Left- the Erfurth-Trainor Citgo Station on the 40th anniversary
Garages Of Mt.Vernon
Before automobiles came to be, the blacksmiths and the carriage makers were called upon to make the needed repairs on transportation vehicles. A Mt. Vernon report in a 1884 newspaper said, "A runaway horse belonging to Wm. Arnold broke loose last Sunday at J. P. McPherson's and ran till he turned the corner by Ike Brader's, when the buggy flipped. This checked his speed somewhat and he was caught. The buggy was left at T. Eyerell's shop for repairs." In the days of horse-drawn wagons there were several blacksmith shops operating in Mt. Vernon. The blacksmith shop that was built by Issac Spaanem, and later operated by Albert Lee, then by Miner Marty, was purchased in 1956 by Harland Erfurth.
In the 1920's the Colby brothers ran an auto repair shop and sold farm machinery in Mt. Vernon, and Alfred Eggimann serviced vehicles for many years at the garage that is now the J & W Bar. Throughout the years the corner garage in Mt. Vernon, has never had to look far for a good repairman. The original owners of the shop were the Lee brothers, Ben, George, and Herman. In the 1930's, Rodney Kollath purchased the garage and operated it for many years. In 1937, Walter Brink rented the garage. Next came Orville Showers who owned the service station and did his share of mechanical repairs. No problem was too large or too small that he would not undertake. Walter Brink recalled, "One day I took my hay baler to him. The stationary knife was fastened by a counter sunk screw. He applied a screwdriver to no avail. He then used a huge pipe wrench and twisted the screwdriver. I asked, 'What do I owe you for the screwdriver?' His answer was, 'No problem, Sears Roebuck guarantees all of their tools, I will get a new one.' My knife was sharpened and I was back in business. A sign in the shop read, 'We think as much of our tools as we do of our wives, so please do not ask to borrow either"'.
Melvin Westby rented and operated the garage for some years after Orville Showers. In 1954, Adolph Fredrickson bought the auto repair business from Orville Showers, and rented the building from him. Adolph operated the auto repair and body shop along with a full-service gas station for the next five years. Gasoline was 24 cents per gallon. Pop was 5 cents a bottle, and the labor charges for repairs were $3.00 per hour. Like Orville, Adolph had the "know how" for motors and car bodies. Having to fix a twisted door on the passenger side of a 1948 Chevrolet, Adolph first went to a salvage yard in Dayton, Wisconsin. There he found a door and installed it, matched the body paint and the Chevy was on the road again. Adolph Fredrickson kept Mt. Vernon residents on the move in fine tuned vehicles. The garage business was then sold by Orville Showers to Harland Erfurth. Adolph Fredrickson now resides in Mt. Horeb.
In 1956, Harland Erfurth began operating a repair shop in the old blacksmith shop that he had bought from Miner Marty. Then in 1959, Harland purchased the corner garage from Orville Showers. For some years the gas station had been a DX brand station. In 1959 it was transferred over to Cities Service, and it still remains a Citgo dealership. In 1970, Erfurth's brother-in-law, Gerald Trainor, became a partner in the business. Gary Trainor is a full time employee. They handle automotive repair, front end alignment, welding and tire repair for the entire town and farming community. They also operate a bulk delivery service, once operated by Harland's father. On March, 1, 1996, Harland Erfurth celebrated his fortieth year in the business.