By Mrs. Howard Spickler
Sixty-five years ago Juanita, named after Lake Juanita to the northwest, began to stir and build.
Interwoven with its history are facts from state and national history. The first Dakota boom was due to improvements in flour milling, and with Minneapolis the flour-milling center of the United States creating a market for wheat. Railroad construction made the Red River Valley the chief supplier of the market. The mills called for more and more hard spring wheat. James Hill threw his railroad across the black northern prairies and thousands of pioneers rushed to take up land.
The settlement of North Dakota was completed by a second boom which started in 1898 and continued to World War I. A flood of new settlers poured in to North Dakota. From 1898 to 1915, according to statistics, there were 250,000 who entered the state. The first settlers in Florence Township were the George J. Backen family, the Smith brothers and George, Fred and Balger Bauer. Roy Spickler came to New Rockford from Illinois in 1896 and to Haven Township a couple years later. These were all early day homesteaders coming here between 1887 and 1898. Other early day settlers were Albert England and his brother John coming here in the '90's. His rough board shanty and lean-to was sodded up on the outside walls to a height of three feet to help keep out the wintry blasts. Mr. England owned and farmed the Southwest 1/4 of 14-147-63. Only a small grave is left to mark the former homestead site.
Outsiders gave North Dakota a railroad network, and by 1915 these outsiders had invested $100 million, but sparse population limited their profits. Because of railroads there was a rush of settlers eager to get free or cheap land. This speculative rush increased land values and their rise made wheat farming less profitable. From the years 1898 to 1915, the railroad mileage of North Dakota almost doubled, increasing from 2,662 to 5,226 miles.
In 1911-1912, the Great Northern inaugurated service on the Surrey Cutoff- 208 miles from Fargo to Surrey in Ward County. (See clippings.) The railroads were built cheaply; oftentimes old boxcars were converted into stations. Juanita's first station was a boxcar which stood on the north side of the track in line with Mrs. Parker's house. Juanita's first depot agent was Walter Krei. He was followed by C.W. Wold, Art Eberhardt and Vivian Wold Anderson. The depot was sold and moved to a farm.
The Great Northern capitalization was $78,000 per mile. Railroads were seeking profitable returns on their investment, and so North Dakotans had to pay high freight rates. High freight rates reduced the standard of living and were a serious obstacle to development of a more diversified economy. Wheat was the king crop of North Dakota and from 1898 to 1915 the wheat acreage doubled. Flax was another cash crop- a crop for virgin land- and a gamble. Oats, hay and barley were also raised, largely for feed. The most valuable livestock were the horses.
There were two lumberyards in Juanita in the early days to promote building. A Mr. Lund was manager of the Crane-Johnson Lumber Yard, and a Mr. Black managed the Wells Independent Lumber Company The Wells Company lasted only about a year. The building stood where Albert Larson's house now stands. Roy Spickler bought the scales when this yard quit business.
The Crane-Johnson Company was later managed by A.K. Sorvick, and an old Indian fighter named Ellingson who ran this place till it was closed. (The Indian fighter was said to be very religious; Simon Sampson is quoted as saying he believed his religion was mostly on the walls- referring to religious mottos on the walls.)
Sorvick's carpenter shop, with living quarters in the rear, stood about where Larson's garage is now. Later it was moved alongside Crane-Johnson's Lumber Yard, and finally it was moved to the Ravendal Bros. farm for use as a farm shop.
The first public building in Juanita was Greenheck's Store; groceries were hauled from McHenry until the railroad came through Juanita. Greenheck's in Juanita in 1911 handled groceries and hardware. Two brothers, Bill and Hub, operated the business.
The Greenheck General Store was bought in 1912 or 1913 by Howden, Lucht and Mansfield. Clerks were Frank Stevenson, Percy Haney and Chris Engh. (The children all loved Chris Engh; he gave them the most candy for the nickels and dimes.)
When Mansfield came in, a hardware store was put in; the two stores were bought out by Mansfield. Mansfield sold out to the Farmers' Cooperative, and it was operated in the early '20's as a Farmers' Store under the management of Elmer Anderson. The store went into receivership and Knutson bought it. Later Resler came in as a partner. Upon Knutson's death it became Lou's Market.
Jim McDaniel had a hardware store in Juanita in those early days. He also sold meat in Mac's Butcher Shop located on east Main Street.
Sloan's Hotel was run by Aunt Nancy Sloan. Later Jim Potters operated it.
Hazlett had a Meat Market across from Sloan's Hotel.
Uncle Billy Hazlett's Confectionery Store was built after the meat market started, and Uncle Billy Hazlett had the post office in the confectionery store. Uncle Billy Hazlett was Juanita's first postmaster. After Mrs. George Burk retired as Juanita's postmistress, Charlie Hazlett (Uncle Billy's son) became postmaster. He operated both the store and the post office. Hazlett's Confectionery was managed for a time by Wilfred and Percy Haney. After Charlie Hazlett took over, a grocery store was set up and a cooler installed, and at one time it was a Red Owl Store. Ernie Pewe worked for Charlie sometime during this period.
Charlie Hazlett sold out to Frank Rypka, and he and Mrs. Rypka operated the store and post office for several years. Mr. and Mrs. Roy Nelson became later owners, and Mrs. Nelson, now Mrs. Georgia Benson, became the postmistress, a position she still holds. A fire in October 1958 burned both Nelson's and Resler's store. (Wold owned Resler's then) and that was the end of Juanita's Main Street. Nelson's moved the store and post office to their home- the former Congregational Church, later Community Hall- this building having been remodeled into a home. (This building is remembered for many enjoyable Community Club programs, plays, movies, dances, etc. Modern Woodmen meetings were also held there.) It still served as Juanita's only store and post office.
Greenheck was mail carrier between Juanita and McHenry in the early days. Herb Niles was the first mail carrier from Juanita, then Bill Short, and Mr. Buck was probably the last. After that, Glenfield took over Juanita's rural mail delivery.
The First State Bank was run by Gus Raibel; later it was sold to Kirwan. This bank was in operation in 1912- a 30-day note at 12% interest verifies this. The bank was placed in the hands of a receiver, possibly in June 1929.
The Juanita Bank building was moved to Glenfield to be used as a barbershop by Ralph Glassner. It burned in the '30's.
Ralph Glassner was a barber first in Juanita. For a short time Ralph Menzies, also known as Shorty Baker, barbered in Juanita.
In 1913 the North Dakota Legislature passed a county agent law. Mr. Lake was Foster County's first county agent. He must have been very active, for he is remembered for his contributions to Juanita and the county by so many people. A book compiled by him and others shows many of the rural activities, early farmsteads and livestock operations at this time.
Agricultural experts advocated summer fallow, better seed, crop rotation, but when Better Farming enthusiasts talked of Livestock, they meant dairy cattle, not beef herds.
Creameries were established, but they had to gather cream from a large area, and they paid only a poor price. Farmers shipped cream or sold it to cream buying stations. Both Knutson and Hazlett operated cream buying stations. A five-gallon cream can brought perhaps $3 or $4.
If a farmer's wife made butter to sell, she may have received 8 cents per pound for it. There was little profit in dairy cows. For the farmer's wife there was the daily chore of separation and milk pails and strainer to wash morning and evening, and for the men folk the twice-daily extra chore of feeding and milking the cows.
The farmer's wife in the early '30's kept a few turkey hens, raised poults to sell on the Thanksgiving and Christmas markets. These young turkeys in the fall were killed and dressed at home, cooled all over the house, packed in barrels, and sold in New Rockford or Cooperstown, or shipped to eastern markets. How welcome those turkey checks to eke out the meager income, and to provide a few luxuries for the Holidays!
Every farm had its chicken flock for eggs to use, and to sell at the local store in exchange for the necessary groceries.
The farmer's wife set a few broody hens, or possibly she ordered baby chicks to raise for fryers for a July 4th treat. Some spring chickens were marketed at the North American in Carrington, another source of income for the farm family when every penny counted.
The credit system was a heavy burden on the farmers. Interest and expenses averaged 8.7%, and the mortgage ran for five years. Few farms were paid for in 5 years (1914-15). Besides, the farmers had to buy farm machinery and supplies on credit- either a bank loan for 8 or 9 months at 10.75% interest, or credit from a store. Merchants commonly gave a discount of 7% for cash. The Juanita Bank closing was brought about by the low prices paid to farmers for their grain, uncollectible notes, mortgage foreclosures and such.
The '30's brought drought and depression. North Dakota suffered more than much of the rest of the nation. Thousands lost their farms; more than one third lived on relief; many people left the state. Farmers left the community of Juanita. Florence Township's 44 farmsteads of these early days dwindled, until now at the present time there are only 15 farmsteads left.
The crises brought about in the dry, dusty thirties produced a bold leader- William Langer. Using his authority as governor to stop foreclosures on farms, and to raise the price of wheat, he gave both economic aid and some emotional security. (Some time during Langer's time, he spoke to a large crowd at Juanita Lake.)
The drought of the '30's from 1929-1939 was a period of less than average rainfall. June 1929 was one of the driest on record; in 1930, hot winds cut down crops. In 1931, light rains in spring and searing heat withered vegetation, so truly the whole state seemed to be drying up.
In 1934, dust storms made travel by plane or auto hazardous, and kerosene lamps had to be lit in the middle of the day. Dust sifted into every corner of the house. Drifting soil covered fences, ditches, farm machinery. In 1934, we had the driest year on record so far, and grass made no growth - 9 1/2 inches of rain.
The federal government began buying livestock, playing $4 for calves and $20 for cows. Many cattle died from lack of feed, and from dust in their lungs and stomach.
Russian thistle was used for hay for the cattle; dry Russian thistle piled up against fences, driven by gusty winds, breaking down fences, pushing fences across roads, and such.
In 1936, the coldest year with Parshall recording 60 degrees below zero on February 13, and the hottest with 121 degrees at Steele on July 6, and the driest with 8.8 inches. From July 5 to July 18, temperatures reached nearly 100 degrees every day. No prairie grass grew outside the Red River Valley.
Throughout the 1930's, grasshoppers were bad and farmers had to spread poison bait. County control was ineffective, however, and finally the Greater North Dakota Assn. took action and federal funds were obtained for a control program.
Drought years were depression years. In 1932, North Dakota farmers sold wheat for 36, a bushel, oats for 91, barley for 141, potatoes for 23, flaxseed for 87 and beef cattle for $3.30 per hundred. Prices recovered some, but still wheat sold for only 53 per bushel in 1938.
In 1940, most farm homes lacked electricity, running water, indoor bathrooms, mechanical refrigeration and central heating.
In 1933, the low year- per capita personal income in the United States was $375; in North Dakota it was only $145. So North Dakota went through much greater hardship than did the nation as a whole.
Low income brought a decline in land values, delinquent loans and foreclosures, unpaid taxes, increased tenancy, growing public ownership of land, a large number of people on relief and a great movement of people out of the state. From 1930-1944, probably one-third of the farm families lost their farms by foreclosure- this in North Dakota.
Relief programs were organized with a Public Welfare Board using state and federal money. In 1935, the state legislature passed a sales tax to provide money for its work. The W.P.A. would give work relief. In the late 1936, half the population was on relief. The W.P.A. alone, between July 1, 1935, and June 30, 1942, built highways, bridges, overpasses, etc., distributed surplus commodities, conducted literacy classes, repaired books (Grandma Short did this in Juanita) and much else.
There is the question about who had the first blacksmith shop. Norman Sloan? Mork? In later years- in the 1920's, August Hoefert built and operated his shop. After the Hoeferts moved to Montana, Russell Nelson took over.
Two grain elevators were built during the summer of 1912. Mr. Sutherland may have operated the Farmers' Elevator. George Allen ran the Farmers' Elevator before 1915. The Minnekota Elevator was operated by Ralph Linger. Ralph Kempf lived in the George Burk house and managed the Minnekota Elevator before Jess Pierce. Mr. Omdahl also managed this elevator. Lloyd Nelson managed this elevator in the '30's. Fire destroyed the Peavey Elevator in 1950. This was the former Farmers' Elevator. The Peavey Company rebuilt, but a few years later it was moved to Glenfield.
The Sloan Livery Barn and Dray Line was located where Sampsons live now. Johnny Sloan and Julius Knuth bought this and operated it until Julius Knuth was called into service in World War I. (Julius Knuth was wounded in the battle of Argonne.)
Where Sampson's house now stands was a building put up by the township to store school buses.
In those early days there were two bulk oil companies in Juanita- the Independent Oil Company and the Standard Oil. Henry Lucht ran the first Standard wagon. Chris Sampson, World War I veteran, operated the Independent Oil Company for three years. This business folded and its tanks were moved out.
In 1922, Mr. Sampson took over the Standard Oil setup and operated this for nearly twelve years. E.O. Johnson was Standard Oil man for a time. Chris Christianson was Standard Oil man in the '30's and '40's.
Chris Sampson also ran a livery stable, dray line, farmed and reared a large family. He has the reputation of having unloaded more carloads of coal than any other man around. During the winters of deep snow he could be seen with four horses on a Fresno bucking snow off the Great Northern right-of-way.
Source: A History of Foster County 1983 Page 278