DeSmet Farm Mutual

“The boys” gather for a cold drink and fellowship on a Sunday morning.

Originally, Fred, Daisy and their older daughter, Mary Elizabeth, lived in an apartment at the back of the store. They moved into an apartment in the upper level in 1929. Their younger daughter, Carol, was born in 1934 – the only child ever born in the store building. The enterprise had a wide variety of services. In addition to the groceries, the original store sold dry goods such as underwear, work clothes, boots, shoes, oil cloth, and even linoleum They also purchased cream and eggs for several years. In addition, the Turkey Ridge Store was a gas station and eventually Fred purchased a bulk truck for fuel delivery to farms.

Fred and Daisy sold the business in 1946 to their employee, Albert Dangel, a World War II veteran. Fred started an appliance business across the street, but retired after a heart attack in 1955. He lived in Turkey Ridge until his death in 1975. Albert Dangel and his wife, Geraldine, operated the Turkey Ridge Store from 1946 through the end of 1952. Among the fondest memories from those years was the Sunday morning fellowship. The Dangels would barely get the doors open upon returning from church when the crowd rolled in for their bottle of pop or other refreshments. With more and bigger farm machinery in use after the war, Albert bought a new bulk fuel truck in Yankton for “the outrageous sum” of $1,550 plus $700 for the tank. He also added a garage onto the operation. It was cold and snowy on New Year’s Day 1953 when the new owners, Howard and Phyllis Georgeson and their children,

ALWAYS HERE. ALWAYS CARING.

For over 105 years, De Smet Farm Mutual has been helping to protect what we all love about South Dakota.

FARM / RANCH LIABILITY

MACHINERY

RESIDENCES FARM BUILDINGS

LIVESTOCK

PERSONAL LIABILITY And More

To find an agent in your area or to get a quote, visit: www.DeSmetFarmMutual.com

When new owners Allen and Mildred Christensen held their grand opening in 1958, the first four owners of the Turkey Ridge Store all happened by at the same time. Pictured are Allen Christensen, Howard Georgesen, Albert Dangel and Fred Sorensen.

One of the first bulk fuel trucks at Turkey Ridge.

The Turkey Ridge Store in 1950.

The blacksmith shop in Turkey Ridge was built by Jens Christensen and later operated by LaVerne Lehman (pictured above). Among the many businesses located at Turkey Ridge were a service garage, bottle gas and appliance store, insurance agency and gas stations. moved into the Turkey Ridge Store. Neighbors who came to help played a game of croquet in the snow when the work was done! Howard and Phyllis installed new shelves and counter inside the store, making it a self-service “supermarket.” A November 1957 story in the Argus Leader listed the businesses located in Turkey Ridge: Two gas stations; service garage; bottle gas and appliance store; and insurance agency. The Georgeson’s sold the store to Allen and Mildred Christensen in the fall of 1958, but separated the bulk truck business from the store. Howard and Phyllis moved to Hurley, but continued to operate Turkey Ridge Oil Co. During the Christensen years running the store, the business consisted of groceries, hardware, Zip Feed, gas pumps and many other miscellaneous items.

In 1967, newlyweds Avis and Jim Georgeson began their many years at the store. Shortly after moving in, they acquired the bottle gas business formerly operated by Jens Christensen. Over the years, they became more involved in selling and repairing tires, plus added a grinder-mixer for use by their customers. The couple became dealers of Sioux Steel bins and added a new Hi-Boy for spraying crops. Jim also took flying lessons, purchased a plane, and began spraying area farm fields. The plane’s hanger was on the east side of Viborg and folks took to calling it “The Danish Air Force.” Jim and Avis remodeled and expanded the apartment above the store in 1975 and purchased the house across the road when Fred Sorensen passed away. The Georgeson’s sold the Turkey Ridge Store via auction in November 1985. The buyers were Bruce and Becky Ebbesen. Bruce said, “We ran Turkey Ridge Store over here for 26 years. Back then it was a small country store – Zip Feed is what paid the bills. Everybody had livestock and needed feed, and we sold tires and I did a lot of ag spraying. When the big hog operations came around, that pretty much shut off the feed business. The older guys moved to town and there was no more livestock at a lot of places. It just died over night, you might say.” The store closed in 2012 after 85 years of serving the farm community. About a dozen years earlier, Bruce and Becky and a business partner purchased Turkey Ridge Oil, which they continue to operate today with their son, Jesse.

This article is adapted from an original story written by Carol Sorensen Jorgensen and Robin Jorgensen Hanta which was published in booklet form in 1977 on the 50th anniversary of the Turkey Ridge Store. Thanks to Heritage Hall Museum & Archives in Freeman for retaining copies of important local histories.