Engebretson store building into shape. The man and his wife had some experience in dry goods. They soon expanded, moving into the building north of the State bank. Here they grew and prospered. Louie had everything in the sales line. He bought flour, peaches, apples, salt, etc. in car load lots and his trade increased far beyond the Lake Wilson territory. His success here attracted buyers and the Kaplans sold out here and moved into Iowa.
Locating in Storm Lake, he operated a chain of stores throughout Iowa and southern Minnesota, and branched out into the wholesale grocery business while residing in Storm Lake.
They moved the wholesale business to Sioux City, Ia. and expanded their retail stores.
In 1929 they adopted a four year old girl, Doris, and in 1932 a son, Jay, was born to them. Doris was married in August, 1944, to Allan H. Rolfe, of Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Louie never lost the human touch for his Lake Wilson friends—something that is greater than fame or honor.
Baseball "Came" to Lake Wilson in "Gay Nineties";
Baseball as it was played here in the late eighties was a pretty crude sport. We used to play in the pasture just south of the Bobbie Smith home. Bill Mooney, who lived over in Leeds twp. was an ardent baseball fan. He came from Iowa. Bill asked his nephew Hugh Mooney to come and visit him. He was a curve ball pitcher and a good one. We were playing the Sod Grabbers that day, a team from over Buffalo Ridge way, and a quaint bunch they were. The town lads were decked out in pants of blue, yellow and scarlet. The Grabbers wore overalls and their catcher had feather beds for mitts. He had one for each hand, big affairs they were, stuffed with chaff and feathers. When he caught the ball he had to stop and take off one mitt and then the other, and by that time the runner, like Greenberg, was on third. Hugh fairly stood the Grabbers on their heads. They were bowing and bending like a head waiter at his curves and the score ended 67 to 3 in favor of the curve ball. Hugh is a cousin of Ed. Scully of Hadley. Bill Mooney still lives at Waverly, Iowa.
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CHURCH HISTORY OF LAKE WILSON
THE GERMAN EVANGELICAL CHURCH
The first church in Lake Wilson was the German Evangelical. It was organized in 1898 by Rev. Hahlen. Among the organizers were the Theo. Roeseler, Fred Kuist, Julius Nepp, Otto Bauman, Carl Rickgarn, Robert Koplein and J. Plambeck families.
Services were first held in the old schoolhouse. Then a small church was built. With the coming of other churches the membership began to dwindle and the church was sold in 1920 to the members of the Catholic church.
THE LUTHERAN CHURCH
The Lake Wilson Lutheran church was organized at the old school house in Lake Wilson on the evening of April 17, 1903, the Rev. L. O. Fossum of Slayton acting as chairman of the meeting. The Lutheran Christians in and around Lake Wilson organized by adopting a befitting constitution in which
