Ostermann, Gus

OSTERMANN

Posted By: Volunteer
Date: 12/19/2003 at 18:27:45

Gus Ostermann Family

Henry Ostermann, father of Gus, came to America with the Mueller family. He was engaged to Dora Mueller in Germany, and they were married in America. They settled in Sioux County, Iowa. Henry died in 1899.

Gus Ostermann was born in Sioux County, Iowa, on August 26, 1887. His mother brought her six children-Adolph, Will, Gus, John, Alfred and Hulda, to Horton township in 1900. She bought a farm one mile north of the Horton church for which she paid $55.00 per acre. Will Ostermann lived there for many years.

Gus married Redina Bremer on January 29, 1913. They farmed just south of the Zion Lutheran Church. They had three sons, Hans, Reuben and Daniel.

Gus had a threshing and corn shelling business and in 1914, started grading township roads with the old threshing steam engine and a blade grader. By 1915, he had acquired a gas powered tractor called a "Big 4". It was about the size of a steam tractor with eight foot high wheels and very little power. In following years Gus acquired more modern equipment including a "Best" crawler tractor and an elevating grader. Best was the forerunner of the Caterpillar Tractor Company. Work in these years consisted of grading roads for various townships and later contract projects in Osceola County and Rock and Nobles County in Minnesota. The first State Highway contract came in 1932, on Highway 9 and 33 north of Sibley. During this period dirt was hauled in dump wagons pulled by teams of three mules and loaded with the elevating grader. A construction camp was part of the operation with portable mule barns for 60 head of mules, bunk houses, blacksmith shop, Paul Meyer was the blacksmith, and a cook house. All of this was mounted on wheels.

Elsie Manka of Ocheyedan was the cook for many years. One of the last jobs on which mules were used was in 1933, on a contract for a section of US Highway #65 east of Des Moines. After the mules, equipment progressed to scrapers pulled by Caterpillar tractors and later self propelled scrapers of a type still in use today. The partnership of Gus Ostermann & Sons was formed in 1934 with sons, Hans and Reuben. Daniel became a partner in 1946.

After Pearl Harbor, the US Government decided that a land route to Alaska should be built under wartime emergency conditions. A group of 14 Iowa contractors, including the Ostermann Company, joined together and obtained a contract with the Public Roads Administration to build the Alaskan portion of the Alaska Highway. In the spring of 1942, Carl Clausen, Hans Ostermann and several other men accompanied the equipment by rail to Seattle, and then on to Valdez, Alaska, aboard an old wooden sailing vessel pulled by a tug. From Valdez the equipment had to be moved a distance of 300 miles over the Richardson Highway (a narrow gravel road through mountainous terrain) to a point where work was to start near Big Delta. Some bridges were too narrow or weak to accommodate heavy equipment so it was necessary to ford some very swift rivers. It was discovered that engine fans had to be disconnected since when submerged in water they would bend into the radiators. Hans took a very cold dive in 35' of water in order to hook a cable to the drawbar of a stranded D8 Cat.

In mid June of 1942, the main body of workers for the Alaska Project embarked by special train from Sioux City. Ostermann's group of about 70 employees boarded at Sibley. Many of these men were from the Ocheyedan area. Transfer was made to Pullman cars at Minneapolis, and this train traveled all the way to Edmonton, Canada. After arrival at Edmonton, it was determined that

Alaska was not ready to receive this influx of workers so everyone was put up in hotels for two weeks. The Canadians were most friendly. A common remark was that they would like to join the USA. You wonder if they still feel that way.

When the order came to head to Alaska, the workers were flown to the Big Delta air force base. This writer remembers flying out in a DC3 airliner that had the seats and interior lining removed to turn it into a cargo plane. We sat on our luggage and fortunately the air was calm. The government was to furnish food, lodging and supplies for the project. Upon arrival at Big Delta, nobody was there. No one knew anything. Sitting around for 24 hours with nothing to eat didn't seem quite so bad since it never got dark. The army finally took pity and gave everyone a big corned beef sandwich. It was delicious, but no one realized at the time that canned corn beef from Argentina would be the only meat to be served, breakfast, lunch and dinner for the next six weeks.

Starting around July 4, 1942, the Ostermann crew, working together with Scothorn Construction of Cherokee, built about 70 miles of narrow road before freeze up by working two 12 hour shifts, seven days a week. Two large glacial rivers were crossed along with numerous streams and muskeg bogs. Graves Construction from Melvin built bridges on this section. It was interesting work since when each shift came on duty they were seeing new territory that the previous crew had cleared and graded. Much of the terrain encountered was far different than that found in Iowa. In some areas, foot thick tundra covered soil frozen year around.

The men lived in tents at first and in time small bunk houses mounted on log skids.

Portable saw mills turned green logs into lumber and bunk houses were built the next day. After two or three weeks they would pass for corn cribs.

In 1943, each contractor was assigned a section of road to build up to a higher type road. Bridge builders replaced temporary log bridges with steel and concrete structures. Huge mastadon tusks were dug out of a frozen hill and promptly chopped up and made into various trinkets.

Alaska was still a frontier with only 70,000 people living in the entire territory. The only casualty among the road workers was one fellow who was shot dead in Fairbanks by an 80 year old bartender whom he had threatened to hit with a bottle. No hearing was held nor charges filed.
Gus loved Alaska and wanted to stay on and go into business there after the war. In 1947, Gus, Redina and Daniel drove to Alaska over the then all gravel highway. The trip was made in a 1946 Ford "Woody" which is still in the family.
After the Alaska Highway was completed in the fall of 1943, all of the contractor's equipment was purchased by the government. The three Ostermann sons enlisted in the navy and the firm was out of business from that time until mid 1946. Between 1947 and 1962, the partnership also operated a farming business. In 1949, the company won a contract in Guthrie County involving over one million cubic yards of grading which was thought to be the largest dirt project let in Iowa up to that time.

In 1966, Daniel Ostermann became sole owner and the firm name was changed to Dan Ostermann, Inc. With an expanding road program during the 1970's the operation was increased to about fifty employees. Since that time operations have been reduced considerably due to lack of available projects. Employees from the Ocheyedan-Sibley area presently include Maurice Craun, General Superintendent; Russell Wills, Superintendent; Hurley Stahl, Formen; and Mel Loeschen, Harold Youngdahl and John Tolsma, operators.

Gus Ostermann was born August 26, 1889, and married Redina Bremer on January 29, 1913. He was killed in a farm accident September 28, 1961. Redina Bremer Ostermann was born April 29, 1892, and is now living at the Sibley Care Center. Hans Ostermann was born October 28, 1914, and was married to Lillian Glade. Hans died in an automobile accident July 6, 1968.
Rueben Ostermann was born October 31, 1917, and is now living in Mesa, Arizona. His first wife, "Jeni", died July 5, 1983. She was Elaine Jenkins of Cherokee. He married Donna Rausch on November 2, 1985. Deane Ostermann Schellschmidt lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota. James Gus Ostermann lives in Denver, Dolorado. Michael Ostermann lives in Saginaw, Texas. Gayle Ostermann Lehmkuh lives in Fairbank, Iowa.

Daniel Ostermann was born November 18, 1925, and now lives in Spirit Lake, Iowa. His wife is Harriet Cunningham of Worthington, Minnesota. Constance Ostermann Parker lives in Shawnee, Kansas, Rhoda Ostermann lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Bruce Ostermann lives in Worland, Wyoming.

Ocheyedan, Iowa Centennial