Chippewa County WI Genealogical Society

01/25/2026

Yesterday we had John Fassbender explain how we could use Artificial Intelligence for our family trees. He demonstrated how AI could transcribe handwritten documents-even in a foreign language very quickly. Then he showed how AI could write up trees for us. He moved on to sharpening and coloring old photos. We were amazed at how fast it went, and how much better they turned out. AI can be helpful for a search engine, especially when you hit a wall or want just a bit more information to go with your work. As always, double check your work, and the pictures do not always come out color correct. I added a couple shots from my family that I did using openai.com for an example.
We thank John for coming over from Dunn County to share his expertise with us, judging by the crowd size for a very cold morning, there is a great deal of interest in using AI for genealogy. John gave us a sheet for links to various pages to try.

01/23/2026

Have a great weekend!

01/23/2026

The Chippewa County Genealogical Society will also be closed on Friday, January 23rd due to the extreme cold weather forecasted. We plan to be open again on Saturday. Stay warm and stay safe.

We will be closed tomorrow, Friday the 23rd, due to weather. We are open today and plan to open on Saturday, 11-5.

01/21/2026

DB’s 2026 Bluelight Special #3
816 North High Street

The earliest record I could find for 816 North High Street was the Jacob Fink blacksmith shop in 1885, recorded as “ n.w. cor. N. High and E. Cedar”. Although not located specifically on the corner of High and Cedar, this is how addresses were often presented in the 1800’s. Researching in this time period needs a bit of sleuth work.

1890: This is the first year an address has been assigned to this lot- recorded as 814 North High Street

1895: Shown as a two story brick building housing a blacksmith, painting, and wood shop.

1901: The John Bresina blacksmith shop.

1903: Bresina’s Blacksmith Shop is shown to have a building attached on the north labeled as “ Agricultural Instruments”. I assume this would be plows and such.

1907: John Bresina Carriages, Wagons, and Sleighs. It was common for blacksmiths of this era to branch out into the carriage business.

1914: The Frank X.Steinmetz & Philip Hartman agricultural implements

1923: The building has now been remodeled into a private residence , that of Agnes Weiner

1924: Thus lot is now home to the Chippewa Falls Armory building, which extends north and west to include 49-51 East Elm Street. The address is given as 814 North High Street.

1933: The address is now 816 North High Street and the Armory maintains residence.

I remeber in the mid-1960’s the National Guard Armory was located here and a friend & I were gung-ho on all things military. We were given a tour of the building and even allowed to climb up on some of the vehicles. Absolute Heaven for 12 year old boys!

Fast forward to 1985. Frank and Eleanor Briggs own the building.

2002: DuWayne and Bernice Mayer

March 2016: The Blue Marble Pub opened, Heather Marble owner. It closed in 2025 and remains so in 2026. Always gonna miss their pizza.

Thanks for viewing and as always I’m looking for corrections or additions to make my posts more complete.

Respectfully, Dennis Brain
Chippewa County WI Genealogical Society and Old Chippewa Falls Facebook site

01/21/2026

You'll want to keep an organizational system, so you don't end up with multiple copies of the same things. By having an organizational system, you will have an easy way to share with others. Don't forget you will want to organize everything for future generations to enjoy.

01/16/2026

With the recent passing of Steve Henry, long-time Chippewa County resident and public figure, the Chippewa County Genealogical Society would like to share some of the newspaper articles written by Mr. Henry over the years. Also included is his obituary as provided by Pederson-Volker Funeral Chapel. https://www.pedersonvolker.com/obituaries/cletus-steve-henry

01/14/2026

DB’s 2026 Bluelight Special #2
18 West Spring Street

This week’s subject was chosen in response to a picture that was recently posted on the Old Chippewa Falls Facebook site.

The Stanley Brothers broke ground on this site in August of 1873. The ground floor was occupied by Peter Bergevin’s Grocery and General Store, while the second floor housed the George Sumner Law Office as well as the Smith and Wadsworth Insurance Agency.

1883: Alex Greiner Saloon. No Spring Street address is complete without a “ tavern history”, and 18 doesnt dissapoint

1897: Smith’s Pharmacy, owned and operated by E. A. Smith

1898: Mrs. E. Morgan millinery

1901: Augustus D. Shollenberg Shooting Gallery. Photography studios were referred to as shooting galleries.

1907: Arthur Gough tavern

1911: Patrick Taggart saloon

1914: Patrick Taggart saloon and Anton H. Jasper cigar manufacturer.

1917: Patrick Taggart saloon

1923: Monpas & Dunn soft drinks, a popular profession during Prohibition. Joseph P. Monpas and George Dunn.

March 1925: Louis M. Ritzinger, Jr. moved his meat market here from 122 Bay Street.

March 1932: The Public Market grocery. Hiram W. Barrows and Lawrence Doucette

1935: Walt LeMay tavern

June 1939: George E. Strasburg applied for and received a Class B Liquor License for this address. It was initially known as Strasburg’s Tavern, and then called The Tip Top

1959: The Arbo Tavern, Chester Kellogg president / owner

1961: Chet’s Tip Top Bar & Cafe, Chester Kellogg owner

1963: Russell’s Bar and Cafe, Russell M. Culver owner. The name soon was changed to Culver’s Bar.

1970: B & S Bar

1972: Culver’s Bar, Virginia Culver owner

1981: Dave’s Place tavern. David and Beverly Goettl owners

1985: No record. It appears the building sat vacant for this time period .

May 28, 1992: Sharon Hartman opened the Spring Street Cafe

1994: The Spring Street Cafe, Lynn McDonough owner

1998: Chippewa County Abstract and Title Company, Dorothy Reischel owner

2018: Barry Knight Title Company

A long and varied history with this address, making it fun ( and challenging) to research. Thanks for viewing and be aware I’m always looking for information to correct or update my posts.

Respectfully , Dennis Brain
Chippewa County WI Genealogical Society and Old Chippewa Falls Facebook site.

01/13/2026

When digitizing your photos, don't just dump them wherever on your computer. Be sure to develop an organizational system so that you or another family member can easily go back and find what is needed.

01/09/2026

Have a good weekend!

01/07/2026

DB’s 2026 Bluelight Special #1
7 East Spring Street

The 1874 aerial view of Chippewa Falls records a vacant lot. By the year 1883 there were as a small residential building on the site.

1885: Adam Nelson, barber

1889: The Peter Lego livery stable

1895: Vacant. It remained a vacant lot until 1906, when The Chippewa Times newspaper and The Daily Independent newspaper occupied the site. T. J. Cunningham was editor.

1923: The Chippewa Valley Press, Inc., which printed The Chippewa Daily Gazette newspaper. This newspaper was a compilation of The Evening Independent and The Wisconsin Daily Press newspapers.

1929: Oscar Giese Second Hand Store. At first it sounds like a strange business, but let’s remember 1929 produced the Stock Market crash and issued in The Great Depression.

1934: Lueck’s Cycle Service, Ehrich H. Lueck manager

1940: American Legion Post #77, Floyd Piotrowski president

1961: Vacant

1963: Patrie’s Bar, Marshall Patrie owner

1965: The Beer Den, John Polinske proprietor

1972: Golden Derby Tavern, Sam Rineck owner

1974: My Father’s Mustache, Jack McCarty owner

1986: The Picture Show theater

1988: Falls Theater, Dennis Heyde owner and Tony Rowan manager. You would be viewing films such as Rain Man, Tequilla Sunrise, Who Framed Roger Rabbitt, Crocodile Dundee 2, Die Hard, Coming To America, and Rambo 3.

1999: Bourget Insurance. Originally established in 1969 by owner Del Bourget at 24 Bay Street.

2008: Bourget Insurance, Rich Bourget owner. It remains Bourget Insurance yet today. It’s nice to see a local company still in business nearly 60 years after its original incorporation.

Many thanks for viewing / liking/ commenting. I always welcome additions or corrections that I can verify.

Respectfully, Dennis Brain
Chippewa County WI Genealogical Society and Old Chippewa Falls Facebook site

01/07/2026

This is every family's mistake...not labeling family photos. When family photos go unlabeled, they end up in a shoebox or tossed out.

Help preserve your family history by labeling photos!