Michael J. Wallrich

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Michael J. Wallrich
Shawano, WI

On the pages of Shawano’s history there appears no more illustrious name than that of Michael J. Wallrich, yet he was free from all ostentation and display and rose to prominence merely through his character worth and his valuable service to the community in which he lived. He was constantly extending a helping hand to his fellow travelers on life’s journey and he spread around him much of life’s sunshine by reason of his kindly nature and cheery disposition.

Mr. Wallrich had passed the eighty-third milestone on life’s journey when called to his final rest. He was born March 25, 1857, near the little town of Brighton, Kenosha County, Wisconsin, a son of Mr. and Mrs. Mathias Wallrich, both of whom were born in Ger-many. They came to the United States in 1855 and settled on a farm near Brighton, Kenosha County, bringing with them their seven children, the eldest being fifteen years of age. Michael J. was the first child of the family to be born in the United States. He pursued his education in the rural school near his boyhood home and after completing the work of the eighth grade he secured a position as a teacher, while in the summer months he was employed on neighboring farms or at any work which would yield him an honest dollar, his wages going to help pay off the mortgage on the old home place.

Thus, early he displayed the unselfishness which was always one of his strong characteristics. In his early manhood he taught school one year, after which he entered the University of Wisconsin, working his way through and graduating with the class of 1883. He then remained as a law student in the University and was awarded his professional degree in 1885, beginning active practice in October of the same year at Shawano, Wisconsin. His assets at that time consisted of a few books and very ordinary office furniture altogether not exceeding one hundred dollars in value. While advancement at the bar is proverbially slow, he soon impressed his fellow townsmen after locating in Shawano that he possessed earnestness and determination, as well as an accurate knowledge of legal principles, and thus he built up a goodly clientele. subsequently headed the law firm of Wallrich, Dillett & Eberline, she tele which afterward became Wallrich, Dillett & Larson. After continuing in that connection until 1910 he withdrew from the partnership relation to practice independently and was long accorded high rating at the Shawano County bar. He possessed keen analytical powers, so that he readily understood the relation between cause and effect, and he also quickly discriminated between the essential and the non-essential, thus presenting his cause before the court in the strongest possible light.

Mr. Wallrich served as city attorney eight years and as district attorney two years, and in both cases rendered a real service to the community in guarding the legal interests of the public. He also held the office of mayor for six years. In 1903 he was elected to represent his district in the State Legislature and there stanchly supported the measures which he believed to be of benefit to the commonwealth. After the close of his service in the General Assembly he was made counsel of the Wisconsin & Northern Railroad. When the building of its line was opposed by the Chicago &, North Western Company he went to Washington, D. C., where’ he presented the true state of affairs before the secretary of the interior and the commissioner of Indian affairs, and was granted all rights to his company to go through the Menominee Indian reservation.

Mr. Wallrich always earnestly sought the improvement of his state and when the Wisconsin Advancement Association was formed for the purpose of studying the problem of the state’s useless cutover lands, which had been deprived of their productivity, he was chosen its president, his efforts as such resulting in remedying many of the difficulties of the situation. About that time, to interest youth in the future of northern Wisconsin, he conducted an essay contest, which was won by Gerald P. Nye, then a high school pupil of Wittenberg, and now nationally known as a United States senator.

In 1919 Mr. Wallrich helped to organize the Perfect Seed Circle for the purpose of promoting better understanding and cooperation between the farmers and the little business men. This has proven of much benefit to the community and still carries on its work. Mr. Wallrich in addition to his many and varied interests, owned and operated four farms, two in Shawano County, one in Langlade County and one in Forest County, and took great interest in promoting improved methods of farming and was one of the first farmers in the county that took the initiative in extensively using lime on sandy soils. This resulted in his being very successful in raising alfalfa and attracted state-wide attention. The agricultural development of Wisconsin always greatly interested Mr. Wallrich and until within a year of his death he and his wife were always in attendance at the Farm and Home Week of the University of Wisconsin and in 1932 he was honored by Glenn Frank, then president of the University, for outstanding service to his community. The Conservation Bulletin of the state also paid tribute to his efforts along various lines of conservation, which have been most beneficial. He was a Rotarian and in 1927 he was elected to the International Rotary convention in Europe and made the trip, accompanied by his wife and daughter Gertrude. He was also a thirty-second degree Mason.

It was in January, 1894, that Mr. Wallrich married Gertrude Bush, and they had a family of seven children, of whom William, the eldest, was killed in the second battle of the Marne during the first World War. Lucy became the wife of Dr. C. F. Davidson, now deceased, a physician and surgeon of Seattle, Washington, and they had one child, Lucy Ann. Caspar, who is engaged in the insurance business in Shawano, married Mildred Solar, of Milwaukee, and they have two children, Bernice and Michael. Marshall, who is superintendent of a mill and also engages in farming, married Ruth Young, and their children are Jeanne, Marcia, James and Richard, the last two being better known as Jimmie and Dick. Gertrude is the wife of Merle K Bennett, of Wichita, Kansas, and their children are Richard Wallrich and Luey Bennett. Mathew M., who is a prominent lawyer of Shawano., married Mildred Rodolf, of Madison, Wisonsin, and their children are Charles F., called Tuck, and Virginia called Ginnie. Robert, the youngest of the Wallrich family is at home. Mrs. Wallrich is very active in church work, being a member of the Episcopal church. She is also a member of the Shawano Woman’s Club and one of its charter members and has held the office of president several times. She was formerly president of the War Mothers of Shawano County and for many years a member of the Shawano City library board and its president several times, also a trustee of Shawano Municipal Hospital.

It has been said that character consists of integrity, obedience to law, clean living and singleness of purpose or loyalty, and in all these Michael Wallrich was richly endowed. He was a man physically fit, mentally vigorous and spiritually sensitive. His mind remained alert to the last and he was a firm believer in the Golden Rule, which he made the daily practice of his life. He kept abreast of the times in all that was essential and at all times he was public spirited and never too busy to lend his aid and influence to progressive public measures, believing that a man’s success in life, regardless of what material wealth he might acquire, was based upon his service to his fellowmen and to his community in elevating the standards of living. He met with a substantial measure of what the world terms success, but to his family he also left that priceless heritage of the good name that is rather to be chosen than great riches, and when he passed away on March 2, 1941, all Shawano mourned his departure.

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M. J. WALLRICH LAND AND LUMBER COMPANY – a brief history

Wallrich Lumber was located between the Soo Line Railroad tracks and Anderson Avenue, where Shawano Wood Products is presently located. The house across the road was the location of the lumber yard offices. Heritage Hardwoods bought all of this property.

The Torborgs’ location is where the retail lumberyard was located. This was sold to Vertack Building Materials late 60’s and they later sold to Torborgs. A fire broke out right before the time of sale and Torborgs built the new facility.

The company was incorporated under the laws of the state of Wisconsin in 1910 under the name of M. J. Wallrich Land Company. The first officers and stockholders were: President, M. J. Wallrich; vice president, D. H. George; Secretary, A. M. Andrews; Treasurer, A. C. Weber. The M. J. Wallrich Land Company was created for the purpose of converting the land holdings of the President, M. J. Wallrich, into a corporation. These holdings consisted of timber lands in Shawano, Ashland, Bayfield, Forest, Oconto, and Langlade counties and covered 34,377 acres. At the time of incorporation, the lands were cruised and appraised by A. C. Weber and F. W. Andrews, who were considered competent appraisers and estimators.

The standing timber was computed on the following stumpage prices:
Pine $10
Basswood $6
Hemlock $2.5
Birch $5
Tamarack $2.5
Beech $3
Oak $20
Elm $6
Maple $2.5
Cedar $4
Ash $4

A forest fire did considerable damage to the holdings of the Land Company in 1910; and while the company did not wish to engage in the manufacturing business at that time, it did want to salvage the timber. A contract was therefore entered into with Ole Morgan of Morgan Siding to log four sections of this burned over timber at a price of $9.00 per M., delivered at the Morgan Mill.

Following is a list of some of the early logging contractors with whom the M. J. Wallrich Land Company had the pleasure of doing business. Fred Larson, Otto Tischer, Melvin Robbins, Peter Lindquist, Joe Goldberg, Wm. Alft. In addition to the logging by the above contractors, the company operated its own camps at White Clay Lake, in charge of R. G. Johnson; at Bear Lake in charge of Fred Larson; and two camps called the Wolf River Camps No. 1 and No. 2, operated by August Buettner and Fred Moesch.

At that time the only outlets for the company’s products were the paper mills and the veneer plants. The Menasha Woodenware was a good customer for its logs. M. J. Wallrich was a firm believer in the hardwoods of the North, and this belief led him to purchase a large amount of cut-over land on which only the hardwood and hemlock remained—the floatable timber (pine and basswood) had been removed and driven down the Wolf River to saw mill towns such as Oshkosh. Because of the inaccessibility of this hardwood timber, no one believed that it would have any value. M. J. Wallrich had the faith and foresight to acquire as much of this inaccessible timber as he could; and then had the courage to help promote the Wisconsin & Northern Railroad which opened this territory to the lumber industry. M. J. Wallrich was the attorney for this railroad from its inception until it was sold in August of 1923 to the Soo Railroad. The Shawano Abstract Company was purchased in 1924. Prior to that time the M. J. Wallrich Land Company had been a substantial stockholder in the Abstract Company, and had faith in its future.

Prior to 1921, the M. J. Wallrich Land Company had sold its logs to whomever made them the best offer, but in 1921 the Land Company acquired the property of the Catencamp Lumber Company, who operated a mill on the Wolf River just north of the city of Shawano. This location is the present site of the M. J. Wallrich Land & Lumber Company’s main plant, sawmill, planning mill, and retail yard. The Zachow Land & Lumber Company (consisting of a sawmill, planing mill, and retail yard in Cecil, Wisconsin) was acquired in 1926; and the Wallrich Lumber & Fuel Company was organized to operate the yard at Cecil, which assured the Land Company of another outlet for its lumber in the building grades.

The M. J. Wallrich Land Company, having now definitely embarked in the lumber manufacturing business, changed its name to the M. J. Wallrich Land & Lumber Company in January of 1928. In June of 1938, Marshall Wallrich (who had previously acted as Sales Manager) was put in charge as manager of the sawmill, Wholesale and Retail operations. At that time the company employed 80 men in its mill, and operated on a night and day shift. Stress was placed on the retail department which continued to grow year after year. The depression in the 30’s had a hand in curbing the mill operations in that period. M. J. Wallrich passed away on March 2, 1951, following a short illness. He had been president and general manager of the company since its organization in 1910. His sons thereupon took over the management of the company, with Caspar Wallrich as President; Marshall Wallrich as Vice President and Treasurer, and Matthew Wallrich as Secretary. The retail division was merged with the original company in July of 1941, and Marshall Wallrich took charge as general manager, and carried on until November 20, 1944, when he was stricken with a severe coronary thrombosis, and was unable to continue his duties as general manager. C. B. Van Rossum (company auditor for many years) became Assistant Manager.

The M. J. Wallrich Land and Lumber Company operated a sawmill and planning mill in the Town of Wescott, just outside the city limits of Shawano, and maintained retail outlets at Shawano, Cecil and Peshtigo where complete lines of building materials handled. The present officers of the company are: Caspar Wallrich, President; Marshall Wallrich, Vice President and Treasurer; Michael Wallrich, Secretary; Caroline Nikolay, Assistant Secretary; William Gruner, General Manager.