Post Office...In
1891, the first post office was called Nora and was established on the Erick
Ronning farm. Erick was the first postmaster. His son, Ole, would
ride horseback to Emmett to get the mail. Later there were star
routes. In 1901, rural free delivery was established.
Blacksmith Shop...Nils
Isakson opened the first blacksmith shop in Nora in 1901. It was in the old
school building and used for both his home and his blacksmith shop.
Garage...I.
M. Asbjeld had a garage in 1910 where he repaired and sold cars. The first
automobile sold was a Buick to Pete Quall. It was rebuilt at the Nora
garage into a racer, in which Mr. Asbjeld and Pete Quall had many thrilling
rides. It was told that Mr. Quall drove into a farmyard with a pig hanging
on the crank.
General Store...Chris
Steinholt had the first store in Nora on the site of the present store
building. Later, Erick Ronning had a store right south of his farm
home. That store was operated by his sons, Arnt and Martin. Knute
Ofstad bought the Steinholt store, later selling to Wells and Oden in
1910. This building burned down and Wells and Oden then bought the Ronning
Store and moved it to the present site. After the death of Carl Oden, who
was a longtime merchant in Nora, the business changed hands many times, closing
in 1960.
Nora Creamery...In 1900, the Nora Creamery became a reality on the Erick
Ronning farm, thus being one of the pioneering creameries in the state.
George Miller was the first buttermaker; in 1902 he received a gold medal at the
state convention of buttermakers.
Cream was hauled in by the
farmers and the first big producer was Ole Ofstad. Business was
good and about 20 tubs of butter were hauled to Alcester every week to be
shipped to New York. 
The
machinery was operated by steam, and ice was cut on the Brule Creek and stored
in an ice house. In 1930, the creamery was moved into the village of Nora,
directly across from the store.
In 1942, the creamery burned to the ground. It was not rebuilt in Nora, instead a building was procured in Alcester and there it continued to do business as The Nora Creamery. In 1961, the business was sold to the Sioux Valley Milk Association. Its operations closed down in 1962.
Not much is left of the village of Nora. Yet, the community, as a farming community, still is thriving. The residents, mostly of Norwegian ancestry, remember with gratitude their forefathers who, though the years, strove so hard to build a good community for themselves and posterity.
Source
Beresford, South Dakota Centennial Book 1884-1984
Original
Midi Composition by Bruce DeBoer
Compositions are copyright 1999 by
Bruce DeBoer
"It Takes Two Wings to Fly" from Winds of Time