R. L. Beshers built a creamery and cold storage plant south of the west Y on Route 24 at a cost of $25,000 which began operation May 4, 1922, manufacturing ice cream and butter. They also canned a few products and rented space for refrigeration of home supplies, particularly meat. Frank S. Cleary leased the plant for several years. It was finlly sold to the Pfister Hybrid Corn Company and remodeled into its present office buildings.

Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Hildreth opened the Prairie State Hatchery on Adams Street in 1928. The original plant included the hatchery and brooder house, and a large laying house was added. After Mr. Hildreth's death, Mrs. Hildreth continued the business until 1951.

LIVESTOCK. A community such as El Paso cannot be divorced from the farms which surround it; there are few families not having personal ties with some farm. In the years until about 1935, horses were of prime importance for transportation and for farm power; thus the breeding of fine horses was a part of many farmers' vocations. J. M. Worley, Smith Dixon, W. R. Boyd, John Ward, J. M. Messer, John L. Patton, Christian Geiger and Ed Hodgson were among leading breeders in the late 1870's and 1880's. Ed Hodgson made three trips to Europe, in 1882, 1883 and 1884, returning each time with choice Clydesdale and Englishshire horses for his large stables. William Bohlander was associated with his father, Ben Bohlander, in such breeding, and was probably the last to make a trip to Europe to purchase horses, for in 1911 when they made one trip, power machinery was already making inroads on certain farms.

Porter S. Bassett, who was in Greene Township in 1855, raised Poland China hogs; J. M. Stonebraker specialized in Duroc Jerseys. J. S. Hammers & Son, Cushing Jones, J. L. Patton and J. M. Worley raised Shorthorn cattle; George Yerion and A. D. Hopps preferred Galloway cattle, a breed seldom seen today. Pleasant H. Bigger bred Red Polled stock, while George Yerion added Polled Angus to his Galloway breed.

Today the Angus herd of Charles Rundles and son Warren, and Mark Fruin's Red Polled cattle have probably captured more prizes at shows than any others ever exhibited from our community. Burnell Hayes, with a very limited acreage at Panola, has developed a prize-winning breeding stock of Suffolk sheep. Lyle Armstrong, southwest of El Paso, has one of the largest hog producing operations that has ever been in the area. The feeding of beef for gain is an annual operation of many farms, and usually a profitable way to dispose of a corn crop.

During recent years an expanding program of education in agriculture for farm youth has developed youngsters who present tough competition in the prize ring, from small local shows to the big International Livestock Show in Chicago. Leo Stokes has shown sheep, hogs and cattle at the big show continuously for five years. Glenn Schertz was there in 1950 and Donald Hartter in 1952 and 1953; all received their training through FFA in high school and in 4-H work.

Page 163

Go to previous page

Go to next page

Go to El Paso Story gateway page