Donnie Wolf - Long Time Resident of Foster Township, Clark County, Wisconsin

Donnie has been a part of this area for many years. She was raised in Willard and then moved to Chicago. She built her cabin In Rock Darn almost 50 years ago, in 1949. Donnie became half owner of Lakeside lodge with Joe Cherne. At that true the tavern was closed in November after deer hunting and opened in April for Trout season. It was known that if You could live through hunting season, you could live through anything” They had a Hunter’s Ball every year to kick off the season. Donna remembers someone asking “Where are you gonna get the women?” She told them, “Well, you boys will just have to dance with yourselves”. She remembers the first year of open season on does, the bar took in $789 the night of the Hunter’s Ball. “That was when a small bottle of beer was 15 cents, a big bottle of beer 20 cents and a shot was 25 cents.”  Bartenders were paid $1 per hour. They had roller-skating in the dance hail every Sunday and dancing every Thursday night. The people came from all the surrounding areas like Osseo, Thorp, and Greenwood.

“If that place could talk, the stories it would tell.” Donnie remembers the Windy Run Gang would come in and each would put their 5 in the juke box and she had to dance with them all. She also remembers when the wall where the big windows are now, behind the bar, just had three small windows and they had just finished it off with knotty pine and someone came in from bow hunting arid shot an arrow into the new wall. There after it became a tradition when you got a deer bow hunting. Donnie would tie a red ribbon on the arrow if it was your first deer bow hunting, a white ribbon if it was your second deer and a blue ribbon if it was your third deer. “It got to look real colorful.”

Everyone left the keys to their cabins at the tavern so people could check on things. At that time, and for many years, people had to drive to Willard to pick up the mail. Everyone took turns and had their day to go to town. Depending on who went to get the mail, determined how long it took, whether or not they had to “stop for one”. There sure was a lot of good times.

Donnie sold her half in 1951 and later married Gordy Wolf. Nobody lived here year around then, just weekend people. The Lease fee was $5 and then $10 per month. Later the county raised the lot lease cost to encourage people to buy their lots. Donnie has spent most of her life in Rock Dam and her children and grandchildren have many happy memories of the fun they had in Rock Dam. Even back then it was a fun place to be and has always been home.

 

 

Source: Foster Township's "75th Diamond Jubilee".