| Memories of Businesses
Appliance & Floor Covering
December 1, 1973, the major
appliance and floor covering division of the Vergas Hardware was
purchased from Roger and Rodney Hanson by Wayne and Betty Cummings, and
renamed Vergas Appliance & Floor Covering. Wayne is the son of
Murray and Jean Cummings of Minneapolis and the grandson of
Henry and Anna Hanson, founders of the business. Betty is the
daughter of Orville and Mable Flatin of Pelican Rapids. Wayne and
Betty operated this business until they sold.
August Bruhn
August Bruhn came from Carver County
to live in the Frazee area where he had a blacksmith shop.
During the 20's he worked for William Sauer and later had his own
shop and garage near the Vergas Oil Company. In the years following, this garage
was operated by Gordon Chaffee, Laurel (Twig) Leaf and
Harry Friese.
Back 40 Autobody
Justin Buermann runs an automobile
body repair and restoration shop at 520 South Pelican Avenue in
Vergas. The shop specializes in restorations and show cars, and
its products have been featured in parades, newspaper articles, 4x4
vehicle magazines, car shows, and even at the annual steam
thresher reunion at Rollag, Minnesota. Justin completed his
first attempt at the complete color change, rust repair, and
custom painting of a vehicle at his father's garage at the family
resort, Maplewood Resort, on Little Sugarbush Lake before he
moved to Vergas.
Tom's Backhoe
In 1994, Tom Falk started in the
business of underground construction with the purchase of a
backhoe, previously being in the business of interstate trucking. Born in Courtenay, North Dakota, in
1958 to parents who were farmers, Harold and Jean Falk, he
graduated from Wimbledon High School in 1977. After college and
various jobs, he settled in Fargo selling insurance from 1987
through 1991. Moving to Vergas in 1991 and purchasing the former
Ross Smith farm, he went into the trucking business and in 1994
purchased a backhoe and started in the underground construction
business. He lives south of Vergas where he
also runs his business. A single father, he has three
children, John, Chalsey, and Jamie.
Gordon's Butter & Dairy Museum
Gordon's Butter & Dairy Museum is
located in the lower level of the Vergas State Bank. It is open
to the public FREE during banking hours or by special
appointment. The Museum contains over 500 individual items that
relate to the dairy industry and butter making. New items are added
every year.
The Museum is owned by Gordon
Dahlgren, President of the Vergas State Bank. He grew up on a farm
milking cows and so is no stranger to dairying and
butter making they were done in the past. The collection represents over 40
years of collecting. The most popular items and collectibles are DeLaval items, butter molds and stamps, churns, cream
separators, cheese boxes, and milk bottles. Homemade butter is churned each year
at Vergas Dairy Day in June and on other special occasions.
Bob Chambers Garage
Bob Chambers came to Vergas the
summer of 1946 and built a small repair shop doing general repair
work and wrecker service. In1960 he was awarded the Ford
franchise selling Ford tractors and implements. Bob passed away in
January, 1971, and his business was sold to Willard Haarstick..
Ottertail County Garage
The Ottertail County Garage was the
former Ed Euken Garage with employees Harry Wesley (1946 to
1981), Roy Bruhn (1947 to 1982)and Ray Glawe (1952 to 1984). Presently working out of the County
Garage are Terry Bennett and Dwight Berven.
Edward Euken Garage
Edward Euken, born in Germany in
1889, was married to Maggie Folkerts of Illinois who was also
born in 1889. About 1920 they moved into Vergas
from a farm near Dent, Minnesota. Mr. Euken purchased the
Chevrolet Garage and the home previously built by Harry Jacobs.
In 1925 he leased the service department to Conrad and John Lee
while he continued the auto sales business. This arrangement
was of short duration, when Conrad and John sold their interest to Jake
Huebner before going to work for their brother, Leonard, in
Pelican Rapids. There were a number of changes in
the management of this garage and being a solid structure, it
eventually became the County Garage.
The Vergas Graphic
The only newspaper printed in Vergas
was called The Vergas Graphic. The first issue was
printed on June 11, 1926, and first publisher was C.O. Nelson. The
following is the salutatory from the second page of the first issue. " A year ago the community expert,
Prof. Frank Weber, advised us that Vergas, Ottertail County, would
be a good place to start a newspaper. The advice stuck in our
mind and as soon as we were at liberty we made a trip up here to
look the town over and interview the business men. We
found the village to be attractive and the business
prospects reasonably good. We also visited several other places, but
none were quite so inviting as Vergas. Naturally, therefore, we decided to
locate here and this issue of The Vergas Graphic is the result of
that decision. It is not a great paper, but we believe it will
compare with any other printed in a village like this. As
we become acquainted with our territory we will be able to collect
more news items. At the same time we expect to increase the
advertising patronage and make that part of the paper as
valuable to the subscribers as the news section. Vergas has reached
the point where it has a choice as to its future for some years.
Will it keep growing, or will it stop and wait for a new
generation to develop it? This question is of importance to the
Graphic. Unless the town grows this paper cannot grow and we doubt
if any other enterprise can grow in a dead or dormant town. The publisher has received a
pleasant welcome to Vergas. He hopes this welcome will be extended
o the Graphic, and that mutually satisfactory relations will
continue for a long time.
There were three editors through the
history of The Vergas Graphic. They were as follows:
C.O. Nelson, Bert Mayfield, and Howard Miller. In 1936 a fire
destroyed the newspaper office. That was the demise of The Vergas
Graphic. The Graphic's slogan was, "the greatest newspaper in
northwest Ottertail County."
Heisler Country Store
Marvin Heisler was born on July 28,
1950, in Harvey, North Dakota to the late Joe and Bernice
Heisler. He went to school in Harvey and graduated in 1969. He moved to
Ottertail, Minnesota, in1972, and with his brother went into
dairy farming. He married Sandy Falk, daughter of
the late Harold and Jean Falk, in Courtenay, North Dakota, on
August 2, 1974. She was born on March 19, 1956, in Courtenay, North
Dakota. In 1972 she moved with her family for the summer to
Rush Lake near Perham, Minnesota, where they had purchased
The Lanterns Restaurant, operating it during May through
September, returning back home to Courtenay for the rest of the year.
She graduated from Wimbledon High School in 1974.They lived at Ottertail, Minnesota,
dairy faring until 1979, when they moved to Vergas. Marvin then
went into the interstate trucking business. In 1992 he
started a car wash one mile south of Vergas, on the corner of County
Road 4 and County Road 130, In 1995, he turned the adjacent
building next to the car wash into a convenience store, offering
food, bait, and self-service gas. In 1997 he built on and added
an auto maintenance shop and laundromat. In 2000 he added gravel
and black dirt to his business. In 2001 a campground was added, to
be finished in 2002. A gaming room has been built with shower
facilities for campers. Plans for expansion include an indoor
swimming pool. Sandy started working in the Vergas
Municipal Liquor Store as a clerk on May 5, 1987. Upon
retirement of the manager on August 1, 1991, she was hired as manager, a
position she holds at the present time. To this union, three children were
born. Dustin, who graduated from Perham High School in 1994,
drove truck for Heisler Trucking, Inc., doing interstate
trucking. In 2001 he purchased the business with Theo. Blauert as a
partner. Brandon graduated from Perham High School in 1999. He
attended Detroit Lakes Vo Technical College and is now working for the
Sears Roebuck retail store in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota.
Cody, a junior at Perham High School, works in the Country Store
and is at home.
Hinze Markets
Ed Hinze started a meat market in
1904, where the new creamery, or present liquor store now stands.
H.F. Hinze bought this meat market in 1905 and operated it until
1917 when he was burned out. Aug Cummings had a meat market a
short while in that time, next to A.P. Fankhanel's Saloon. Herman Magadenz started a meat
market in 1921, and sold out to H.F. Hinze in 1923. Ambrose Hinze
started working in 1932 with his dad. In 1937 H.F. Hinze and Son
put in a line of groceries with the meat. In 1953 H.F. Hinze
sold out to Ambrose Hinze. Ambrose ran the store until 1975
when he sold it to Ron Goodman.
Harry Jacobs
Harry Jacobs was one of the early
blacksmiths in Vergas, who worked for William Sauer a short
time before he went into business for himself. He built the
home now occupied by Fred Meyer and his shop was on that same
lot. Later on, he built a large cement block garage, which he
operated until 1920, when he sold the home and business to Ed
Euken. That building has now become the county garage. Joe Williams worked for Mr. Jacobs
and continued as a blacksmith after the place was sold. By this
time the automobile was fast becoming the mode of transportation
and the need for blacksmiths was not as great as it had been. Harry Jacobs, married to Minnie Lee,
was the father of two children: Raymond, who died at 3
years of age, after a brief illness, and Harold who as a Marine
in World War II, was lost in the Pacific. His widow, Minnie
Jacobs, makes her home in St.Cloud, Minnesota.
Hoffman's Sanitary Meat Market
R.C. (Rudy) Hoffman purchased the
meat market portion of the Peterson Store from Herman
Schattschneider in 1952. Rudy also did custom butchering and continued
making the Schattschneider homemade sausage. In 1957 Rudy sold
the meat market operation to Donald Peterson who continued the
business until his retirement in 1971.
John's Place
John's Place was owned and operated
by Clarence and Lucille Fankhanel. They opened their
business on September 27, 1935, at 6 p.m. At first their business was
a restaurant, when meals were 35 cents a plate dinner. Their
customers were made up of railroad crews, road construction
crews, as well as their many friends in the area. They discontinued meals after their
first child was born. Their business was then mainly beverages,
magazines, and confections. Among the persons who assisted them
during their first years were: Albert Katzke, Melvin (Mutch)
Wiese, Adeline Rosentreter (McKenzie), Gertrude Rosentreter
(Glawe), Charles Svare, David Sapp and Donald Bennett. After 37 years of business they
retired.
Joe Williams
Joe Williams and his family came
from southern Minnesota to Deer Creek where he started a blacksmith
shop. In 1916 he came to Vergas and worked for Harry Jacobs
in his shop located near the present County Garage site. Later
he worked for Louis Walde who also had a blacksmith shop located
near where the present Sportsman's Center is now. Later he purchased the Jacobs' shop
and did blacksmithing, shoeing horses, etc., until fire
destroyed the place in the winter of 1922. Insurance didn't
cover his loss so he couldn't rebuild. He then worked for William
Sauer for about 7 years.
Lakeland Hotel
In 1905 Mr. and Mrs. Chasteen
Cummings and sons, Ogg and Milo, moved from North Dakota to Vergas to
work on the railroad that was being built. During the first
spring and summer they lived in a tent near the present Vergas
Park. During this time the family decided
to build a hotel to accommodate workers and salesmen in
Vergas. In 1906 work began. Trees, stumps and stones had to be
removed. By 1907 their hotel was completed, and was called
Lakeland. The building was located on the corner of Elm Street and
Railroad Avenue.
The new hotel, modern for its day, consisted of a
dining room, office, sitting room, washroom and one bedroom on
the ground floor and 10 spacious bedrooms on the second
level. The Cummings winter headquarters was
moved next to the hotel and made into a kitchen. Large wood
stoves were used for cooking and heating, kerosene lamps for
lighting, and the water had to be carried from quite a distance. For
many years business was brisk. Later the business tapered
off. The hotel was then changed into apartments, but
gradually became unoccupied and was torn down in 1936. Cummings served
as constable of Vergas for many years.
Lemke Tavern and Restaurant
Herman Lemke, one of the early
pioneers of Vergas, purchased the John Bruhn Saloon in 1911 trading
his farm for the saloon. The saloon was operated until
Prohibition came in 1920. It was then turned into a restaurant and called
the Lemke Restaurant. Herman's wife, Martha, did all the
baking and prepared three meals daily for the public. The
restaurant burned to the ground in January, 1926, and was not
rebuilt. This restaurant was located where the present B & B TV
Shop in now located.
Leonard Lee Garage
Leonard Lee, son of Iver Lee, opened
a garage in Vergas about 1912, located in the former planning
mill building. With the help of his brothers as mechanics, he
maintained a repair shop as well as a dealership in cars. He sold
Fords, Chevrolets, tires, auto parts, and some farm machinery. Leonard was elected a member of the
Vergas Fire Department on February 5, 1913, and became the
Chief Engineer on January 5,1916. In those days, members were
voted into the department and if they were accepted, they paid 50
cents to join.
As a member of the band, he was
active in the community until he entered the Army during World War
I. Upon his return from the war, he resumed the garage business,
married a Vergas schoolteacher, Clara Aanru, and moved to
Pelican Rapids. There he owned and operated the Chevrolet
Garage until his retirement. There were three children born to
this couple: Dewayne, Wetzel, and Katherine.
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The Log House and Homestead on
Spirit Lake
In 1985 Lyle and Yvonne Tweton moved
a log house from McIntosh, Minnesota, to the shores of Spirit
Lake, four miles west of Vergas, to property formerly owned
by Carl Friedholm. The loghouse had been owned by Lyle's
great-grandfather. It was used for several years as a summer home
by the family. In 1990 the doors opened for a Bed & Breakfast
business. The log house had been carefully restored and filled
with antiques, primitives, and wicker furniture. The three-story
house has two bedrooms and private baths, with enlarged antique
beds and goose down comforters. The Log House was in
business four years and the Twetons decided more room was
needed, so they expanded into the1902 farmhouse, using the upstairs
for three more rented units. A full gourmet breakfast is brought
to the guests' rooms or served on the enclosed porches.
Guests may swim, hike, fish, shop in area stores or relax as
desired. The Log House and Homestead are open year-round for
business. Suzanne Tweton, daughter of Lyle and Yvonne, is now
the innkeeper.
Loon's Nest Restaurant
Tim Strom was born in Crookston,
Minnesota, on June 29, 1957. In the 1970's he moved with his family
from Ada where they had been living to Perham, Minnesota. He
graduated from Perham High School. On August 7, 1982, he
married Cheryl in Perham, Minnesota. Cheryl was born in Great
Falls, Montana, on October 29, 1959, where she also attended school. In 1983 they bought Ebling's Cafe in
Perham which they operated for three years. After selling
Ebling's they purchased Strom's Cafe, presently known as Lakes Cafe,
in Perham in 1986, operating that until 1995. In 1994, they
bought Strom's Steakhouse in Perham, operating that until 1999.
During the time of owning Strom's Cafe, they also owned and
operated the Pizza Shop for four years. In 1995, they came to
Vergas, buying the Loon's Nest Restaurant, which they are presently
operating. During this time, Cheryl owned and operated the
Main Street Restaurant in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota, for one
year. To this union, one daughter was
born, Jamie, who was born on October 1, 1982, in Perham. She is
presently going to school in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota, and also
works at the Loon's Nest Restaurant.
Louis Walde
Louis Walde also had a blacksmith
shop. This was located near the present site of Sportsman's
Center. He did all the usual blacksmithing and also did custom
wood sawing for the people of the area. As nearly everyone burned wood
for fuel, he moved his "rig" from home to home to cut piles of poles
into stove-length wood.
Moe's Garage
Moe's Garage was built in 1956, by
Otto Moe and his son, Merlyn (Bub). Otto operated the garage until ill
health forced him to quit. Merlyn then took over, and does repair and
overhaul work. Merlyn works along with his wife, Jan, as bookkeeper. The Moes have three children Nancy,
Billy and Kellie. Moe's Garage is located about two
blocks southeast of Hanson's Plumbing.
Paul's
Insulation, Inc.
In 1970 Paul Anderson and Donald
Zitzow started a new business of installing blown in insulation to homes,
cottages and farm buildings, to conserve energy and prevent heat loss.
The business grew to a point that trucking the insulation in from other
states got too expensive. So in January 1976 they decided to build a
business of their own. They are manufacturing their own insulation
material and will sell it to other firms in the state. Paper was collected from all over by
businesses, churches, Lion's Club, and athletes. The paper was ground
to a pulp again with chemicals to make it fire retardant, and rodent
proof. A 30' x 128' building was constructed on the Soo Line property.
The business began operation June 1, 1976 until it was sold.
The Quality Store
The Quality Store was owned and
operated by Walter Ruff. In 1924Henry Bartel and Gust Broberg
purchased the business from Walter Ruff, who kept ownership of the
building. Henry Bartel came to Vergas from Evergreen where he had
lived on his father's farm. Both Bartel and Broberg roomed at
the Little Radisson Hotel. The Quality Store, which sold groceries
and dry goods, was located in the Clarence Fankhanel building or
more recently where the beauty shop and real estate office are
located. They operated the store from 1924 until 1928, when the
business was sold. Henry Bartel married Gretchen Hein,
daughter of Emil and Emilie Hein, at St. John's Lutheran Church
in Vergas on June 12, 1928. They then moved to Frazee where
Henry managed the Peterson Biddick store for 25 years until the store
was closed. He then worked for Daggett Truck Line,
Frazee, Minnesota, in maintenance for 28 years, retiring at the age of
68 years old. Henry will be 97 years old on
December 14, 2001, and Gretchen will be 93 years old on December 29,
2001. Both still live in their home. On June 12, 2001, they
celebrated 73 years of marriage. To this union, three children were
born, Danny (Karen, deceased) Bartel, living in Mackay, Idaho;
Ardelle (Carlos) Lordalen, Lowry, Minnesota; and Roger (JoAnn)
Bartel, Perham, Minnesota; and eight grandchildren.
S. and F. Oil Company
Evander Schimelpfenig and Karl
Fankhanel ventured a partnership and built a service station and bulk
plant in September, 1937,known as the S. and F. Oil Company. Mr. Schimelpfenig sold his interest
to Mr. Fankhanel in May,1939. His first employee was Ferd.
A. Bunkowske. After 37 years the station was sold to the Vergas
Oil Co., Inc. The last employees were Greg Dahlgren, Bruce
Moe, and George Stebbins who had been employed there the last 20
years.
Schattschneider Meat Market
Mr. and Mrs. Herman Schattschneider,
(Amelia Kroll), were born inPoland (Germany) in 1880. in 1902,
Mr. Schattschneider arrived in the United States, coming
directly to the Vergas area, where he worked on the farms of Mike
Eichmiller and Herman Klug. Prior to leaving Poland he had worked as a
butcher, and learned the sausage-making trade. He was joined
two years later by Mrs. Schattschneider who traveled to the
State accompanied by their son, Adolph, age three. From 1904 until 1925, Mr. and Mrs.
Schattschneider farmed in the Vergas area. In 1925, Mr.
Schattschneider moved into Vergas and opened a meat market in the Little
Radisson Hotel, owned by Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Priske. Later he
moved the business to the Charles A. Peterson general store,
where he continued to operate a meat market until he retired
February 1, 1952, at which time he sold the business to Rudy Hoffman. Mr. Schattschneider was widely known
as the "Old German Butcher." He did his own butchering, cut all
his meat, and specialized in making a variety of old style German
sausage; this he sold locally, and also shipped to
numerous customers who had learned of his sausage products during their
visits to Vergas. Mr. and Mrs. Schattschneider had
three children, Adolph, who married Emma Buehler; Bertha, who
married William Bunkowski; and Wanda, who married William Wilke. Mr. Schattschneider died February
24, 1956, at the age of 76. He was preceded in death by his wife in
1955, at age 75.
Hildur Sheldrup and John Moberg
Hildur Sheldrup and John Moberg in
the early days of Vergas, operated a blacksmith and welding
shop located next to the Iver Lee planing mill. According to the
"old timers," Mr. Sheldrup was a truly skilled and inventive
mechanic who built his own electric light system, generated by
a single cylinder gas engine. He purchased the first welding torch
that was used in Vergas, and this was essential to the type of
work he did. These men built some sleighs and
wagons and made repairs on farm machinery, improvising those parts
that were not always available. John Moberg was more
interested in cabinet work and later on he spent most of his time
as a carpenter. Mr. Sheldrup, married to Anna Lee,
built the house now occupied by Lucille Fankhanel. They had six
children: Laura, Clifford, Stella, Gladys, Delores, and Marlin. John Moberg married Clara Lee, and
their children were Arthur, Willard, Eunice, James, Florence,
and Joanne.
Alvin Ole” & Lucille Soland Alvin, nickname Ole, (son of Lambert
who came from Norway and Amanda Soland) and Lucille (daughter of Wenzel
and Minnie Lachowitzer) Soland were life long residents of the Vergas
Community. Together they farmed for many years in Candor Township. Parents of two children: Wenzel
“Bub” who married Florence Strelau. They had four children, Bruce,
Barb, Brenda and Bryan. Ole and Lucille’s youngest child, Phyllis,
married James Leitheiser. They also had four children, Douglas, Mark,
Jane and Wayne. Between the two families there are nineteen
grandchildren. Ole and Lucille loved old time
dance, playing cards and in their later years learned to enjoy a bonfire
after a family picnic.
Sportsman's Center
Mr. and Mrs. James Mistelske built a
basement as the nucleus of the present Sportsman's Center in
1946. Jim sold bait and also machinery. In 1950 they erected a
structure above the ground, expanding the bait business and
opening a cafe. Thus was born the Sportsman's Center. A unique feature of the cafe was
that the food was prepared in a kitchen on the lower level, and
brought up to the dining area on a dumbwaiter. After a few years
another large section was added to house additional minnow tanks. Jim and Lucille, and James, Jr.
(better known as "Putz" operated the business until 1962
when they sold to Mr. and Mrs. Ralph Woodall. Ralph and Clare
Woodall conducted the business for two years and sold it to Earl
Nelson and his son, Roger. After three years Mr. Nelson was
forced to quit due to ill health, at which time Cass and
Lucille McArthur managed the business for about a year. In 1969
Lloyd and Sally Schmidt bought the establishment from the
Nelsons. They were in business until 1975 when they sold to Jim and
Irene Uhl and Don and Pat Petersen, who operated it until they
sold.
Vergas 66
Vergas 66 Gas & Convenience opened
its doors on August 8, 1996. Dennis and JoAnn Iverson and Dan and
Kim Doyle purchased the Sportsman's Landing restaurant from
Jim and Trish Sooy and started conversion from restaurant
to convenience store in July,1996. The entire conversion process
took only four weeks, including installation of gas pumps
and construction on the building to alter the entry of the
store which included the front porch.
Formerly this building was the
Altona Supperclub/bar. During the digging of the pump lines old horse
shoes were uncovered. The old Altona stable was also located
at 121 Linden Street many, many years ago. The original
building included a large stone fireplace which remains as a
historical centerpiece to the Vergas66 convenience store. Since the "66" opened, services have
been continually added, such as bulk fuel delivery, propane,
bait, videos, and ATM cash services, which complement the other
convenience store merchandise. In March 2001 the store undertook
another project with the addition of a deli kitchen under the
Deli Max logo. Items include pizza, hot/cold subs, breakfast
items, and more to come. Vergas 66 takes pride in sponsoring
home town events, including donations, sponsorships, and
volunteer time with local activities and has belonged to the Vergas
Community Club it opened in 1996.
The Village Cafe
The Village Cafe was started as a
cafe and bakery about 1940 by George (Dud) and Janet Robideaux in
the building formerly the Adam Dey General Store. They
operated until 1943 when Mr. and Mrs. Henry Sapp purchased it. Later
in 1943 it was sold to Frances Schmidt who operated it as a
cafe until 1945 when she sold it to DeLyle Swenson. About 1947 Ed Franklin purchased the
building and throughout the years there were a number of
managers - Vivian Franklin and Lenore Jacobson (sisters of Ed),
Mrs. Esther Strand, Bill and Bertha Bunkowski. During this time
Ed Franklin did extensive remodeling. In 1967 Ralph and Clare Woodall
bought the cafe from Evelyn Franklin and they added the Loon's
Nest, a dining room. In April 1969, it was sold to Mr. and Mrs.
Dale Glawe. In April 1969 Dale and Vernice Glawe
purchased the Village Cafe and Loon's Nest from Ralph and Clare
Woodall. The Glawes operated a very
successful business for seven years, along with the help of their two
daughters, Nancy and Becky, their son, Glen, and also the
devoted help of their waitress, Beatrice Wesley, who has been with
them for seven years. On May 1, 1976, Mr. and Mrs. Robert
Shields and daughter Patty of Winnipeg took over the duties of
operating the Village Cafe and Loon's Nest until they sold the
business.
Walter Ruff Garage
Mr. and Mrs. Walter Ruff were
residents of Vergas from 1916 until 1926. They were the parents of
three children, Otto, now of Colorado, and twins, Laura and
Lawrence. In 1916 Mr. Ruff built a cement
block garage where the present Ford Equipment Shop is. During the
winter months there was no call for auto repair work because
the cars were not used, so he worked for Adam Dey in his store for
a number of years. Mr. Ruff had the garage until 1919 when he
sold it to Alex Wilschewski. He then worked as a section hand on
the railroad for a year and later worked for the Farmers' Equity
with Emil Fehlauer as manager. He later operated a general store on
Main Street until 1926 when he and his family moved to Grand
Island, Nebraska.
Welcome Inn
The Welcome Inn was started in 1924
by Frank and Bessie Schepper. It was located on Main Street. At the time of the Welcome Inn there
were railroad crews that came to town for their meals and lunches. The Welcome Inn was closed in 1925.
William Sauer Blacksmith Shop
One of the early settlers of Vergas
was William Sauer. He was born in Germany in 1877 and came to
this country in 1891 at the age of 14. His first years here
were spent at Akeley and Park Rapids where he learned the
blacksmith trade. In 1903 he worked for James Hill laying railroad to
the West. Mr. Sauer arrived in Vergas, then
known as Altona, in 1904 and helped plot the town site and opened
a blacksmith and wagon works shop near where the County Garage
is. Harry Jacobs worked for him then. It is not certain whether
Mr. Jacobs bought the business then, but Mr. Sauer left
Vergas for several seasons to work in the harvest fields in the
Dakotas. He used his bicycle for transportation. About 1920 he started the blacksmith
shop that was located at 1stAvenue and Linden Street. Mr. Sauer was an expert workman with
wood and iron, using his talents in building and repairing
wagons and sleds. Many hard hours were put into shoeing horses,
repairing (setting) wagon wheels and repairing plow lays using
his forge, anvil, and trip hammer. Later, as the auto replaced horses
more and more, the shop turned to auto repairs and a filling
station, although he still shoed horses until about 1927. He retired
from work at the age of 82in 1959. The building, lot, and
remaining tools were sold. Several years ago the building was
razed and an old landmark disappeared.
Zitzow Electric Incorporated
Don Zitzow took over the electrical
contracting business from A.H. Dey in January, 1965, after
working for Mr. Dey for 19years. He has his office in his
home and has a warehouse he purchased from his father, Ewald
Zitzow, in 1970. One half is used for electrical supplies, and
the other half is utilized by Paul's Insulation. Mr. Zitzow's
first hired help was his son, Duane, who is now the owner of the
business.
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