The Shoemaker

On 27 October, 1848, 173 years ago, one of my great grandfathers, Stephen Eiriener, was born in Ehingen Germany. Ehingen is on the west bank of the famous Danube River. Stephen was the fifth child, and first son, of Johann Eireiner, and Viktoria Meyer. It was a family of, what I believe to be, nine children; after four girls Viktoria gave birth to five sons. Stephen, and his wife Franziska Leidenheimer Eireiner, had seven children.  My grandmother, Amanda Reiner, was the youngest of the seven.  

Ship Manifest, Stephen is third from
top, has year of birth as 1847

The seven children in the Stephen Eireiner family consisted of four girls and three boys. What is interesting, is that the family must have had an exceedingly strong faith as three of the children, two girls and one boy, would go on to religious life. The sad thing is, as the youngest child, my grandmother likely had few, if any memories of her father.  Stephen died in 1893, on 18 May 1893, less than two weeks after my grandmother Amanda's second birthday. In pre-social security America, one has to give a great deal of credit to Frances, who would raise the seven children, all of whom were under the age of 16 at the time of Stephen's death. 

1875 Chicago City Directory

Stephen arrived as a young man on the shores of New York City on 9 October 1871.  The ship manifest lists his age as 22, (and his name spelled Stephan) and him having been born in 1847. Family records indicate a birth year of 1848. Immigration notes from Ancestry and other sources indicate his occupation as Shoemaker. Stephen's arrival in the US was part of a great migration of immigrants.  Unlike my Hovel side, Stephen was not part of a chain migration, where whole families moved to the US, instead Stephen was like many who were considered a lone wolf.  What is interesting, is that Stephen was stepping on the shore of New York, the City of Chicago was in the midst of the three day conflagration known as the Great Chicago Fire. Happening at the same time as the much worse Peshtigo Fire, the Chicago fire took the headlines, given its status as a major US city. If Stephen made his way directly to Chicago after arriving in New York, he would have come across a scene of devastation, not to mention the smell of burnt everything probably still hanging in the air from the charred wood. 

1891 Chicago City Directory

I am not sure when Stephen arrived in Chicago, but I do know that the 1874 city directory identifies him as being at 778 Archer Street, employed in the trade of boots and shoes. This was a time when footwear was locally made, or at least locally repaired. Shoes at the time were pretty much hand made.  Upon his arrival in the US, Stephen was a craftsman in footwear at a time when craftsmanship meant actual work with the hands. Stephen maintained the occupation in boots and shoes for several years, but sometime between 1877 and 1880 he changed occupations. On my Hovel side, my great uncle's sister married a shoemaker, who would later take up farming upon a move to Iowa from Fort Atkinson--Jefferson, WI area, about the same general time frame as Stephen gave up the occupation. What is also interesting is his change in occupation was, if not in the same year, not many years after his 3 June 1877 marriage to Frances Leidenheimer, which took place in Chicago, IL.

The 1880 directory has him, along with August Glover as partners in a grocery store at 3017 Archer Avenue, in Chicago. By 1885 Stephen is on his own as a grocer, with the 1885 directory making note that he is working at 1025 31st Street in Chicago. What is interesting, is that between 1885 and 1889 he made another change in occupation. The 1889 directory identifies him as owning a saloon at the same address as the grocery store.  He likely remodeled his grocery store into a tavern. I am not sure why he made the switch, it could have been grocery competition, or he saw a way to make more money to support his growing family. 

December 1901 photos of Stephen's Widow Frances
and their children

Stephen died at a young age, in his mid forties, on 18 May 1893. His probate record indicates that his "property and effects...the value of which did not exceed eighty three hundred dollars." was left to his wife. This would represent a middle class estate, which today would be valued at about $252,000. He would be laid to eternal rest at St Mary's Cemetery in Evergreen Park, IL. His legacy, was not in his shoes, canned goods, or drinks he sold, but in his seven children, and their descendants. His children would go on to lead productive lives, learning some strong life lessons from Stephen and, for the very young, their widowed mother, Frances.

Reiner Grave Marker
St Mary's Cemetery
Evergreen Park, IL

The city directories of the Windy City provide a glimpse into the life of Stephen Eireiner. He was merchant for his adult life, beginning first as a shoe and boot maker to grocer, to a saloon keeper. Why he made changes in occupation remain unknown, but perhaps he saw the creative destruction beginning in his select trade of shoes and boots, made a move to consumable goods, and then finally, to the ultimate consumable good--alcohol. Upon passing the bonds of this earth on that spring day in 1893,he left behind his widow, and seven children. History is made up of stories inherent in each person who walked the earth, individually and collectively. This is part of a history formed by my great grandfather, Stephen Eireiner, who made the move at a young age to the United States to start a new life.

Note:  The surname was changed, likely between 1910 and 1920 from Eireiner to Reiner, at the urging of my grandmother's brother, Joseph Reiner, SJ.

 

Leaf Color

The arrival of fall, at least in terms of leaf color, seems different this year.  Besides the timing being late, the colors, at least in my part of Wisconsin, are not as vibrant. Many trees are still green, and some are turning much later than normal. This post will be about this fall's leaf color.  

Timm's Hill, past peak, October 5, 2021

The timing of the change in leaf color is seemingly dependent on different climatic conditions. Rain and temperature being two of the variables. Sometimes rain and strong winds will take down the leaves before one has a chance to enjoy them. Seeing fall color can be a hit and miss proposition. An arborist on the radio on Oct 20, noted that if temperatures fall to about 25 degrees (F), the leaves on many trees will simply turn brown and then fall off.  He noted that tree leaves cannot take temperatures much below 26 degrees.  However, he also noted that the best measures for turning leaves are cooler nights, and sunny days. We have yet to have a frost this year for much of the state, and that is unusual. Frost will likely come this week with low temperatures expected in the low 30's Thursday and Friday. Depending upon the forecast the low Friday night (Saturday morning, really) could be as low as 30. This could start some leaves to change more than they have, but rain is anticipated for a good part of next week, which may well take down the leaves and affect the chance for color viewing.

Volunteer Hickory, in back yard
10/20/2021

When Land Girl and I were up north a couple weeks ago, it seemed amazing how quick the colors can change. My sister-in-law, about a week before our October trip to the north woods, noted that the colors had not really changed to a large degree, but by the weekend before our trip she said they probably were at their peak, at least in the Conover area.  At the time of our visit, they had yet to have a frost, my sister-in-law's impatiens were still going strong. On one hand the lack of frost seems to dissuade the theory of the arborist, but perhaps it was sufficiently cool, and a frost is not required.

Autumn Purple Ash, 10/20/2013

In 2013 I took photos of the autumn purple ash tree in my front yard, starting on 9/25 and recorded a photo every day until the leaves were all off. The last leaf of that photo series fell on All Saints Day, 11/1. This year, the colors of the tree lack the vibrancy I have seen in the past.  Generally one sees a great deal of purple, followed by yellow on the bottom.  This year the top is purple, the middle generally green and the bottom yellow. Yet, the purple is not as prevalent as in years past. It lacks the WOW! factor one normally expects from this UW generated cultivar of the white ash. Last year at this time much of the tree was bare, but some leaves clinging with some leaves not wishing to meet their fate at ground level to be raked and used as mulch on a flower bed. On 10/20/21, as I write this, the tree has fewer branches due to being pruned last year, many leaves are still clinging and the colors are varied, and not as vibrant. To the left of the ash tree you can see part of a birch clump which was yellow in 2013 on 10/20, but has mainly green color on the same date this year.   

Autumn Purple Ash, 10/20/2021

We have three locust trees in our yard, one a street tree and two in the backyard. Two of these trees, the street tree and one in the back yard, have pretty much lost all their leaves, with the street tree going first. The other one in the backyard is still predominantly green. They may well be different cultivars of the same species, but I am surprised at the leaf loss variability. The difference in color and timing has been noticeable in the past, but seems more pronounced this season. The hickory trees I have are just starting to turn, but I cannot say how this relates to past years.  I have noticed a maple tree in my backyard is mainly green to this date, but has lost some leaves which turned brown, rather than its customary yellow. Last year I recall it being a vibrant yellow glowing in the afternoon sun,before leaf drop. It has a few leaves with a tinge of yellow, but not many. Like the autumn purple ash, it lacks its vibrancy of years past. I suppose it is possible that tree color in my mind is related to years in which the colors are vibrant, and I do not recall the down years.  Although I have photo evidence of the autumn purple ash, but the detailed documentation is for one fall season--2013. I have other photos, but none as detailed with date of photo as the file name.

Two Locust Trees in back yard, you can see
part of the Autumn Purple Ash in the front yard

The fleeting nature of fall seems to portend the futility of holding onto color, and warmer temperatures. All the more important for us to enjoy the beauty of nature as autumn descends.  The shorter days have us realize that the arrival of winter is not far off, and our time to enjoy the fall can be fleeting. It will be interesting to see if we get a cold snap what occurs to the leaves (is the arborist correct?), and I suppose it is possible, that like in 2019, we may get a snow before the leaves are off the tree and picked up. The 2019 snow occurred in late October, and put a damper on leaf pick up. Given how late the colors are on many trees, they may hang on until November, or December.  Although Hickory and Oaks are known for having their leaves hang on a long, long time. 

Unexpected Color

Part of last week my wife and I made a trip to Northern Wisconsin. The visit included some biking, a little hiking, a visit with my brother, his wife and son, and to see the fall colors. We stayed at an Airbnb in St Germain, which was our first time using a vacation rental through Airbnb or Vrbo. The cottage we rented was on Lost Lake which is about half way between St Germain and Sayner. Overall, the fall colors were quite nice.  The colors may have been beyond peak, particularly for the colors in the eastern part of the county. The weather, even though cloudy for over half our time in the north woods, was still enjoyable with day time temps near the mid to upper 60's. We had a good time, and enjoyed the colors provided by the scenery of contrasting yellows, and reds with green of the pines and the (sometimes) blue sky.  There is one color, that I was not expected to see, and that was green. Not the green of pines and plants, but green on the surface of Lost Lake.  

The place we stayed

I am no expert on algae, but the oily consistency and the way it appeared seemed to be reminiscent of the toxic blue-green algae. It may or may not have been blue-green algae, but I was not going to risk swimming in the water with that gunk not knowing what kind of algae it was.  I did get one swim in on Thursday, before the overcast sky arrived, on a lake at the home of my brother. That water did not have algae, but did have some lily pads. I was not expecting the green surface of Lost Lake; it reminded me of some of the lakes in southern Wisconsin. 

Lost Lake

Funny, looking at the shore of Lost Lake, at least near the cottage in which we stayed, the lake did not have lily pads or any noticeable weeds by shore, and it had a nice sand surface. Yet, the nice sandy surface is no good for a swimmer with suspect algae present on the surface of the water.  The algae, from what I could see, did not have the blue tint common in blue-green algae, so perhaps it was not the toxic blue-green algae.  Like I said, it was tempting, but I was not about to risk it. 

Lost Lake Water

Algae growth is, generally, caused by too much phosphorus and/or nitrogen in the water. In the southern part of the state, algae blooms are quite common, in fact, I saw them occur on Lake Kegonsa in May, when I usually see them in June. The algae is common in the southern part of the state due to mainly to non-point sources of pollution.  Point sources are highly regulated, so they now contribute little phosphorus, but non-point sources, think agriculture, are not as highly regulated so runoff from farm fields and feed lots can make its way with its concomitant phosphorus and nitrogen into the streams and then the lakes.  Leaves are also a good source of phosphorus, and hence why my wife and I regularly clean our drive and street gutter of leaves. Many years ago, phosphorus was in detergents, but that was banned along time ago.  About eleven years ago phosphorus became highly regulated in fertilizers in Wisconsin, particularly lawn and garden fertilizers, so that source is much reduced. 

Lake a few Miles from Lost Lake
Undeveloped Shoreline and no algae noticed

Phosphorus is a very stubborn element, and holds, for example, to soil particles. That is one reason why Dane County has been sucking the muck out of the streams and rivers of the Yahara River--to get out legacy phosphorus in the element laden sediment. Agriculture, a common land use in the southern part of the state is a major contributor of phosphorus in the watersheds in the south half of Wisconsin.

Colors of the North WI Woods

The northern part of the state, particularly Vilas County, and nearby counties, have very little agriculture that would deposit phosphorus laden silt or other algae creating pollutants into water bodies. A small lake three miles away from Lost Lake, surrounded by state forest land had no discernible algae, nor did the small lake by my brother which has his home and three cottages. Both lakes would get leaves in the water from nearby trees, but this source can be discounted because leaves have been getting in these water since, well, creation. This brings up the question of, where did the polluting elements come from that affect Lost Lake? 

Lake in which I swam in Oct 7

Was it through an aquatic hitchhiker?  Maybe, but my theory is land use.  While the area lacks farms, many of the lakes have a good deal of development, and much of this development occurred before the advent of the shoreland protection ordinance, and more restrictive septic system requirements both mandated by the state in the 1970's. We know, from the Clean Water Act, that water can be cleaned, with education, regulations, and hard work. Think Lake Erie, which was once dead and is now back to life, but again threatened by pollutants related to agriculture use in the watershed. But, in northern Wisconsin, the most common land  uses are residential (mainly cottages or second homes), some businesses, forest and lakes. It is not called the north woods for no reason. One commonality is the rural characteristics of the land use. There are many unincorporated hamlets in the area, not to mention the lots that house cottages and now houses.  Most all with their own septic system. A septic system is usually a holding tank, with an infiltration bed.  Infiltration beds are required to have a a certain distance from the bottom of the discharge pipe to a restricting element, like ground water (noticeable by mottling in the soil). Yet, the ground of this area is sand, a lot of sand.  Sand, I feel, is rather fragile. Sand will infiltrate well, but that can be a problem, it can infiltrate too well and if the depth between water and soil is not sufficient, the pollutants will get into the ground water, and perhaps make their way to the lakes. Beds can age overtime, too, and go bad without a person even knowing it.  

Fall Colors on Lost Lake

My theory is that much has changed in the last 30 or so years up north. Cottages, which were owned by a single family often were occupied a few weeks out of the year, mainly in the summer.  Today, many are occupied year around, perhaps rebuilt and reconstructed as a more expansive dwelling--holding more people. Add in the vacation rentals, like we used, and one can see that the lake properties are being used much more than they used to be, which increases the risk of pollutants and elements like nitrogen entering the water, such as from septic systems. With this added burden, the resiliency of the lakes to offset or handle the pollution, is now not possible. Some of these residential buildings, or cottages, may have a failed septic system and do not even know.

Forest Lake Recreational Path, near CTH B

One possible solution, which has been used on other lakes in the state, is a sanitary sewer system.  Waste water would be collected and transported to a treatment facility.  Of course, this would be expensive, but what price should be put on clean water? I know Bear Lake in the Nicolet National Forest had blue-green algae this year (I was told that by a Forest Ranger with the Nicolet National Forest), and so it would not surprise me if Lost Lake's algae was also blue-green.  The unexpected color I noticed on Lost Lake could be a precursor to other problems that could beset the lake.

Oak tree

Planning and care need to be exercised to assure clean water, regardless of where it is located.  However, for the Wisconsin north woods, water is part of its economic life blood.  The lakes are one reason why people are drawn to the north woods, this is evidenced by so many home constructed along lake shores. The water, and woods, draw people, like my wife and I from the southern part of the state, and other states. People wish to recreate on, and in the lakes. This unexpected color on the lake surface could become problematic to the enjoyment and use of the lakes, and that would not serve any one well. 

  

The Edifice Complex

For years the nation has experienced what I call an Edifice Complex.  That is naming of buildings after a major donor, or person held in high-regard  This old expression came back to mind on Saturday when I heard that The University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW) would be renaming Camp Randall Stadium, with the field to be named Barry Alvarez Field. Showing the affinity in this time for recognition, the stadium will be now be referred to as Barry Alvarez Field at Camp Randall Stadium. This post is an exploration of the edifice complex and how it relates to Barry Alvarez and a few other area projects.  

Barry Alvarez Field at Camp Randall Stadium
New name effective 2022
UW Football

Let me begin with Camp Randall Stadium. Camp Randall received its name from t then Wisconsin Governor Alexander Randall. I guess in itself the edifice complex. He would also serve as Postmaster General of the United States.  Camp Randall was a training ground for Union Soldiers, and many of the former trained soldiers did not like the idea of this becoming a site for housing or other uses, so the state gave it to the University, who then started to use it for athletic fields. Since then, it has evolved into one of the largest college football stadiums in the nation. As a stadium it can seat 82,000 people, all for a few Saturday afternoons in the fall. The name Camp Randall has continued for many generations, and will continue until next year, when it is amended with Barry Alvarez Field being first two words in the name. The change takes effect.  In my mind they (UW administration) bastardized it by giving credit to a former state employee.  

Alvarez house, Fitchburg, WI
Google maps

Like many treasured traditional names, the UW did not wish to change the name of Camp Randall Stadium, but they apparently had a desire to recognize Alvarez so they are now naming the field after Barry Alvarez. What does "Alvarez Field at Camp Randall Stadium" actually mean?  If I break it down, it seems that the playing field is named after Alvarez, but the structure itself remains named Camp Randall Stadium.  Apparently a field is different from a stadium, which raises the question is a stadium different than a field? How does this work if I were to do a Venn Diagram?  Is the field within the stadium, or part in and part out? For generations Camp Randall Stadium also meant the playing surface. This begs the question if the two are separable, how was the field before this titled? Did we have Untitled field at Camp Randall Stadium? In actuality this is simply a nod to the edifice complex in recognition for Barry Alvarez's work as a civil service employee. 

Alvarez came to coach football at the UW after a brief stint as defensive coordinator at Notre Dame under the Irish then head coach Lou Holtz. Alvarez also served as UW's athletic director for many years. Yes, he had winning programs. Yet, the guy was a state employee.  This is like giving a gold star to every person in a class room. He was doing the job the University hired him to do, with the idea that he would be successful. He certainly made a good deal of money and earned prestige off of the University to afford a very large house in Fitchburg, built a few decades ago. I recall doing a presentation on GIS, Geographic Information Systems, to students at McFarland Middle School about 20 years ago, and the students were most impressed when I showed them an air photo of where Alvarez's house was located. For me, I think it is wrong name a major facility after a former state employee who was doing the job for which he was hired.  

Given that only the field is named after him, that means when you attend the game you are going to sit in Camp Randall Stadium, and watch the game played on Barry Alvarez Field. I guess the ticket should simply be for Camp Randall Stadium, section 10, row 35 seat 35, as an example. But, I am sure they will add Barry Alvarez Field at Camp Randall Stadium.

The Sun Prairie School District faced a similar dilemma. They rebuilt Ashley Field, their long time football stadium to orient the field north to south from its long-time east-west orientation.  Playing games with the sun setting in the west was problematic. However, they will have two high schools, Sun Prairie East and Sun Prairie West, play at the field.  They received a large donation from the Bank of Sun Prairie to offset part of the cost of construction, and they decided on a similar tack as UW, but reversed. It will be Bank of Sun Prairie Stadium at Ashley Field.  What does that mean? Is teh playing surface Ashley Field, and the seats Bank of Sun Prairie Stadium? Is the second part of the name supposed to be more important or the first part of the name? What takes precedence, a field or a stadium?  In our athletic centrist world this is important to know.  What came first, the chicken or the egg? Ashley Field is important to those of us who grew up in Sun Prairie, and now that they divided the city by high school, they wished to keep some old familiarity. It could be worse, it could be AmFam Field, the new name of the Brewer Stadium, for why I wonder, did not American Family lower my rates instead of investing in such advertising dollars?  What does it say about our nation and economy when a major manufacturer, Miller, loses out to an insurance company for naming rights?

Bank of Sun Prairie Stadium at 
Ashley Field, Under construction, Sun Prairie, WI
Google maps

A few days before the announcement by the UW naming Barry Alvarez Field at Camp Randall Stadium, it was announced that Jim and Sue Bakke (of Sub-Zero/Wolf/Cove) donated $20 million toward a $113.2 million recreational facility for the west part of the UW campus. This building will be known as the Bakke Recreational and Well-Being Center.  Last year the UW completed construction of the Nicholas Center which replaced the 1983 constructed Southeast Recreational Facility. With a construction cost of $70 million, this project received a donation from from Abe and Nancy Nicholas of $20 million.  What does it say about our construction when the life span is less than forty years? The Southeast Recreational Facility has a definitive bureaucratic name which well fits with Madison. Naming rights for athletic venues at the UW pretty much started on the campus with the Kohl Center. 

Artist Rendering Bakke Recreational and Wellness Center
UW Madison

Wealthy businessman and former US Senator Herb Kohl donated about a third of the cost of the construction of the UW sports venue for hockey and basketball and hence it was called the Kohl Center, or as I refer to it as the Herb Garden. He donated $25 million of the over $76 million cost. Abe Nicholas donated $10 million and had the practice area named after him. Abe apparently decided he needed greater recognition and later gave an additional 20 million dollars for a recreation center to bear his name. Some persons actually donate to academic causes, such as Grainger Foundation (for alumni David Grainger) who donated for part of the construction cost of Grainger Hall for the UW Business School.

In the village of McFarland, the current library was built in 2005 and after construction was started E D Locke, president of the local bank at the time, gave $600,000 of the over $5 million construction cost and now has that library named after him; my local library is known as the E D Locke Library. Locke, decided not to give it in the name of the bank but his own name. The library, at the time, raised just over $1 million in donations to the construction cost, with his gift the obvious largest. Since the taxpayers funded the vast majority of the cost, at over four million, I wondered why it was not named McFarland Taxpayer Library. Where is the recognition for the people who do not make millions? 

Artist Rendering Bank of Sun Prairie at Ashley Field
Main entrance
Sun Prairie School District

The edifice complex is an interesting part of US times past and present. Many years ago there were libraries built by Andrew Carnegie, such as the beautiful library in Baraboo which I sometimes went to back in 1985, and was named the Baraboo Carnegie library.  We don't build structures like that anymore.  Hence, some donors go into oblivion, like the Pettits in Milwaukee who donated for the Bradley Center (named after Jane Bradley Pettits father founder of the Allen-Bradley Company. This facility met the dust in 2018, serving only about thirty years as an arena for the Bucks and Marquette basketball. Apparently, back in the early 2000's the NBA Commissioner, Mr Silver, decided it was a few thousand sq ft short of what the NBA desired and put in on the block.  What does it say about our culture when a building has a life of only thirty years?  Worse yet, what does it say when one czar can make a decision about a sports team needing a new arena or stadium. Hence, we had another major state funded stadium. The $500 million project was funded by using one-half public monies, $203 million from the state, and $47 million from the city of Milwaukee. Owner and naming rights covered the remaining costs--plus cost over runs.

E D Locke Library Preview, Jan 8, 2006
McFarland Thistle, ED Locke Library News Paper Archives

The nation has a love-hate relationship with the wealthy, Universities and many private non governmental organizations like the donations, but at the same time complain about wealth in too few hands. Can we as a nation have it both ways? Of course, most of these large donations are accomplished for tax purposes and are placed out over many years. 

The McKenzie family of Madison donated for the McKenzie Boys and Girls Club in Sun Prairie.  They made their money in construction and real estate. I had the unfortunate opportunity to meet with the patriarch of the family, Richard, who, because he simply had money, thought he could get the city land use plan changed so he could develop over 200 acres in the south of the city. Land he bought knowing the land use plan and zoning requirements. The land was was slated for permanent farm land preservation, and was miles beyond the city urban service area. Or course, he came across a rather immovable force in this matter. That would be me. He then started a campaign which lasted several years, and had its own registered political action group, to get me thrown out. I am proud to say I out lasted that effort. When he did not get what he wanted, he illegally constructed two dwelling units in what was supposed to be a barn. I am not sure if giving money to the construction of a Boys and Girls Club assuaged his guilt, but I doubt it.  He probably knew the change in city governance, I think was then Mayor Pfaff, would allow him to get the code amended to keep what he illegally did. I did not see him having any remorse over his pitiful actions, or a desire to destroy an individual. It only set for me that at times principal can overcome money, but it took a great deal of effort and heartache on my part. I guess it is good that some of his money was put to a good use. 

E D Locke Library, McFarland, WI
McFarland Library

In some respects, naming, can be fleeting. Just ask the Pettit family. Yet, Camp Randall has been around along time, and I suspect may always see reconstructions before it goes to the dust.  Yet, does a man who was doing his job as a civil servant deserve such an honor? Really, Barry Alvarez Field at Camp Randall Stadium?  The fascination with naming makes a donor look good, or a civil servant with the last name Alvarez, but is it not dismissive of others who make payment or donation, or did grand works? The Edifice Complex is well at work, but some humility is needed.