History of Stenerson Bros. Lumber Co. Five Generations of a Family Business
Stenerson Bros. Lumber Co. began in 1889 at the hands of three young Norwegian brothers.Emigrating from Norway in 1885, Sven, Gunder, and Knute Stenerson purchased forty acres of wooded land near Pelican Rapids, MN. While cutting wood for heating and cooking, they discovered that many of the trees were large enough for processing into lumber. The men sawed these trees into dimension lumber and sold them in Pelican Rapids.
Seeing the Stenersons as strong competition, the owner of the existing lumberyard in Pelican Rapids soon sold his business to the three brothers, forming the partnership - Stenerson Lumber. As the brothers grew more successful, they expanded their trade into other area towns, becoming incorporated in 1908. The rest is history; over a century’s worth of good times and bad…droughts and floods…recessions, depressions, and booms…profitable years and lean years…all supplying lumber and building materials in West-Central Minnesota and Eastern North Dakota.
Over the last 121-plus years, the Stenerson family has operated yards in Minnesota: Pelican Rapids, Erskine, Mentor, Felton, Borup, Halstad, Hendrum, Erhard, Averill, Gonvick, Fertile, Morris, and South Moorhead. In North Dakota, the family held yards in Kermit, Columbus, and Wahpeton. In the early years, Stenerson Lumber followed the railroads into the region, setting up shop in small towns. Eventually, as motorized vehicles increased hauling distances, the smaller yards closed, giving way to the larger stores operating today. At present, Stenerson Lumber operates yards in Moorhead, Fergus Falls, Detroit Lakes, and Crosby, all in Minnesota.
From the first generation until today’s fifth generation, we celebrate the same commitment to quality that has been important at Stenerson Lumber since Day One. The Stenerson family has
been active in the communities it serves and encourages their employees to do so as well. The Company and its associates have invested time and money in many long-term businesses in the
area and serve on various boards and committees.
Discovering quite innovative ways of doing business, Stenerson Bros. Lumber Co. has survived in the market for many years. Discovering unique niches and setting up subsidiary companies,
Stenerson Lumber has clearly stood the test of time. Successful remodeling divisions were started to fill a need in the area for small remodeling projects. And, surprisingly, at one time Stenerson Lumber sold mobile homes, farm machinery, snowmobiles, movable farm buildings such as corn-cribs and granaries, used lumber (in the days of building material restriction during WWII), and even owned and operated apartment buildings.
Today, Stenerson Bros. Lumber Co. offers four full-line lumberyards including installed sales and contractor financing. Assisting both the professional contractor and the do-it-yourselfer, they have specialists that can design a home for the builder or help a novice with any small project. They provide over a century of growth, stability, service, and experience you can count on. Truly, Business On the Level since 1889.
Pelican Rapids, MN 1900's
Pelican Rapids, MN Early 1900's
Columbus, ND 1906
Hendrum, MN 1910
Borup 1915
Felton, MN 1925 - I.S. Stenerson
Historic Moments and Events
Click on a date box below to find out more about what happened in that historic year. Click the date box again to collapse results.
Sven, Knute, and Gunder’s lumberyard partnership begins in Pelican Rapids, MN. North Dakota and South Dakota enter the United States
Stenerson Lumber begins expansion to outlying areas with a new lumberyard in Erskine, MN. Expansion continues in the next few years to Mentor, Felton, Borup, Halstad, Hendrum, Erhard, and Averill in MN and Kermit and Columbus in ND.
Wright Brothers complete the first flight.
Albert Einstein introduces the Theory of Relativity.
Stenerson Bros. Lumber Co. incorporates in MN. / Ford Motor Co. develops and sells the first automobile.
Stenerson’s General Office moves to the central location in the railroad town of Felton, MN. / Ocean-liner Titanic hits iceberg and sinks in the Atlantic Ocean.
Dial telephones are introduced.
Stenerson Lumber’s General Office moves to downtown Moorhead, MN.
Anti-freeze is developed, allowing automobile usage year-round.
Stock market crashes, the Great Depression ensues.
Star Spangled Banner becomes the National Anthem.
First paperback book is introduced.
Original Pelican Rapids lumberyard is sold and Felton yard closes.
World War II begins.
Pentagon building is completed.
Moorhead yard is built on the corner of 17th Street & 1st Ave N. A new lumberyard is opened and the General Office is moved to the upstairs office quarters. Stenerson’s third generation begins employment.
Microwave oven is invented.
All yards are closed except Borup, Erskine, Halstad, and Moorhead due to the hard times of the Great Depression and World War II. Buyback of many spread-out shares of Stenerson stock begins.
First Xerox machine is introduced.
Polio vaccine is developed.
Gonvick, MN yard opens.
Stenerson Lumber offers profit sharing program and health insurance to employees.
Stenerson Bros. Lumber Co. hits the million-dollar sales mark for the first time. / Alaska and Hawaii are added as the 49th and 50th states.
Fertile, MN yard opens / Berlin Wall is erected.
Home Improvement by Stenerson, a small remodeling company, is started.
Foss Lumber is purchased and moved into a new building in south Moorhead. Foss Lumber operates under their name until 1985 when it became known as Stenerson Lumber, South Yard.
First steps are taken on the moon.
Morris, MN and Fergus Falls, MN yards are acquired. Gonvick yard is closed.
United States pulls out of Vietnam War.
Detroit Lakes downtown lumberyard is purchased.
Fertile, MN yard closes.
Westbrook Apt complex in West Fargo, ND is acquired.
Fergus Falls yard moves to current larger location, making way for the library.
Remodeling by Foss opens for business, successfully operating under Stenerson Lumber’s Foss Lumber location until the 90’s. / IBM introduces the first personal computer.
Compact Discs (CDs) are first introduced.
Stenerson’s fourth generation begins employment.
World Wide Web server and browser are developed.
Stenerson Window & Door opens in Grand Forks.
Detroit Lakes yard moves from its small downtown location to its current one at Hwy 59 and Hwy 10 upon purchase of newly built store.
Foss Lumber (South Yard) merges with North Moorhead yard.
Wahpeton, ND store opens.
Morris, MN yard is sold. / Exteriors Unlimited siding division is created. / Europeans agree on single currency – the Euro.
Stenerson Window & Door is sold. / World Trade Center and Pentagon attacked
(9-11) .
Wahpeton, ND location is sold.
Fifth generation Stenerson begins employment with new Exteriors Unlimited branch in Brainerd, MN (later closed in 2007).
Facelifts begin in stores, with more emphasis added on showrooms.
Crosby, MN yard is purchased and opened for business.
