Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1910-01-26
LOUIS ALT RETIRES
FROM ACTIVE BUSINESS
Store to be Hereafter Conducted
by His Sons
Has Lived In Lancaster Forty Years and
Built up Business that He May
Well be Proud of.

In our advertising columns today
will be found an announcement
that will come as surprise to most
of The Herald's readers, namely,
the retirement of Louis Alt, the
founder and senior member of the
firm of L. Alt & Sons, retail grocers
of this city. The change will take
place next Tuesday, February 1, at
which time the business passes into
the control of Mr.. Ats three sons,
Arno, Hubert and Carl, who have
for several years been associated
with their father in the business.
Few cities the size of Lancaster
can boast of finer or better grocery
and meat market that the one of
L. Ait & Sons, which is conducted
upon modern lines and enjoys
very large patronage.
Under the new order of things it
is understood that Arno Alt will
have charge of the grocery depart
ment, Hubert will have the finan-
ciaI, book keeping and correspond
ence department, while Carl will
have control of the meat depart
ments, the buying of live stock, the
slaughtering, etc.
All three of the boys are hustlers
and under the careful training of
their father have acquired very
thorough knowledge of the business
in its various departments and there
is no reason to doubt that they will
continue to meet with the success
which has characterized the bust
ness of the firm for many years.
Louis Alt will continue for the
next year or so to lend his assistance
and advice, but the actual interest
and responsibility will rest with the
sons.
Louis Alt has always been a
hustler, spelled with a big b. He
came from Germany in 1867 when
he was IL years old, and landed in
New York after having spent Sc
days in crossing the ocean, 80 of
which he was on the sick list. In
coming west he purchased first
class ticket but by some means was
required to travel on an emigrant
train with most disagreeable sur
loundings He reached Boscobel
sick and discouraged. and got
chance to ride from there to Liberty
township with Jacob Wagner, who
later became his father-in-law.
Hestayed at the farm of Mr.. Wag-
ner that night and the next day
came to Lancaster where he had an
older brother, who worked on
farm for Chris Gingrich southeast of
town. Mr.. Alt went to work for
Mr.. Gingrich ard one of his first
jobs was clearing some brush with
a grub hoe out of the then new
road running to the west of the
present asylum and county home.
He was scared stiff by seeing sever
al Indians approach and ran for the
house.
The next four years he worked on
a ldEuA dul lu6u NOAb " WOIh III a
meat market in Lancaster for Chas
Schmidt, remaining there one year.
Then he started a small market of
his own, but after about 4 months
abandoned it and went to work In
market for Nathan & Schreiner
When that firm was dissolved, a
number of years later he continued
in the employ of Mr.. Nathan, for
whom he worked in all II years.
In 1898 Mr.. Alt started in the
grocery business for himself in the
Reed building, under the opera
house where he afterward added a
market and established fine trade.
In 1904 he bought from Col. John
G.. Clark the building where the
store is now located and completely
remodeled it and put in fine stock.
His son Fred, who died in August,
1902 and whose death was a great
blow to his parents, prepared all the
plans for the remodeling of the new
store.
The business has been conducted
under the name of L. Alt & Sons
from the time the new store was
taken possession of, Dec. "a, 1904.