Fritz W. Struve (1877-1959) came here from Burnet County in 1912, three years after the city was founded, and started a grocery store; his brother Ben F. Struve (1879-1947) joined him in 1918. The family operated a wide variety of businesses vital to the community's early economic success, including a grocery from 1912 to 1962, hardware from 1913, implements from 1913, dry goods from 1918, a tin shop until 1923, and a cheese factory from 1929 to 1951. The cheese enterprise was unique in this region and produced an average of 1800 pounds per day. Fritz W. Struve was elected the first mayor in 1924 and served three terms in that office.