east  of  Eureka,  Jesse  Kirkby  moved  the  school  house  to Wells with his steam engine.  The  first  four  years  Bertha H.  Brown was the teacher;  then Hazel  Kay  Sommers  for  two  years.  That  year,  before  the  year was  over, there were  thirty  six pupils  attending.  So  in  the  summer of  1916.  a new two  room  building  with  full  basement  was  built.  In  December,  1920,  the school  house  in  District  #61  burned,  so  Fairview  consolidated  with  the Wells  District  and  a  bus  took  them  to  Wells.  The  first  driver of  the bus was George Sanderson.  In 1941 pleasant valley was added, then a little later,  Schur  joined  them;  still later Rockhill,  Sunny Side #45,  and Storm Center  #40.  were  added.  This  was  the  district  until  a  new  system  was organized and Ottawa county was made into just two districts. Wells school district  was  dissolved.  So  in  1974,  the  school house  was  sold  and  all the children are bused into Minneapolis.
About  1904  L.B.  Nickels  built  a  store  building  across  the  street east  from  the  first  store.  The  store  had  living  quarters  in  the  back and  a  big  basement under  the  store.  They  didn't  stay more than a couple of years  He sold to Arthur Heald,  Then in a short time.  he sold to George E   Boster, Many years  before,  a  grain  elevator  was  built  north  of  the railroad  tracks,  just west of Main Street.  It is believed it was operated by  Al  Childs.  The  first  elevator  burned  down  one  night  shortly  after the  nine  o'clock  train  went  through  town.  It  was  thought  sparks  from the  train  caused  the  fire.  It was  rebuilt  and when  George  Boster moved to town, he also ran the elevator.
Around  1900,  Mac  Shepard at  Bennington,  started  a  telephone  system. He  built  lines  to Wells,  then  two  lines  at  first,  one  to  the northeast and  one  to  the north and west.  The Central Office was  put  in  the post office,  and  the Postmaster  took care of  it.  At  first it was an ordinary telephone on  the wall  with a place above  it  to connect the lines. About 1908  or  1909,  new  lines  had  been  added  until  it  became  more  than  the postmaster could handle successfully  Mr.  Shepard built a two room building just  south of  the post  office  and Mr.  and Mrs.  Horace Acuff moved there and ran the office.
About  1905  the  Woodman  Lodge  built  a  hall  on  the northeast  corner of  First  and Main  Streets.  From  then  on,  the  social  activities  centered there.  Then  in  1908 Dana Crawford and Arthur Dehner built a building south of the hall for a hardware store.
A.J.  Kirkby was  a  jack-of-all-trades.  He was a pretty good carpenter and mason and built  several  houses  in Wells.  About  1907  or  1908,  he sold the blacksmith  shop  and  his  home  to Carl  Comfort  and built a house with eight rooms and it was supposed to be their new home.  Before it was quite finished,  he  sold  it  to  Arthur  Dehner   Then  he  built  another  home  at the northeast  corner  of  Second  and  Jefferson  and  the family moved there. He  built  a  small  three  room  house  for  an  elderly  couple named Walker, north of  the  square house he had built on Main Street,  and another house on the northwest corner of Third and Washington for Edgar Todd.
He  also  owned  a  threshing  machine  and  was  busy  from wheat harvest through  summer  and  fall  threshing  wheat  and  other  small  grain  for  the


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