46,996; average test last year, 33; average overrun, 20.

The Humbird Cheese Co., whose factory is located at Humbird, was incorporated Jan. 6, 1912, with a capital of $5,000, by John Babler, Fred Theiler, John Bryner, John Michael, Gottleib Marty, Earl Grush, Ernest Schumacher, M. B. Baumgartner, and Robert Reider. The first officers were John Michael, president; John Babler, secretary and treasurer. The company took over a factory which was first started in 1902 by private enterprise, and in 1915 enlarged the building, which has living-rooms upstairs for the cheese maker. This factory now has sixty patrons with about 900 cows, mostly of the Holstein breed. The company also operates three other factories in Jackson County. The present officers are: John Michael, president; C. B. Fristed, secretary; Jacob Frachsel, treasurer, and Fred Theiler, manager. The number of pounds of milk received for the year 1917 was 2,386,792; pounds of cheese made, 228,464; total money received, including cheese drawn by patrons, $55,663.68; average price per 100 pounds of milk, $2.10%/.

A cheese factory was started at Hewettville in 1914, the building being rented from the Farmers Creamery Co., who had operated a creamery there for a time. Fred Theiler rented the building and ran it as a cheese factory for four years or till October, 1917, when, on account of the condensery at Neillsville, the factory closed, probably never to open again. A statement prepared by Mr. Theiler, covering the last six months' business of this factory, contains the following items: Number of pounds of milk received, 556,597; pounds of cheese made, 51,284; total money received including cheese drawn by patrons, $12,138.17; average price per 100 pounds of milk, $2.0034. Mr. Theiler started the first cheese factory at Humbird in 1897, having the previous year started the Day Cheese Factory, three and a half miles from Neillsville. -

In 1917 a pea canning factory was started in Humbird by people from Whitewater, Wis., and was capitalized for $80,000.00. It owns a farm of 440 acres and in 1917 raised and canned 300 acres of peas. Plans have been made to can about 500 acres of peas yearly.