History of Thompson Building

McClures's Since 1930
1214 Main

Lots 5, 6, 7 & 8, Block 73, Original Town

Frank and Annie Thompson came to Goodland from Roswell, Colorado in 1898 when the Rock Island Railroad transferred Frank here.  Although the railroad brought the Thompson’s to Goodland, it was the automobile that would keep them here.

In Jan of 1915, the Ford dealership, which had been held by the owners of the Kent Garage for the past year, was transferred to Harley Hogeboom and Frank Thompson who opened a car agency under the firm name of Hogeboom & Thompson. They made arrangements with William Hargraves, owner of the Hargraves Garage and Machine Shop, and acquired storage room for the cars and supplies. Their first shipment of cars arrived within a week. In 1915, the price for a Touring Car was $450, a Runabout $440 and a Town Car, $690.

In May 1915, Hogeboom & Thompson purchased two lots on Main Street from the B. F. Brown estate, just north of the Bower Brick. It was here that they planned to construct a building for their garage.

In October 1917, the building was completed. It had cost the owners about $9,000 and had all the conveniences of any city garage. The building was 50 x 100 feet, had cement walls and floor and a steel ceiling, a basement with a furnace for heating the upper floors, an up-to-date store room, reception room, a lavatory, and a large comfortable office. There was also a room upstairs, which was used as a bedroom where a man could sleep so that customers could find someone there to answer the bell at any hour of the night.

A large electric globe was put up at the top of the gasoline pump outside the garage. On the globe were printed the words, "Filtered Gasoline."

The owners were very anxious to have all the county people come in and visit them in their new quarters and advertised that they were prepared to make repairs on any kind of machinery, from sharpening a needle to repairing a tractor engine. In addition, Eddie Whitman joined the garage with his motorcycle business.

In May 1917 Frank Thompson and his son Leonard purchased the interest of Harley Hogeboom and took possession of the automobile and garage business. The purchase included the garage building and a residence just west of the garage. Mr. Thompson sold his home and moved to the house near the garage. The new firm handled Fords and Overlands, and Bull Tractors, while still maintaining the supply and repair departments. The Thompson’s also changed the name of the company to the Goodland Garage. Later, they dropped the Ford dealership and sold only Overlands, Buicks and Pontiacs. The company sold The Bull Tractor, "The Bull With The Pull," until 1920 when the Bull Tractor Company went bankrupt. The tractors sold for $630.

Frank and Annie Thompson had eight children. All but two of them worked at some time in the garage. Daughters, Cora Helen and Rita, were bookkeepers for several years and Kenneth, Vern, Harold and Clarence worked at various jobs in the business.

An additional building was erected in 1920 and a second floor was added for storage and display space. This new addition was a 50 x 140 foot structure, two stories tall.

Mr. Thompson was always interested in projects to improve the community. At various times, he served on the City Council, the hospital board and on the State Highway Commission. During the Great Depression, Mr. Thompson went out of business. He and Mrs. Thompson moved to Denver where they lived until 1949, when they returned to Goodland.

The Thompson Motor Company also had a garage at Kanorado. Forrest McKenzie went to work for them in 1919 in Kanorado selling Ford and John Deere machinery. At first he spent his time traveling between Goodland and Kanorado. In 1934, McKenzie moved to Goodland and continued working at Thompson Motor Company. When the Thompsons went out of business he worked for R. A. Houston and the John Deere franchise.

In the 1934 the Thompson’s business was sold to R.E. Houston and called Goodland Tractor and Implement. Forrest McKenzie was assistant manager and the business was now a John Deere franchise. Forrest McKenzie became the manager when R. E. Houston went to Grand Junction in 1944 to run another John Deere dealership.

Forrest McKenzie married Cora Thompson and they had one son, Dean. Dean later worked with his dad in the John Deere business. Dean married Arlene Ferrell and they had five sons, Jack, Don, Jon, Pat and Mike.

In January 1953, the building was remodeled and modernized. A new entrance was built on the north side of the building and office quarters were moved to the north side of the building. Ample storage room and display quarters were arranged in the modernized building affording it one of the most complete stores in this area.

The building had floor space of some 10,000 square feet, which allowed the owners to add new departments as the occasion arose. The business also owned the two lots to the north of the main building, which were used for display purposes. The wide entrance to the north permitted the moving of equipment to the main display room as desired. A new front over the entire building was also added.

Forrest McKenzie and his son, Dean, ran the business and then purchased it in January of 1956. In 1958 they moved the business to Highway 24 and in 1969 Forrest McKenzie celebrated his 50^th anniversary of working with the John Deere franchise.

Scheufler Supply Company occupied the building from 1959 until 1964. J.B. McClure bought the building from R.E. Houston in 1965.

J.B. McClure, Jr. came to Goodland in August 1930 from North Carolina. He was staying in Brewster and flipped a coin to decide whether to go the Colby or Goodland to look for a job. It came up tails, so the story goes, and he decided to go to Goodland. He applied at W.H. Tipton's for a job. Mr. Tipton asked him if he was a plumber and he told him that he was. When Mr. Tipton asked if he would be stick in Goodland for a while, J.B. replied that he would be staying for a while because he like the wide open spaces in Kansas.

He worked for Mr. Tipton until December 1931. It was during the Great Depression and Mr. Tipton asked him if he would be going back to North Carolina. J.B. told him that he was going to stay in Goodland and start his own plumbing and heating business. He did and the business adopted the slogan still used today, "Since 1930," McClure Plumbing and Heating Company.

He started his business in an alley garage behind the present J.C. Penney store. Then he moved his business to 1105 Main, the current B-E Jewelry building, in 1937. In 1940 and 1941 he worked in a sod garage at his home at 1526 Caldwell. He kept his plumbing business going, but also would do any odd job. He mowed lawns, cleaned out gutters and downspouts.

J.B. always gave much credit to Lowell (Tony) Shaw, Herb Shimeall and his brother, Bob, and R.F. Brock who were the officers of the First National Bank. On December 7, 1934 they helped him purchase the building at 1105 Main.

J.B. and Alta Pearl Croner were married on Nov. 3, 1933. She was a teacher at the Tipton School located just north of the Marshall ranch. In 1931 she and her students were caught in a blizzard and had to stay in the school for a couple of days. They burned desks, chairs and blinds to keep warm.

In May 1937 their first son, J.B. McClure, III, was born and this was a highlight of their lives. In January 1939, Robert L. McClure their second son came along. They enjoyed their boys for a long time, hunting, fishing, camping and boating with them.

In 1946, they moved back to the B-E Jewelry building and then in 1964 bought the John Deere Implement Company building at 1214 Main. Here he started the retail store for plumbing, heating, refrigeration and air-conditioning parts and supplies.

Pearl McClure passed away on March 10, 1969 and J.B. sold the business to J. B. III. He then retired and moved back to North Carolina. He passed away in 1982. Both he and his wife are buried at the Goodland Cemetery.

J.B. McClure, III and his wife Judith, who is the company bookkeeper, run the business today. Their son Mitch manages the Colby branch store, which was started in 1982, and son Mike owns two art galleries in Vail and Beaver Creek Colorado.