Chapter 5

In 1908 ten farmers and ranchers decided to form a corporation to build a general store. They were: John Meyer, Sam Carlson, Jim Leonard, Tom Nesting, Harry Fisher, J.W. Reed, D. Cargill, S.W. Davis, Charles Tonberg, Chris Zimmerman. Each paid $100.00 for one share. The store was built by Jim Leonard for $1000.00. They hired Colin McAskile to be manager. He put in $500.00 worth of stock which gave him one third interest in the store. The corporation paid him fifty dollars a month and twenty percent of the net profit.

In 1909 the store did over $60,000 worth of business with a net profit of $9,000. Shareholders were paid $300.00 a share. That winter a $3000 store addition was constructed and a stock of $9,000 was put in.

Seven Persons was growing so very quickly. Settlers came in by the hundreds. Some went thirty to forty miles away from the village. What was once named for seven people became populated by three hundred.

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