near the Big Falls dam or in a park on a Sunday
drive. They loved to stop and make a fire and cook
outdoors, but made sure the fires were smudged
out before leaving. This was a strict policy.
The younger generation still carry on the same
theory that was instilled in them by their uncles.
Howard and Rick are in forestry with the State of
Wisconsin.
BENITA (MRS. LEWIS)
MATTISON
September 5, 1892 1 was born in Bradford,
Iowa, near the Little Brown Church. My parents
were George and Katherine Scoles. There were 3
boys and 6 girls in our family. My mother was
Katherine Lockwood Scoles; her ancestors came to
United States from England on Governor Win-
throp's fleet and settled in Massachusetts in 1630.
Rusk County became my home March 7, 1907
when I was fourteen. Land was cheap in Wisconsin
so my father, George Scoles, purchased 40 acres of
land on Devils Creek two miles northwest of Bruce
and moved the family of one brother and three
sisters to our new home. We moved here by coming
on the train, along with our household items and
personal belongings - one horse and two cows
made the trip with us.

Benita Mattison

I attended Apollonia School and church. We
walked or drove the horse and buggy whenever we
wanted to go anywhere. Our horse was one of the
few that wasn't afraid of automobiles. Picking wild
raspberries the first summer was a new experience
for us. Wood-ticks also were something new.
I delivered my sister's baby when I was 16 years
old. My sister's husband went for a doctor 15 miles
away with horse and buggy, but the baby arrived
before they returned. For income, I did housework
for $3.00 a week and then later on, clerked in a
store for $12.00 a week.
In May 1931, 1 married Lewis Mattison and
became mother to 5 children ages 6-19 years old;
Evelyn (Mrs. Irving Laeson), Dorothy (Mrs. Irvin
Nessel), Arnold 1921-1951, Harriet (Mrs. John
Fuglsang), and Emma (Mrs. Ray Spoolhoff.) Our
daughter, Bonnie, was born 1932 and is married to
Paul Bocek. I have 13 grandchildren and 17
great-grandchildren.
Lewis was born in Lancaster County, Nebraska,
Dec. 15, 1887. He came to Rusk County in March
1905 with his parents Andrew and Christine Mat-
tison, three brothers and two sisters. Lew spent
many years logging in the Blue Hills area. He
farmed, was town chairman of town of Atlanta for
28 years, served on draft and county boards.
He died Jan. 19, 1974, after living in Rusk
County 69 years.
I've been a member of the Bruce Federated
Church over 40 years. My home has been within 5
miles of Bruce since I moved to Rusk County, 76
years ago March of 1983. Benita Mattison
MATTISONS
In March 1905, my grandparents, Andrew and

Christine Mattison, came from Nebraska to
homestead their farm in the Blue Hills area, 7
miles northwest of Bruce. Six children grew to
adulthood there. They were Alice, Lewis, Minnie,
Frank, Glen and my father, Clarence. Of the fami-
ly, only my Aunt Minnie Larson is living. She is 93
years old.
On June 10, 1926 my parents, Clarence and
Cora, were married. To this union five children
were born: Geven, Marjorie, Lloyd, Lucille and
Donna.
During the early '30s my father worked in a log-
ging camp for Amiel Benson. His pay was $20.00 a
month. My mother had the task of caring for us
children and making sure a young hired man did
the chores properly.
In the '30s Clarence and his brother Glen
changed farms, Glen taking over the farm on Co.
"0" which is now owned by Metz Christman, and
Clarence going into partnership with his father
Andrew, on the original homestead. After Andrew
died Feb. 1942, and Christine Aug. 1949, Clarence
bought the 160 acres from the heirs, for $5,000.00.
Imagine that compared to farm isrices now. With
help of his children, Clarence farmed until he went
into the carpentry trade. The farm was sold twice
after that. The last time it was divided by farmers
on the north and south sides of the 160 acres.
Clarence sheared sheep for the years that many
were raising them for wool. Before he got a small
gas engine, someone had to crank the shearer by
hand. At the end of a day of this someone must
have had sore muscles. When he first started,
Clarence charged 100 per sheep and later raised
the price to the large sum of 250.
Each summer I go back and wander over the
land that was once my home. I choke up as I look
and see only a small building whereas there once
was a huge barn, a fine large house, a machine
shed and the other usual farm buildings. The farm
that so many worked on to make it what it was is
no more. But sentimentality must always give way
for progress.
Clarence died Dec. 1976. Cora lives in a high
rise in Mpls. I am the only one of the siblings that
still lives in the Bruce area, although a number of
Cousins and Aunts live in the area too. Mildred,
wife of Glen, lives in Bruce. Benita, wife of Lewis,
lives on their farm with their daughter Bonnie and
husband Paul. Gerty married Irvin Schroeder,
after Frank died of spinal meningitis, in 1933.
Minnie Larson lives with a daughter, Betty, in
Wisconsin Rapids.
I love Rusk County and its people, descendants
of many nationalities who all had a dream for a
better life. What strong, courageous, God-fearing
people they were! Geven Johnson Granger

Clarence and Cora Mattison Family

NORM MAXON
My first job was packing shingles for 87o per
day at Hintz Shingle Mill in 1924. 1 got 170 per
thousand and made my own bands. This was the
first mill in Wisconsin operated by electricity. In
1926 a steam boiler was used to generate power to
bale sawdust which was used for packing.
The winter of 1925-26 found me in the Hintz
logging operation 4 miles north of Ingram where I
drove a horse in the woods skidding logs. This 40
acre tract of land was wooded with hemlock and
popple. The hemlock was used to make building
lath, while the popple was used for snowfence lath.
Gilson, a broker for the building lath, had it loaded

out in boxcars at Ingram. John Lemke, assistant to
Hintz, was head sawyer. Joe Yancey was saw filer.
Kennedy brothers worked at the mill. Leslie
Yancey and wife were camp cook and flunky at
Mattoon's camp where we stayed while working in
the woods.
In August, 1926, I went to work for Great
Western  Paper Company (now     paper mill)
unloading coal in the boiler room; a job I worked at
31/2 years until the mill closed during the depres-
sion. Peavey bought the mill and reopened it.
During these years I joined the Volunteer Fire
Department under August Simon, Fire Chief, and
worked 40 years for the department.
When the mill closed I went to Minnesota and
worked on road construction with a cousin. In ear-
ly 1940s I got a job in the cranberry marsh north of
Hawkins doing general work.
The Ladysmith Water and Sewer Department
was my next and last job, which began in 1943 and
from which I retired in 1972 after 28 years. Irv
Whitmore was in charge in 1943. In 1925 the en-
tire Volunteer Fire Department quit because of in-
surance. A new department was formed consisting
of August Simon, Andrew Bovee from the Water
Department, Ed Holman, Warren Maxon, and
Louis Miller. The Chief received $100 per month.
Dad worked 30 years for the department.
My first car was a 1929 Chrysler with wooden
wheels which I bought from Ellis Meyer for $30 as
a used car. I drove it 7 years. Dr. McDermid had
the first car in Ladysmith, I believe.
Some memories from my boyhood are: hauling
wood and water every night, carrying kerosene
(100 per gallon) 5 miles from Crane, Mrs. Reinert
marking barrels of sauerkraut and cucumber
pickles and selling them to Fountain Campbells,
using substitute flour, which was bran, because
white flour was rationed during World War I. We
ate woodchucks and porcupines, which were
cooked like rabbit. Some were cooked with sour
vinegar gravy. I went to school parttime; if there
was work at home, we had to stay and work. In the
fall we dug and picked up potatoes.
The old city hall was near the present water
tower. George Luell, Mayor, had a cigar factory
where he rolled cigars. This was where Mincoff's
Meat Market now stands. The basement of City
Hall was the jail. There were 4 or 5 wooden bunks
- often filled during the depression. Len Lozier
was Chief of Police and Sam Johnson his assistant.
They had no cars. Lozier received $100 per month
and Johnson, $80. Their shift was 12 hours a day
-  "Big Len" worked days and Sam worked
nights. Norm Maxon
WARREN MAXON FAMILY
Grandma, Martha Nelson, was born in Norway,
as was Grandpa Nelson. Her father was married
twice and together, his two wives had 22 children.
Grandma worked tending sheep and cattle, mak-
ing butter and cheese. They made their own
clothing, raised their potatoes, which grew vines 4
feet long. They were dried and made into tea for
the cows, which were milked 3 times a day. Old
people stayed home and took care of the babies,
while the young women went out to work. When
schools of herring came in, everyone barreled fish.
They made flat bread and kept it in caves. It was
stacked and a shingle was used to mark each day's
ration for the family.
Grandma Nelson came to America in 1871 in a
sailing ship. She brought 4 trunks filled with flat
bread, as passengers were required to provide their
own food. They came by way of Montreal to
Chicago by ship and from there walked to Forest
City, Iowa, where Mother was born. Grandma's
brothers had settled there earlier. At Des Moines
they heard about the Great Chicago Fire going on.
Grandma died at Ladysmith in 1928 and is buried
in Winnebago Cemetery, at Forest City.
George Maxon was born in 1860 in Wisconsin.
He farmed at Pine Island and worked on the
railroad before he met Mattie Wilson, born in
Minnesota, 1863. George's father, Nick, came
from New York.
Warren Maxon, born October 1883, and Anna
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