Volume 13 , Issue 42

W. E. Eutsler Grocery (Alva, OK)

This is a trade token from Alva, Oklahoma that made it's way onto Ebay Sept. 3, 2001. The bid went for $11.35 on September 3, 2001.

The tokens from the W.E. Eutsler Groceries was good for $1.00 in trade during the war years in the '30s & '40s. The token is the large version square made of aluminum and measures 35mm in diameter. Since it was made of aluminum, we assume it was used during the WWII era when copper was reserved for the government and the war effort. You can Click on the photos to see a larger view of each of the tokens.

History of Eutsler Grocery . . . Instead of bidding on the token, I got out my "Pioneer Footprints Across Woods County" history book to see what I could find out about the Eutsler Grocery.

I also asked an Alva Friend if he remembered W. E. Eutsler's Grocery. He told me that he remembers when it was on the east side of the square in downtown Alva. His dad used to deliver cream to the Eutsler store and other grocery stores in the area.

The east side of the square in downtown Alva now has the Old Runnymede Hotel on the north end of the corner with the Professional building next door to the south and the Farmers Co-op on the southend of the corner.

Eutsler Grocery also had a grocery store in Dacoma with the company store located in Alva.

We flip through the Pioneer Footprints book and found under Walter T. Eason a story written by Walter T. Eason, Jr. This excerpt was taken from Eason's memories of the earlier stores in Alva, ". . . . . Some of the early stores I remember were the Lee Wagner grocery, Eutsler grocery, The Tea Store, Sears Bootery, Meixner bakery, Howard grocery, Sonderup Livery Stable, Crowell Lumber & Coal Yard, Shafers Leather Shop, Reeds Poultry & Cream. . . . ."

In March, 1904... Jacob Jay Glaser boarded a train for Alva. When he arrived he stopped at the first barber shop he came to and asked for a job. Guess who that proprietor was. Yep! It was W. E. Eutsler! To make a long story short, Eutsler hired Glaser on the spot and a friendship followed. Glaser worked for Eutsler until he saved enough money to open his own shop. Glaser's shop was on the NW corner of the square in the basement of the Green Building. Glaser closed his shop October, 1906 before statehood.

Eutsler's is mentioned again in the Spring of 1928, Ed Hazard and his wife (Mildred) moved back to Alva and Ed went to work for W. E. Eutsler in his grocery store on the north side of the square until 1932.

The Red Tag Food Market was established by Ed Hazard, Sr. and Fred Cox, Sr., in the 400 block on the northside of the square and operated until 1939.

Sometime after that, Ed went to work for W. E. Eutsler again in Eutsler's grocery on the east side of the square until Eutsler sold out. I am not sure of the date that Eutsler sold out. If anyone out there has a memory jog and can fill in some of these little tidbits, please feel free to Email NW Okie or leave a comment below.

After Ed Hazard left Eutsler's grocery, Ed went to work for Shalloup Packing Co. and worked there until he went into business for himself at 720 Oklahoma Blvd, in September, 1952 (what was known as "Ed's Mart."), retiring in 1973.   |  View or Add Comments (1 Comments)   |   Receive updates ( subscribers)  |   Unsubscribe

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