Loyl Stromberg

Loyl Stromberg, author of 14 books about poultry, is a happy old gent as he shows a visitor around his whitefish Lake property. He points proudly to chicken-related works of art and antiques from all over the world. An embroidered cloth by one Eliza Jane, age 8, is dated 1883 and says: "Goosey goosey gander, where shall I wander? Upstairs. Downstairs. In my ladies' chamber."

His grin becomes a smile when he comes to some woodworking marvels he created himself. One life-size masterpiece is made of 11 kinds of wood. He calls it his "$ 1,000 rooster." Stromberg guesses the collection is worth maybe $ 100,000. He says it belongs in a national poultry museum and that he hopes to live long enough to see such a museum built.

At 83, he only gives lip service to the notion of slowing down. It's full speed ahead with plans for museum fund raising, writing of yet another book this year and leading his fifth Poultry Fanciers' Tour to Europe next year.

Fund raising is the most difficult aspiration. "The problem is I'm just one person," he said "But I've got enough of a start now that if I die the work will carry on and there will be a museum even if I'm gone."

Kansas museum site - The museum would be built on the grounds of the National Fame at Bonner Springs, Kansas, which is 18 miles west of Kansas City along Highway 70. The 172-acre site attracts more than 25,000 people per year, who pay an admission charge of $ 4.

Stromberg was seven when his parents started a hatchery near Fort Dodge, Iowa, in 1921. In time they operated 15 hatcheries in Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, Illinois and South Dakota. The family vacationed at Normandy Resort on Lake Bertha in the 1930s and bought a place of their own on Whitefish in-1945. Stromberg recalled how his family had a chance to go to the World's Fair in Chicago in the summer of 1933 to see an invention called television. Instead, they decided to spend precious vacation time on the Whitefish Chain. "I just lived for fishing," Loyl said.

The Stromberg hatchery business declined with the onset of corporate egg factories in the 1960s, but the business adapted and prospered as a catalog company for poultry and gamebird chicks and supplies. Operations were moved to Pine River in 1970.

Loyl and his wife, Evelyn, whom he met while managing the Stromberg hatchery in Minneapolis, worked hard to keep the Stromberg name prominent among poultry producers all over the world. They sold chicks, pheasants, ducklings, goslings, swans, peacocks and other exotic fowl.

Evelyn died in 1991, three months after their 50th wedding anniversary. Loyl fondly recalls their month-long honeymoon trip to the West Coast by way of the Black Hills and Yellowstone Park.

Third generation - Stromberg's Chicks and Gamebirds Unlimited in Pine River is now operated by Loyl's eldest son, Loy, 52, and Loy's wife, Janet. His other son, Kraig, has a pet store in Rhode Island and spends vacations here fishing with his father. Loyl has three grandchildren, all young adults.

Loyl's youngest brother also settled this area. Wayne Stromberg lives on West Shore Drive in Crosslake.

Loyl took on the museum project visiting a new poultry museum Holland during a 1989 poultry fanciers' tour. "The museum in Holland financed 100 percent by the commercial Poultry people," he said "Ours would be a joint venture as the exhibition poultry raisers should be represented along the commercial poultry industry." Industries to be contacted include Gold'n Plump in St. Cloud, Tyson Foods in Arkansas and Kentucky Fried Chicken.

He is seeking support from organizations such as the American Poultry Historical Society. Watt Publishing Company, American Poultry Association, and the American Bantam Association.

Donations may be sent to: Walter Vernon, director, National Poultry Museum and Farmers Hall of Fame, 630 N. 126th St., Bonner Springs, Kan. 66012.

Stromberg has two well respected allies in his goal of a national poultry museum. They are Dr John Skinner retired University of Wisconsin professor, and Dr Willard Hollander, retired Iowa State University professor. Hollander came up with a blueprint of a poultry house recommended by Iowa State and widely used in the Midwest between 1930 and 1950.

Stromberg thought it would be a nice exhibit for the museum, so he asked for a bid to build one. The estimate of $ 16,400 sounded steep, so he has vowed to build it himself for one-third as much.

Hollander liked Stromberg's spunk so much that he plans to join him come spring.

Loyl Stromberg of Ideal Township is an avid collector. While his first love is collecting all things involving poultry, the owner of Stromberg's Chicks and Game Unlimited in Pine River and the founder of the National Poultry Museum in Bonner Springs, Kan., is also known for his collection of carpentry tools from around the world. "I collect everything but money," joked Stromberg. "I'm pretty good at spending that."

Stromberg, who lives on Upper Whitefish Lake, has an interesting collection of carpentry tools, old and new, from more than 30 countries, from Australia to Zimbabwe. He has personally purchased several of the carp tools himself in his travels over the years. But in his travels he has made many friends, friends who will buy a tool for him if they see an interesting one. Like the hand-made vice from Hungary or the chisel from Czechoslovakia.

Stromberg keeps his special tools in his "show-off" workshop where he built a workbench using 55 different types of wood. He engraves the name of the country the date into the handles of the tools so he can remember where he got them. Each tool, from the Chinese sledge hammer to the Swedish bucksaw, has its own unique tale.

His tool collection began in 1981 when he and his wife took a trip to Denmark, Sweden and Norway. Stromberg's favorite tools are the antique hand operated drills from Pakistan and Greece, and the plane and measuring gauge from Iran. He also likes his screwdriver from Norway.

Norwegians, said Stromberg, are the only ones in the world who are smart enough to put a hole in screwdriver handles so they can be hung up by a nail. He has an Israeli hammer made by a West blacksmith. The head of the hammer cost him $ 55, and Stromberg had to supply his own handle. He has ordered many of his tools through the mail, but the greatest aspect of collecting is the hunt. Stromberg also likes to haunt antique shops for his carpentry tools.

He plans to head to Europe again next year. An yes, he'll be searching for more fascinating tools to add to his collection.

His first introduction to the public schools in Fort Dodge was as a student at Butler School, where he walked to virtually every day with his lifelong friend, Clarence T.V. Johnson. Clarence remembers Loyl as a workaholic who has achieved world wide recognition in the poultry field. Loyl was a 1932 graduate of Fort Dodge Senior High and, with another 1932 graduate who resides in Fort Dodge - Elizabeth Voga - have championed 10 class reunions. Loyl said he believes his 1932 class has set a record for the number of class reunions for Fort Dodge Senior High.

Reynolds Thomas, a retired Fort Dodge lawyer, and a 1932 classmate and another good friend of Loyl's, describes him as continuing to have vigorous energy and still full of enthusiasm about all of his projects. Reynolds remembers receiving a recent letter from Loyl that stated, "It is 4:00 a.m. here, and I was going to call you, but decided this letter would suffice." Needless to say, Reynolds agreed with this statement.

Loyl's parents, the late Ernest and Josephine Stromberg, in 1921 started a small hatchery on their farm at Otho, Iowa. They moved the business known as Stromberg Hatchery to 2116 Eighth Avenue South in Fort Dodge, and it continued operation at that location until 1964.

Loyl worked at the hatchery during his school years. After high school graduation in 1932, he became manager of the hatchery's branches in Minneapolis, Minnesota. During its tenure, the hatchery had 14 branches throughout Minnesota, Iowa, South Dakota, Nebraska and Illinois. In 1969, he started Stromberg's Chicks and Pets. Unlimited, in Fort Dodge, where they sold baby chicks, pheasants, ducklings, goslings, swans, peacocks and other exotic fowl and some small animals together with poultry and game bird equipment worldwide. In 1970, Loyl moved the business to Pine Ridge, Minnesota, where the family had maintained a summer home on Whitefish Lake for a long time.

He and his late wife, Evelyn, continued to run the business until her death in 1991 and then, subsequently, he turned the operation of the business over to his son, Loy, and his daughter-in-law, Janet.

Loyl has written over 14 books on poultry, including a book entitled, Poultry of the World, recognized as the most detailed and best illustrated history of poultry ever written. The book has been sold and read in most every country in the world. Loyl said, however, one of his favorite books was a memory book he wrote for the 1932 Fort Dodge Senior High class.

He was not able to Partake in the extracurricular activities during his school years as he had to be home by 4:15 p.m. to go to work in the poultry business. His father and mother instilled a good work ethic in him; he always remained loyal and respectful to his father and mother. In his final year of high school, the commercial arts teacher enrolled him in the Commercial Club, and that was the sum total of his extracurricular school activities. Nevertheless, he continues to have a good feeling about Fort Dodge and its school system and will always appreciate the great background given to him in the Fort Dodge schools.

In his reminiscing, he told about a letter he wrote in 1985 to a school friend where he said, "That old Princess Theater is where I took you for the only date that I had in high school. You were a very nice girl that I admired very much, but it all scared me pea green to such an extent that there would not be another date for perhaps as much as five years."

Loyl's crowning achievement was as founder of the National Poultry Museum which is a multi-million dollar venture at the Agricultural Museum and Farmer Hall of Fame at Banner Springs, Kansas.

Loyl is a member of our Association as well as his son, Loy, and was very complimentary about the Fort Dodge High School Alumni Association and the support it is getting from former graduates. He said all of us have memories and some of the best are of our school days and our hometown. He had many kind words for his old friend Walt Stevens, Editor Emeritus of the Fort Dodge Messenger, who has written a number of articles about him. Walt, incidently, helped the Association immensely in getting information for this article.

Congratulations and Best Wishes, Loyl. Your classmates salute you and your outstanding achievements in your chosen profession.

Loyl books

Exhibiting Poultry for pleasure & profit
Successful Duck and Goose raising
Sexing all Fowl, Gamebirds, Cage Birds
Making Squab raising profitable
A guide to better hatching
Guinea Fowl
Caponizing, menagement & profitable marketing
Pea Fowl breeding & menagement
Traps, snare, making cages
Dubbing Poultry and why
ABC's of Poultry genetics
Poultry oddities, history, folklore
Poultry of the World

Stromberg Publishing Company
Loyl Stromberg

8302 Big Waterfish Narrows
PINE RIVER
Minnesota 56474 - 2583
U S A