Ellendale meeting makes headway with SCHS
When people on both sides of a contentious issue can agree on something – anything – it’s progress.
That’s just what made Monday afternoon’s meeting between a pair of history-loving groups such a success.
Dave Effertz, Dan Gorman and Elizabeth Anselmo, officers of the Steele County Historical Society, made the trip south to Ellendale on Monday afternoon, where they met with about 30 residents of Ellendale.
Tensions have been simmering since 2023, when former SCHS Director Jennifer Thiele recommended – then instituted – a lifetime ban of two men who were instrumental in bringing a slice of Ellendale’s history back to life.
Lloyd Kaplan and Terry Prokopec, both of Owatonna, received a cease-and-desist order and were banned from the history center after accusations of theft, bullying and more.
The two had worked for years, along with dozens of other volunteers and the Ellendale Area Heritage Society, to restore and move Gus’ Station from Ellendale to the grounds of the SCHS in Owatonna. The gas station was a fixture in the town for 50 years, then sat empty for about 30 more.
In 2012, the little building was able to be moved, and became an integral part of the historical display on the grounds of the history center.
The ban alienated not only Kaplan and Prokopec – who also ran a popular car show every summer as part of the display – but the greater population of Ellendale.
In November, Thiele left SCHS; that seemed to open the door to a reconciliation between the two factions.
Kaplan and Prokopec wanted two things: The lifetime ban lifted, and an apology for the accusations made against them.
They met with SCHS officials the last week of April, “where we kind of laid the groundwork and the framework of lifting the lifetime ban,” Effertz said Monday.
Removing the ban and providing an apology will not be made official until the May 18 SCHS Board meeting, he said, when members will vote on both issues.
Still, he said, “we wanted to get together with this group, too, and talk to everybody here … to emphasize how important the contributions of Lloyd and Terry have been to bringing Gus’ Station to us.”
There is a consensus from the board, Effertz said, “that the lifetime ban was an overreach, there’s no doubt about that. We’re here because we value you guys, and we want to get you back working together – hopefully helping man Gus’ Station and keep that thriving for many years to come.”
As resident after resident shared their own stories of the gas station at the heart of the matter, it was clear that it was all about, well, heart.
“I was a kid that bought pop and candy there every day after school – and maybe smoked behind the barn,” said Jo Lerberg, whose ancestors were some of the first to settle in Ellendale.
“Everybody here has such a connection to Gus’ Station that we – it’s in our heart to want to have it established again and visited again and honored again at the Steele County Fair,” she said.
“I’m pretty sure we’ve been accused of acting like Gus’ Station is ours,” admitted Barb Mrotz, former longtime president of the EAHS. “Now you hear the reasons why. It might have been an error on our part, because it’s not ours, but we feel like it.
“Forgive us if we overstep that boundary; it’s because we care,” Mrotz said, “and it’s too bad it got twisted around the other way.”
While she recognizes there is now a new executive board, Gale Kaplan told Effertz she thinks “it is owed to (her father and Prokopec), not only an apology, but a retraction of the false accusation of theft. It’s in the past, but I do think that’s important to be addressed.”
She also suggested the SCHS include “ambassadors” from each of the cities of Medford, Ellendale and Blooming Prairie, “because it is about the county – not the city of Owatonna.”
The board is already working on ways to better include the smaller towns in Steele County, including potentially holding a regular meeting in each community once a year, Gorman said.
Members are also working on firming up policies and bylaws, making sure there is safety, consistency and communication throughout the organization and its volunteers.
Monday’s meeting was a positive first step forward, according to Mrotz, Effertz, both Kaplans – and nearly everyone there.
“I think we’re on the right path,” Gale Kaplan said. “I think it’s gong to be a little bumpy getting there, because there’s still some hard feelings. I hope they find the right balance.”
Anselmo is an employee of the Waseca Historical Society, “so I’m really invested in our area as far as historical happenings being preserved, and making sure we’re all connected,” she said. “I’m glad so many of you could come today and feel like we can move forward.”