Issue 4 - Winter 2019
Woodman Hall 1908
Letter From the President
By Bear Wheeler
As of this writing we are a week or so into November and we are in winter mode. In the Elcho area we have been enjoying temperatures around 10 degrees in the mornings. With winter on our doorstep it's beginning to get rather quiet around here as all the snowbirds have flown south. We are all doing fine and the Historical Society is remains very active. All of us and our neighbors are still recovering from the July 19th storm.
When we were digging out from storm debris, there were a couple of us working feverishly to acquire a building for our museum. With the leading of Joe Jacobs, he worked hard for his father to get the building legally signed over to the Society. The building we were interested in was the old Grange Hall on Rummel Street. As we jumped through all the necessary hoops we finally had the building signed over to us at the end of July. We, as the Elcho Historical Society, Inc. are forever grateful for this generous gift. We will be able stewards of this wonderful building to preserve and display the history of our area from within its walls.
Late 1960’s getting a facelift to house a chainsaw shop, Jacob’s Equipment
Since the handing over of the building the real work has started for us. Some things needed to be done physically to the building to maintain its integrity until we can properly restore it. The foundation is starting to crumble and we put in cribbing to assist the parts of the foundation that remain solid. Jacobs Painting donated the service of two employees to help out with the cribbing. The facade wall facing Rummel St. was rotten on the top and water was pouring into the cavity of the wall. I acquired some donated rubber membrane from Builder's Service and cut it into strips to stop the water. Scott Allair brought over his "skylift" for us to use to safely put on the membrane. The machine was also donated for our use. The entire society is very grateful for our area businesses in helping us thus far.
This last summer in July, we had a few dates highlighting the Kraftwood Cardens on Enterprise Lake. We had the presentation at the school with Bill Kraft and we had a huge turnout. We never expected a response of this magnitude. This event kicked off a weekend at the Kraftwood estate in which James Hardy, grandson of J.L. Kraft, led tours with his wife around the estate. Public participation was fantastic. It renewed interest in an attraction that hasn't been open to the public in decades. It helped show people what a historically rich area we live in today. An area that inspired individuals like J.L. Kraft, the founder of Kraft Foods, to come here for enjoyment. As always, a thank you goes out to all of our members, for putting tools in our hands to work with, to preserve the history of this area and our wonderful town, Elcho.
Grange Hall in 2019
FUNDRAISING
Submitted by Greg Meiak
We are moving into 2020. With the new building in our possession fund raising will be very important. Activities in progress are:
July 1, 2020, Music in the Park, featuring the Quarry Road Band, at the Jack Lamar Pavilion, Elcho, WI. Refreshments served & an artifacts display. Contact Sue Mackowski at smack10@frontiernet.net or call her at 715-777-5126. Please mark your calendars so that you can join us for what is always a fun evening. The Society will also be sponsoring two Brat Barn dates. Specific dates and times will be published at a later date. For additional information or to volunteer to assist at any of these events please contact the appropriate individual listed.
In addition to the items listed above the Elcho Historical Society, Inc. has opened a special account for the Building Renovation. To contribute to our future you can stop in or send your contributions to CoVantage Credit Union. Checks or money orders should be made out to: Elcho Historical Society, Inc. A notation on the check or money order should state: "Building Renovation. "
Please contact our Treasurer, Greg Mejak, with any future fundraising ideas as he will be spearheading our long term funding campaigns. As always all contributions and donations are appreciated and are tax deductible.
MOONSHINING IN THE NORTHWOODS
By Sue Mackowski and Cora Bender
In !920, prohibition in the U.S. began, mainly due to outcries by members of the temperance movement and many "dry" advocates who viewed alcohol as “America's national curse" resulting in crime and moral erosion. The anticipated outcome of the passing of the of the passing of the 18th amendment in 1919 which prohibited the manufacture, sale, or distribution of intoxicants, were lower crime rates, an enhanced economy, and a moral regeneration across the country. These expectations were not met, and what ensued over the next 13 years rewrote history on many levels.
Prohibition had an impact on every state, city, and town in the U.S., and Wisconsin was no exception. Moonshining in this country actually rose up in the late 1700's after the government levied a tax on liquor to help pay the debts incurred by the Revolutionary War. This tax was very unpopular, and people migrating to the U.S. from Europe looking for work and a better life also brought with them their skills in the production of alcohol. It was soon common knowledge among the rural populations that they could make their own imbibements with a few simple ingredients: water (mainly from local streams), grain, sugar, and yeast.
Production of moonshine in Langlade county during the 1920s and early 1930s was born in many cases of financial need and was sometimes a family affair with women and children pitching in where they could. It was not unusual to find bottles of moonshine tucked between mom's canned beans and tomatoes in the root cellar. These were depressed times and many locals discovered they could make a substantial income by illega1ly producing and selling their "hooch" to those willing to risk purchasing their "likker" without getting busted. The moonshine was produced in a still, which was comprised of several pieces of equipment (preferably copper) including cooking kettles, tubing, and fittings which allowed the producer to cook the grain (mash), and process it to get the finished product. Many towns in Langlade County got involved in the process including Antigo, Elcho, Gleason, Pearson, Pickerel, White Lake, Post Lake, Neva, Kempster and Deerbrook.
Elcho Wisconsin
Makers of "shine" found no shortage of buyers. Local taverns and businesses liked to keep a pint hidden for paying customers. Those who had the means to run larger stills found that they had buyers interested in purchasing more substantial quantities of booze. This is where bootlegging found its strength. The term bootlegging is originally thought to come from the practice of someone carrying pints of liquor stuffed into the tops of their high cut boots. Gangsters (including Al Capone) from Chicago found the northwoods a lucrative place to do business and in some cases, a secretive place to get away, but gang involvement was kept to a minimum. Some of the larger still operators in Langlade County would drive their Model A Fords, Mitchell Four Door Touring Cars, or Lincoln Four Door vehicles to Chicago with a load of liquor. These cars were modified by removing the rear seat and replacing it with a storage tank that held many gallons of liquor covered by a false floor. Trunks were enlarged and springs and shocks were "beefed up" to handle the extra weight of their load. Although the train was in service during this time, it was too dangerous to ship the finished product by rail, but larger than usual quantities of grain, sugar, oak chips, and yeast were shipped by rail to the northwoods.
Moonshining in Langlade County was a real cat and mouse affair. The government had to significantly increase their manpower to try to enforce prohibition laws, but there were so many small stills spread out over a large area that it was a daunting task. They had some success in locating stills, and when they did, operators would be looking at fines and sometimes jail time. The folks running the stills developed their own "early warnlng" system to let neighboring still operators know a bust was imminent. They might have lookouts posted at entrance roads, guard dogs, or spread the word of an impending raid by phone. When a bust did take place, there was the occasional "greasing of the palm" to arresting officials which resulted in the offender avoiding any consequence.
By the early 1930's, it became more and more obvious that the hoped-for benefits of prohibition weren't happening. Prohibition had proved to be a financial drain on both a local and national level. The government had to spend considerable amount more on hiring additional agents to police and enforce the 18th amendment guidelines than anticipated. In May of 1929, the Severson Act (Wisconsin's "dry" law) was repealed, legally allowing 2.75% beer brewing and consumption. Breweries in Wisconsin boomed over the next several years. At the time unemployment was nearly 40%, so the expanding breweries offered employment to thousands, giving the economy a huge boost. When the repeal of prohibition took place in 1933, the Milwaukee Sentinel reported that within the first 72 hours, almost two million kegs of beer were consumed, generating $10 million in tax proceeds to the government.
The years following the end of prohibition did not end moonshining. Although there was a marked decrease in production in Langlade County, the process had become a tradition, an "art" in some areas that people took pride in and handed down from generation to generation.
This article briefly touches on moonshining in Langlade County and the Northwoods. The basis for this article is based on a book by Jon Schmidt titled, "The Phantom Still and Other Tales of Northwoods Moonshining”.
WELCOME TO OUR NEW AND RENEWING MEMBERS
NEW MEMBERS
Ann L. Sager - Appleton, WI
Kristene R. Sager - Appleton, WI
John & Sharon Shepard – Kingwood, TX
Francis Howe - Elcho, WI
Bill Hynes - Des Plaines, IL
Margie Krogel (Vogel) - Bradenton, FL
JR Manning - Germantown, WI
Robert & Michael Worman - Deerbrook, WI
Donald & Nancy Winter - Deerbrook & Eau Claire, WI
James Hardy & Diane Dei Rossi - Rhinelander, WI
Jean Porten - Eagle River, WI
Noreen Haiduk – Geneva, WI
Barbara Weaver Krause - Pelican Lake, WI
Cora Bender - Elcho, WI
Ellie Asbach - Elcho, WI
Mason Rusch - Elcho, WI
John Slowik - Elcho, WI
MEMBERSHIP RENEWALS
Jenny Hangartner - Marion, WI
Gary Kramer – Portage, MI
Jane & Warren Wagner - Elcho, WI
Chriss & Chris Feliciano – Elcho, WI
Suzie Rabideau - Elcho, WI
Jean Weaver - Summit Lake, WI
Janet Baer - Rhinelander, WI
Dean Tveten - Somerset, WI
Jackie Reynolds - Elcho, WI
David & Heather Visser Family - Elcho, WI
Randy & Mary Kramer - Elcho, WI
Barb & Bob Sagstetter – Marshfield, WI
Russell Davis - Elcho, WI
Sarilee Maney - Wauwatosa, WI
Majorie Bussert - New Franken, WI
Donald & Bethy Goerke – Elcho, WI
PHOTO RESTORATION
Submitted by Connie Hubatch
This first known picture of Elcho's main street in 1896 was provided by Myrtle Maney. The picture was faded to the point of being unrecognizable. With the guidance of long known area photographer Todd Toburen, we were led to Peckman Professional Imaging in Kaukauna who restored the picture. They enhanced the photo to the clear image we see now. The framing was then done by Molly Gunderson at Schroeder's Frame Shop in Antigo, WI. It will be on display temporarily at the Elcho School by the front offices and then on permanent display at the future museum of the Elcho Historical Society.
MEMBERSHIPS
Submitted by Greg Mejak
The number of Memberships has grown to 98. Since our last newsletter we are excited that four students currently attending Elcho School have become members. These young adults have taken active roles in the organization. To date they have worked on developing an Elcho Historical Society display at the school, contributed to articles for our newsletter, began the process of inventorying artifacts, interviewed local residents and planned a newsletter/donation display for a local business.
ORAL HISTORY PROJECT
Submitted by Sue Mackowski
Calling All Historians ! !
We've conducted a few oral histories from people who have lived in the area their entire lives and it's been amazing! They've shared their memories growing up in the Northwoods and what it was like back then. We are looking for more stories to add to our collection. If you are a lifelong area resident or if you remember stories from your parents or grandparents about growing up in the Northwoods, we'd love to capture those memories so they don't get lost in time. The interviews are conducted in the person's home and are audio taped. They usually last about an hour. We also request that the person being interviewed sign a release form so we can share the information at some point in time. If you are interested in being interviewed or know someone who might be, please contact a member of the Elcho Historical Society Inc.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR DONATIONS!
Although the Society puts great effort into thanking all those making contributors & donations we are sure we missed a few. The Society extends a warm THANK YOU to everyone that donates their artifacts, time and financial assistance. Please accept our sincere apology if we failed to mention your name and contribution in our newsletter.
ITEMS DONATED
North Trail Store - Elcho State Bank plates and wall decoration
Bob & Jean Hess - Vintage clothing
Janet Baer- Geographical Maps dating from 1938-1950
Connie Olsen - Town of Elcho OFFICIAL BALLOT April 7, 1959
Legion Post 377 - World War Memorial Plaque
Bill & Char Kraft - JL Kraft artifacts & lapidary items
Tom McGath - 48 Star US Flag
Mick Held - Northwoods State Bank plaque
IN MEMORIAM DONATIONS
Connie & Jim Hubatch in memory of Ronald Duernberger, Mike Black & JoAnn Swomia
Judy Black in memory of Mike Black
MONETARY DONATIONS
John & Sharon Shepard - Kingwood, TX