Cobweb Express

Fountain as a Farm Town
by Mel McFarland

Our little prairie farm town was starting to really grown and prosper in the 1920s. The town’s mayor in 1924, R.E. Love, boasted of the prosperity obvious in the look of Main Street.

George Phillips was the town clerk and sold real estate. C.W. Riddoch was the town’s justice of the peace, as well as operated his own lumber yard and investing in local properties. The City’s newly opened electric plant, on Walnut near the D&RGW depot, was run by L.R. Templeton. The town boasted of electricity 12 hours a day! Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph had their own town switchboard run by Alice Force on Main Street, and you call almost anywhere! Doc M. Northrup was the new postmaster, and on the side she had a rooming house.

 There were other places to stay in town. George Metcalfe could find you a room, and the New Brunswick hotel. The town was prosperous enough to support more than one doctor, P.J. Hilgendorf, who also ran the drug store and J.W. Hudson. Then there was Vanderlip Drug Store operated by B. Vanderlip and Dr. Hudson. The town also supported more than one barber, W.S. Austin and Clare Peebles.

 There were several major businesses in town, but there were still plenty of small operators in town. George Clark found plenty to do as the town’s painter. E. Martin operated the Bakery on N. Main A.T. Miller hung on as the town’s shoe and boot maker, assisted by Rudolph Seidl. W. R. White’s little Fountain Cafe was the town’s informal meeting place.

For the ladies in town, Mamie Wolf’s store carried sewing notions, fabric and other supplies and sometimes special clothing items. Fountain Floor and Feed, A.E. Orcutt and W.A. Gooding was just up the block on Main. Fountain Hardware and Implement run by F.J. Monk was also on Main, believed to be in the same block.

Across the street was the Fountain Trading Company, managed by George V. Johnson. The Fountain Theater, located mid block on the west side of Main, was managed by George R. Johnson. It operated from 1920 until about 1926 offering first run pictures. The theater was used for special occasions, school graduations (until the new High School was built), minstrel shows as well as traveling lecturers. It had a marble front as well as a theater style marquee.
I have talked about some of these things before, but these days we think of our quiet little town, it must have really been some sight on a summer day!

CONTACT THE WRITER • MCMIDLAND@YAHOO.COM

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