Soo Ave

 Almena, Wisconsin !

1903

of

Nikolaus & Magdalena Katrein

The Barron NewsShield reported "Till soon became far-famed as a healer. The quiet little rural village of Almena was transformed into a crossroads of milling and ailing humanity. Three local hotels were jammed and private homes...opened all available spare rooms to visitors...Two trains daily brought people seeking cures for various ailments.

Since Till did not charge a fee for his services, patients often left money, frequently a silver dollar. The money was dropped into a five gallon pail. So many people saw the doctor, that after a few days, it took two men to carry the pails to the bank. I know this personally having heard my uncles recalling working for John Till. John also never would make a patient pay for his services who could not afford to pay, and frequently the locals who would see him for treatment left a chicken in payment.

In 1905, John moved to Somerset, Wisconsin, but returned to the Almena area after a few years. He erected a large, two-story "clinic" and house that came to be known as "The House of John Till". John died in 1947 of a heart attack.

A legend in the Almena, Wisconsin area, John Till, came to this country from Austria in 1898 by way of Canada. His first home was with his sister, Bertha Stroberl, who lived west of the village of Almena.

Till was known as the "plaster Doctor" and had gotten his secret from an old doctor in Switzerland. Till used a salve and a plaster. The plaster was made largely of croton oil and kerosene. This solution was supposed to drain off infection. Till believed that his plaster would draw out the poisons from the blood and tissues through the skin of the patient's back. Even though the application was painful, since croton oil causes boils or blisters on the skin, there were large numbers of people who had faith in Till and his remedy.