Thanks to the great memory of several past and present Kimball residents, this column was recently dedicated to the 1900 to 1945 era of an extraordinary and community-spirited man named Leonhard Engel and the Engel General Store (Soap Box Laundry now occupies the building) on Main Street and Linden Ave. While the Engel family home on the corner of Spruce and Main is a classic and another family resides there, every generation has its heroes, and we pay tribute to the 1900 Engel legacy as there will never be another quite like their’s. Here is the last of the “memories series” as told to Kimball’s Historical Society by resident Luvern Hinz, once employed at the Engel store. According to Luvern Hinz, Mr. Engel’s Ford was a 1935 model, because Luvern worked for the Lundeen Ford dealership and sold the car to Mr. Engel. Mr. Engel once owned a 1914 Buick that he kept in a shed at home and was only driven once or twice a year. Later, Luvern had an opportunity to buy this preserved Buick and to this day, can’t believe he turned it down. Unlike Len Struck’s memory of Mr. Engel’s slower driving speeds, Luvern thought Mr. Engel drove too fast and may have an accident anytime, but never did. The big roll of wrapping paper in two widths was the packaging, tied with cord on a really big spool from the ceiling that magically rolled itself up out of the way after each use. Mr. Engel’s famous throat clearing always preceded something Mr. Engel was about to say. In the 1929 depression, Mr. Engel, Dr. Sherwood and Claude Brower, founders of the Kimball Bank, took their own money and paid off the mortgages on farms, an amazing thing to do in those days. Eventually, they acquired these farmlands, but had gone into debt to make this all happen. The Engel’s had a cabin on Pearl Lake and Mr. Engel only spent time there to mow the lawn, warning Luvern to never buy a cabin because it just meant more work. Mr. Engel called his wife Johanna every noon, beginning with asking the telephone operator “three please.” Whatever his wife wanted for supper, he would bring home. The store had shelves from floor to ceiling, on all three walls, with a ladder that was on wheels, and so tall, the staff could reach shoes on the top shelf, and the shoe department was sizeable. A fascinating remembrance about the Engels, they (Mrs. Engel) wanted no refrigeration or radios at home or in the store. However, they did eventually acquire a radio at the store, and on one occasion, Luvern saw the store lit up one night after dark. So he investigated and found Mr. Engel enjoying a music program on the radio and learned he came to the store frequently to listen to this “new found” entertainment. On one occasion, Mr. Engel used Luvern’s car to drive to relatives in Wisconsin. During that time, Luvern knocked down a floor-to-ceiling partition of cubbyholes made by Mr. Engel and surprised him on his return, yet expecting to be fired. Mr. Engel never said one word about it, ever, though the remarkable change made it possible to see from the back of the store clear through to the front and to the street. Johanna Engel never wanted a refrigerator at home and finally Luvern got one at Mr. Engel’s request, but they couldn’t figure out where to put it. When that was resolved, finding its place in the kitchen, in two weeks Mrs. Engel said she “just loved it.” Luvern gave “credit” to a customer who never came back to pay the bill, so Mr. Engel made Luvern go and collect the money owed. The customer had no money, although Luvern saw a brand new radio on the table, and so he was told to take the radio in payment. The problem was solved and Luvern now had a new radio. Mr. Engel hired Luvern Hinz in 1932, and he stayed there nine years. Ardis Boire worked at the store until she married Rueben Eckman. Wanda Brown was hired until she married a druggist from Osakis and left. Buster (Cal) Brown was employed there, also Lloyd Johnson and Corky Peters. The Engel General Store was open Monday through Saturday from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., except Wednesdays and Saturdays when they were open till midnight. On those nights, more farmers came to town and movies or concerts were usually available. Those special people who founded many things in early Kimball days, included Mr. Leonhard Engel who was not only the most compassionate man Luvern ever knew, but these were the people that held Kimball together. ***** An all new subject will be featured in this column beginning Oct. 27, for those of you who follow us faithfully. Soon we will also be announcing a “Once In A Lifetime” celebration special event during the approaching holidays. Watch here for details. Society members will receive additional detailed information on this in due time. For memberships, City Hall restoration donations, history book contributions of photos and stories or your own family research, feel free to contact the Kimball Area Historical Society at P.O. Box 100, Kimball, MN. 55353, or phone (320) 398-5250 or 398-5743, toll-free at (800) 252-2521. ***** “There’s a direct line from the past to the future.”
