From the Shawano Evening Leader, Monday, Oct. 3, 1938:
John C. Black, a pioneer dies today
Death ends a long and colorful career
    John Black, 80, one of the few remaining pioneers of this community who devoted his life to the lumbering and timber business, passed the last mile stone about ten o’clock this morning at this home on North Franklin street, where he had lived for the past fifty years.
    Mr. Black had been in good health during the past years and was always ready to tell stories of his long and colorful career. His death came as a surprise and shock to countless friends in this community.
    John Black was born in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada on April 9, 1858, and came here with his parents in 1869 where they settled on a farm near Angelica. At an early age he left the farm and started the career he was to follow for more than half a century.
    He was married to Mary Anne Magee in September 1887. She died in November 1929.
    At the age of 14, Mr. Black went to work in the woods. With his brother Joe, who has been dead for many years, he has tramped through many miles of woods in northern Wisconsin and upper Michigan during his long career.
    Reminiscences of those years include more than the hardships of being snowed in for weeks on end, and enduring frigid weather and snow to get the logs out of the woods and to the river to be floated down stream in the spring.
    When a young man, he went into the timber business for himself, and later on with his brother Joe in partnership, logged on the Wisconsin river, sixteen miles north of Rhinelander for six years. For the three years following, he logged in northern Wisconsin and after that in Michigan north of Watersmeet, for several years.
Three years of lumbering on the Flambeau river in Iron county followed, after which he spent two years on the Wolf river as a partner in the Shawano Lumber company.
    After that he went to Hermansville, Mich., where he ran camp for Frank Graves, and later came back to log on the Wolf for Magee and Badger. He also spent some time lumbering for H. H. Martin on the Chippewa river, and with his brother Joe at Deerbrook,
north of Antigo.
    Mr. Black once estimated that he was foreman on the Wolf river for seventeen years, and spent thirty-five years in all on the Wolf and its tributaries. He also cruised timber in northern California, Oregon, Idaho, and in the state of Washington.
    In the years in which he logged, Mr. Black once said he had cut or supervised the cutting of 150 million feet of timber. He has logged in most of the more colorful and picturesque sections of the country, and had some hair raising adventures he was always ready to tell about.
    After concluding his logging activities, Mr. Black was a director of the Wolf River Paper and Fiber company, and looked after their extensive land interests. He was later a director in Hayter’s store for about six years. He was also president of the Shawano Lumber company at one time.
    Mr. Black, who has resided at his home on the corner of Green Bay and Franklin streets for over fifty years, has been trustee of the Presbyterian church forty years; Alderman from the second ward for fourteen years; a director of the Wisconsin National bank here for thirty years, and has held many other responsible positions.
    He has also been a member of the Masonic lodge for forty-five years.
    The survivors are, two brothers, David and William of Shawano, three children, Curtis and Charles of Shawano, and Mrs. Steve Miller of Marshfield; three grandchildren, John Black, jr., Marbeth and Norman Miller of Marshfield.
    Funeral services will be held at 2 o’clock from the home with the Rev. Garth Gee of the Presbyterian church in charge. Masonic lodge rites will be held at the Woodlawn cemetery, where interment will take place.