Kewaunee County & the Short-Lived Bookmobile

April 10 is Bookmobile Day in Wisconsin, a day that brings to memory the Door-Kewaunee County bookmobile.  In the world of 2019, few remember it coming to Kewaunee County communities and even fewer have memories of the joys it brought the county’s rural school population. It never was the mainstay that it was in Brown and Door Counties, and that Kewaunee County even had a bookmobile was a credit to hardworking, passionate citizens who wanted to bring books to all areas of the county. Books for kids and books for adults.  During the initial demonstration program alone, the counties saw a 16% increase in library circulation. When the bookmobile made its first appearance in the peninsula’s counties, 23% of Wisconsinites did not have access to a free public library.

Just before Halloween 1949, Kewaunee County Board was considering joining Door County in requesting the state library demonstration in the area. As it was, Wisconsin would approve a single demonstration area and an informational request was not binding. A bookmobile was part of Wisconsin’s Free Library Commission projects and Kewaunee County could get the free information on a bookmobile and its services when such a unit toured the area early in November. On its tour, the bookmobile was expected to stop at schools in addition to the homes of county board members.

During the board meeting, May Smithwick, county superintendent of schools, spoke in favor of the demonstration, which could only enrich the education of the children in rural schools. Rural schools had libraries, but the books – many outdated - remained the same from year to year with possible additions of a few new ones.  Some rural shelves appeared full, but often, being devoid of library books, the shelves stored unusued text books

A letter sent to Otto Adams, chairman of the county board, from the Library Commission, stated that the 1949 legislature enacted the Library Demonstration bill, providing funding of $50,000 yearly for 3 years to a rural county or adjacent counties selected for the demonstration. The law also specified that the state would pay half the cost of a single demonstration as long as the state portion did not exceed 50% of the total cost. It further called upon the people within the demonstration area to develop their own initiatives, ensuring the library service would continue without interruption following the 3 year demonstration period.

In 1950, the approximately $70,000 in books and equipment would be left in the area after the initial period was no small change! The state also pointed out that at the end of the 3 years, a county with a 25,000 population would tax property at one mill.* The state encouraged applications from areas that were neither above nor below average in population, existing services, wealth and more.

 It was furthermore noted that average costs would be about $1.50 per capita if an area held at least 25,000 people. Door and Kewaunee Counties jointly met that requirement. The Library Commission believed average rural Wisconsin communities had the ability to organize free library service and had the local resources to continue its support, providing a large enough population was served. A committee made up of Mrs. Smithwick, a county board member, a school official and 3 prominent community members were charged with informing Kewaunee County residents of the opportunities offered.

Door County wanted the library demonstration project, however its population made it too small to qualify. Working with Kewaunee County made it eligible. In meetings with the state, Door County was given the same information as Kewaunee. They were told how there would be a central pool of books and other printed materials available to all. A system of inter-library loan would put even more information at one’s fingertips. But Door County could not do it alone. There was more than the bookmobile though. There would be book talks and story hours. Films would be available to rural schools. There would be an advisory staff assisting local librarians, school groups and individuals, and a book collection that rotated thus always offering something new. Algoma, Kewaunee and Sturgeon Bay would be the main libraries with branches at Casco, Luxemburg and many of the villages of Door County. There would be two bookmobiles.

It was an exciting time in November 1949 when the bookmobile stopped at schools to allow parents and students to tour it to find out what it held. Still, both county boards had to approve the demonstration if the state approved the counties’ application. Kewaunee County Board approved the demonstration project. Most areas were onboard, but others were not. It was understood that the demonstration would not be put into an area that was opposed to it.

In early January 1950, it was announced that the regional library would go into operation on February 1. An entirely new project meant there were logistics to work out. A temporary director needed to be hired and standards needed to be established. Eyebrows were raised when Kewaunee County board members saw the state-set salaries for the administrative assistant, two typists, cataloguers, 2 drivers and the librarians. The book budget totaled about $12,000. One bookmobile was to be donated by the State Library Commission with funds from the State Federation of Women’s Clubs, while the other would be paid for by the counties. Then there were the office supplies and equipment. The project’s costs fell between $53,500 and $57,500. By-laws were written by a team from each county and an administrative committee was made up of an equal number of residents from each county. Among the committee’s responsibilities was “selling” the demonstration project in their respective areas. It was not easy.

The need to “sell” the project was kept in mind as a requisite for the director. One of the candidates for the job was “high in library work” in the State of Washington. If she were hired to set-up the D-K program, she would have to take a significant decrease in salary. The representative from the state commission felt that the one hired to set-up the program would be one who’d need to take “hard knocks,” and after the set-up, a director with other talents might be named. He pointed out that the D-K demonstration would be closely watched throughout Wisconsin and across the U.S. The person hired to be director would be developing something entirely new. She would be raising her position in the library profession. In 1950, nobody expected a man to served in such a position, especially in such a rural area. Mr. Botsford from the library commission opined that not many were qualified for the director’s position.

Board members noted the need to watch salary precedents carefully so that future county boards would see their way clear to continue the project when the state stepped away from the project. Headquarters for the regional library would be in the basement at the Sturgeon Bay quarters. Sturgeon Bay, Algoma and Kewaunee were to decide whether their books would be circulated. Then it came out that progressive Algoma’s 1948 book budget was $1,400 while Door County spent $1,400 in total. Kewaunee city spent just $482 in the same year.

The goal was that the bookmobile would be ready for making at least two trips each to each school in each county before the end of the school year. To meet that goal, first two months of 1950  were spent getting the new system organized and working out snags

In continuing to explain the need for the new system, it was pointed out that library facilities at schools were important, but did not receive the attention necessary. If the library was well maintained, information on a variety of subjects was available. County teachers had great hopes for the Regional library. Algoma librarian Mrs. Dorothy Ackerman, and the librarian from Baileys Harbor, spoke on WJPG radio acquainting listeners with what was going on with the new library and its programs.

There was eager support and fierce opposition to the new system. There were those who felt the books would put foolish notions into the minds of children. The opposition was largely in Kewaunee County, but there was opposition in Southern Door County as well. Some felt a regional library system was government interference that would only expose folks to moral and political dangers. At the same time Senator Joseph McCarthy was holding hearings looking for Communists behind every tree. There were those who felt that the trouble on the Korean Peninsula meant war and if such a library system was going to add $12-15 a year in taxes, a possible war in Korea would drive taxes up even more.

On April 4, 1950,  Montpelier town board unanimously passed a resolution requesting a referendum on the bookmobile and the money it cost. The Town felt Kewaunee County residents were treated unfairly when the County Board made its decision approving the demonstration.

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At the end of the demonstration period, the committees, the librarians, the teachers, the kids and most of the parents felt the system and bookmobile was a resounding success. 90% of rural children in both counties used the bookmobile. Kewaunee County’s Town of Franklin students averaged 40 books a year, the highest record within the two counties. Children in the Town of Carlton averaged just over 30 books a year. Women used the bookmobile as well, although during the trial period, only a handful of Kewaunee County men used it.

Kewaunee County voters had their chance to express their views in the 1952 election which also saw future president Dwight Eisenhower and Senator Joe McCarthy on the ballot. Algoma, Casco and Luxemburg voted in favor of the library system. Kewaunee city rejected the system by 1 vote and it was voted down in the rural areas that received the most service. Families with school children generally wanted the bookmobile, however they were outvoted by those without children in school.

When the bookmobile came to an end, rural school children were in tears. For a little while, they had something their city cousins did. The demonstration worked. Other counties got their own bookmobiles and regional library systems. Door County voted to maintain the program on its own. For over 40 years, the bookmobile was a boon to Door County children, their parents, and anybody who wanted to use it.

Sources: Algoma Record Herald

 *The term "millage" is derived from a Latin word "millesimum" meaning "thousandth," with 1 mill being equal to 1/1,000th of a currency unit. As used in relation to property tax, 1 mill is equal to $1 in property tax, which is levied per every $1,000 of a property's determined taxable value. This definition was found at  .https://www.investopedia.com/terms/m/millrate.asp

Ahnapee, Algoma & the 2nd Street Bridge

Tongues have been wagging about Algoma’s 2^nd Street Bridge reconstruction for close to 20 years. According to Door County Daily News, it will happen this summer. A year ending in 9 seems to be magic for the bridge since 1899 and 1949 were the two most recent reconstruction years. Set in a 2019 context, discussion concerning the need for the bridge is not much different than it was following World War ll, or well before 1900. Who today would think at one time the bridge’s placement determined the center of town?

Algoma’s senior citizens remember the old iron bridge turning to allow boat traffic to get up river. In an earlier day, boats traversed the river, turning into Mr. Gericke’s dock to off-load provisions for his store at the northwest side of 2^nd and N. Water. Boats went to the furniture factory on S. Water, now Navarino, and as far as the Plumbers and the Veneer and Seating Co., last known as the Hardwoods.

Some of t hose same adults have not-so-fond memories of walking to or from St. Mary’s only to come upon seagulls vying for the fish guts on the deck planking. The gulls didn’t give up easily and the little kids weren’t about to take them on by walking right through. Older boys got plenty of attention as they chased screaming girls with those vile, half-eaten fish. Then there are those who remember getting pooped on when some pleasure boater sounded the horn when coming upon a flock of seagulls feasting near the bridge.

When Major Joseph McCormick and his party sailed up the (now) Ahnapee River to today’s Forestville in 1834, the guts could have been a lot bigger as later history recorded muskellunges of over 35 lb. caught in the river. In a day before the goose poop became part of its landscape, Algoma’s commercial fishing industry lined the river banks on either side of the 2^nd Street Bridge, and the gull offal was there.. Seagulls and fish guts have always been a part of Algoma, and a part of the bridge history.

Most presume that a bridge was always at 2^nd Street, but it wasn’t. The community’s first bridge was a log footbridge constructed near the mouth of the river in 1856 by Joseph Anderegg, Peter Schiesser, William Fagg and Matt Simon, however the mouth of the river wasn’t where it is today. A spit of land covered what today is the mouth. The river turned north, for about a block from the main channel, before turning east and entering Lake Michigan at a spot that in 2019 would approximately be the foot of Michigan Street. When the community’s first school opened on the north side of the river in 1855, south side children were not able to attend because the footbridge had yet to be built. A year after the footbridge, in summer 1857,  a wooden bridge was built near the mouth east of present-day Church Street, crossing the river just east of the current Von Stiehl Winery.

Then came years of problems. Spring ice raised havoc all over the county and when freshets washed out the bridge in April 1866, the bridgeless community turned to Captain Hank Harkins to run a ferry near the mouth for several months as it took some time before normal bridge travel was resumed. By June it was announced Ahnepee's* village bridge was nearly complete. 

Second Street Bridge - 1883 Birdseye Map

Following the Civil War, Ahnepee underwent a period of significant growth, and with that came the June 1868 opening of a new bridge. By then townsfolk, feeling the mouth bridge should be moved toward the center of town, replaced it with a log bridge built on the 2nd Street site. Repair of the 2nd Street bridge was news again on March 23, 1876 when Simon Haag was hired to replace the stringers and then replank the bridge at a cost of $120.00. It was imperative that the bridge was made safe until the channel was excavated to permit passages of vessels to the deeper waters above it. Steam drilling and blasting during harbor development in April 1876 caused the collapse of the newly repaired bridge.

Once again the bridge gave way in September when Charles Damas was crossing with his team hauling a load of wood. Luckily, Mr. Damas and his team were rescued without serious injury. Since the bridge was the only one connecting both sides of the community, once again the town provided a ferry, again run by Captain Harkins, until the bridge was repaired. In April 1883, the bridge was in trouble again. A new brace was a necessity and the drop needed a new 2” thick pine plank cover. The bridge was deemed unsafe again in June 1888 and finally repaired in December 1890.

The bridge remained an issue and when Ahnapee was in the midst of a boom in the summer of 1895, the city again decided to have the bridge repaired. There was no option in August. Seven hundred people -most of whom were on their way to St. Mary’s - crossed the bridge on Sundays. Between 70 and 80 teams also crossed the bridge, however as summer wore on the situation became so tenuous that team travel was banned.

From the late 1850s on, the community sought to Improve the harbor and channel. The nearly on-going work with the U.S. Engineers caused some to call for action on the bridge situation. Since the bridge was too low, it was decided to put a "draw" in it. When the harbor was ready, it was felt the bridge should be ready to permit vessels to travel the river at will. By 1899, the community - newly christened Algoma – was forced to completely construct a new 2^nd Street bridge. William Damas had the contract and began tearing down the bridge in May.

As with anything else, if there was something to go wrong, it did. Work was pushed back in October 1899 when the use of a steam pump was delayed. Without it, the center crib could not be pumped out and masons could not do their work. When the pump finally came from Sturgeon Bay so late in the season, the city said the work would be pushed until completed.

The 2nd Street iron bridge opened 10 years before this post card was send.
The building on the left is Gericke's Store. The dock is at the right of the store.

By mid-January 1900, the workforce had been increased, the heavy center piece was in place and the city said the work would be finished in a few weeks. Fortunately, the ice was thick enough to support heavy pieces of equipment and material, and time was saved. The U.S. Engineers were reconstructing the piers while the bridge work was going on, and dredgings from the pier work were used as fill near the bridge. Algoma’s premier contractor, Fred Wulf, did the masonry work while the J.G. Wagner Co. of Milwaukee built the actual bridge for a cost of $6,700.

When the iron bridge was replaced in 1949, the current bridge was a marvel. Algoma caught up with the big cities! Gone was the planking and the shaking as vehicles crossed the bridge. Gone was the fear of the little kids who could see the water through the planking and through the sides of the bridge, and gone was the long walk to the 4^th Street bridge for St. Mary’s kids who lived downtown.

Phyllis Kessler, Miss Wisconsin, was on hand for the bridge dedication on July 2, 1949. The event began at 7:15 PM with a few words from Frank Knipfer, Kewaunee County’s highway chairman at the time the building decision was made. Second Ward alderman Art Dettman represented the city in his short address. Dettman served as chairman of Algoma’s street and bridge committee. A county representative was there to give a report on the role of the county and state. After the speeches concluded, Miss Wisconsin was driven up to cut the ribbon, thus opening the bridge.

The parade that followed the official bridge opening  was led by the American Legion colors and color guard, followed by Miss Wisconsin, the AHS band, Legion drill team and, of course, the requisite convertibles carrying the speakers. Those who wished to join the parade were invited to do so.

The parade eventually arrived at the Dug-Out where Algoma High School band presented a one-hour concert on the lawn. That was followed by Algoma Hunting and Fishing Club’s annual dance. Royalty was in attendance at the dance as Miss Wisconsin remained for it

New construction brings tweaks and so did the bridge, but the tweak concerned downtown’s other bridge. The new bridge was higher and carried more cars than the 4^th Street bridge, which also needed work. Alderman Wenniger asked for a windbreak for the new bridge and after much discussion, the windbreak was approved. However, a windbreak was also approved for 4^th Street since many citizens would find it improper for one bridge to have such a feature and not the other.

* Ahnepee became Ahnapee in 1873 when the village was chartered. Its name changed to Algoma in 1897.

Sources: An-An-api-sebe: Where is the River?, c. 2001; Commercial Development in the Youngs and Steele Plat, c. 2006; Algoma Record Herald; doorcountydailynews.com.
Map: U.S. Engineers, August 1870

The postcard is in the blogger's collection. The snippet of the early bridge is from the 1883 Birdseye Map.

Kewaunee County: Wisconsin's Early Eugenics Laws

Few in Kewaunee County have heard the name Francis Galton and the few who did were probably glad to forget him. He was the founder of a movement dedicated to improving the human population by controlled breeding, thus increasing desirable genetic characteristics. Wikipedia defines Eugenics as "a set of beliefs and practises that aims at improving the genetic quality of a human population by excluding certain genetic groups judged to be less desirable and promoting other genetic groups judged to be superior." Galton's concepts fell into disfavor only after such ideas were included in Nazi doctrines. Nevertheless, eugenics did have an impact on Kewaunee County.

As early as January 1905, the following was included in Algoma Record's religious news: Mr. Francis Galton, F.R.S., has founded in London university (sic)  a fellowship for the promotion of the study of '"National Eugenics," the study of the agencies under social control that may improve or repair the racial qualities of future generations either physically or mentally.

Epileptics, feeble-minded and insane were in 1907 banned from marriage and sexual intercourse. Severely disabled were usually kept institutionalized as it was not expected they would ever marry, but others were often sterilized. Passing a eugenics law in 1913, Wisconsin's edict targeted "mental defectives" and epileptics for sterilization. Laws varied by state and by the 1960s, most sterilization efforts were discontinued. Wisconsin's trust of science, medicine, psychology and sociology was there to form public policy which accepted eugenics as a science.

Mental defectives were defined as those receiving state aid, people in state institutions such as Wisconsin Home for the Feeble-Minded in Chippewa Falls, those who were promiscuous or otherwise  violated social norms. Authorities also looked for similar traits in one’s family. If a family refused sterilization, the one in question could be institutionalized indefinitely, however the director of the Chippewa Falls’ home felt sterilization was both efficient and fiscally responsible over institution. Wisconsin Supreme Court overturned the law that required people to prove they were fit to marry.

During mid-January 1914, the Record carried an article saying Wisconsin's Attorney General Owen said physicians who entered agreements not to test under eugenics' marriage law "come dangerously near conspiracy in obstructing the administration of the law" and that the "conditions must be looked after."

Two months later in March 1914, officers of the State Federation of Catholics in Wisconsin and the U.P. adopted a resolution protesting sex eugenics, inviting moral people to use their influence to prohibit such teaching. Then in June 1915, Dr. Charles Davenport of the eugenics laboratory at Cold Spring Harbor, NY warned against possible hereditary tendencies and cancer. He said such research showed incidences were highest in Maine, and that dominant traits show up in cousins marrying cousins as frequently happened on the islands off Maine's coast.

When in November 1915 the State Board of Health reviewed 1914 statistics, it was noted that there were 3,807 fewer marriages in Wisconsin than in 1913. Statistical information convinced the board that financial depression “retards marriage” and said economic factors affected marriage rates while the eugenics law was only partly responsible. However, there were also common law marriages. By 1915, the marriage law was amended so that ample publicity was given to applications and thereby allowing for objections to the marriage.

Kewaunee County’s own John Cashman served in Wisconsin’s legislature. Cashman attacked eugenics in April 1923 saying it was “a farce” that the state could no longer afford to keep on the books. He went on to tell of the Milwaukee woman who masqueraded as a man to get a physical certificate to wed and then said the law proved ineffective in accomplishing its original purpose. The law was repealed in the Senate, 18 – 17. The law’s lone defender said he would favor an amendment to provide a Wasserman* test in all cases if the present provisions were inadequate.

Frank R. Sherwood came to Algoma in April 1923, lecturing men and boys on hygiene at a program held in the high school auditorium. He gave his lecture as a part of the State Board of Health and the federal government. Sherwood told the assembled that unless the boys lived better than those around them, American would be ruined because 35 of every 100 examined for the army were physically unfit. They had poor teeth, poor feet and venereal disease. Sherwood said fathers had to give more time to their sons. Then he said the eugenics law should be rigidly enforced because sins of the fathers often result in crippled and blind children or in an invalid mother. He said towels, drinking cups and dance halls were the most common spreaders of venereal disease which resulted in the birth defects.

At the July 1924 meeting of Wisconsin County Clerks, Kewaunee County Clerk Joseph Lazansky was appointed a committee of one to represent the clerk’s association in an appearance before the legislature. Lazansky’s job was working to obtain uniform dance hall ordinances, and the adoption of uniform marriage laws throughout the country. There were those who felt dance halls were at the root of venereal disease. As the law stood, the marriage eugenics law affected  men only. Lazansky advocated that the law should apply to both contracting parties – bride and groom. It was pointed out that, “Couples who are physically unfit go from Wisconsin to neighboring states, get married and come back here. The misfit children are then thrown upon the institutions of Wisconsin.”

In 1931, marriages in Kewaunee County totaled 119, 2 over the previous year. There were 7 divorces and 8 the preceding year according to the State Board of Health, but overall the state recorded 544 few marriages than the year before. The state felt the figure did not tell a complete story because a national committee in 1917 provided for publication, via the county clerk’s office, the intent to marry. That prompted couples to go to one of the 4 adjacent states which had not adopted the 1917 code, however the law was not thought to be a factor. 1930’s marriage rate was 15% below 1929, a rate possibly due to the country’s economic woes.

Women were targets of eugenicists. Women could be judged defective by having a child out of wedlock, going to a tavern or defying social mores. The average age of sterilized women was 21. In Wisconsin Public Television’s October 6, 2016 edition of University Place, speaker Scott Gordon said the sterilization programs was found scientifically credible, nevertheless of the 1,823 people recorded, 79% were women.

In August 1937 the state health officer said 25 years before Wisconsin was proud to be one of the first three states to enact premarital examinations for men and, in 1937, extended the intelligent procedure to brides as syphilis prevention. The effects of the new eugenics law would be immediate and prevent “procreation of innocent babies doomed to suffer the cruel blight of congenital syphilis. “ The State Health Officer said the noble aim would be accomplished without surrendering the right to marry and hinged on successful treatment of diseases because the previous health problem would no longer affect the children born to the union. The health officer went on to say that the law eliminates heartbreak and offers joy to a marriage.

One wonders how such laws affected Kewaunee County. Obviously, there would have been those who were forbidden to marry under the law. A genealogical search brought to light a widow and three young boys living at the Poor Farm. The boys were listed with words describing their limited intelligence, words that would be highly pejorative in today’s society. The boys might have had delayed speech, stuttered, or something else prompting the recorder to jot down the apparent intelligence. One son eventually became a successful business man, married and had a family. Another took employment in his uncle’s hotel. What might the labels have done to those children?

As recently as April 1969 , eugenics was part of the Southern Door High School science fair. The student creating the display received a Superior rating for the charts on eugenics, which was then said to be the explanation of genetics, which is the study of heredity.  Fifty years later, DNA is part of medicine and culture. News reports have carried instances of DNA also being misused.

A generation earlier, in early 1934, the Advocate was a head of its time when it reported that eugenics was a well-born theory that was :undoubtedly true.” The paper said brains had to be educated and environment is education “in the truest sense of the word.” Environment was a matter of home, family, social contacts, geographical location, luck in opportunity and the ability to take it. As the paper pointed out, eugenics could not control those factors.

*A blood test to determine syphilis.

Sources: Algoma Record/Algoma Record Herald with reprints of articles from Wisconsin Dept. of Public Health; Door County Advocate; Wikipedia; https://www.uvm.edu/~lkaelber/eugenics/WI/WI.htm

Algoma, The Early 1900s Coal Strike and the Fuel Co. Dock

While discussing the amount of coal resources in the U.S. several years ago, then President Barack Obama said the U.S. was the Saudi Arabia of coal. The Hopi Indians were using coal to fire pottery in the 1600s and it was coal that led to industrialization in the U.S. and across the world. Coal became a necessity in Algoma too.

Necessities and resources breed strikes, and the coal strike early in 1900 had an impact on Algoma, although not nearly as the strikes that followed. Things were changing. Coal was important to blacksmiths in the small community, and some residents had small coal-burning stoves, but coal was most essential in the production of iron and steel in the eastern states. Trains and ships were burning coal, and coal was used in the generation of electricity. As the U.S entered the 1900s, coal became more important, and then it was anthracite which burned hotter and so much cleaner than the long-used soft coal. 

The United Mine Workers of Pennsylvania struck for shorter work days, higher wages and recognition for their union. Cities across the country were depending on coal and, with winter coming, the coal strike could have been more disastrous than it was, at least in Algoma. It was a first in that the strike was the first time the U.S. government had a presence in arbitration. President Theodore Roosevelt set up an investigating commission that suspended the strike. In the end, workers increased their income by about 10% and had their work day reduced one hour, going from 10 to 9 hour days while the mine owners made more money and never did recognize the union. Bituminous coal workers who went on strike before 1900 made gains the anthracite workers did not. And it was anthracite that was growing in popularity.

Initially, it was Ahnapee & Western that brought coal to Algoma, and not always without incident. In June 1900, the city saw about 30 tons of coal dumped on the foot of Steele when a boxcar jumped the track. As it was, the train was run into the side-track where the crevices were filled with accumulated sand and gravel, derailing the back of the engine. It took the crew about three hours to right the car, but how it dealt with the piles of coal is anybody’s guess. Presumably because of what happened the following day near Kewaunee when three carloads of coal were lost. The accident was far worse. A washed-out culvert 6 miles from Kewaunee caused the locomotive to jack-knife. Two railroad employees died in the tragedy.

While Kewaunee County seemed to be coping with the strike, New York papers said in June 1902 that coal was overshadowing trade because of less than favorable manufacturing. The papers continued saying that idle miners would be available to take temporary jobs in Wisconsin or other states that needed temporary farm workers. By November it looked as if the government would use prison labor, something that didn’t happen but nonetheless stirred up a hornet’s nest.

Papers were full of mining, what was going on in Washington, and even around the world. Local papers carried the national news, but also kept an eye on local happenings. It was news in July 1902 when reports were that part of Sturgeon Bay’s Hart Line coal dock broke down thus dumping large amounts of coal to go into the bay. News was also made when the Furniture Factory received a carload of soft coal  at the same time. The company had been using wood, but the wood supply became so scare that the company was forced to use the soft coal. It seemed as if the editors were getting tired of the strike, saying ”every person in the county will rejoice over the ending of the strike, unless a there were a few selfish politicians who hoped to profit from its continuation until after the election.”

In October the Record opined that the householder trying to conserve his coal stock would be well-advised to put storm windows on his house. Estimates were that storm windows saved 1/4^th the cost of fuel. In December one of the trappers dismissed the coal trusts saying they might as well as go out of business because, to look at muskrats,  the winter of 1902-03 would be one of the finest. When swamp muskrats made their homes large and warm, it was a warning that weather would be bad. The trapper’s  prediction of an easy winter was that the muskrat residences were small and thinly covered, meaning a mild winter would follow.

Local papers called little attention to lack of coal in town and how folks were affected, however found it newsworthy early in 1903 when a train carload of coal came from Green Bay for the school. By then the editors were writing that although hard coal was thought to be a failure of usefulness in tests just after 1800, 100 years later the coal was so useful that it “ruled the human race.” It seemed to suggest Algoma needed that coal too.

When the coal strike ended later in 1903, Algoma was breathing easier and expected to have enough coal within a month. In December the editor said that the cold weather was affecting wood and coal piles, but Algoma was fortunate to look toward keeping warm with plenty of both. Things began happening in Algoma, and coal began its rule there too. In September 1904, William Hobus finished the new coal shed for the Water & Light plant. The shed was big enough to hold four carloads of coal. Coal came via the railroad and via coal ships, which sometimes created  transportation problems. 

Newspapers saw such issues as a win for farmers in Eastern and Northern states such as Wisconsin. Coal influenced prices paid for wood, and years after the strike farmers were advised that their own cordwood would turn a profit while keeping the woodlot productive. They could also provide their own fuel. Low quality woodlot products never brought in much money, but the year offered farmers the opportunity to get rid of less productive trees while improving woodlot condition.

It almost seemed to happen magically that by late 1909, Algoma had the finest coal docks around. In April, Henry Grimm of Algoma Fuel Co. announced a new project that would make Algoma the coal distribution point for an entire section of the country.

Grimm had an architect in town, dealing with plans and specifications, for a new coal dock to be built on the company’s property on the north side of the river. The dock would include such modern details as a steam hoisting device.

Michael Wenniger, Sr. was in charge of construction when the Fuel Company began building its new dock, in 1909, on the north side of the river at the west end of the north pier. A week before the first ship was expected, a Green Bay engineer was in Algoma starting up the machinery and ensuring the hoisting apparatus would work without a hitch when the boats began arriving. After a few minor defects were dealt with, the equipment was ready to go. A 40 x 60’ coal shed 30’ high was being rushed to completion at the same time. The shed stood about 130’ north of the river.

M.T. Green at Algoma Fuel Co. Coal Dock, 1909

Plans were to have coal raised from the boat’s hold with dippers that could hold about ½ ton. The dippers would be raised and dumped into hoppers at the top, and from the hoppers carried to cars holding about two tons. The cars traveled an elevated track to the coal shed. Between the river and the shed, there was a 100 x 120' cement floor for dumping soft coal.

On November 28, 1909, Algoma was in business. The M.T. Green made history as the first coal boat to unload at the new dock. Carrying 700 tons of coal, the boat, owned by the E & M RR & Nav. Co. of Chicago, made big news in Algoma when she entered Algoma on November 28, 1909.

The following July, the coal dock again made news when the Wyandotte of Wyandotte, Michigan came into port. Before Capt. William Yates made Algoma, he left part of his 3,000 ton of soft coal - loaded at Toledo - at Manistique and at Sturgeon Bay. The Wyandotte was 377’ long, and the largest boat to enter Algoma to that time. She had 16 large hatches, two small hatches, and drew 16 feet of water.

The Green, the Wyandotte and others unloaded in the next few years and Algoma was in business until the next coal strike.

Note: The lighthouse keeper's home, now a private residence, is visible in the back left corner of the 1909 postcard. Both postcards show the dippers. A close look at the bottom postcard indicates the cars taking the coal to the piles.

Sources: Ahnapee Record, Algoma Record, Algoma Press and notes on the reverse of the M.T. Green postcard in the blogger's collection. Postcards are in the blogger's collection.

1900: Algoma & the Reunion of the 14th Wisconsin Vol. Inf.

The Civil War was a 25-year old memory when Algoma was the site of a three-day reunion of 14^th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry. Algoma spared no pains and gave a royal welcome to all those arriving on the afternoon train that June 1900 day.  The city band and school children who met the train led the parade to Perry’s hall where visitors registered and were assigned their quarters.

During the evening there were reminisces, speeches and plenty of music. When more veterans came the following morning, they were as enthusiastically met as their comrades the previous day. Throngs gathered in the street as the men marched through. St. Paul’s male choir sang and its pastor delivered a short address. When Rev. Eppling made reference to Algoma State Senator DeWayne Stebbins as Wisconsin’s next governor, the audience broke into thunderous applause. Stebbins was a veteran, however he served in the Navy..

It was such a grand event that Col. Ward, who filled in for one who failed to appear, asked participants to give a rousing cheer to the people of Algoma. The paper said that cheer rocked Perry’s hall to its foundations. Attendees were pleased  and participated in all the festivities while Algoma residents basked in the glow.

Kewaunee and Manitowoc County men forming Company E were among those who made up the 14^th Wisconsin V.I. The unit was formed at Fond du Lac where they were trained at a camp renamed for Col. David Wood* who led them. The 14^th went into service on January 30, 1862 and mustered out oat Mobile, Alabama on October 9, 1865.  Four of its members received the Medal of Honor for the Battle of Corinth.

The 14^th was at Shiloh, Corinth, Vicksburg, Kennesaw Mountain, Atlanta and more.  One hundred sixteen men were killed in action and another 194 died of disease. Nine officers also died. A plaque at Camp Randall in Madison bears the name of the 27 who were killed at Shiloh in April 1962, among them men from Ahnepee.*.

Over 91,000 Wisconsin men served in the Union Army. 3,794 were either killed in action or mortally wounded. Just about twice that number died of disease. Others died from accidents. Of the total enlistments, 13.4% of the men lost their lives. Kewaunee Co., with its population of 7,039, gave 1 of every 17 residents to the war. Of the 408 men, 65, or 13%, were dead at the war’s end. Wisconsin gave 1 of 9 residents to the war, prompting one to wonder why Kewaunee County gave a lesser percentage of men. Kewaunee Co. was split off from Door in 1852. The county was still young with young families. If the number of young children weren’t counted, the county’s men would have looked like far greater numbers.

The men of Co. E, 14th Wisconsin were in evidence at the celebration. In those intervening years many had died, but they and their fallen comrades were remembered. Algoma men thought of those with whom they served, men recruited primarily by William Henry. Ezra Austin was severely wounded at Corinth where Alfred Vibber was killed. William Herring was wounded at Vicksburg and William Wheeler, Julius  Wintermayer and John Lovell were wounded at Shiloh/Pittsburg Landing.. Maruice VanDoozer and William Clark died in action and William Sabine died there of disease. John Gonyou came home and was incarcerated when he set fire to the Kewaunee jail. He died in the fire he set. Other county men died or were injured, however, the above list rpresents only those of Co. E with ties to what became Algoma.

There were other Civil War reunions over the year throughout Wisconsin. By 1930, the veterans were growing fewer and fewer. On Memorial Day that year, Frank Gregor of Lincoln, Eugene Heald of Forestville and I. W. Elliott of Algoma gathered for a photo during the festivities. Elliott's brothers Park and David were killed  during the Civil War, and when I.W. died in December 1941, he was 95 years old and Algoma's - and Kewaunee County's - last Civil War veteran. The popular "Dad" Elliott was living with in Milwaukee with his son Frank at the time of death. He was also Milwaukee's last Civil War veteran.

Gregor, Elliott and Heald, Memorial Day 1930, Record Herald photo

*Ahnepee was spelled as such until the village was chartered as Ahnapee in 1873.
Note: Elliott, Gregor and Heald were not members of Co. E. Others in the company were killed, died of disease or were wounded, but they do not appear to have been Ahnepee/Algoma residents.

Sources: An-An-api-sebe: Where is the River? c. 2001; Algoma Record, Algoma Record Herald; Wisconsin Roster of Civil War Volunteers; Blogger's personal notes and databases. The the exception of the Record Herald photo, photos have been taken by the Blogger.

				Ahnapee

World War l: Algoma Prepares

The Algoma Record Herald – a merger of two Algoma newspapers – was a new paper when it carried an article pointing out that its edition would likely be late because employees refused to work. It was neither a work stoppage nor a strike. What came to be known as World War l was over.  And it wasn’t only Algoma’s workforce that failed to show up: it happened all around the country.

Known as the First World War, World War l, and the Great War, it began on July 28, 1914 and ended on November 11, 1918. Political turmoil ravaging Europe for years came to a head on June 28, 1914, a month before the war’s official outbreak, in Sarajevo when Bosnian Serb Yugoslav nationalist Gavrilo Princip assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne. 

In the end, 16 million  military personal and civilians died. The war hastened the spread of Spanish Influenza, leading to the deaths of up to 100 million people world-wide, and the war led to genocide. Following the Armistice, the remaining unresolved conflicts escalated, giving rise to the likes of Adolf Hitler and plunging the world into what became World War ll, a mere 20 years later.

While the U.S. didn’t get into the European war until 1917, many of Algoma’s residents with German heritage – and those across Kewaunee County, the state and the nation – understood their former countrymen. Millions of German immigrants made up the largest immigrant group to the U.S., to Wisconsin and to Algoma. Within a year of Kewaunee County’s 1852 origin, Germans began arriving in what was then called Wolf River.

In the community’s early days, its Yankee residents derided the Germans (and others) as ignorant foreigners, often treating the immigrants in a detrimental manner. After 50 years, the prejudice was disappearing in Algoma. But then came the war. 

While many felt the U.S. would get involved in the European War, Woodrow Wilson won the 1916 election with the slogan, "He kept us out of war." But U.S. neutrality didn't last and Wilson declared war on Germany in April 1917. Serving as president from 1913 - 1921, it was Wilson who led the country through the war.  

Although the country was remaining neutral, Major Gen. Leonard Wood told Congress in November 1916 that war was coming and that the U.S. was utterly unprepared. He said the coast was vulnerable and that a force of 150,000 trained men could inflict incalculable damage before a U.S. army could be assembled to meet it. Algoma folks anxiously watched the papers, wondering when “the other shoe would drop.”

In early January 1916 the Record told readership that the European conflict put the U.S. in a trying period. It was said in 1914 the European war was going to be over by Christmas. Then it was said it was going to be a struggle to the death. Although the U.S. was initially neutral, it came face-to-face with such war issues as shipping, German U-boats and more. During late January 1916, the paper noted the need for preparedness for war, including all its horrors and human loss. The article continued calling attention to individual preparedness for old age and future welfare. Thrift was important and would be developed through a national thrift day.

Local papers – Algoma Record and Algoma Herald - were full of war news. Little by little, the papers carried more about what folks should know. Some men enlisted while others were drafted. The papers provided men with military options, and helped them sort out those options.

Papers informed residents about the Kewaunee County Council of Defense and its designation of wheatless Tuesdays and meatless Wednesdays. Residents were required to sign pledges to save food. Folks at home were told how they needed to do their part to aid the boys already in the military. Herbert Hoover, head of the U.S. Food Administration, said it was only fitting that mothers of men who fought the nation’s battles needed to enlist in such an essential service as saving food. Hoover said mothers wanted their sons to return when victory was achieved, and the mothers could hasten that work by what they could do.

Just before war was declared, Carlton resident Ida Peterson shared a letter from a cousin serving in the Canadian army in France. Though the letter was censored, the soldier spoke of the disagreeable conditions of the trenches during the winter weather. Had it not been censored, the letter would have no doubt told of far more, and “disagreeable” would have been a far more graphic word.

Newspapers announced that all men between the ages of 18 and 45 were required to register for the draft. By contrast, in 2018, U.S. citizens and male immigrants, documented or undocumented, ages 18 – 25, are required to register with Selective Service. In July 1917 it was written that those who enlisted then would have the advantage of two or three months of training over those who were drafted. There were quotas. The paper pointed out that those drafted would have physical examinations and, after that, could not voluntarily enlist in the branch of their choice. Selected men were carefully questioned regarding whether they already had a physical examination or were notified to appear elsewhere. Enlistment of a man following his draft amounted to fraudulent enlistment for which penalties were prescribed by law. Names of those exempted, due to physical condition or hardship, were listed in the paper just as those who were  inducted.

Little more than a week following the Declaration of War, Sturgeon Bay parties appealed to Algoma for assistance in recruiting enough men to form a company of the National Guard. The first to sign applications were Jerry Jerabek, Auggie Wasserbach, Gilbert Mounty, Frank Prokash, Carl Koutnik, George Fellows, Ernst Haucke, Leo Kohlbeck, Frank Lidral, Jr. and Fred Peronto. As it was, Ernst Haucke would be Algoma's first death on the battlefields of France.

W.E. Perry taught military tactics during nightly meetings at City Hall. Applications continued to come in. Because it was expected the men would join the Sturgeon Bay company, Perry applied for a commission when the new company was formed. The men felt Perry would be a shoo-in because of his several years in military schools. The Algoma unit became part of Sturgeon Bay, however in June petitioned for separation and attachment to Green Bay and Battery E which included men from Kewaunee County. Algoma men were snubbed when many of them went to Sturgeon Bay for a unit banquet. As it was, the banquet was for only the Sturgeon Bay men in the unit. When, in mid-July, Algoma gave the men a military send-off banquet, the men of Sturgeon Bay were invited. As were the Algoma honorees that day, the Sturgeon Bay men were also distinguished with ferns backing red roses pinned to their lapels.

Algoma and Sturgeon Bay men of Co. F, 5th Wisconsin Regiment in training at Sturgeon Bay's ball park.

It was the Navy that cried for skilled men. Those with trades were in demand as they were “the first line of defense” in carrying the “Sammies” to France and beating the Kaiser’s submarines. Amateur wireless operators, machinists, cooks and bakers were wanted. Men with such experience were offered “splendid” enlistment conditions and were told they could go right to work with an introductory training. According to its advertising, the Navy paid the highest military wages, as much as 100 a month for an apprentice seaman. Since Uncle Sam paid board and lodging while giving an enlistee $50 worth of free clothing, the pay for one in the Navy was touted as almost all clear profit. Experienced marine engine machinists were eligible to enlist as 1^st Class, earning $66.50 a month with all living expenses and clothing provided. Those of 2^nd Class proving their ability at sea were promoted. Master machinists were paid $83 a month if they had charge of the engine room.

When the Navy was calling for 20,000 apprentice seamen, Wisconsin’s quota was 800 men. Those enlisting in the Navy were paid $32.50 during their training period, and those who qualified and promoted to seamen 2^nd Class received $35.90. Those who were promoted to 1^st Class got $38.40. An added inducement was the opportunity for traveling and seeing the world.

Ernest Ponath was one who did that. A month following the declaration of war, Ernest left his job at the the Algoma depot to become the first city man to join the Navy. Making news at the same time was Col. George Wing who passed the examination for a commissioned officer’s position at the Fort Sheridan training camp. When Ponath wrote home in July, he told his parents he was living like a king, describing the mouth-watering turkey dinner served of July 4^th. While Algoma residents understood turkey and baked chicken, Ponath’s description of each salivating detail such as the asparagus with Hollandaise sauce, tomato bisque, potato croquettes and more, surely helped recruiting efforts.

There was a place for high school graduates with a fair knowledge of electricity. They had the chance to attend the special Naval Radio School at Harvard where they made their meals in Harvard’s Memorial Hall and used the gymnasium as a dormitory. The four-month course covered military drills and technical and other subjects.

The Navy offered another opportunity for men who wanted to become cooks. By enlisting in the commissary staff of the Navy, men could learn the trade at some of New York’s biggest hotels and cafes. Although the Navy didn’t point it out, such training gave men prestigious employment contacts following the war.

Men who enlisted as cooks were paid $32.50 per month in addition to all expenses during training. Cooks qualifying for higher ratings received a corresponding higher pay. First class cooks grossed $60, 2^nd $52, 3^rd $41 and 4^th Class, $35. Cabin cooks earned $55 while cabin stewards made $61. Higher ratings were open to the inexperienced who “make good,” as merit was always recognized. Touted as a means of learning a trade at government expense, it was a way to help oneself and the nation. All one had to do was see a postmaster, a recruiting officer or write to the Milwaukee recruiting station.

Newspapers were the source of information for most. However, they also caused confusion. After men had been told they would need to enlist to serve in the branch of choice, they were told that after they were drafted and examined by a local board, they were free to enlist in the marines. That lasted until the Provost Marshall General telegraphed to say a drafted man could only serve in the marines with the written consent of the local board. The Provost asked newspapers to call attention and give the matter publicity because nothing changed. After being drafted by a local board, a registrant was not eligible for voluntary enlistment in any branch of government service. Adding to the confusion was that the erroneous information came from the Marine Corps recruiting service itself!

While the young men enlisted, their mothers and sisters were quick to follow Herbert Hoover’s admonition. During July 1917, they made sturdy linen comfort bags stabilized with a small piece of veneer at the bottom. Containing toiletries, needles, thread and pins, the bags were expected to make life just a little more comfortable for the 29 Algoma men then in the military. Each bag was personalized with the recipients initials sewn into the fabric.

The 1917 papers continued in the same vein. There were lists of draftees and lists of exemptions and the reasons for them. One hundred years later, younger generations would wonder how the world could function in a day that depended on mail, newspapers and word of mouth. And, as the children’s party game Pass-It-On, there was much erroneous information. In 2018, social media, text messaging and, to a lesser extent, email serve to provide information that also provides inaccuracies. Reasons for exemptions might be regarded today as protected information, but it would be found on Facebook. Suspicion of German immigrants in a war against Germany is mirrored 100 years later with other groups.

By Fall 1917, more of the “soldier boys” were going “across,” and Algoma’s connection to the Great War solidified.

Sources: Algoma Herald, Algoma Press, Algoma Record Herald; Photo: Door County Democrat,, July 20, 1917; Poster, Military Museum. 

Algoma: A World War l Christmas

Steele Street east from 4th; Fluck's is #3 and Boedecker Bros. is #10

Boedecker Bros. Rexall drug store, on the southeast corner of 4th and Stelle Streets, was advertising Christmas candies in fancy boxes and cigars to send to the "soldier boys." in addition to the Christmas cards at a penny to 10 cents each. "War Shall Pass, But the Spirit of Christmas Shall Abide," said the advertising. Folks were advised not to let their hearts dry up because of a world in woe. It said the spirit needed a special emphasis and to shop with experienced sales people while stocks were nearly complete. Fluck's drug store, kitty corner across Steele, advertised pocket sized Kodak cameras to make a soldier's life happy. A Kodak picture from home was another suggestion.

It was 1917. The U.S. had entered what became World War l, which hastened the flu pandemic. Immigrants from Germany were suspect. Families changed names from the original German to something that sounded more “American.” Kophmueller to Miller is only one example. Much as the war meant venturing into the unknown, Christmas was coming and Algoma was making preparations.

Electric lighting was catching on and most businesses were lit. However, war time changed things. Sunday and Thursday nights meant lighting had to be reduced, with only enough lighting for safety. House holders were also asked to reduce their lighting on those nights, sometimes called lightless nights. Much like parents admonishing kids to be on their best behavior for Santa, the Record told readership that the United States Fuel Administration would deal with violators.

The Red Cross wanted all members to place a lighted candle in a window, shining through the white transparent Red Cross service flag placed there. Such a display was sending a Christmas message of strength to the boys who were making the sacrifices.

In mid-December the paper announced Algoma’s first community tree. Trumpets would herald the lighting of the tree, an event, beginning at 5 PM on Christmas Day. When the city chose December 25^th, it was to avoid other events with the hope that large number of city residents could attend. Rev. H.W. Blackmann of the St. Agnes-By-the-Lake led the prayers and Attorney Joshua Johns, later Congressman Johns, offered a short address. Songs were both patriotic and Christmas carols.

Such was Christmas 1917.

John Wattawa was a diplomatic attaché at The Hague. Reared in Kewaunee, Wattawa wrote from abroad to his mother in Madison, telling her about espionage and the spies who were all over, even the porters and waiters at the hotels. Wattawa knew he was being watched and said Germans were trying to take Allies’ pictures. He said bread was scarce and most could not get it without a bread card. He also said there were fewer air raids at The Hague than there were in London.

Just before Christmas, Mrs. F.W. Lidral and her daughter Mary journeyed to Waco, Texas where they visited Mrs. Lidral’s sons, Mary’s brothers, Carl and Frank Lidral, who were stationed there. Carl wrote to the Algoma Herald saying he was at Waco for 16 weeks of training before he left for France  to whip the Kaiser forever. Then he said he thought Wisconsin’s windstorms were bad until he got to Texas. A tent in the company across the street was split corner to corner but, rather than leaving, the boys stayed in their cots until morning because they were freezing in the 20 degree temperature. Carl said the cold and wind pierced one easier in Texas than Wisconsin as the air was lighter. He reported gaining at least 10# because the cooks were old hands at it, and while his company was well treated, he had heard from other Algoma boys about their poor treatment.

Quirren Groessl was another who wrote from Waco. Quirren said he was gaining weight and was up to 178# so his folks shouldn’t worry. He looked forward to getting to France and training there. Then they’d be ready for the firing line. It wouldn’t be long before Quirren’s life changed forever.

Herman Maedtke and Erwin Detjen had four-day Christmas furloughs from Camp Custer, Michigan. Detjen worked 12-14 hours a day as company clerk. Both men spoke highly of the camp, and the paper opined the boys acquired the carriage of soldiers. Henry DeVillers and Fred Naze got Christmas furloughs and told folks camp life was pleasant, also speaking highly of the W.M.C.A. and the Knights of Columbus. Fred DeVillers told folks to donate tp the K. C.s as they built a large building at Camp MacArthur at Waco to serve as a church, home and place of amusement. Fred was delighted with the Victrola, electric piano, organ, pool table and billiard table. There was a free library, free post office and free envelopes and paper. Fred said there was more, but things were too numerous to mention.

Walter Marquardt was serving aboard the USS North Dakota when he wrote to the Record. Walter said there was dancing on the ship nearly every evening, but even though the fairer sex wasn’t on board, the sailors managed to enjoy the dances nonetheless. Walter said all seemed happy. There were ship concerts morning, noon and night. He said the men played bootball, baseball and all kinds of sports. Navy life was good.

A year later, at Christmas 1918, the paper let folks know the Council of National Defense raised the ban on Christmas shopping. More money was in circulation then and that pointed to more expensive gifts. It was said the spirit of gift giving was profound and wide-spread. Not since the birth of Christ did Christmas mean so much. “Peace on Earth” wasn’t just lip service. It meant something in 1918. The war ended with the signing of the Armistice on November 11, but boys were still dying.

Stores and customers made sacrifices during the war, prompting The Herald to say the country’s citizens learned thrift. While saying that, the Herald also felt that the country’s citizens would soon be back to waste, as usual. Folks were reminded to help the less fortunate. They were reminded to put a Belgian guest at their table by eating a little less and saving what would be wasted. While the shopping ban was lifted, prices of food remained high.

Countries of Europe following World War 1

At Christmas of 1918, The Record reminded readers that the world looked toward the United States for leadership and peace had duties and responsibilities. Cities were leveled, fields were non-productive shell craters, and Europeans were starving. Readers were further reminded it was their duty to relieve such misery as the world has never known. Commodities had to be guarded from fire. Folks were told losing food through a careless fire was a crime against humanity. Distribution of foodstuffs would be easier than during the war, but the demand for food and materials would be far greater. Some countries were more easily reached when the fighting was over.

Algoma, as the rest of the country, had other things to worry about. William Walter was robbed by a crook who carried off all the ham and shoulder pieces that he could carry. Walter said if the burglar came around again, he’d get a more appropriate reception. But the robbery was overshadowed by those such as Earl Plettner who was training at Great Lakes Naval Training Station and Joseph Guillette who was severely wounded in France the day the Armistice was signed. Mrs. John Nellis’ Christmas message was that her husband was wounded on October 1. By Christmas, he was seriously ill with influenza-pneumonia in an Alabama training camp. Since there was no news on Jack for months, anxiety was palpable. Finally, inquiries were made in Washington. Although Mrs. Nellis didn’t learn much, she did know Jack was alive. Vernon Qualman’s family and friends received a Christmas gift in Vern himself when he was discharged from Camp Grant.

Across the county, families remained on edge. Rosiere’s Henry Wautlet went into the military about the time of the Armistice.  When Alex Monfils returned to Alabama after Christmas, Henry’s father Alphonse left with him. Alphonse planned to visit Henry who was in the camp hospital. Frank Drossart and George Villers were two Casco soldier boys with Christmas leaves from training camp. Frank returned to Camp Grant, but George was lucky enough to be discharged. Frank Dulek’s family was glad to see him when left Great Lakes Training Station to visit them in Casco.

Arden Fensel wrote his dad from France two weeks after the Armistice. He described the flour, potatoes, onions sauerkraut, pickles and more left behind in a German freight yard. The Germans even left coal, canned meat and candles. Reporting the huge welcome the Americans received while going through Luxembourg and northern France, he said he was glad he remembered a little German. M.J. Cayemburg wrote his dad that “it” was all over and all the men think about is going home. When he wrote to his mother and sister, he said he was fine – even though he had been wounded and could barely walk. He had other injuries from taking a bullet in the cheek. It knocked out a tooth and injured his tongue. Eating was a problem. Private Cayemburg said he was doing a lot of reading. Emil Hoffman described Verdun and all the German bodies, saying to walk the lines and see conditions were things that would open “your eyes.” Hoffman told about the last day on the front when a bunch of Germans asked for something to eat, telling the men about their hardships. Years later Quirren Groessl would tell of lying in a French hospital and sharing a cigarette with a German in the next bed. It was a German bayonet that wounded Groessl. Hoffman and Groessl fought the war and began the healing.

Michael Younk got to New York the day before Christmas. He would be home in two or three weeks. Mike said he was shot five times, but a “hard-boiled” fellow like him could take it. In mid-December the Perrys learned their son Ralph was severely wounded on the day of the Armistice. Ralph died. Two weeks after the Armistice, Frank Shillin and his division were following the “Huns” back to the Rhine. He said they were going through little Luxembourg but soon would be on “real Dutch soil.” Frank knew his letter would arrive just before Christmas, and he’d be following it. Frank said because the war was over, he could finally tell his family that he’d been serving on the front north of Verdun.

Folks felt the paper was right when it said Christmas 1918 would be the most important since the birth of Christ. Some were over-joyed at Christmas but many faced the knowledge that their father, husband or son was never to return. The U.S. had mobilized over 4,700,000 men. Over 116,000 were killed in action, with more than 200,000 wounded, for a total of 320,518 casualties. Influenza still reared its ugly head and men had yet to come home. Privations were rampant across the world, which looked to the U.S. for leadership. But, there was Peace on Earth. It was a peace that did not last. The prosperity following the war didn’t last either.

Note: St. Francis Xavier Cathedral in Green Bay, Wisconsin has a side altar that is Green Bay’s  only World War l memorial. Built with donations nearly a century ago, the idea came from the Cathedral’s pastor not long after the Armistice was signed and reflects the 129 men from the parish who served. More about the altar can be found simply by Googling or going to the following website:

https://www.thecompassnews.org/.../cathedral-contributes-marble-tablet-museums-wor...

Sources: Algoma Herald, Algoma Record, Algoma Record Herald; Gold Star Mothers by Harry Heidmann & Lester Heidmann; the 1916 postmarked postcard is from the blogger's collection.