47. 61 1st St N. - Blumhardt’s Chevrolet & Lots

47. 61 1st St N. - Blumhardt’s Chevrolet & Lots

What was previously a livery stable became a garage when F.M. Kendall and Edward Hamar opened for business as a car dealer in 1915. Kendall & Hamar built a first-rate Chevrolet franchise. From it has descended one of Ellendale’s premier businesses, occupying space on three corners of this intersection.

In 1947 Kendall and Hamar sold out to Thorp Auto Company of Britton, SD. The dealership changed hands again in 1953 when Thorp auto was sold to Herman Chalgren, Donald A. Nelson, and Ivan Sprouse. They opened under the name “Quality Chevrolet Company.”

In 1972 Willie Blumhardt (a mechanic who had worked for years at the business) and George Hall purchased the business, and it became Blumhardt & Hall Chevrolet-Pontiac, Inc. Hall retired in 1979, and since then the it has been simply Blumhardt’s Chevrolet. It is a full-service dealership offering new cars and trucks at every price range, as well as used vehicles. Blumhardt’s service department has an excellent reputation in the area, and Willie Blumhardt has a well-deserved reputation for friendliness and good humor.