Gary read: "It had a Coke machine then. Put a nickel in and out came a seven-ounce bottle of Coke. Pulled the cap off on the opener and took a long swallow of Coke and your eyes watered a little and your nose tingled. They don't make Coke like that anymore. I would pull into Gus's station and he would come out in the wind, cold, sleet and snow and ask what you wanted. I would say, ‘Put in five gallons of regular.’ He would check my tires, oil and radiator, and wipe my windshield off. I would give him $2 (the gas was $1.50). He would go inside and come out with my 50 cents change and say, ‘Thank you, come again.’ Now here it is today. You drive into the gas station. You get out in the cold, wind, snow and sleet. You pump your own gas, check your own tires, oil and radiator, wipe off your own windshield. Trudge to the cashier and give him your $10 for five gallons of gas, buy a can of Coke for a buck and come out with a pocket full of lottery tickets!”

Those days will never be again and we need to keep a reminder of those good old days in Ellendale.

Janice (Ohnstad) Anderson, class of 1962, remembers the station well and shared two stories.

"Back in the mid-1950s, Gus' Station was largely subsidized by local school students. He probably sold more candy than gas in those days. Kids would troop down the block during their lunch hour in order to buy their choice of sweets. However, the school board was going to put a stop to this because they were concerned about student safety. When the students found out, they actually got a petition claiming the boycott would jeopardize Gus' livelihood. A huge number of kids signed the petition, and the school board acquiesced. Not only could the kids continue to go to Gus' Station, the school even provided patrol personnel so the students could cross the street safely. Not only was Gus' business saved, it was a terrific civics lesson in the power of a petition."

Janice goes on to say, "Gus' station could be clearly seen from the upstairs window on the Ohnstad farm. In the ‘50s Grandpa Gabe had a distinct red and white Buick that could be detected if it was parked at Gus'. Grandma Marie had only to check via the window as to when grandpa left the station to know when to put the coffee pot on so it would be ready when Grandpa returned."

As you can see from both of these stories, Gus' station served as a social hub for many Ellendale residents, old and young alike.

Dale E. Johnson, class of 1957, and Gordon Johnson, Class of 1959, sent letters and support for the project to restore the station in memory of their parents. They not only had memories of Gus running the station but special memories of the late 1930s and early ‘40s when their father, Neil, managed the station.

Gordon writes, "Often I would be there during the noon hour when students congregated in the tiny space available. So it would be very special to me to be able to visit the ‘station' in the Village of Yesteryear. I wish you much success."

Leah (Johnson) Casados, the granddaughter of Neil Johnson, wrote, "Thank you for your work preserving memories of Ellendale."

Edith (Lund) Earnest, class of '57, also sent a note, "Stand up and cheer for Gus’! This sounds like a winner!”

Sharon (Calverley) Ruff, class of 1963, also responed to the cause to save Gus's Station: "I hope you are able to get enough money to move Gus' Station and do the other required work."

A short note, "A few dollars for the project", was included with the donation that Bruce Jensen, class of 1955, had sent.

Kenneth C. Albin, class of 1946, also sent a note: "Gus' Station. Yes, I do have memories of this station. I bought gas for my first car there. Would you believe $1 bought five gallons? I have enclosed a donation."

Sandra (Menefee) Taylor, class of 1956, wrote, "This last Christmas, my son, Rusty, found a source for 1950s candy bars and brought them to the family gathering. Everyone had a good time remembering or experimenting with stories and tastes. So, here's money to restore a candy source of the ‘50s."

Kathy Crabtree, class of 1972 shared, " In some cases moms didn't think a trip to Gus's to buy pop and candy was necessary, so quick-thinking students went so far as to sell their lunch tickets so they could buy pop, chips and mallow cups at Gus'.

Wrote Sue (Skroch) Larkin, class of ’81, "Thank you for doing this, it is a terrific cause!  Much to my parents chagrin, I was at Gus‚ station many times.”

Elyce (Dronen) Santere, class of 1971, “This is such a great idea! I have so many fond memories of Gus selling us candy, of my Dad joking that the pump ‘sure wants to make it up to $5’ for a fill-up, and so forth."

 It wasn't just kids and their sweet trips to Gus' Station. Gus had a reputation as a businessman. When you took your automobile to Gus you knew that everything on that car was inspected from belts to turn signals, oil and tires, etc. and he also checked out that "little tick" you couldn't figure out. He was thorough. There was never a doubt in your mind as to what shape your car was in because he was able to tell you and if there was something that you needed to have tended to beyond his capability, he let you know.

We hope that more will "get behind the wheel" and send in donations, as well as memories of all those great times spent at Gus' Station.

Checks can be made out to the Ellendale Area Heritage Society, Gus' Station in the memo, and sent to Barbara Mrotz, at P.O. Box 255, Ellendale, MN 56026.

If anyone has questions concerning the moving and/or resotration of Gus's Station, calls can be made to Lloyd Kaplan at 507-451-3572, or at his e-mail address, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The project needs to be taken care of as soon as possible because of the potential of injury, so we urge you to act as soon as possible to help at least get the building moved.