Photo Gallery
August W. Cattau
Front window of The Hub in the Murdock House in 1890.
Inside view of The Hub.
1931 – The Hub in the Shawano Hotel on south Main Street near the C&NW depot.
August Cattau in his 1922 Buick.
Front row: Asa Green, George Klosterman Second row: John Andrews, Dr. William Cantwell, Carl Luke Back row: Mr. Tourillot, Herman “Peasely” Naber, August Cattau
Notes
August W. Cattau
Shawano, WI
A pioneer Shawano resident who has seen Shawano grow for nearly nine decades and who contributed his full share to that growth died in 1955 at the age of 87. He was August W. Cattau, former city clerk and alderman and the father of City Attorney, Louis W. Cattau.
MR. CATTAU was born in an old house which was located at 212 West Green Bay Street on Jan. 26, 1868. Actually, Mr. Cattau’s birth antedated Shawano’s corporation as a city, which took place March 19, 1874.
At the age of 16, after attending schools in Shawano, Mr. Cat-tau went to work for himself. He was a printer’s devil at the German paper, Wochenblatt, where he translated English into German, but left paper work the next year to work in the woods where he was a lumberjack and a log driver.
After two years in the woods and running logs, Mr. Cattau entered the Upham & Russell store, one of the first in this area, where he learned the tinners trade at which he followed for three years.
ON DEC, 18, 1890 August Cattau took charge of the Upham & Russell clothing store which was located in the old Murdock House and four years later was moved to the Masonic building next to Gallagher’s Drug Store where he operated the store for the next fifteen years.
The operations then moved to the building known as the Hub, the present Gamble store, and Mr. Cattau was taken in as a partner. The firm was made into a corporation in April, 1904, and Mr. Cattau served as vice president, secretary-treasurer and manager.
On Dec. 18, 1935, Mr. Cattau celebrated his 45th year as a Shawano business man.
IN ADDITION to holding down positions in city government, he was also clerk and treasurer of the Shawano school board and was always looking out for the welfare of the city.
Mr. Cattau had a delightful personality and was always willing to aid in any city project. He was an ardent sportsman and spent many hours fishing on Shawano Lake where he owned a cottage.
August Cattau married Bertha Froemming and had four children; (Eva) Mrs. Adrian Gansen, Sr. of Shawano, (Esther) Mrs. Herman Wendorf of Two Rivers, and (Margaret) Mrs. John Mann of Appleton, and Louis Cattau. All three girls are teachers and Louis, an attorney in Shawano.