News From This Week’s Past: The End of World War I

All items are from the Door County Library’s newspaper archives, and they appear in the same form as they were first published, including misspellings and grammatical errors.

The Expositor

November 14, 1873

In a moderate sized conflagration this town would lose more than the cost of a good fire engine. Why not have one, the fire engine we mean?

Weekly Expositor Independent

November 16, 1883

Capt. Cox of the tug Thos. Spear, had to break through pretty solid ice in the canal yesterday to get his tows through. He saw a vessel off the harbor in the lake with flag at half mast, and going out, found it to be the Barbarian, coated with ice which was several inches thick upon her decks. He towed her in.

Door County Democrat

November 11, 1893

M. McNally and Herman Fritschler will meet on Sunday, Nov. 19, in a shooting contest, for a purse of $50 and the championship of the city. The guns to be used are to be 38×56 caliber, with Lyman sights. The distance is to be not more than 30 rods and not less than 10. The shooting is to be “off hand.”

Door County Democrat

November 12, 1904

Clyde Stephenson and Clarence Dana, two Sturgeon Bay boys who are attending Lawrence university, are making brilliant records for themselves in football, as well as in their studies. Both of the boys are playing on the university eleven, and the newspaper accounts of the games that are played by the team always give Stephenson and Dana favorable mention. Will Wagener, another Sturgeon Bay boy, attending the state university at Madison, is looked upon as a promising star in football circles.

Door County News

November 14, 1918

MONSTER PEACE CELEBRATIONS

Entire Population Of City Goes Wild With Joy On Re-ceipt Of News That Germany Had Signed An Armistice And Surrendered Army.

Business Is Suspended And Bedlam Turned Loose From Early In The Morning Until Late At Night.

The war is over.

The Door County News was the first to announce the joyous information to the public.

It was about 3:00 o’clock on Monday morning that a telegram was received by this paper announcing that:  “President Wilson says that an armistice has been signed which practically means unconditional surrender.”

Steps were taken to apprise the inhabitants of the city of the fact. In less than twenty minutes a good sized parade was organized. Bells were rung, whistles blown and auto horns honked. Soon the din around the sleeping inhabitants and the cause of the tumult began to dawn on their drowsy minds. By 4:30 the parade had swelled to large dimensions.

By 6 o’clock there was not a person in the city who did not know the meaning of the racket. Church bells began to ring, steamers and mills to blow their whistles and excitement reigned.

Workmen in the shipyards formed a parade and the 400 workmen marched thru the city with flags flying and banners waving.

Business was entirely suspended for the day. Banks were closed and merchants locked their doors. A holiday was declared to celebrate.

As though carried by a wireless the tidings swept over the whole county in an incredibly short space of time. Crowds gathered on the streets and joy reigned supreme.

Every person with an ounce of red blood in his veins vied with each other in giving vent to his feelings over the joyous news.

Door County News

November 12, 1925

BENZEL GETS SHIPYARD

Philip E. Benzel of Oconomowoc, offered the highest bid for the Sturgeon Bay Drydock Co. plant at the foreclosure sale held Saturday forenoon.

The final bid of Mr. Benzel, which closed the sale, was $30,027. This included all taxes and mortgages held against the property.

The yard is one of the best equipped in this section of the Great Lakes for both wood and steel construction and repair work. While the new owners have no definite announcement to make this week, it is expected that the yard will shortly resume operations. Joseph Wolter, veteran shipbuilder, who assisted in building up the yard previous to its wartime sale, will be manager of the plant.

Door County News

November 12, 1936

TOURIST TRAFFIC BRING COUNTY $1,204,787

Figures Almost Beyond Belief

From a report which Frank N. Graass submitted to the Citizens committee, named at a recent county-wide meeting for the purpose of securing data on the amount of business tourist traffic and summer residents bring to Door county, it is apparent that the “meaning” may be expressed in terms of dollars and cents, namely $1,204,787, during the season which closed this fall.

This amount, actually under estimated, according to the statement of Mr. Graass when he presented his report to the committee Tuesday afternoon, represents actual revenue received from tourists and summer home owners in the form of money spent for necessities, improvements and taxes.

It is interesting to note that non-resident summer home owners paid taxes on property having an assessed value of $1,756,995.75. The report shows that there is not a single precinct in the county but what receives a goodly portion of the tax revenue from the non-resident summer home owner. The amounts run as high as 50 per cent of the taxes paid in some districts.