Forgotten History of a Small Wisconsin Town
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 8 фев 2025
- Forgotten History of a Small Wisconsin Town - In this episode of SightseeingSally, I explore the forgotten history of a small town in Northeastern Wisconsin. Located along the shores of the Bay of Green Bay, this town's history predates the birth of Christ!
About me: I grew up in a small town the Midwest. Now I drive America's backroads exploring small towns, forgotten places, local history and more!
Don't miss out on another SightseeingSally adventure, SUBSCRIBE and start watching today: / @sightseeingsally
Like my videos? Buy some gas & get a shoutout as one of our Fellow Sightseers in a future vid! www.paypal.me/...
Or become a Fellow Sightseer on Patreon:
/ sightseeingsally
I owned the Phelps house for 18 years recently and sold it 2 years ago. Thank you for mentioning it in your video. It was a lot of love, blood, sweat, and tears to make it look like it does, inside and out. It is truly my pride and joy and miss it.
You’re very welcome 😊 I was immediately drawn to it, such a unique and beautiful looking home. I imagine it was a difficult decision to let it go.
@@SightseeingSally More then you can imagine. It was hard seeing it in your video, too emotional. But, I am glad to see they are keeping it up and respecting all my hard work.
@@SightseeingSally iod
Nice. My family settld Morgan.
Owner of the "Huff Jones" house here. 1345 Main. Oldest house in Oconto county. I still uncover history in this house every year. This year it was brass door hinges from the 1880's that had to be rescued from decades of paint. Thanks for including the history of it. We still have family photos of the Jones'.
Very cool! Thanks for sharing 😊
Forget Blatz, you are in Oconto Beer country. Oconto Beer was brewed in the city in a plant on Superior Avenue (where Neroco is now) for 110 years until 1967.
Now that’s some seriously important info I should’ve had before making this vid!
@@SightseeingSally An old Blatz ad said. Blatz is not for beginners. Give me one of those Oconto Brews :)
I grew up in Shawano County and started a beer can collection in the early 70s. Oconto Beer cans (especially the old punch-tops that needed a can opener) were still findable in old buildings and elsewhere (along with Adler-Brau and other long-gone breweries). It sounds as though the old brewery has transformed into something else, but I remember seeing Oconto signs at bars. The one in your video has been maintained immaculately. Beer pride! Thanks again for an excellent video and history lesson.
I grew up in Wisconsin, and never heard of Oconto beer. Blatz was always considered bottom-of-the-barrel brew, only to be drank if nothing else is available, and you’re desperate for a “beer.”
Yep! Oconto beer!
Geeze i have been through here 50 times, never really saw it. thanks for the show.
You’re welcome Mike
Hello Sally,
New subscriber here. Wish I'd have seen your channel sooner. Just went to WI in August '22. Drove through Oconto and toured the Beyer house. The museum and home tour was awesome! Very informative and nice people. I am originally from Antigo. I'm getting ready to retire in WA state and considering moving back to WI. I'd forgotten how beautiful it is there! I appreciate your videos.
Thanks for sharing.
Tater, forget WA. and come back home!👍
my wife is from born and raised in oconto me from peshtigo. great to see these videos of home when u live so far away we now live in sarasota florida ,but enjoy seeing this videos please keep them coming mayb a new updated peshtigo one..my wifes grandma used to own the old palm gardens
I live right behind the “castle house” (Phelps House). It’s not on the registry because the home was renovated before we bought it. I wish I knew more history about our home! Thanks for a great video; I love our town!
The town where I grew up! My novels are now set on Mackinac Island, but I think Oconto is going to have to make its way into a future novel. You're a great host! Thanks!
Do you use a pen name? I'd like to look up your books. Or give some titles.
Somedays I remember 4th grade Wisconsin history better than other days, but always nice to get a history lesson from Sally. I have had a few PBRs and Blatz over the years, never had Oconto beer wonder if it is still brewed. A few beers with Friday night fish was a Wisconsin tradition. I thought you might go deeper in the unglaciated side of the state. Stay safe and healthy.
Maybe next summer. Hang tight. I’m gearing up for some new adventures elsewhere soon.
@@SightseeingSally Be safe.
aka the driftless region....
@@christinatweet6580 I have seen many drift in this region. Driven through many also.
Made regular deliveries to cruisers boats in Oconto from Green Bay thanks for sharing sally
How cool! Thanks Dave 😁
Thank you, Sally. Our family is one of the homes on Susies Hill Court. And, we cherish the history of our ground every day. Appreciate the beautiful reveal of Oconto's history. Thank you.
I live here and love it here!!
I’ve lived within 25 miles of Oconto for the past 40 or so years and have been there many times, but I learned a few things from this video that I didn’t know before. You certainly did your homework before putting this video together, and it shows. Very entertaining and informative.
One thing you may have noticed is that many of the older homes in Oconto have tin roofs instead of shingles. I wondered about that for years until I met an older gentleman from Oconto and he told me that years ago, forest fires were common in the area, and that the strong updraft winds created by the fires would sometimes carry burning embers many miles from the fire itself. Sometimes those embers would fall onto the roofs of houses and catch them on fire. To combat this, houses were built with non flammable metal roofs rather than highly flammable shingles.
Thanks! Excellent comment explaining about the tin roofs, I just learned something new 😊
Or, asbestos may have been used? Easy to forget that devil asbestos had it's good points.
@@christinatweet6580 Asphalt shingles with asbestos weren’t widely available until about 1911, so the houses with tin roofs were likely built before that. I think tin was also popular because it lasted much longer than asphalt. A lot of tin roofs are still doing their jobs after all these years.
I was born in Oconto and still attend church there, right across from the Library on the corner of Michigan and Main. Many of my relatives live/lived there as well. I grew up on a farm just south of Lena at Stiles Junction. Main Street used to be very impressive years ago. It was lined with huge elm trees that formed a tunnel over Main Street in the historic area. Unfortunately, they succumbed to Dutch Elm disease. While I knew most of what you shared, it was fun taking a trip down memory lane. I also enjoyed your Lena video. :-)
I was born there as well, and likewise grew up in Stiles, though on the "south" side towards Abrams.
Well worth the wait, but then, isn't it always? 😊 Keep up the great work, Sally!
A beautiful old town full of history!! Thanks Sally!
You’re welcome Ken, glad you enjoyed it
Hello Sally there's another good video you know Wisconsin got some good old fellows up there nice peaceful folks you guys stay happy stay safe 🏆🌺👍✌️
That’s right Duane, we do 😉 I thought for sure you were going to tell me you drank Blatz once in awhile lol 😂
I was born in WI, but have lived in Kansas City much longer than I did in WI. I have not heard of Oconto. Your videos are a joy. Keep up the good work.
Thanks Kevin! I haven’t been to Kansas City before.
I'm from Massachusetts and I have never heard of Oconto, Wisconsin. It looks like a charming town. Thank you, again, for the visit! Safe travels.
Thanks Carol! One day hopefully I’ll make it to Massachusetts - it’s on my list. Btw, I always appreciate your comments.
Hello Sally, I'm Sokwon Kim. and I thank you for your video. Always be safety life and Safety travel.
My family were food brokers and they represented Bond Pickles to the major grocery chains. We had friends in Oconto and spent quite a bit of time there. i drank some pickle brine on a bet. It wasn't to bad. Lol.
Lol, I’d probably take that bet as well
I grew up in Michigan, would love to go back, but that ship has sailed. I now live in Washington State. I have to confess I have never heard of Oconto Wisconsin. I love old forgotten towns, thankyou for all you do.
Spent a good chunk of my childhood in Oconto my mom grew up there on 116 Duncan ave my grandparents live there for many yrs I have lots of memories at my grandparents home probably the best of my life! PS I swam at the pool behind the Bond home as a kid. Thanks Sally this one really touched my heart ❤️
Love your stuff - from a wisconsinite! thanX for the work and sharing. Fasky.
The Pickle factory was quite a bit bigger than you describe. In the early 2000s I was 500+ pickle vats. A good chunk were defunct, but it was a big operation at it's peak. And yes, it was right across the river from the campground and next to the McDonalds.
Bond Pickle Co.. right??
Hi Sally: Very much enjoyed the visit to Oconto, Wis. I had never heard of the town, it a lovely place, with some beautiful older homes. Your videos get better all the time. Thank you so much. Steve -from Washington State
I grew up there in 60s an 70s. I enjoyed the woods an oconto river an bay. My father drove semi for oconto beer back in 60s. I worked at bond pickle as a kid in summer. We had alot of fun there. Fond memories of oconto.
We missed Marty on this episode!!!! Enjoyed the video!!!
Boy girl, you are back !
You sound great and quick as a whip.
Keep it comin‘ but take some breaks here and there.
Thanks! Will do.
I was asleep at the wheel. Missed you vid SSS. Another awesome video. You do such a great job.
Very cool love the history and homes. We must hold on to the history. I never knew Oconto had all this. Worth a visit
Sally thank you for taking me along on your explorations.
Passed thru Oconto for many years before the highway by-passed the city. Who knew the place was loaded with this much history? I got to know it for a great pit-stop at Hardee’s. I do remember seeing the old pickle factory. It was right along Hwy 41 when it went through the city. Thanks for sharing!
One of my relatives lived across the street from the golf course when I was growing up. That house was well over 100 years old. I remember driving by some of the houses you showed in your video but I didn't know the significance of them, so thank you for sharing that with everyone. One thing I do know is when I drove into Oconto last year I barely recognized what used to be Highway 41! Where the Hardee's was and a small gas station is now a huge Kwik Trip and I remember across the street from there was the old Bond Pickle factory. I always loved that smell and, living in Green Bay and attending West High School we had a pickle factory near there as well (the two might have been related, I'm not sure), but the smell was amazing when we'd step outside the school!
I remember the pickle factory near West High School, too!
I had to look Oconto up on the map. I’m still learning Wisconsin town names and their locations. The historic homes there really are beautiful, thanks for the tour !
Enjoyable Video, Sally. I remember being amazed by the Bond Pickle Factory prior to it being torn down. Would like to hear more about the Boat Factory there. Thanks, Sally.
Loved seeing this video. So many beautiful buildings. I love history, you bring it to life in your travels. I am not a longtime viewer, but as soon as I'm done commenting, I will subscribe to your channel.
Fantastic video! Thank you.
Well, I'm from New Mexico and Texas, and, believe it or not, I've heard of Oconto. Dad was a Pastor in Chicago when I was a kid and we always vacationed in the UP every summer. That meant we drove through Oconto every year, stopped at the Shake-a-Burger for ice cream and a stretch before continuing north. It was a charming town then. Drove through there in 2016 to attend my kid sister's funeral in Marquette. It hadn't lost any of its charm. Thanks for the tour and history from Texas.
I was born in Wisconsin! In Burlington on browns lake! Never heard of oconto! Looks like a beautiful little town! I live in Alabama now !
This is so awesome, I love that there's a channel like yours preserving forgotten history of old towns. I wish there were more channels like this. Sally is a very beautiful name, btw! I wish I had thought to do something like this years ago when my city still had a lot of cool stuff, like 10th avenue once you left downtown went from an expressway to a skinny side street past 19th street and it looked like you were stepping back in time to the 1930's with old houses and everything, the railroad tracks even had telegraph wires and poles that were unchanged from the olden days with the original railroad lights and everything. With those gone, 10th avenue looks so much less historic. There's still some old history worth investigating though, there's the city's oldest house, built between 1800 and 1810, looks like an old pioneer settler's cabin, only a few blocks from me. And the downtown is old-timey enough I showed someone a picture from today and they guessed it was from the 60s.
That was Great! I've missed watching your videos!!
Thanks Tom
i live in the third home featured in this video, it is absolutely beautiful and the history is super cool!!
Hey..I just found your channel and Im trying to catch up. I live down in Columbus its a pretty cool small town. Thanks for the videos and Im sorry about your furry friend 🐾🌻
Love to travel around Wisconsin, my hubbies state, but now I've lived here 45 years in John Deere Headquarters. We have an old fur trader house as our museum and they moved in a school house from a friend's farm. Loving the history. I'm new, so I'm going to have to catch up on past towns.
I watched one of your videos where you were thinking of taking a break from RUclips. Glad you're back. I think you would of been an awesome American history teacher.👍
Thank you 😊 I appreciate that!
Love those old homes with wrap around porches. Must've been luxurious sitting there on summer nights waving a hand fan and swatting mosquitoes. 😄
Hahaha maybe they had their own home remedies for combating mosquitoes back then
Thanks!
Hi Gregory, I believe I should be thanking you! I'm new to the super thanks feature and just figure out you kindly tipped the 'trip jar' using this feature. Thank you :) glad you enjoyed this video.
Oconto Beer? Yeah, that too. Great video as always.
That’s a new one for me. I wonder if it’s still being made 🤔
Ps. Thank u
Awesome video!
Love this old, beautiful town and it's history!
🙂👍❤️
Thanks so much Bonnie ❤️
@@SightseeingSally
You're welcome!
Praying for your recovery Sally thanks for sharing your journey appreciate it
Never heard of Oconto, I’m from a village in Oxfordshire, England. But I love your videos.
Always love your videos. I was wondering if you ever thought about doing a video about Dunbar. Great little town with Good history.
Watched your video earlier today and after watching the one you posted today Jauary 4 2924, this video popped up on my feed
Historical Footage of Oconto Wi. So it was kind of fun to watch it as well to put some faces to sites and buildings you showed.
Live in Sparta, Wi and haven't heard of it. Really enjoyed your video.
Hi Sally and Marty , I live in Noblesville, Indiana. I have only been to o' clare ( i know i spelled it wrong , Sorry) I would love to see more of WISC. Thanks for your channel !!!!!!!!
FYI … Bond Pickle location is where O’RILEYS, Dollar Tree, and Tractor Supply are standing.
I am from Quincy Il. never heard of Oconto Wis. till today watching this video.
We used to party at County Park 2 on Highway Y. Great place to drink and hangout by the water.
I'm new and truly enjoy your videos. Thank you.
25 years ago I toured Mark Twain's house in New Haven.. Was fun for a SoCal guy. 😃
Great story. I have relatives from Janesville. I'm from Salisbury, Md.
Love the Sally Tours. 👍
That’s so awesome 🤩 thank you 😊
I lived for 20 years just about 20 Mike's away in the town of Peshtigo. Used to drive by the Blond pickle plant all the time on trips back and forth to Green Bay.
Never heard of Oconto, seems like a nice place to visit but you're the closest I'll get Sally, so Thank You!
👍👍👍
Greetings from Baltimore All!
Hellooo Baltimore lol
Thanks John, glad I could show you around Oconto
I lived above the old laundromat for a couple years. It had since been torn down.
My college roommate was from Oconto. I’ve been to her family’s home there many times.
Great video. I’ve been trying to find out more about the Thiele (THEELEE) sign myself.
Glad you made it out of there safely. I heard Oconto Falls.
The Bond Pickle Factory was where the miniature golf course is. They tore it down a few years after I moved here in 2004.
Interesting! My own town comes up on my feed and i learn a few things i didn't know! 😂 nice job!
I owned a house just a few doors down from the house with the green metal roof where the first election was held. My house was build in 1891. We found old newspaper articles and advertisements shoved in the wall when we remodeled.
By the way the bond pickle company was where the retirement home/apartments are. Actually just behind Orileys. We also used to have a Hardee's where QuickTrip now sits and a tacobell where there is now a hairdresser. Smith Ave or now business 41 used to be the highway which passed right through town before the bypass was built.
I have been to Oconto a number of times. I live about a half hour west of there.
your show is great
Was born there, and raised a short distance away until I went off to school and then moved out of state. That was 35 years ago. Place doesn't seem to have changed much.
I'm new to your channel, I love your videos. I grew up in Neenah on the island and moved to Mobile Alabama in 1978. If you ever get to Neenah check out the Doty cabin in Doty Park. you won't be disappointed.
Bond Pickle ran from the McDonalds at the corner of Brazeau and Main, westward to the mini golf. From there it ran to the north (rear) to the adjacent RR tracks and cemetery. One place missed was the migrant housing of which one remains. I'm not sure as to where it is located. From the mini golf further west was the Holt Planing Mill or Holt Hardwood Company. They made a lot of hardwood floors for homes all over the country. My third great grandfather, James Herald, was superintendent of Holt Lumber Company. The Brothers Three was his office!
My aunt and uncle owned/operated The Great Lakes Shoe Factory in Oconto.. I believe they shut it down late 70's early 80's.. I was pretty young but I remember running around the factory and the workers.. they were all so nice to me... 💜✌️
I'm from Florida, so I've never heard of Oconto. I have heard of Door County Wisconsin as my grandparents and uncle liked to visit there.
Dear Sally, I'm a new subscriber and I love your videos. I've seen your husband on a few and I enjoy the ghost towns too. I'm retired many years now and don't travel as much as you guys. I was wondering if you have ever visited Phillips, Wisconsin in Price county? My family had a farm there at the turn of the 20th century and as a child I would visit my grandmother (who I loved dearly) in the summertime when she lived on hwy 13 after the farm was gone. I have not been back there for 50 years and have found it on the internet street view. There is not much left of the old days and I was wondering if you guys ever made a video of Phillips could you post it? I love history. Thanks for all you do.
I'm from Algonac, Michigan, Sally, and never heard of Oconto. Of course, you probably never heard of Algonac Mi, either (it's where Chris Craft Boats was founded).
No I haven’t. But now I have :)
You have a great voice for narrating.
The Phelps home was like a Cinderella castle! Disneyland!
Yes, my thoughts exactly
@@SightseeingSally The cone turret! Like an attic!
@@SightseeingSally 😉
The Beyer house was nice!
I've never heard of Oconto before. I grew up in Chicago (Rogers Park area). I live in Redondo Beach California these days.
I live near Oconto:) Thanks
I haven't heard of Oconto! Sally nice like a gypsy!
Hay Sally , how are you doing ?
Some day I need to check out these towns ,!
Ready for Halloween or haunted house ?
Hey Glenn 😁 I’m a bit of a scaredy cat when it comes to haunted houses Glenn. But I love pumpkin pie and this is the best time of year for it! 🎃
Sally have you ever done a video of tomahawk wisconsin use to be a popular tourist town fishing was at a peek in the eighties and they had the tommy Bartlett water ski show free on weekends papermills and trestle bridges and so much more
Old style beer is the official beer of the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field.
All you wanna do...is ride-around Sally...[can I get an amen?)
I live in Shawano and previously lived for twenty years in Tigerton. I drive to Oconto because my chiropractor who is in downtown Oconto.
good job
Work at Bonds during summer maybe 1959. Midnight shift. Original from Lena (enjoyed the Lena video)and we have our yearly class reunion at a local tavern in Oconto. Learn some history.
Well thank you. Now I have to look up Hugh McDonald & see what connection he might have to my family.
This where I live this my home town my whole family live here on mom side
Happy Halloween day., Sally.
I grew up in the 50s in santa Barbara California and remember the midwesterners here a the buildings and homes that have been demolished for big box. I remember getting out of bed and running across the train tracks and down to the ocean and running around among the sea lions and standing on the cliffs watching the killer whale swim north,. Some of my best friends are from Wisconsin, a lot of you have made a mark here
I have a friend who lives in Oconto, and calls it The Birthplace Of Western Civilization.
My recollection is that the Bond Pickle buildings were where Dollar Tree and O'Reilly are.
Thanks! I wasn’t too sure from the info I had.
@@SightseeingSally unrelated question: how do you and other youtube creators take video with your camera on a stick, while you are walking around, and not get any shake or bouncing?
What would be cool is if they could get dna from the findings and match it with people living today.
From Oconto County let’s go!
Woohoo 🥳
From the Minneapolis area. Bit of a geography nerd but I’ve never heard of Oconto