A 1920 Pocket Directory of Rutland North Dakota was printed compliments of several Rutland business firms that also advertised in the Directory. The Businesses who advertised included Martin John Vulcanizing & Retreading; the City Billiard Hall, candies cigars tobaccos and soft drinks, R.M. Peterson Prop.; John R. Jones Lumber Farm Implements and Fuel; Geo. E. Hansen, City Barber Shop, home of toilet articles and face creams; the City Opera House, Billiards and Bowling, John Bloomdale Prop.; Columbia Restaurant, Meals-Lunches Home Cooking, Mrs. John Jones, Proprietor; the Rutland Garage & Repair Co. , Theo. Helberg and Paul Kuester; Rutland Farmers Co-Operative Co., E.J. Hoel, Manager; Green Brothers Corporation; First State Bank; Edward Benson, general merchandise; the Rutland Meat Market, C.W. Barger, Proprietor; Farmers Co-Operative Store, J.W. Johnson, Manager; and Johnsons Cash Store.
The Pocket Directory also provided a profile of Rutland:
Rutland had a thriving community of nearly 300. That, unfortunately, has declined but has remained close to 163 population for several years.
This morning, October 12, 2024, several Rutland residents took the opportunity to check out the new Frisbee Golf course in Rutland. The 10-hole Disc Golf course has been under construction for several weeks thanks to the Rutland Park Board and the work of former resident Pete Fust. Pete Fust is a Disc Golf Course Designer who has been designing courses around the world in Europe, Uganda and other countries and throughout the United States for several years and a winner of the World Flying Disc Federation tournament in 1991. The Park Board will hold a dedication in the spring for the course but many residents have already been taking the opportunity to enjoy the beautiful fall weather and get in some rounds of disc golf!
We can always talk, and write, about the weather. We don’t, and can’t, do anything about it, but we sure can comment on it. At times we are so proud and boastful of the pleasant weather conditions in our home communities that an outside observer might think that we actually had something to do with creating it, while at other times our mournful wails against the injustice of harsh weather conditions might lead that same outside observer to conclude that some malevolent being is sending foul weather to torture us poor innocents who have chosen to make our homes here. The weather, though, is neither good nor bad. It is only our reaction to it that makes us perceive it as being one way or the other. As The Bard once wrote, “…There is nothing that is either good or bad, but thinking makes it so…” Well, that being said, after some mighty pleasant weather at the beginning of last week, a mean spirited old cold front moved through this area on Thursday and Friday, May 18 & 19, dropping temperatures down to the low 40’s, and drawing some cold weather clothing back out of the closet. The cold front brought the smoke from Canadian wildfires down to ground level, too, making breathing a hazardous practice for anyone with asthma, allergies, COPD or other respiratory ailments. The cold front also brought trace rainfall amounts to the Rutland area, further delaying Spring planting for a few more days. By Sunday, May 21, though, nearly everyone with crops to plant was in the field, some raising dust and some getting stuck in the mud, but all experiencing the feeling of action, if not the fact. By Wednesday, May 24, the temperature had hit the 90’s, a substantial percentage of the acres intended for wheat, corn and soybeans had been planted and the rocks had been rolled flat in preparation for the combine harvesters that will begin gathering in the golden harvest in a few short months, depending on the weather, of course.
The Rutland Community Club held its regular May meeting on Monday, May 15, at the Rutland Town Hall. Community Club President Katie McLaen supplied the following report: “We made a big purchase at our May meeting, 12 new plastic picnic tables and 2 new aluminum bleachers for the ball diamond at Lou Sanderson Field. Both purchases will be used through the Spring & Summer, as well as at Uff-Da Day in early October! The Annual Community Block Party is scheduled to be held at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, June 14, in the City Park adjacent to the Rutland Town Hall. The Volunteer Fireman will be grilling burgers, bratwursts & hot dogs, and Miss Whitney Mahrer will be crowned Miss Rutland 2023. Everyone in the Rutland Community is invited to participate in the Block Party. It’s a great opportunity to greet your neighbors, renew old friendships and make some new ones. There is no charge, and it’s a lot of fun!
So, what the “H” is going on with the U.S. Postal Service now? For many years, the rural routes were classified as either category “J” or category “K”, and the compensation paid to rural mail carriers was based on several criteria, including mileage of the route; number of deliveries on the route; time it took to complete the route; etc. Now, however, the Postal Service has put forward a plan to classify all rural routes as category “H”, a category no one has ever heard of prior to May of 2023. Compensation on all routes will be the same, regardless of miles, deliveries and other criteria. According to at least one carrier who delivers mail to some addresses in Sargent County, the new compensation schedule will result in a reduction of approximately $1,000.00 per month for the carrier serving that route. No one is expected to get a raise under the new system. Additionally, although the Postal Service is advertising for applicants to serve as substitute carriers, the rule will be changed to require regular carriers to work 6 days a week, rather than 5, leaving no days for the substitute carriers to work. Since 2006, the Postal Service has been working hard to make itself unprofitable and to put itself out of business. It has gotten rid of postmasters, clerks and post offices. Now it’s taking aim at the rural mail carriers. It has discouraged customers by raising fees while decreasing service to its patrons. The Postal Service is subject to rules and regulations instituted by the Congress and is under the supervision of the Congress. It is about time that our Congressmen and Senators step up, take responsibility for the disaster they have created, and do something to correct it. The duty of the Postal Service is to deliver the mail in a timely and economical manner. That’s it! Pretty simple. Even a member of Congress should be able to understand it.
The rain last Thursday & Friday, April 27 & 28, and the wind that ripped and roared through the community from Thursday April 27 through Monday, May 1, felt more like late March or early April than late April and early May, but a quick check of the calendar has confirmed that we are already into the 5th month of the year with no appreciable field work on the 2023 crop yet completed. Even though the high temperatures have only been up in the mid-50’s lately, the lengthening days have done away with most of the snow that blanketed Sargent County with a layer of the white stuff several feet deep only a few short weeks ago. The forecasted high temperature of 72 degrees for Wednesday, May 3, was the first time that the thermometer has hit the 70 mark since November 1 of last year.
Local farmers are anxious to get into the field, but some neighbors may have thought that Joe Breker was rushing the season a bit when they spotted Joe out with a self-propelled combine on recently tiled fields on the northerly 2/3 of Section 6, Twp. 129 Rge. 54 LTL, in Tewaukon Township. Joe explained that he was using the weight of the combine to level the filled trenches of the tiling project so he can plant a crop of radishes without wrecking his planter on rocks and dirt clods that were brought to the surface when the tile was installed. The radish seed won’t be ready for harvest until mid to late August. According to Joe, the tile was installed last Fall as part of “The Tri-Farmer Tile Project”, a cooperative effort that involved Joe, Dennis Pherson Jr., and Jerry Woytassek. The tile lines, once installed, allow what used to be excess spring moisture to drain away, taking alkali and other undesirable elements with it, leaving a field that can more easily be planted, and harvested. Joe says that the radishes he plants this Spring will hopefully yield seed that will be sold to other farmers to seed a soil conserving cover crop once their main cash crop, usually corn, soybeans, or wheat, has been harvested. So, although a combine on a bare field at the beginning of May might not be the conventional method of employing that particular implement, it is all part of the no-till and minimum till farming methods employed by many progressive, conservation minded farmers in this 3rd decade of the 21st Century.
Hal Nelson & Bill Anderson of this community drove up to Fargo-Moorhead on Friday, April 28 on a multi-purpose mission. Bill visited his wife, Kathy Brakke, at Lilac Homes Memory Care in Moorhead; Bill & Hal called on Joel Heitkamp at radio station KFGO AM 790 to discuss North Dakota current events and history; and they stopped in to check out preparations for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Day program and exhibit that would be presented at the Fargo Air Museum at Hector Airport on Saturday & Sunday, April 29 & 30. They also checked out gas prices at a major Fargo discount store and discovered that the price there was 5 cents a gallon higher than Rutland Oil Company’s price right here at home. That will teach them to buy at home!
Sunday, April 30, was the 5th Sunday of the month, and was Pastor Julie Johnson’s day off at the TNT Parish. At the Nordland Congregation here in Rutland, lay members presented a skit about the blind beggar whose sight was restored by Jesus on the Sabbath Day. The established church leaders 2,000 years ago condemned both Jesus and the blind man for healing and being healed on the Sabbath. Actors in the skit were: Mike Wyum; Randy Pearson; Steve Wyum; Carolyn Christensen; Kathy Wyum; and Larry Christensen. Those involved delivered the message proficiently, efficiently, and effectively.
“The Lariat Is Back! Long Live The Lariat!” proclaimed Paul Anderson, President of the Board of Managers of Rutland Improvement d/b/a The Lariat Bar LLC on the evening of Friday, December 9, as shareholders and guests gathered to officially reopen the business and provide a “shakedown” cruise for newly hired employees and newly installed equipment. As expected, there were a few problems getting the new, electronic Point Of Sale (POS) system to properly interface withwaitresses and bartenders, but those problems were ironed out as the evening went on. The older technologies – a beer glass is still a beer glass, a bottle is still a bottle and a pizza oven is still a pizza oven – worked right off, without a hitch. In the Kitchen, the full menu that is intended to be offered to the public is not yet available, but customers were pleased to have a full line of appetizers and pizzas available during the first night of operations. The Lariat opened its doors to the public at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, December 10, with Silvia Brooks behind the bar, and business was booming from the moment the first customer came through the door until the bar closed at 2:00 a.m. on Sunday morning. “I am a very happy man,” stated Jerry Woytassek, as he surveyed the full tables and the lineup at the bar. Jerry, along with his wife, Patty, is among the 41 shareholders who acquired The Lariat’s building, equipment & furniture from The Stockgrowers Bank earlier this past Fall, and has been working to get it ready to reopen ever since. Even Mr. & Mrs. Santa Claus, alias Alwood & Jeri Huckell, came to Rutland from their Summer home in Fort Ransom to participate in opening night festivities. With its 2 jumbo TV screens available, one in the main barroom and one in the back room, it is likely that Santa and his Mrs. will be stopping by again before the football season is over. Bar Manager Sue Kaehler expressed her appreciation to all those who came in to make The Lariat Bar’s revival weekend a big success. It is intended that The Lariat Bar will be open 7 days a week, with abbreviated hours on Sunday. In addition to Ms. Kaehler, some of those on the staff include: Silvia Brooks; Tyler Weatherby; Courtney Setter; Tony Banish; Nicole Flannery; Heidi Siemieniewski; and, Shauna Bergh. The Lariat Bar and its predecessors has been Community central in Rutland since Jack Prindiville first poured a shot of whiskey in Prindiville’s Saloon back in October of 1886. The Rutland community is pleased and proud to have The Lariat Bar as an integral part of the community once again.
For the 2nd time in a month, Rutland & vicinity were hammered by a major winter storm, beginning with rain and high wind on the evening of Monday, December 12, changing to snow and high wind on Tuesday, December 13. The storm, moving up from the mountains of Colorado through Nebraska, was predicted to last through Thursday, December 15. Rutland folks woke up to about 9” of new snow that was about the same consistency as wet cement on Wednesday morning. The wet, heavy snow is expected to be tough on pheasants and other wildlife, but just what the doctor ordered for drought parched pastures and fields. It is wet enough, and heavy enough, to stay put once it touches down. The hard packed snow over a sheet of ice has made travel hazardous, and both motorists and pedestrians are advised to proceed with caution. Students at the Sargent Central School system were disappointed that the storm forced the cancellation of classes on Tuesday and Wednesday, but all successfully managed to hide their disappointment behind big smiles and shouts of happiness as they created snow fortresses and snowmen from the material provided by Mother Nature.
Mike Harris; Andy Harris; and, Bill Anderson; stopped in at the PAM Rehab Center in south Fargo on the afternoon of Thursday, December 8, to visit with Doug Spieker who was there recuperating from the effects of a fractured hip. Doug reported that the rehabilitation therapy had been effective, and that he anticipated being back at his Tewaukon Township farm home the next day, Friday, December 9. Doug’s many friends in Rutland know that he is as tough as nails, and that he will be in town, checking out The Lariat, in the near future.
After several years of unsuccessfully applying for financial assistance to aid with the repair and replacement of damaged sidewalks adjacent to Rutland’s Main Street, Rutland City Auditor Debbie Banish would have been justified to have just given up. Giving up is not in Debbie’s constitution, though, so she kept trying. Finally, her perserverance has paid off. On Monday, December 12, 2022, the City received word that it has been awarded more than $147,000.00 to assist with the sidewalk improvement project. The grant is part of the Federally funded Local Transportation Alternatives Program (LTAP), and it is expected that bids for the work that needs to be done will be solicited this coming Spring.
Mike Anderson; Mike Harris; Ione Pherson; and, Norman Preble; Rutland folks with birthdays during the month of December, were honored at the Rutland Seniors’ Center during morning coffee on Monday, December 12, with a big, thickly frosted birthday cake prepared by the birthday girl herself, Ione Pherson. Friends present entertained the birthday gang with a chorus of the “Happy Birthday” song and many good wishes. All of those honored are over the age of 21.
“Oh, you better be good, you better not cry, you better not pout, and I’m telling you why, ‘cause Santa Claus is comin’ to town!” Santa Claus is scheduled to make his 77th annual pre-Christmas visit to Rutland on Santa Claus Day, Saturday, December 17. According to Rutland Community Club President Katie McLaen, activities will begin at 5:00 p.m. in the Rutland Town Hall. There will be a spaghetti supper, games for all and the award of Christmas hams donated by local businesses and individuals. Santa is expected to make his appearance shortly after 5:00p.m. on Saturday, and will be on hand to listen to Christmas requests from children of all ages prior to distributing the Christmas hams. He’s making his list and checking it twice, he’s gonna find out who’s naughty and nice, so be on hand in Rutland when Santa slides in on the ice.
The Christmas Eve worship service at Nordland Lutheran Church in Rutland is scheduled for 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, December 24. All are invited to attend and participate. More good news! The Winter Solstice arrives next Wednesday, December 21. After that, more light and less dark. Things are looking up. Of course, it will keep on getting colder for a while, probably until the middle of February, but as long as the Sun is shining a little more each day, we can take it. At least there will be more daylight to illuminate the thermometer.
Well, that’s the news from Rutland for this week. For additional information about what’s going on in the little city that can, check out the community’s web site at http://www.rutlandnd.com and take a look at the Rutland Facebook page while you’re at it, too. Don’t forget to patronize your local Post Office, and remember to keep the pressure on the U.S. Postal Service and the North Dakota Congressional delegation to SAVE OUR POST OFFICE! Later.
rutlandramblings 