Per an article in the Benton County Historical Society, this building was "Silver Corners" and was built by Joe Skaja in 1925. It was named because it was painted silver. It was sold to his sister and brother-in-law Joe and Tillie (Bardonski) Pilarski. One time this store bought milk and cream and held dances. After Joe died Tillie married Bill Maurer and operated the store. It was sold and operated by Clement and Richard Rosemount. In 1949 Richard Waagmeester bought the store and in turn sold it to Conrad and Dianne Brenny.

I grew up living in the back of Silver Corners store. My parents purchased it in 1963 from the Waagmeisters right after they were married. The old road at the top of the picture heading north into the swampy area was closed when the curve on Hwy 25 was built, before my parents bought the property.
My father Conrad "Junior" Brenny did mechanic work in the attached garage and ran the store along with my mother, until he passed away in 2010. There is bar inside where beer, pop and snacks were (and still are) sold. There used to be built-in booths in the store where people could sit and eat and drink or play cards, but they were removed and replaced with movable tables and chairs. My mother Dianne (Ratke) Brenny used to sell a few groceries out of the back room of the store. In the 1970s there was a busy horseshoe league that played on Wednesday evenings. The horseshoe pits were located across the old road from the store, where the white vehicle is parked. There also used to be a skating rink and warming house that were used for a few years in the 1970s. Gulf brand gasoline was sold for a while, then other gas, so the Gulf sign came down. Gasoline was eventually discontinued entirely, and the pumps were removed.
All the buildings are still standing today and my mother Dianne and brother Mike Brenny still live there and run the store and garage.

In 2009, my sister Christine (Stellmach) Travaglini and I were doing some family tree research. My great-grandfather John Stellmach Sr. had lived with his son on a farm just west of Silver Corners. We stopped in to get a couple sodas and started talking to Mr. Brenny. He told us that almost every afternoon, our great-grandfather would come in, get a beer, and go sit by the window and fall asleep. So they called him "Sleepy John." We stopped at the farm but no one was home, but took a picture of the barn which has since caved in. Silver Corners will always be special to me.

Back in the day my dad(Gale Petron) would take us squirrel hunting on a Saturday afternoon...the highlight of the day was that we got to stop at Silver Corners. Us kids got to pick out a bottle of pop and a bag of chips, go sit in the booths and 'behave' while Dad would sit up at the bar and visit with Junior...the good ole days!!

Joanne, the Skaja's are retated to Petron's through my aunt Celia Petron. She married Emil Petron. Not sure how your dad is related to Emil, but I'm guessing as you were out in the area that they were. Emil's parents were Frank and Hedwig. Did Gale work at the VAMC?

Connie, My last name is Skaj. Not Skaja. So no relation that way but I have heard of Emil and Celia Petron- if I got it right my dad and Emil's children are cousins...and Yes, Dad retired from the VAMC..

A Gulf gas station, 3491 125th Street NE, about 6-3/4 miles east of Rice, Minnesota. View looks north. 35th Avenue NE tees into 125th, at this location. Silver Corners Storage occupies the building today. From Google Street View, the Hamm's sign lasted until, at least, September of 2009!!