THE ENTERPRISING LARS SORENSEN

The Kossuth County Genealogical Society received some photos and information from Jeanette Sorensen Ramseth who is the granddaughter of Lars Sorensen, long time grocer in Algona.  Among the materials she provided was a short rendition of her memories of growing up in Algona and facts about Sorensen Grocery Store which operated at the corner of State and Moore.  Those items in turn reminded me that Lars was featured in the book “Enterprising Men of Algona.”  With Jeanette’s permission, I want to use some of her materials along with my own research to recall the life of Lars Sorensen.

CAME FROM DENMARK

Lars was born in Albeck Skov, Denmark in 1869.  He was educated there and apprenticed as a butcher.  At the age of 21 he immigrated to the United States, coming directly to Kossuth County where he worked a time for Frank Winkel in his meat shop.  He left for a short period to work in Spencer and then in Chicago, but eventually came back to Algona where he opened his own meat market. 

He met a young woman by the name of Ida Olson and they were married December 11, 1895 in Burt.  Ida had come to the United States of America from Sweden four years before.  The newlyweds lived in Burt for three years before moving to Algona. 

Lars continued to run his meat shop until 1904 when another opportunity presented itself.  He and Wesley A. Dutton purchased the grocery business of Ed Gilmore and opened their own store known as “Dutton & Sorensen.”  Often known as the “Corner Grocery,” the business was located in the northeast corner of the intersection of State and Moore.  Besides stocking staples like flour and sugar, they carried a large selection of canned goods, meats and other grocery items.  They also carried China and Wedgwood creamware called queensware which was a big attraction to their lady customers.

The partners had purchased the Gilmore building and took great pride in its maintenance.  They repainted often and in 1913 installed an iron ceiling.  Although they were devoted to their business, the owners had a good sense of humor as well.  On April Fool’s Day in 1914, they cut a 2 x 4 on a slant and glued one to each side of a display window.  They then glued some pieces of broken glass to the window to give the impression of a damaged window.  That day many visitors stopped in the store to let them know that the 2x4 had fallen and broken the window, only to find the joke was on them.

Sorensen Grocery in the 1930s

Later that same year the two acquired the store of C.W. Cook in Hobart.  Jed Dutton was chosen to manage the store.  It was perhaps not as profitable as they had hoped as they sold it slightly more than a year later to Robert Vincent.

Storekeeping was not without its dangers.  In June of 1913, Dutton was getting a bag of flour from the back room for a customer when the pile of flour sacks – forty or fifty in all – toppled over on top of him and burying him and 12 cases of eggs, creating a mess and leaving him with bruises.  On another occasion, a Mr. Barker attempted to park his automobile in front of the store where he intended to sell eggs to the proprietors.  The gas pedal malfunctioned causing the vehicle to jump the curb and run into the front door of the establishment, breaking the door posts and its west window. 

The year 1914 saw the end of the partnership between Lars and Wes Dutton.  Sorensen purchased Dutton’s interest who went back into the flour and grain business. 

PERSONAL LIFE

During these years Lars personal life was busy too.  He became an American citizen.  He and Ida would go on to have eight children together, two of whom died in infancy.  Edna, Arthur, Russell, Evelyn, Harold and Richard grew up working in the store when needed.  He was active in the local Presbyterian church, serving many years as superintendent of their Sunday school.

Tragedy struck the family in October of 1918.  Ida was only 44 years of age when she contracted Spanish influenza which was sweeping the nation.  She then developed pneumonia.  It took her life after being ill for just one week, leaving her family motherless.  One of her sons, Arthur, was a soldier serving in France at the time of her death and word of her passing didn’t reach him until many weeks later. 

Just the month before Lars had sold the grocery business to S. J. Ramsey and Harry J. Liebenstein, retaining ownership of the building.  It is unknown what Lars’ plans were for his future following the sale of his grocery business, but with the loss of his wife, I am sure his world came tumbling down.  Over the next few years he worked in sales both at local stores and as a traveling salesman of products to grocery stores.

In 1924 Lars married Clara Stacy with whom he had a daughter, Frances. Unfortunately, the marriage proved to be an unhappy one and they were divorced in 1930.

THE “NEW” SORENSEN GROCERY

In 1930 Lars’ son, Harold Sorensen, was a newlywed working for Swift & Co. in Hutchinson, Kansas.  He and his wife, Mable, desired to move back to Algona and he and his father decided to re-open Sorensen Grocery which was quite an undertaking during the depression years.  Lars still owned the building at 201 East State Street where the original Sorensen Grocery had been located.  Ellis Runchey had been operating a grocery at the same location, but soon found another site to relocate.

Front: Woodrow Cook, Bert Randall, Ellen Pommerining,
Mable Sorensen, and Dick Sorensen;  Back: Harold Sorensen,
Robert Dutton, Julius Petersen and Lars Sorensen

Lars and Harold set out to make the layout of the store more convenient to serve their customers.  They left the refrigerated meat locker in the rear of the store which had been installed by Mr. Runchey where a rope operated, open elevator was also located which was used to move merchandise to and from the basement.  They remodeled the rest of the area moving the meat department closer to the front. They held their grand opening on January 31, 1931.

Mable Sorensen

The store was a busy place.  A true family affair, in addition to Lars and Harold, youngest son, Richard, worked there and Harold’s wife, Mable, would often work after hours stocking shelves while baby Jeanette napped in an orange crate.  The local telephone exchange was located on the upper floor of the building which added to the hustle and bustle as operators would come and go at all hours for the day.

In addition to selling meat and groceries, the proprietors also bought milk, eggs and produce from area farmers.  Many items such as sugar, nuts and candy came in bulk and had to be weighed and packaged by the pound.  The printed cloth sacks that flour came in became popular with customers who used them to make aprons and other items during those tough economic days.  Customers brought jugs to have them filled with vinegar from a big wooden barrel. 

TRIP BACK TO DENMARK

By 1936, Lars was yearning to visit Denmark.  In the 47 years he had lived in America he had only gone back once.  In July he and his niece, Mrs. Julius Petersen, began the journey of a lifetime.  They sailed for Europe, spending three months touring Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Germany.  Lars took his personal Chrysler auto along allowing convenient transportation during the visit.  Besides sightseeing he was able to visit many family members including spending the day with his sister when she celebrated her 80^th birthday.

Upon his return in October, he was shocked to learn of the sudden passing of his son, Harold, shortly before his return.  The family had refrained from notifying Lars and his niece of the death during their trip as they would have been unable to reach home in time for the funeral.

SORENSEN GROCERY ENDURES

With Harold’s passing, Richard “Dick” Sorensen and Harold’s widow, Mable Sorensen, operated the store.  During the next several years, Lars began to lessen his involvement in the enterprise.  He took another trip in 1938, this time a three-month sojourn in California.  In February of 1940 he and his friends celebrated his 71^st birthday and despite failing health, he took one more trip that fall to visit a sister that lived in Idaho.  A few days after his return, he traveled to Rochester for treatment.  Returning home, Lars died at General Hospital here in Algona on November 21, 1940.

The storefront today

Another view

Sorensen Grocery lived on for almost two decades, serving customers’ daily needs through the rationing days of World War II, numerous community events including the Centennial, and many holiday celebrations.  Dick Sorensen left the business in 1956, leaving Mable in charge.  Sorensen Grocery officially closed its doors in 1959.

Until next time,

Jean

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