The El Paso Elevator Company was purchased in October, 1964 by Forrest Douglas of Clinton. Homer Sturm, who had been manager of the company for 22 years, resigned January 1, 1971, and David Eaton became manager. Wallace Furrow and George North, who had formed El Paso Grain and Equipment Company several months earlier, purchased El Paso Elevator Company and took possession June 1, 1971. Two elevators and a storage building in El Paso, an elevator at Enright (two miles east of El Paso), were included in the sale. The company had also owned elevators at Panola (which burned August 8, 1967) and Kappa, (which burned March 14, 1971). The cause was undetermined in both cases. Metal storage buildings still remain at Kappa.

In early 1972, El Paso Grain and Equipment bought the property known as El Paso Pellets, Unlimited, Inc. Located two miles south of El Paso on U. S. 51, it was purchased from Central Soya, Inc. who had acquired it in 1968. El Paso Pellets was started in 1962 by George Krug, Jr., Carl Krug, Eugene Cleary, Louis Meier, Stanley Kelsey, and K. A. LaRochelle. On November 19, 1972, Wallace Furrow became the sole owner of El Paso Grain Equipment, buying out the interest of George North.

The Woodlean Plant Food, Inc. was built by Robert Schertz in 1961 south of the T. P. & W. Railroad on the site of the El Paso Greenhouses, which were razed in early 1959. In 1968, it was purchased by the Gulf Oil Company and was operated as the Gulf Farm Center. Merlin Franke and Phil Mullvain bought the business in the summer of 1970. They provide both liquid and dry fertilizer from the El Paso plant and also from plants which they own at Secor and Flanagan.

After selling the fertilizer business, Robert Schertz began Schertz Aerial Service, Inc., providing a crop-dusting service by airplane to farmers in the area. He was seriously injured August 11, 1973 when his plane crashed near Hudson. Although hospitalized for many weeks, Schertz was able to make a good recovery from the injuries he sustained in the accident.

The Aylward Fertilizer Company opened their plant east on U. S. 24 November 10, 1954. Kaiser Agriculture Chemicals purchased the plant in 1964. Alan Schultze is the present manager. California Chemicals, Ortho Division, began operations in February, 1965, and the plant was enlarged in 1966. Richard Page has been manager since February 2, 1967.

The Behlen Manufacturing Company located a plant on U. S. 51 two miles south of town and began operations August 3, 1962. Metallic buildings of various sizes and purposes are distributed from this center. Robert Wolberg is the manager. In the spring of 1973, one-half of the office building was leased by Agri-Business Sales Corp., which is operated by Delmar Prosser and is a dealer for Behlen buildings.

Herman Marten, who had been employed in the Burster & Henning Clothing Store for several years, purchased the business February 1, 1952, and continued to operate it until his death March 15, 1963. Mrs.

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