The Letcher Pool Hall was owned and operated by Ray Elenz and Ted Peters. Later on it was owned by Ted Peters for 25 years. It was not only a place to play pool and pinball machines, but it served hot sandwiches, coffee, beer, and Reierson's ice cream. Harry Samis and Baldy Noahr were his faithful employees.
It was a haven for the local townsmen. It was a place to play cards, and many a card shark emerged from playing at the Letcher Pool Hall. Faye Druse rembers, many times, when she was a little girl, going into the back room to ask her dad (Elmer Druse) for a penny or two, while he was deeply engrossed in cards. The chips were always piled high.
When Ted closed the pool hall in 1950''s and became Municipal Liquor Store manager in Lane, it was missed. It was not only the Letcher men's social club, but the pool hall was always the first to hear of a death, a wedding, or any good or bad news and it would spread rappidly.
On many a cold winter night, Ted let the unfortunate folks who had no heat, sleep in the pool hall all night
It was a rooming house and cafe. It sat next to the old Studio on the east side between that and the Ford garage. Happy Cahill was the cook and manger. It was sold to someone in Mitchell. They made an aprtment house out of it. It is not known where it sets in Mitchell, but is believed to still be there.
In 1921 the Irl Rearick store opened. Irl's father, J. C. Rearick operated a hardware store. Irl had a grocery store in the other half. When the hardware store discontinued a line of dry goods was added in 1928. Times have changed the business, in 1921 there was very little packaged food. Most of it was in bulk. Bread wasn't sold in the store for a long time, that was a cafe operation. Finally bread was shipped from Mitchell and Wolsey. Milk wasn't added to the grocery items until much later. Most people had milk delivered or got it at the butcher shop. As long as Letcher had a butcher shop they didn't carry meat either. Another part of the grocery business was the sale of farm churned butter. They had waiting lists for little crocks of butter brought in by farm ladies. During the drought years eggs brought eight cents a 12 dozen case. The farmer couldn't buy much, especially after he got a couple of cans of tobacco. A 100 pound sack of sugar sold for $38.00, flour was $1.95 and men's shirts sold for $.59.