NEWSLETTER: FEBRUARY 2008

 Previous issues of the newsletter are posted on our website at http://my.core.com/~riponhistsoc.
Website and Newsletter Editor: Jean Woolley, riponhistsoc@yahoo.com

 The Field by Frank Farvour, July 25, 1983

 Editor’s Note: Prior to his death in 2006 Frank Farvour had given his permission for us to use his stories in our newsletters. Frank’s complete memoirs, an engaging way to learn about Ripon in the 1920’s and 30’s, are in the library of the Ripon Historical Society.

The field across the road doesn’t amount to much. Five--maybe six--acres at most. It is bounded on the East by the road, on the North by an insignificant little creek, on the South by the lane that once led to the hay door of the now tumbledown barn, and on the West by a low terrace overlooking a rather broad marshy area. Not really much of a field, I’ve looked at it a thousand times but only this evening did I see it for the first time. This year it’s planted to small grain, oats I guess. Last year it was soy beans and corn the year before that. All this for the owner on “shares” with a neighboring farmer who has time to work this little jag of land along with his own. What happens with the crop doesn’t really matter. If it comes through it helps to pay the taxes, if it doesn’t--well--sorry ‘bout that. But it wasn’t always like that. My mind wandered back to visualize how it might have been. There was a time, not too many years back, when the field was worked by a team of sweating horses instead of the diesel tractor with the air conditioned cab of today. The field would produce enough wheat to feed the chickens all winter or a good crop of hay bed and feed the cattle for quite some time. The sweat of men went into the field and nothing went to waste. The road along the field was a set of mud ruts at best, not the paved thoroughfare that is there today. This went back a hundred and fifty years or so, pretty much the same since the first white men came to cut the trees and uproot the brush that had covered this land for millennia. Before that cycle upon cycle of hardwoods and evergreen took their turns to inhabit the field. In between, when prairie grass had its turn at bat, the Canada geese rested here on their fall and spring migrations even as they do today. Nothing much was different except that the white man was not here. The Winnebago Indian ruled the field, shared with the wild creatures upon which he depended for sustenance. The marsh below teemed with waterfowl and wild rice abounded in the backwaters of the creek as it made its meandering way westward. Before the Winnebago were Indians of other, unknown tribes. Aside from their cultures and sources from which they sprang they differed little from their forebears or their progeny. Their prey varied in nature from time to time. Once, twelve or so thousand years ago, a man came to hunt the mastodon, one of his spear points was found near the center of the field. In this immediate postglacial period things may have been different. The field itself was new, its underlayment was of fresh unsettled glacial till and its topsoil thin and poor. It was devoid of the riches that twelve thousand years of humus would contribute. It may have looked Westward over a mighty river, grandfather of the Fox, flowing directly from Green Lake to Rush Lake to Winnebago and points East. The field was spawned of ice--two--three--four thousand feet thick the glacier lay upon the place the field was to be. Only the germs of life that lay dormant under the ice survived. When the ice departed it left that of which the field was made. This was its beginning, so very, very long ago. There was no one there to care, the field was just a barren place. But with the coming of people it acquired the stature of importance to those who occupied it and thrived from its bounty. But now once again it seems that no one cares, too small to be of consequence perhaps. Or are we perhaps reverting to an ice age of another sort?

 Can you recognize this place? Where is it now?

 

It’s Belle Pickard’s beauty shop, once located at 508 Watson—our present Historical Society building.

 Correction

The personality identification activity in the November newsletter gave credit for naming the city of Ripon to Captain David P. Mapes. George Miller caught the error. Did you? Mapes purchased land for his mill and future development from John Scott Horner. Here’s the story quoted from JOHN SCOTT HORNER: A BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH By Edward Huntington Merrell, D. D. from The Proceedings of The State Historical Society Of Wisconsin At Its Fifty-Third Annual Meeting Held November 9, 1905, Madison: Published By The Society, 1906. Governor Horner was the co-founder of the city of Ripon. David P. Mapes, in his History of Ripon, p. 143, says: “At the time I purchased of Governor Horner he asked the privilege of giving the name to our embryo city. This I granted with restrictions. First, that it should not be a personal name. Second, that it should not be like any other name in the United States; for I had seen great confusion in locating towns of similar names. Third, that it should not be an Indian name, for our State was then being covered all over with "Waus" and similar names, which were perfectly confounding to strangers. And lastly, that the name should be short. The Governor’s ancestors came from Ripon, England: that name he selected, and as it came within all the restrictions, I adopted it as the name for this center.”

 Historical Society Joins Chamber

The Ripon Historical Society has supported Chamber of Commerce and Ripon Main Street activities for a number of years. Our Christmas open house is part of the Chamber’s Dickens of a Christmas celebration. The Society also works cooperatively with Craig Tebon, with the Ripon College archives, and with the Ripon Commonwealth Press. Recently we have begun providing documents and records to the Ripon Public Library for online access. At its November meeting, the Society Board approved formalizing these partnerships by joining the Chamber as a full, dues-paying member. In turn, the Chamber will expand general knowledge to the public about who we are and what we do, which we anticipate will help us to grow in membership, number of volunteers, and ability to serve the community.

 New Members

John and Sandra Steinbring; Bill and Judy Neill; Maria Vittone and Steve Woolley; Pamela Woolley; Mindy Morales and Allen Woolley; and Eric Black and Jennifer Woolley have all become life members.

 Second Grade Classes Visit

All six classes of Barlow Park’s second graders came on November 13-14 for the annual visit to the Historical Society and Little White Schoolhouse. Docents at the Society were Shirley Williams, Barbara Scott, Dave Gray, Joyce Bonson, Alan Jorgenson, Alice Uecker, George Miller, Audrey Conant, Sarah Colonna, Ann Marie Godfrey, Sandra Steinbring, Sue Loomer, Paul Dolata, Shannon Rogers, Arden Gatzke, Todd Berens, and Jean Woolley. The classes alternated between the Historical Society and the Little White Schoolhouse, where they had an old-time learning experience with Bill Woolley.

 

Hmmmm. Why isn’t the organ making any sounds when Mr. Dolata presses the keys?

 
What would a cooking pot be doing in the bedroom? Ohhhhh. I get it.

 Annual Meeting and Election

Our annual meeting and election of officers for 2008 began at 5:00 P.M. November 15. Following the brief business meeting and election, Michele Benson and Joyce Rudolph presented the history of some of the Ripon families who contributed to the Belle Lawson button collection. The meeting concluded with a chili supper and a chance for members to socialize. There were no nominations from the floor, and the slate suggested by the nominating committee (Ann Marie Godfrey, Audrey Conant, and Kent Gallaway) was elected unanimously. Since there is no president, Todd Berens is the acting president. 

President
Vice President	Todd Berens
Treasurer	Bill Woolley
Secretary	Shirley Williams

 Bev Thomann’s When a Woman Wills Reprinted

When a Woman Wills by Beverly Thomann has been reprinted as a service project of Ripon Science Club and AAUW and is again available for sale. Originally published in 1981, the book presents a narrative history of Ripon women who lived unique lives and who made valuable contributions to the Ripon community from 1844 to 1980. Copies of the book are available for $10.00 and may be purchased from Nedra Martz (920-748-2269) or Shirley Pohlman (920-748-5544).

 Question about Park Name and Location

Through our website, the Historical Society is able to reach into memories of people who share our heritage but no longer live in Ripon. Gary Zamzow of Davis, California, wrote, ”I am looking for information about Atkins Park, and Akin Street…Could you please tell me if Atkins Park in Ripon is a City Park, and what the relationship of Akin Street is to Atkins Park if any? …I can remember the beautiful French Lilacs in that small park. I had lots of fun and adventures growing up in Ripon.” Our archivists, Nedra Martz and George Miller, responded, “Ripon does have an Akin Street which is next to a small park. Akin Street looks more like an alley than a public street. It runs from Scott Street to Jackson Street. The two-acre park next to it was called Akin Park but was renamed Horner Park. Many Ripon residents, however, still refer to it as Akin Park. The park is at Jackson and Tygert Streets. We don't know of any street or park named Atkins.” We took some digital photos to send to Gary. Alas, the lilacs he remembers appear to be gone.

Christmas Open House, Sunday, December 2

Our annual winter open house was part of Ripon’s Dickens of a Christmas celebration. Docents were Joan Dorsch, Shirley Zentner, Allen Bonsen, Joyce Bonsen, Barbara Scott, and Gary Wetzel. Shirley Williams and Alice Uecker were responsible for refreshments and music was provided by Laura Lyke, Donna Marquart, Ed Biedron, Dino Zei, Maurice Morgan, and Sue Loomer. Joyce Rudolph and Michelle Benson changed the museum exhibits for the occasion. Joyce displayed her personal bell collection. Nedra Martz mounted an exhibit in the archives on the March of the Madonna pageant, a Ripon community Christmas tradition from 1945 to 1955.

 

Nedra Martz explains to visitors how Ripon became national news when the March of the Madonna was featured in The Family Circle magazine in 1953.

 
A few of the many bells on display at Christmas

 Programs for March, April, and May—All at 7:00 P.M.

The program committee, Gary Wetzel, Audrey Conant, and Todd Berens, have lined up some interesting spring programs. Here’s what we can look forward to seeing, hearing, and discussing in the coming months. Our programs are always informal and participative. Let your friends who are not members of the Society know that they are welcome to come to any of our programs.

March 20, Tom Worrall: Ripon Postal History:

Tom, whose father and grandfather were both postmasters, has been collecting postal memorabilia since he was a young boy. He will bring a selection of his Ripon collection, which includes stamps, postmarks, and postcards showing Ripon buildings of long ago. He also invites people who attend the program to bring their own Ripon postal items to share.

April 17, Craig Tebon: “What’s New on Watson Street?”

Ripon Main Street is 20 years old this year. Craig’s program will include past renovations, projects currently underway, and plans for the future. He’ll also describe the process for arriving at decisions and the questions and considerations that underlie the strategic plan for our downtown. Ripon Main Street and the Historical Society are always looking for old photos of Ripon. Craig will share some of Main Street’s recent acquisitions.

May 15

Plans for this program are underway but have not been finalized. Watch for details later.