Carl M. Huebbe

• 1917-1918
• World War I, France
• Specialty: Communication Lines Repairman

As told by Tom Hohlweck:
This is what I know about my Great Uncle Carl and his time in the army during WWI and his life in Winchester, WI. My Great Uncle was born on July 9th, 1897. When the US got involved in WWI, he joined the army and was sent to France on the eastern front. There he was involved with hand-to-hand combat and trench warfare on the front lines. One of his duties was repairing the communication lines between trenches. If a line was severed, he would take a walking cane and turn it upside down and put the line in the handle of the cane and then ran like hell when he saw the line was no longer in the handle of the cane. That is where knew he needed to make the repair. He would make the repair then run for cover back to his trench. One time it was very foggy, and he got disoriented, he found a hay pile to hide in until the fog cleared. He immediately got sick because the enemy put poison gas in the hay. He got off the hay right away and was sick but did not have any lasting effects from this. He became deaf in one ear for life from all the artillery shelling around him. He had once mentioned that he heard incoming artillery shells coming in, he and others around him ducked for cover, he said, “wow that was a close one” and looked over and saw the soldier next to him was killed. He remarked that no one on the front lines with him got any recognition because there were no military commanders where the fighting was taking place.
After the war he came back to his home in Milwaukee and got involved selling real estate for the US Government; this led him to Winchester, WI, and when he saw a resort and tavern property for sale on the west side of the divide between North and South Turtle lake, he decided to buy it in 1940. He owned Tall Timbers Resort and Tavern from 1940 until 1966. However when WWII broke out and because he was a single man, even though he was in his 40’s, he was drafted to meet military quotas, he never saw any active duty and I don’t know how long he was in service then (I don’t think it was for very long), but I do know he was heartbroken when he had to give his dog away.
The cottage he lived in has been passed down to family through time. I have a copy of the deed that has President Franklin Roosevelt’s signature, turning it over to Uncle Carl. At the time he bought the resort there was no vehicle bridge to cross, only a foot bridge and people had to carry luggage and items across the foot bridge. Besides our cottage, two of his cottages still exist today just west of the divide bridge. My great uncle remained a Winchester resident until he passed away on March 8, 1978. He is interred at the Winchester, WI Cemetery.