1930 Rutland Businesses

 

1930 Rutland Businesses and Employees

As listed in the 1930 Census

 

Click on the underline names for more information.

Andres Anderson-Drainage Tiler

Lela Ady-Grain Elevator Labor

Andrew Arent-Druggist and store owner

William Braby-Auto mechanic

Esther Blomker-Bank Clerk

Chris Bonde-Blacksmith

Freeman Bonde-Restaurant Owner

Roy Caryl-Barber

Agnes Christiansen-General Store Clerk

Earl Davenport-Truck Drive Electric Plant

Fay Davenport-Elevator Labor

Roy Entler-Rural Mail Carrier

Fay Ferris-Grain Elevator Manager

Thomas Ferris-Grain Buyer

R. F. Gullixson-Bank Cashier

Clifford W. Hanson-Merchant

William S. Hanson-Poultry Farmer

Alfred Jensen-Rending Plant owner

Andrew Jergens-Trucker

Harvey R. Jergens-Electric Plant Operator

Chris Johnson-General Contractor

Elmer T. Johnson-Railroad employee

Mike Madsen-Drainage Tiler

John McDonald-Highway Foreman

Nels Nelsen-Brick Mason

Serral Paulson-Clerk General Store

Jesse Phlegar-General Trucking

C. Walter Porter-Electric Plant Dynamo Operator

Russell Sanford-Garage Proprietor

Walter Schluter-Grocery Store Merchant

Larett Straus-RR Station agent

Walter Straus-RR Brakeman

Clifford Terwilliger-Railroad employee

Greta Chamberlin-Teacher Public School

Vinessa Ferris-Rural School Teacher Lyman Gates-Teacher Public School

 

Einer Romer-Lutheran Minister

 

Rutland Businesses as Remembered by Joe Schluter:

 

"The C & NW railroad was the glue that held everything.  L. C. Stearns was the depot agent.  L. C. (Jiggs) and his wife Maggie lived upstairs with their wife Maggie lived upstairs with their children.  Lucille, Rollo, Bullet and Darryl.  Leroy came along later.  There was a passenger train in the morning and a freight in the afternoon.  They choo-chooed their way from Eagle Grove to Hawarden, come rain or come shine.  Ole Paulson was the section chief.  The crew was based in Rutland."

 

"There were skeletal remains of a cement plant in the meadow east of the old wood school.  The school housed grades one through ten.  The cement plant closed shortly after it was built."

 

"The Iowa Public Service power plant operated 24 hours a day and was manned by Walt Porter, Harvey Jergens and Louie Heim."

 

"A small hotel, operated by Septimus Sherman, was located where Roy and Oleda Entler's house stands.  It burned to the ground on the cusp of 1930."

 

"Nels Nielsen operated a masonry construction company from his home.  He built tile block silos all over northern Iowa and southern Minnesota.  White tile crosses served as an imprimatur for his silos."

 

"Russell Sanford owned a truck and picked up trash.  He later hauled grain, etc.  Lloyd Braby also owned a truck at the time and duplicated what Russ did."

 

"Will Braby owned a huge threshing machine with a steam tractor.  The rig was used at threshing time every year.  It was garaged in a tin building adjacent to his house."

 

"Agner Christiansen did custom butchering on area farms."

 

"Mike Madsen did excavation work by hand.  He and his cohort, 'Big Nels' Hansen dug tile lines on farms and did other digging."

 

"Ed Pavey owned a ribbon and millinery store in a building approximately 100 feet north of the present town hall.  After he closed the store, the building was rented residentially."

 

"Chris Bonde operated a thriving blacksmith shop in a wood building only a few feet north of the Pavey building.  Mr. Bonde shoed horses and fabricated metal."

 

"There were farms within the village borders.  Henry and Alfred Gregory operated one; Will Sheridan another.  The third was owned by John and David Sheridan, sons of Patrick Sheridan,"

 

"The businesses on Sheridan Avenue were mainstays of the community.

 Roy Caryl was the town barber.  Al Bessel owned the building.  The barber shop was a gathering place for many.  There was a pool table at the rear.  "Barb" also sold candy and gum.  A haircut cost twenty five cents. A shave was fifteen cents.

     

These two pictures are of "Barb" and Mamie Caryl.  Susan had to add the one with the Mamie in her "Easter Bonnet."

The hardware store was probably owned by a Mr. Deibler in 1930.  After he sold it and moved to Chicago with his family, Ray Strachan took over.  The Odd Fellows Lodge was housed on the second floor.

Andrew Arent's drug store was next to the hardware store.  Mr. Arent was a pharmacist.  He also sold and repaired watches, sold a small line of furniture and sold school textbooks, firecrackers on the 4th of July and also manned the soda fountain where you could buy an ice cream cone for a nickel or a soda for a dime.  Sue Arent, his wife, worked in the store.

Clifford Hanson was the proprietor of a grocery store and ran it for several years, then sold the business and worked in the insurance industry with Lee Brown.  Cliff and Lee moved the business to Gilmore City in the mid '30's. 

The Rutland Savings Bank was located where the town hall now stands.  Mr. Rossing had probably sold it by 1930, because of the great depression.  If my memory serves correctly, George DeGroote was the bank president in 1930.  Young Andy Arent and another man ran the bank.  Ferne Ferris, a pretty redhead, was a teller.

My father, Walter Schluter, owned a meat market and general merchandise store.  Beside fancy meat products, he sold work boots, overshoes, house dresses and a small line of yard goods.  Vinegar was sold from a barrel in the back room.  So was kerosene.  A Diamond DX gas pump stood like a soldier in front of the store.  Walter also owned the building next door, and bought live chickens which were housed within. Jesse Phleger was the previous owner of that foul smelling building.

Harold Ball owned the building adjacent to the aforementioned chicken house.  Mr. Ball did mechanical work on cars, mostly Model T and Model A Fords.  He was also the fire chief and the old Model A fire truck was garaged here.  He sold motor oil and Red Crown gasoline from a pump in front of the shop.

The house in which my sister Dee and I were born was located where the locker plant now stands.  The house burned to the ground in 1927.

The post office still stands proudly where it did in 1930.  Selma Paulson was the postmistress.  Roy Entler delivered mail to rural patrons.  Russ and Flossie Sanford helped from time to time.

The Danish Brotherhood hall was built in 1915 by my father and several of his Danish compatriots.  A stage, complete with asbestos curtain, was home to traveling Chautauqua productions.  Silent movies were shown on most Saturday nights when the village hummed with activity.  The school basketball teams played their games here.  Brotherhood dances on Saturday nights filled the nights with music of questionable quality.  Bootleg booze and home brew caused more than one eyebrow to raise, for the WCTU was alive and well in Rutland at the time.

 

Since prohibition was the law of the land, there was not tavern in the town.

On the south side of Sheridan Avenue, Peter Cran's livestock buying business flourished.  A train was loaded with squealing pigs late into the night on Saturdays.  Peter and his son Keith hopped aboard the train long after midnight and whistled and tooted all the way to Chicago.  This was a weekly event in Rutland in 1930.

Tom Ferris and his son Fay owned a grain elevator.  Cliff Saxby was the employee.

The Rutland Lumber Company also flourished in 1930.  The business was owned by Walter Jones, a Fort Dodger.  Roy Bristol ran the enterprise which not only sold lumber, but coal and paint as well.

The Farmer's Elevator was operational, but was troubled at the time.  My grandfather, William Hansen purchased the business at a sheriff's auction and somehow brought the business to life again.  Harold Coltvel was hired to manage the business which bought and sold grain and also sold coal and livestock feed.

Beside these businesses which were domiciled in town, there was a rendering plant located southeast of town.  At times, the odor drove people for cover, especially when the wind blew from southeast to northwest.  this business was better known as the "Stink Plant" by most people."

"To the best of my recollection, these were the enterprises that existed in 1930; however, some could have escaped my memory. If so, I apologize.  as an afterthought, I must mention the fact that Rutland had a one person police department.  This purveyor of justice, sat up all night in the lumber yard with flashlight in hand and kept watch while the populace slept.  Crooks and scoundrels were tossed in the old tin jail which was supposedly alive with bedbugs and all sorts of scary creatures.  Most of the inmates were tramps, bums and beggars who looked suspicious to the enforcer of the law.  It seems that Jack McDonald was the perpetual mayor who issued the edict to jail those scary riders of the rails back when times were tough and justice was swift."