posted January 2024
and more photos March 2024
by Gary Gauer
Elvin J. Strom was a pioneer merchant, and at the time of his death had been in the general merchandise business for 59 years. He purchased his first bill of goods in April, 1903, at Thorpe, Minn. Shortly before his death he made the remark that before the railroad came through, he must have travelled at least 30,000 miles between Thorpe and Bird Island, hauling freight through rain, sunshine, snow, and blizzard. It was during those days that he "pioneered" in inaugurating daylight saving time. In December, 1912, unknown to his hired help, who were hauling freight from Bird Island to Thorpe, he set the clocks ahead a few hours. They got an “early" start on their journey, and you can imagine their surprise and bewilderment when daylight did not come. The pioneer spirit was evident at a very early age in Mr. Strom's life. On Jan. 31, 1899, at the age of 18, he ventured out on the long trip to Minneapolis, riding his bicycle. In his pocket he had 10 or 12 silver dollars and tied on the handlebars were 20 muskrat hides. He rode the first 15 or 20 miles on the ice of Crow River, then transferred to the road. All this without benefit of a heater! It required two days to get to his destination. Mr. Strom was an important figure in getting the railroad into this section of the country. He opened the first store in Lake Lillian. He served for many years as postmaster and was a major stockholder in the First State Bank of Lake Lillian.
ELVIN J. STROM, prominent businessman in Lake Lillian since the village was established more than 35 years ago, died suddenly of a heart attack at his home on Sunday, Jan. 21 1962. He was born in Lake Lillian township Jan. 8, 1881. Most of his 81 years were spent in the immediate community. He was united in marriage to Helen Erickson, also of Lake Lillian. Of this union, three children were born; one son, Vernon of Minneapolis, two daughters, Mrs. Knute Omlie (Francis) of Manhattan Beach, California and Lorraine Freeburg, Hermosa Beach, California, ten grandchildren and two great grandchildren. Also surviving are one sister, Mrs. W. S. Ladd of Los Angeles and two brothers, Clifford, and Leonard Strom of Minneapolis. There are also a number of other relatives and many friends who mourn his passing. Funeral services were conducted on Jan. 26, at 2 p.m. at Grace Lutheran Church, Pastor M. A. Thompson, officiating. The 'large number in attendance showed the respect Mr. Strom had gained in the community. Music was furnished by Vernon and Lester Lundquist and by Mmes. Glen Boll, Burton Flann, and Kenneth Yarmon, with Mrs. A. Klevos, organist. Pallbearers were Harold Jacobson, Arthur Peterson, Eldon Nelson, Oliver Nelson, Norman Nelson and Earl Swenson. Interment was at the Baptist Cemetery. K-M Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.
1 Oct 1902, Wed Willmar Tribune (Willmar, Minnesota) ·
Cards have been received this week announcing the marriage of Miss Helen Erickson and Mr. Elvin J. Strom, former residents of the southern part of this county. but, now residing in St. Paul. 'The marriage occurs today at the home of J. A. Giantvalley 285 Lofond St., St. Paul. Both young people are held in high esteem by their many friends, and the best wishes of their Kandiyohi county acquaintance go with them to their new home.
June 18, 1928
The community was shocked to hear of the death of Mrs E J Strom. The funeral took place last Sunday at one o'clock at the Baptist church of Lake Lillian.
Note
Helen was born Mar 14 1880 to my great grandfather John Erickson and great grandmother Anna Olson Erickson. Helen was the next younger sister to my grandfather August Erickson. See more of the Erickson Family on this site.
The above is a picture of a party of Lake Lillian residents enjoying the novelty of a cruise in E. J. Strom's new 1910 Buick, one of the first automobiles in that (at that time) far-from-the-railroad community. Seated in the car are Elvin Strom, the owner, at the wheel; beside him is the late Henry Bomsta. Crowded into the back seat are Sam Hodgedon; the late H. A. Lobnitz (with straw hat); Bennie ' Bomsta, and Henry Lobnitz, now of the road contracting firm of Lotbnitz Brothers of Willmar. The car is one that Mr. Strom won in a St. Paul Daily News subscription contest. The picture was taken on the streets of Bird Island in August, 1910. Besides the design of the car, there are other things in the picture to indicate that the photograph was not taken very recently.
The photo
is a more recent restoration in white of a 1910 Buick.
December 22 1916 ARP / LL
E J Strom went to Minneapolis on Saturday to join the Overland Excursion on Monday for Toledo, Ohio.
(note that that the overland automobile factory was at Toledo. By 1912 at 26,000 units, Overland had become America's second largest producer of cars and exceeded only by Ford. )
The village of Lake Lillian was started in the spring of 1923. E. J. Strom built the first store and was open for business April 28, 1923. To this day (In 1958) Mr. Strom is active in this general merchandise business. The first customers on the opening day were Arthur Johnson and Emil Olson, both now living.
Daily Tribune Vol 17 No. 4
They say everyone should have a hobby. Some people do. Some have a hobby of collecting all kinds of postage stamps. Some collect old coins, some old guns. Fred Ruh of Willmar collects army buttons, medals, etc. We visited a country parson out in Kansas several years ago whose hobby was collecting old clocks. In Creston, Iowa, recently we met a lady who had a cabinet with about a hundred different cream pitchers. But it took E. J. Strom to ride a hobby that is just considerably different. He doesn't store stamps in a book or trinkets in a case. He stores automobile license numbers in his mind.
Elvin Strom is a merchant in Lake Lillian. He is an ordinary fine looking gentleman with a kindly countenance and with nothing about him to suggest the unusual, much less anything akin to magic or wizardry. Yet Mr. Strom came into the Willmar Daily Tribune office the other day and before he left he had us all agap. And, Mr. Ripley, here is one for ya, believe it or not. The Lake Lillian merchant pro- posed to give a demonstration of his memorization faculties. He asked Emil Aspaas, the veteran of the Tribune force, to take his lead pencil and write down the figures. And "right off the bat," faster than Aspaas could write, he gave the 1942 automobile license numbers of nearly 150 automobile owners, mostly farmers in that part of the county and neighborhood. There was no hitch about it; no hokus pocus. Right out from the recesses of his memory Mr. Strom brought out those numbers unhesitatingly, as the witnesses, Ernie Olson, Don Miller, Reuben Bengtson, Eben E. Lawson, all honorable men, can testify.
We are printing the list here- with. Of course, if we were to check up on these numbers, we would have to go down to Mike Holm's offce in St. Paul, and it would entail a lot of tedious work. But Mr. Strom avers that if any of these license-plate numbers are in- correct, the owner can come to his store in Lake Lillian prove him wrong and go with him across the street for a free lunch. Any of the auto owners on this list who find their license numbers given incorrectly will please drop the Tribune a card. We might add that Mr. Strom has not had a written list which he has studied and memorized. He is a very busy man. These figures have been stored away in his memory incidentally and casually as he has seen the cars on the street. Some of these car numbers he has seen only once. At no time has he ever written down a number. He thinks he knows the number of over two hundred cars. Do you think you could remember just three of these license numbers until you walked to the next corner? We dare say that half the auto owners can't remember the number even of their own car. Here is the list of numbers as Mr. Strom gave them:
These two pictures portray the maturity of Lake Lillian. Elvin Strom was the first businessman in Lake Lillian. The small picture shows him as he was when he first started the store. The picture to the left shows him as he is today in his store. He is waiting on a customer, Mayor Harold Jacobson.
The photo was probably taken from the yard on the August Erickson farm in about 1947.
In about 1947, when I was in 3rd grade, I bought 10 cent comic books and (then newly available) ball point pens at his store.
After he died in 1962, his son Vernon operated the store for a few more years. The building was used later as a recreation center with drinks and a pool table and called the "Blue Onion" .