Why is it called a 'Sears and Roebuck' house?

Reprinted with permission from the Winsted-Lester Prairie Journal, July 13, 1992.

Since plans for a golf course on the Oelke farm at the corner of Hwys 7 and 261 came to attention in recent months, some references were made to the "Sears and Roebuck" house on the property.

"We thought we better explain it," said Mary Oelke, 97, visiting in Lester Prairie last week.

The blueprints for the house were ordered from Sears and Roebuck in 1916 by Mary along with a number of other items, she explained.

At that time, the blueprints cost only one dollar. The design was similar to homes being built in Edmonton, Canada, around then.

Lumber sawing was started in April 1917 and the house was finished on Thanksgiving Day 1918.

All the rough lumber for the house was made from trees on the property by Mary's husband, Reinhold. Paul Dumke was the carpenter assisted by Walter Milbrath. Helmuth Schultz did all the masonry work.

All the outbuilding on the farm were also made from home-sawed lumber coming from trees on the property. They were built in the years following the house, starting with the barn.

At first, the house had carbide lights. In the basement, water was poured on carbide crystals in a large tank to create gas which then went to light fixtures mounted on the walls. Each of the lamps had a switch to turn it on and off, and a crystal lampshade, Mary's son Oral recalled.

Electricity first came to the house in 1940. Originally NSP wouldn't serve the farm until rural electric cooperatives came into the area; then the Oelkes had to take service from NSP because neighboring properties already were with that utility.

"You wouldn't believe how we stayed up and played 500 the first time we got the lights," recalled Mary's daughter Vira.

Other features of the house were two stained glass windows on the east side, a built-in buffet, a plate railing around the dining room, and hot water radiators fueled by wood and coal.

"Mother wept when we left. That was her buffet," Vira said. The family moved to Minneapolis in 1973 and has been renting the house since.

Herman Oelke, Sr., purchased 200 acres on the corner of Hwys 7 and 261 well over 100 years ago. His son, Richard, the oldest of 13 children was born there in 1869 where the McRaith farm is along Hwy. 261.

Later the land was divided between three sons - 80 acres to Willie (Which is now the McRaiths') and 60 each to Reinhold and Herman, Jr. Oral later purchased Herman Jr.'s 60 acres.

The two 60-acre parcels were sold for the new golf course with the closing taking place July 1.