Editor’s note: Kim Meyers, reference librarian at the Oconto Falls Community Library read through archived newspapers to gather information about the Main Street road construction completed in 1924 in Oconto Falls.
The days of dodging orange barriers are nearly over for the residents of Oconto Falls as state Highway 22 reconstruction draws to an end. The headache of the past two years will be over Nov. 11, when the last of the orange barrels are scheduled to be rolled out of town.
What once started as a dirt road in 1908, Main Street has been turned into a modern concrete street ready to serve the residents of Oconto Falls.
The street was initially paved in 1924, according to newspaper accounts. As a result of a petition circulated by Main Street business owners, a stretch of Main Street was paved between Caldwell and Depot streets. Paving Main Street wasn’t supposed to be completed until 1925, but townspeople back then, like today, had to deal with uneven and rough surfaces making Main Street near impassible.
On Sept. 11, 1924, workmen using locally sourced sand and gravel started paving. The Oconto Falls Herald noted “work will be rushed so as complete job before freezing weather.” The 1924 article then noted “Manufacturers and Caldwell streets will be closed to travel and the work of paving on that section will be prosecuted with all vigor.”
The job was finished Oct. 10, 1924, but townspeople were not allowed to use it for an additional two weeks. The work included adding “mushroom street lights,” lying of wire cable, curbs, gutters and sidewalks. Trierweiler Brothers Construction completed the Main Street work. At a town meeting, the company’s work was praised.
On Oct. 31, 1924, Oconto Falls celebrated the opening of Main Street with style. The townspeople inaugurated the newly paved street with music provided by the Oconto Falls City Band, a grand march, a costume contest, free coffee and donuts and a citywide dance in the street.
The Oconto Falls Herald boasted, “If the weather is favorable it is anticipated that the assemblage will be the largest at any public gathering ever held in Oconto County.”
The Oconto Falls Herald on Nov. 6 noted that a “great throng was present.” Main Street businesses caught both the festive spirit and Halloween spirit by decorating their displays windows with Halloween-themed displays.
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