| Summary: | tonsorial establishment in town in a portion of the harness shop of Ulvick and Nyhus but was making plans to move across the street into the building occupied by “Lew’s Place,” a confectionary and soft drink parlor (former O.K. Barber Shop and at present, office of the Griggs- Nelson County Nurse). By July 1908, Mr. Dick found it necessary to employ more help to take care of his increasing business. Harry P. Stanley, Leeds, barbered for several months beginning in February, 1911, when Mr. and Mrs. Dick were gone for several months on vacation. Bert Klinworth, Pekin, was also there in 1911. Later he added twenty feet to his shop for bath rooms and to accomodate his hot water system in the basement. In 1914, Wilford Parrow was employed at Dick’s Barber Shop. Roland Trask of St. Hillaire, Minn., was employed in Dick’s Shop in September 1917, and Barber No. 2 was Art Drengson, and in December 1918, Palmer Tiegen of Berwick took a position as barber at Dick’s Barber Shop. He leased Dick’s Barber Shop in November 1919, which marked the passing of one of the last of McVille’s original business institutions (E.P. Nyhus still in business). However, Tiegen resigned in July 1920, and left for Devils Lake to barber there. I.B. Fessenden then operated the O.K. Barber Shop for five years until 1925 when he sold it to Bill Sorum of Larimore. Cash Gronser was employed in the O.K. Shop during these years of about 1925-1927. In 1926 Oscar Polis was employed there until he started his own shop in 1930 in the building which was housed Frank Mardoff and Hans Olson in their furnace and plumbing repair and tinsmith business. In April 1929, George Nelson purchased the O.K. Barber Shop from Bill Sorum. There was also several earlier barber shops. In 1923, A1 Knutson of Aneta opened a barber shop in the August Rickford building (Magoris building) on March 5, and left for Fargo in July 1923. Scott Hall of Cooperstown leased the south side of the Larson building and fitted it up for a barber shop in August 1929. However, he soon sold his shop and fixtures to George Nelson who closed the Hall Shop and served the public with three employees in his own shop, and Hall returned to Cooperstown. Magnus Midstokke barbered in a shop on the west side of Main Street, and Jack Hardman had a barber shop on the west side of Main Street in the Larson building in 1931. When the Hardman’s spent several weeks at Hamer, Ervin Helgeland was in his shop. The Polis Barber Shop was closed in 1942 when Oscar had to leave to fulfill his Army obligations to Uncle Sam. He returned in November 1945, and re-opened his shop. In June 1962, Gene McLean of Lakota became the owner of the O.K. Barber Shop. Mr. Nelson assisted at the shop. Dick Simundson managed the O.K. Barber Shop in 1964, continuing for several years, until he decided to leave McVille and go into farming. In September 1968, Hubert Rosseau of Drayton, N.D., had charge of the Polis Barber Shop when Mr. Polis was absent for three weeks after undergoing surgery. Bob Aaser opened the McVille Barber Shop on June 8, 1970, taking over from Oscar Polis who had been in business continuously since 1927 except for 2V2 years in the military service. In November 1970, the barber shop was given a face lift with a new front. Bob Aaser sold his business to Guy Johnson in the fall of 1977, to devote his time to his farming endeavors. McVille Blacksmith Shops William Meader had a blacksmith shop in Old McVille, and in 1906 it was moved to the town’s new location and set in the corner lot east of Main Street, and also east of the then bank. Then in February 1908 Odegard and Stene bought the Meader Blacksmith Shop. George McMillan bought out Odegard and Stene and operated it for many years until October 1919 when Henry and Lewis Ringdahl purchased it. They fixed up the building east of it for a garage and did auto repair as well as blacksmithing. Later Lewis bought out Henry’s interest in the business. When Lewis died in 1945, at age 59, his sons, Albert and Grant, took over the business. Then Albert assumed full responsibility of the blacksmithing when Grant accepted a position with the postal department as rural mail carrier. In March 1967 when, because of the increased size of farm machinery, the building was too small for its intended function, Albert moved his business into a new 40’x62’ cement block building built for him on the west side of town. In the early ’40s Lewis had torn down the east segment of the original building and used the lumber to build himself a house, the present Albert Ringdahl home. In September 1979 the rest of the building was razed and the salvaged lumber used to build a double garage for the Ringdahl’s. The cement block blacksmith shop has since been run by Bradley Messner and more recently by Malcolm Nerison, who is the present proprietor, operating as Mai’s Welding and Repair. Carl Nordhaugen opened his blacksmith shop for business on July 19, 1906, and in October that year Ole K. Dahle leased it for three years. In July 1916 a gas welding machine in the O.K. Dahle Blacksmith Shop blew up causing considerable damage to the building and starting a serious fire which was extinguished by the fire department before too much headway had been gained. Mr Dahle and his assistant escaped injury. In July 1919 John Odde and Hans Olson purchased the Ole Dahle Blacksmith Shop. This partnership was dissolved by mutual consent and Odde continued the business for many years. A. H. Benson of Sharon opened the Odde Blacksmith Shop for business in July 1938 and continued until February 1943 when E. W. Loe leased it, and Albert Bensons moved to Devils Lake. The building was dismantled and torn down by Gordon July in the late 1960s, and an ice skating rink was enjoyed by the young folks on that site. McVille Community Lanes, Inc. In the 1950’s a resurgence in the sport of bowling swept the country, largely as a result of the invention of an automatic pinsetting machine. Prior to that time bowling had been in a decline due to the high cost and unavailability of people to set pins. By the late 1950’s even smalltown U.S.A. was getting into the act, and bowling establishments were springing up in small communities all over America. In early 1960 some of the people in the McVille community were convinced that McVille should investigate the feasibility of a bowling lanes. After considerable investigation, a decision was made to go ahead, and McVille Community Lanes, Inc. was duly incorporated on May 25, 1960, with approximately 120 stockholders from McVille and the surrounding area investing in the company in the first few weeks, and approximately $27,700 was raised in capital through this original sale of stock. This was expanded by later stock sales to $36,100. A new building was erected, and contracts were signed with Brunswick for the purchase of six lanes and pinsetters and related equipment; also purchased was cafe equipment for the lunch counter which was to be located in the building and operated in conjunction with the bowling lanes. All in all, the original investment came to $134,230; so the fledgling corporation began its business 1195 Scanned with a Czur book scanner at 300 dpi. Edited in Adobe Acrobat Pro
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