History | Town History


North Branch


Baker and Shoesmith started their store in North Branch where the demands were unlimited and the means were nil. Luke and Hub had faith in these people and confidence in the community. They served the community in a way that established a close bond between Hub and Luke and their patrons. They had confidence and faith in these people and confidence in the community. This enabled Hub and Luke to serve the community in a way that brought forth from their patrons many expressions of appreciation.

With customers like this and with merchants like Baker and Shoesmith the community prospered. The North Branch Store like many other country stores became "hubs" or "centers" of their communities. Baker and Shoesmith also owned and operated a store in Hamlin for Many years and they had many friends in the Hamlin area. Hub, being an ambitious and energetic young man started his famous "Huckster Wagon". In this wagon he would travel from farm to farm with supplies needed by his prospective customers and he would buy just about anything they had to sell. He would visit different areas and had a predetermined and announced schedule for his travels. Each night he would bring the wagon back to a spot just east of the store. There it would be un-loaded and re-stocked with supplies for the next days trip. The "Huckster Wagon" was operated for a period of several years and was probably discontinued about 1910. About this time the automobile was coming into more common use by patrons of the store. With the coming of the automobile the patrons made trips to town to purchase their supplies, rather than to rely upon the "Huckster Wagon".

Mr Baker stayed in the store to do much of the book work and to supervise the operations of this "early" shopping center. One marked difference between the shopping center operated by Mr. Baker and the shopping centers of today was that he bought from as well as sold to his customers. The eggs, butter, chickens and other items he bought from his patrons were in turn sold and delivered to other patrons. Patrons selling items to the store were paid either in cash or in credit. A small building was constructed at the northwest corner of the store and used as a place to pick and dress chickens for sale in surrounding towns. One of the men who dressed chickens for the store was Ike Ely of Guthrie Center. He would come to North Branch one day a week to dress chickens.

Clay Foresman clerked in the North Branch Store for several years as did Rae Baker and Marie Shoesmith. George Bash operated a dray service and hauled much of the merchandise shipped in by the store.

*Families of North Branch page 33.


See also: Shoesmiths of North Branch



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