As Downtown Glenfield Appeared
Glenfield was young when this picture was taken although it bears no date to identify the exact year. The cars suggest that the photograph was taken in the 1920s.
Adolph Gulstad, a long-time Glenfield area resident who now resides in Carrington, identified the businesses that line main street with help from Mr. and Mrs. Jim Bronaugh, who operated a hardware store in Glenfield for many years.
On the left side of the street are: Thompson garage, now being razed; a building housing a pool hall, barber shop and dance hall owned by Bill Thurlow; a confectionary and notions shop operated by Mrs. Bill Hoggarth; and the Brown Butcher Shop.
On the right are: post office, originally a bank; store owned by Charles Berglund; Dave Severson grocery store; Robichaud pool hall and barber shop; hardware store owned by Mel Harding; Carl McDaniel grocery store; a restaurant, identified on another picture as the Palms Cafe; and a building constructed by August Johnson.
Many of the buildings on the right side of the street burned to the ground in a disastrous fire during the 1930s.
Glenfield History Recalled
With Razing of Building
February 24, 1972 - A piece of prairie history tumbled down on a crisp February afternoon as a Glenfield landmark, the Thompson garage, neared the last stages of its demolition.
Terry Hinrichs and Charles Anderson of Glenfield pulled down the rafters Friday and began breaking apart and stacking the boards to clear the ground on which the building had stood for 56 years.
The garage was four years younger than the city itself. Glenfield's beginning is dated 1912, the year the railroad came through.
The building, operated last as a garage by the late Raynard Thompson, was among the first erected in Glenfield. It had survived a fire that destroyed a row of businesses across the street in the thirties. It had seen Glenfield's hey-dey.
Those old enough to remember a time when the building had not been there are few. Its history occasioned memory searching by some of Glenfield's oldest citizens, Lottie Posey and Mr. and Mrs. Lewis Henning, Miss Posey, who was the Glenfield postmaster for many years, consulted a history of Glenfield she had written in 1936, and found the garage was built in 1916, by Jay Robinson.
A succession of owners followed Robinson until 1926, when Thompson bought the building. Among these men were Roy Hopwood, Jens Larson, Robert Turner and Lewis Larson.
The communities of Glenfield and Sutton can be proud of their new fire hall which was erected this August. Their new building is located on Main Street in Glenfield, just in front of their old fire truck garage.
The old building was a two-stall garage. It was a place to park two of their four fire-fighting trucks. The fire-fighting equipment, such as extinguishers, helmets, oxygen, and other attire, were stored at other places around town. When a call came in for help, the volunteer firemen would have to go around town picking up their equipment. Valuable time was lost before getting to the fire scene.
When the new building is completed, it will include many nice features. It will accommodate all four community fire trucks. It will also have ample equipment storage facilities. The homier features of the building offer the firemen a small kitchen, bathroom facilities and a good-sized meeting room. The whole building is well insulated and is heated with a dual-heat furnace for further energy savings.
The new fire hall was a community project lead by the volunteer firemen of Glenfield. They solicited funding for the hall from area businesses and people. Donations totaled nearly $22,000. The firemen are finishing the inside of the building themselves whenever spare time allows.
A nice feature of the new building, which has already been used by area farmers, is the outdoor water-loading hookup. Some farmers used this to fill their crop sprayers earlier this year. It can fill a 750 gallon truck in about five minutes.
People in Glenfield and Sutton communities all hope they never have to call on the fire department. Fires can destroy valuable possessions and endanger lives. When the people in these communities rallied together to get themselves a new fire hall, they did it to benefit everyone. Every person who helped in the completion of the new fire hall should feel proud.
Donald Hinrichs was elected first chief, Robert Balvitsch first assistant chief, and Francis Johnson second assistant chief. Board of trustees consisted of Alvin Soma, Francis Johnson and John Halvorson. Kenneth Walen, secretary-treasurer. Twenty-three individuals volunteered to serve on the department.
A pickup was purchased to carry a mobile fire fighting unit. This served until a fire truck was purchased from the Cavalier Fire Department. A third fire truck was purchased with financing from the North Dakota Forestry Service. The fourth truck was purchased from the Carrington Fire Department.
Another rural unit was made up with a 4x4 Army vehicle presented to the department by Civil Defense.
A two-stall garage was built to house fire trucks in 1970. Maurice Brandvold was elected chief at annual meeting, October 1973. Eugene Alley first assistant chief, Darold Anderson second assistant chief, Kenneth Walen secretary-treasurer. Trustees included John Halvorson, Kenneth Reed and Rev. Dale Houck.
Jerold Tufte was elected chief at annual meeting January 25, 1984, with Maurice Brandvold first assistant chief and John Overbeck second assistant chief. Kenneth Walen, secretary-treasurer. Trustees were Richard Hegvik, Don Neumann and Eugene Alley.
Jerold Tufte continues as chief. Ken Fiechtner was elected first assistant chief and Richard Hegvik second assistant chief, and Ken Walen, secretary-treasurer.
In 1983, the department realized the need for a new fire hall to house four fire fighting units and also the need for meeting and practice facilities. An attempt was made to cooperate with the newly organized Glenfield Senior Citizens to provide building for Senior Citizens and Fire Department. However cooperation was not obtained and the fire department decided to build a fire hall on its own behalf.
Financing was obtained through private and business organizations and a new fire hall was built in 1983. Land was purchased from Francis Johnson who owned building on south end of Main Street.
A rural Fire Protection District was formed in 1985. This being a result of favorable ballot voted on by land owners within district.
The district comprises Glenfield Township, Rolling Prairie Township, part of Eastman Township, Mabel Township, a portion of Kingsley Township, which is part of Glenfield-Sutton-McHenry school district and the city of Glenfield.
A board of directors was elected representing each township: Leonard Simenson, chairman; Mark Pedersen, vice chairman; Kenneth Walen, secretary-treasurer; Douglas Johnson and Robert Bailey.
This board of directors was re-elected at the last annual meeting.
The board of directors appointed Jerry Tufte, chief; Kenneth Fiechtner, first assistant chief; and Richard Hegvik, second assistant chief.
This fire department has served this community well since its organization in 1970.
Source: Glenfield History 1886 €“ 1987 Page 98