Story Under a Stone: The Old Gas Station

 Since 1931, a venerable old gas station has stood at the Y junction of a street heading to downtown Sheldon and a highway passing by. Across from where the school once stood it remains as one of the few remaining landmarks of an older town. Its sets there now as “Black’s Three,” but its original designation was Culver’s Filling Station. The Frank Culver family established and ran the business.  Besides Culver, others listed in the Sheldon history book ran  it through the years: Frank McGurk, Gene and Ed Suchla, Maynerd Strand, Louis Larson, Pat Anderson, Jim Fey, Rick Black.

A headline in the April 2, 1931 Sheldon Progress stated “Culver Buys Land For Filling Station.” The article said in part, “It is the intention of Mr. Culver to put up a frame structure, stucco the exterior and make it a nifty looking place. His son, Guy, will be in charge of the establishment. Just what brand of gasoline and oils will be handled is undecided.”  Frank purchased the land from Mrs. Belle Rife.

But it just wasn’t petroleum products the business handled. Skipping ahead to 1939 we learn of another product the station advertised: “Don’t get your note book covers until you see the new ones at Culver’s Service Station, Complete School Supplies.”

Frank C. Culver, the station’s founder, died a few days short of his 80th birthday on November 18, 1941, and was buried in the Sheldon Cemetery. Familiar names served as pallbearers - Al Kinney, R. E. Kratt, E. E. Good, Olie Larson, Wm. Cuthill, and Louis Howell.

The Culvers chose an interesting design for their business when they built it with steep pitched roof lines. It’s unfortunate there weren’t any hills nearby because it could have served as a ski chalet. It is probably because of that steep pitch that the building has not deteriorated more than it has. Even poor shingles will shed rain and snow much faster and longer than conventional pitches. The building is 95 years old.

A large house once stood across the street where the Culver family lived. Memories of two families living there come to mind. Loyal and Trudy Good raised their family there. I remember well Curtiss, Darold, Dennis, Karen, and Marlyn. They’ve since relocated to the state of Oregon. More recently the Gene and Marion Thompson and their family lived in it. Friends will all remember “Doc”, Donna, Dennis, Doyle, and David.

At one time many buildings lined both sides of main street and defined the Sheldon that provided services to the public, but almost all have disappeared. Two adjoining brick buildings still stand on main street. It would leave a noticeable absence if this old service station building should disappear. 

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Story Under a Stone: Sheldon Shafer, 1884-1909

 Story Under a Stone: Sheldon Shafer, 1884-1909

New settlements on the Dakota Territory frontier all had their “firsts.” Sheldon’s first train reached town on November 4, 1882. The first issue of a newspaper was printed on February 25, 1885.  The distinction of being the first baby born here goes to Sheldon Shafer on August 31, 1884. While we don’t know much about the life of the young Shafer, we can build a picture from what is recorded.

His parents were among the first settlers in this vicinity. His mother, daughter of Jay Rudd, and her father Jay who was popularly known as Uncle Jay came from Michigan in 1882 and purchased several pieces of land. Sheldon’s father, Alfred C. “Fred” arrived one year later. The map of Sheldon shows a portion of the village known as Rudd & Sheldon Addition.  Apparently more than one Rudd lived here at the time because it was a K. E. Rudd that sat on the first city council. Chances are K. E. Rudd is the one listed on the city map.

Sheldon spent his boyhood on the family farm about one mile west of town and attended the Sheldon school. He did not have time to establish any type of career except for a brief time clerking some in local stores and running a livery stable. That’s about it for persona

l information except we’re led to believe he must have been popular. A line in his obituary stated, “Numerous handsome floral offerings betokened the esteem in which the departed was held by his fellow townsmen.” His obituary stated that at the age of 25 he died from consumption which is another term for tuberculosis. The obituary headline stated “Sheldon Shafer’s Sufferings Over,” and later stated he had suffered for two years after being diagnosed with the disease.

It would be fun to be a time traveler and visit the town in its infancy. One man passing through on the train made this journal entry on June 5,1883.  “The only station on the road of any account is Sheldon where there are about 25 buildings large and small including a good R.R. station and elevator.” Train travel became popular, especially eastward to and from Fargo. Growing pains became an issue. In March, 1885, the editor of the one month old newspaper watched two women trying to cross the muddy street from the livery stable to the depot.  He printed a scold that a crossway should be built between the two locations.  I doubt that got done.

When entering the cemetery on the west side you can soon spot the large Shafer family headstone with Sheldon’s marker nearby.

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