Carhart Lumber in O’Neill started in 1963 when Robert Carhart purchased the Moore and Noble Lumber Company from Leo and Isabelle Moore. Moore and Noble Lumber was in the same location Carhart Lumber is today. The first manager of the Carhart Lumber store in O’Neill was Bill Ryan, (father of current manager, Dennis Ryan). Employees were; Roy Humrich, who worked at Moore and Nobel previously and was the areas head Boy Scout Master for many years, Bud Sanders and Orville Neal.

     The Carhart building included a drive thru scale and a series of catwalks to pull materials from as customers drove in for purchases. In 1969 the front showroom was added and the drive thru down the center of the building was enclosed to make room for more retail space.

     In June of 1970 long time employee, Dan Menish came to work at Carhart Lumber. He was told it would be a temporary position, 2 weeks tops. Dan was with Carhart Lumber in O’Neill four months short of 50 years until his sudden death in February of 2020. Dan was a kind, gentle and patient man. He could always be counted on no matter what was needed. He had his own way of doing things and was always willing to share his talents. Dan was an honorable man of fine character and a pillar of the community. He left behind a real legacy within the company.

      Working at a lumberyard was physical labor and there weren’t forklifts at one time to do the heavy lifting. Shingles, drywall, 96lb. cement bags that piled 10 high, all got stocked by hand. Many products were brought in by train car. Coal for instance, was scooped off of the train and taken to the store and then scooped again into the ‘coal shed’. Dennis Ryan recalls scooping out the very last load of coal in 1971.

     In 1982 Carhart Lumber tore down all the small buildings on the property and built the big chief building behind the store (as it is today).
    1987 was the year Bill Ryan retired and Keith May became manager. In May 1994, Keith resigned and Dennis Ryan was promoted to Manager of the store, the same position Dennis has today.

     In 1997 the Harty property and in 2019 the Oberle properties to the east of the warehouse were purchased and have since been torn down and covered in concrete to provide needed outdoor storage and loading areas.
    Throughout the years Carhart Lumber has had many valuable employees which helped make the store successful. Some of these are (but not inclusive) Rovert Sanderson, Steve Sandall, Sam Schaffer, Rick Howe, Milton Reiman, Jim Strong, Chris Alder, Matt Schmitz, Rob Sudbeck, Kent Asher, Curt Harte, Rod Woods, Dan Campbell, Dave Shawn, Leigh Reynoldson, Audrey Dopheide, Connie Krugman, Patty Chohon, Karen Andress, Vicki May, Jeff Storjohann, Tim Schneider, Mike Lueken, Mike Carr, Mardell Shoemaker, Cody Havranek, Jess Fernau, Barb Petersen, Josh Kinnison, Jeremiah Cuddy, Darryl Schmale, Bill Ryan (Dennis’s younger brother), Greg Doty, Meridith McConnell, Benji Musil, Stu Docktor, Taylor Carstens and Francis Timmerman. “Many of the kids that worked for me over the years have gone on to do great things. Some have become their own lumberyard owners or managers, construction company owners and electricians. They were just good, hard working kids and It’s a really rewarding thing to see.” Said Dennis Ryan. He didn’t know at the time, but Dennis even had his future son in law under his wing while he worked at Carhart before going off to college.  

     Families are the core of any organization. Like Carhart Lumber, we have had our share of 2nd generation employees and in many cases, even third and fourth generation customers. We all have supported each other and made life-long friends along the way. For that we are thankful.

     The current staff at O’Neill is: Dennis Ryan, Manager, Eric Caauwe, Retail sales, Ron Boettcher, window repairs, Pam Theis , designer and cabinet sales and Michael Noffke, Yard Foreman.

     Thank you to O’Neill and all of the surrounding communities for your trust and confidence. We look forward to serving you now and for many years to come.