Your Stories
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MEMORIES OF CHARLIE SORENSON
by Gary Moore
Back in the mid to late 50’s I knew Charlie to some degree. Our paths
crossed once in a while just from being Ames residents. Charlie owned an
oil company called Sorenson Oil Co. and some Phillips 66 gas stations.
The flagship of his company was a gas station located on the north side
of Lincoln Way, across from DOT. There were no interstate highways yet,
and highway 69 (Grand Ave.) was the route that led north to Minnesota and
beyond. Scores of hunters and fishermen went right by this station every
day and stocked up on supplies for the trip north. |
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The large inside of the station resembled a sporting goods store. Everything
that a sportsman thought he needed was sold here. Guns, rods, ammo and
lures were in abundance. A stuffed black bear was on display along with
other fish and animals hanging on the wall. This was the first time that
I had ever seen giant musky lures and heavy musky rods. Shotgun shells
were displayed on a slanting counter inside glass partitions. These were
individual shells and sold by the piece, not by the box. The customer could
buy a few #6 shot shells and a few #4 shells and maybe a couple of buckshot
rounds. There were always some stories being told and everyone left with
a sack of merchandise, a tank of gas and great anticipation as they headed
north. Charlie also built a small motel (66 Motor Inn) on the east side
of the station.
In the late 50’s, Charlie built a new house next to a golf course.
His backyard joined the Ames Golf and Country Club golf course which was
located west off of Beach Ave. in those years. He would just hop on his
golf cart and cross the back yard and go golfing. There wasn't even a fence
between them. This, of course, allowed an occasional golf ball to
land in the yard. You had to learn to ignore a divot now and then. Hitting
balls from inside the rose bed was forbidden.
I had a bit of reputation of being a horticulturist and Charlie ask
me to plant the trees, shrubs and yard for him. He always wanted the biggest
and best plants so they would look like they had been there for many years.
Money was never an issue. For a couple of years I planted an increasing
number of trees and shrubs in his yard. He owned a gas station on South
Duff that had two beautiful evergreens growing there. In the middle of
the summer, he decided that he wanted them moved to his backyard. This
was not a good time of the year to move the trees but he insisted.
I dug two huge holes in his backyard to receive the evergreens.
Then I went to the station and dug the trees up with two huge dirt balls
containing the tree roots. I had Earl Holdrege bring his wrecker and pick
up each tree and place them in the prepared holes. The rest of the year
we watered the trees almost everyday. To my surprise, they did survive
and looked like they had been there for several years.
I used many bags of Scott fertilizer and other Scott yard products
on the yard. The lavish use of the Scott products combined with frequent
watering produced a lawn that was a rich green color and free of weeds.
I took several pictures of the manicured yard and sent them to the Scott
Company. Soon, they featured Charlie’s yard in their nation wide Scott
Lawn Care booklet. Charlie was very proud of the recognition that he received
from the Scott Company. He obtained several extra copies of those booklets
and gave them out to friends.
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