Ruth Strong pt 3 - Dance cards

When you love to dance, you save your dance cards.   It becomes obvious after studying these pages, that Ruth originally saved one dance card on each page in her original scrapbook.  Later on she would just add comments on subsequent dances that she attended.

Ruth Strong pt 2 - dances

 Ruth Strong was born 1 April 1910, the daughter of Louis H and Mary Strong, of Oakfield.
She married Lester Henning in 1934, and in 1945 they moved to Lamartine, where they became partners with her father, operating the Strong-Henning Grocery Store from 1952-1968.

As a young girl, Ruth kept a scrapbook, and filled it with her many momentos of life during the 1920's.  Dances, picnics, movies appear to be the life of a young girl, striking out into the world.

A favric sample of the dress that Ruth wore under her gown at graduation.

A listing of the dances that Ruth attended in 1928.

continuation of list of 1928 dances

Dates, locations and bands of the dances that Ruth attended in 1929.

continuation of Ruth's dance dates.

ruth strong, dances and dances

Ruth Strong pt 1 - programs and events

Ruth Strong was born in 1910, the daughter of Louis and Mary Strong.  The family lived in the town of Oakfield.  As a teenager in the 1920's, Ruth led a pretty active social life, and kept a scrapbook for her souvenirs.  She has ticket stubs, programs, and even cloth scraps from dresses she made.  The programs are quite an insight into entertainment for that era.
Thank you to Lynn Lawrence for allowing me to scan some of the pages of her grandmother's scrapbook.

The Garrick Theatre was located at 14-18 Sheboygan St.

full program

inside page of program

inside page of program

second program in scrapbook, folded, with written comments 

inside pages of program

scrapbook page with folded program, and comments.

unfolded program

This was a KKK rally held in Madison, but it was at the end of the Klan popularity in Wisconsin.  This rally was the final one held by the clan to recruit members. The Klan was already in decline by 1926, however, and had all but disappeared from Wisconsin by 1928.

Sears Roebuck

One of the most frequently requested pictures, is of the Sears store, and we have very few pictures.

Here are some pictures that are from the book 'Achievements in Fond du Lac during the 1900's, by Fred Weller, Jr.

This is the  Macy St. view of beginning demolition.

Another Macy St. view of the demolition.

This picture was taken on the last day of business, Oct. 24, 1979.

High School Life in 1906

I stumbled across some interesting items will looking at the Fond du Lac High School 'newsletter' for 1906.  I believe that this is a monthly, or semi-monthly newsletter, although the Historical society only has two different issues.

The following articles appears in the March 1906 issue, and concern the upcoming debate between the high schools of Fond du Lac and Sheboygan.

An Open Letter

Sheboygan High School

Sheboygan, Wis.

March 3, 1906

To the members of the Fond du Lac High School –

Congratulations upon your High School paper! You have made a brave beginning. You launched out into the world of school papers with wonderful success. But of course you will meet with competition on all sides for the schools of today are aggressive. They never reach their ideal, yet they are always improving – for as they gain in efficiency their standard rises to a height, which they realize may be reached, but only with the most strenuous efforts. Hence, Fond du Lac: Spare neither time nor talent, strain every muscle and exercise your every faculty to extend and widen your sphere of activity in this line, and here’s to your success! You have at least one well wisher – The Lake Breeze.

But, to the point – that prospective joint debate between our schools. We have met in friendly rivalry in Basket Ball and now are glad that the opportunity is to be afforded to try our skill against you in the intellectual field – in joint debate.  What are you doing relative to the approaching contest? We are striving for efficiency of the highest type. We have two debates to meet this year – one beside the one with you – with Appleton. We realize that both you and Appleton are capable of strong forensic opposition and hence we have put our six best men up to represent us.

It has been reported that you have held several preliminary debates upon the subject. Your basket ball boys told us somewhat of the plan in execution at your school when they were here not long since. We also hear that in the semi final debate you chose Harold Wilke, John Crosby and Ryan Duffy for your representatives and that the debate is to be held at the Henry Boyle Theatre. These are interesting details to our students, altho of course we are personally unacquainted with debaters.

To oppose you, we have chosen Fred Grube, ’07; Walter Telgenier, ’07 and Albert Axley, ’06.

Prin. Tarnutzer is coaching our team. It is taken for granted that both schools are all enthusiasm. We shall meet in friendly rivalry – both schools determined to win. Let both “the Fountain City” and “the Chair City” prepare for an ideal debate.

When our boys go to Fond du Lac they will doubtlessly be accompanied by numerous rooters, who will probably be well trained in Sheboygan’s yells. Of course in this one respect you people have the advantage for you can get scores and hundreds of rooters for the evening.

Let us employ due diligence and exhaustively study the subject. We both have good debaters and coaches. Let us have a raft of rooters, well provided with ribbons, banners, badges, songs and yells. Let us both be determined to win.

Sincerely yours,

The Sheboygan Highs

From the March, 1906   High School Life, Fond du Lac, Wisconsin

The newsletter then went on to state:

Committee on Songs and Yells

The following yells are recommended to the school by the Committee on Songs and Yells:

U! Rah! Rah! Fond du Lac!

U! Rah! Rah! Fond du Lac

U! Rah!

U! Rah!

Fond du!

Fond du!

Fond du Lac!

Heitzig! Solo!  Vorwartz!  March!

Rashun!  Lashun!

Lashun!  Rashun!

Rashun!  Lashun!

Achtung! Hail – Rah! Rah!

Fond du Lac!

Ya! Ya!

Yea-a-a, Ryan!  Yea-a-a, Ryan!

R-Y-A-N!

Rah! Rah! Ryan!

An’ a Bevo, an’ a Bivo!

An’ a Bevo, Bivo, Bum!

Bum, get a rat-trap bigger than a cat-trap,

Bum, get a car-trap bigger than a rat-trap,

Cannibal!  Cannibal!

Zip! Boom!  Bah!

Fond du Lac High School,

Rah! Rah! Rah!

Ge He!  Ge Haw!  Ge Haw, Haw, Haw,

(Crosby!)  (Wilkie!)

Rah!  Rah!  Zip Boom!

Razzle Razzle! Give us room!

Rah! Si! Ki! Yi!

Hot, cold, Wet or Dry!

Get there Eli,

Fond du Lac!

From the March, 1906   High School Life, Fond du Lac, Wisconsin

The Debate of March 30

Doubtless everyone in the school now knows that there will be a debating contest between Fond du Lac and Sheboygan on March 30^th. According to the figures given by the Sheboygan school paper, we will find one hundred and fifty “Chair City” students waiting for us at the theatre that evening with one hundred and fifty pairs of lungs and possibly an equal number of rousing yells. Do we want to meet them unprepared? Not much! We will meet them, fully prepared to beat them in every possible manner. Fond du Lac has never yet been out-yelled by Sheboygan and we must maintain our reputation. There are three hundred and fifty students attending this high school and there will be room for every one of them in the theatre on that evening. We confidently expect to fill every seat and if we do, it means not only a triumph for the school in debating but also the liquidating of the athletic debt; for it has been decided by the Inner Circle debating society to turn eighty percent of the profits over to the Athletic association for that purpose. "GET OUT!”  “GET IN THE BUNCH!”  and “YELL!”  Show the Sheboygan people that we know what good, old-fashioned SCHOOL SPIRIT is like.

From the March, 1906   High School Life, Fond du Lac, Wisconsin

More Houses

I found a few more pictures of some of the older houses that used to exist in Fond du Lac.

Moved back from N E corner 4th & Marr.  Gone

Bought by Presb. Church as Parsonage, for $4000 - 1867-1872,    or possibly home of Dr. Patchen.  unknown.

Typical mill hand house, in Lincoln Ave area.

M. T. Simmons, cashier at Wells Bank; occupied by Dr. Kalk.

West side workers home (near mills) Lincoln Ave.; residents mainly Belgian-French from Canada. - "Bel-jacks" worked in woods in winters, and in mills in summers; much singing in Brooke St. tavern.

H. L. Sweet, brother of B. F. Sweet; together they built "Common-sense" sleighs and other conveyances.

Chandler House on 5th st - he was a merchant with Dan. W. Smith

Upjohn house - he came from Hudson valley, hence a Dutch house; Anna, d. of Boston archi. m. he who later became Bishop Brown - her bro. edu in Latin & Greek - traveling preacher. son bookkeeper 1st Natl Bank.

Dr. L. A. Bishop residence; he married Cynthia Patchen, dau. of Dr. Patchen - Mrs. Bishop & Mrs. Blankenburg both sang - rivals.;  Marlea, dau. of L. A. Bishop, was music teacher in a private school in Spokane.  Located on the corner of First and Marr, the house was acquired by St. Joseph's, when the school needed more classroom space.  Named Willard Hall, it was eventually demolished.  The Doctor's office was located south of his house, on Marr, and is currently a garage.  You can still see the medical emblem on the garage.

For the Love of Horses!

Two pictures, that this farmer must have become attached to.   He doesn't name the people, but he recorded the death dates of his faithful horses on each picture.

 Both pictures taken in May 1900;   Tom died Sept 17, 1905 and Fred died Dec 31, 1905.