Tony Stimler was one of the colorful businessmen of Foley's early days. His plain homespun talk appealed to many of the people. Pictured here, Tony stands beside the gas pump in front of his Ford Garage building build in 1911. Stimler became the first established car dealer with display room, garage and repair shop. In 1917 he established the first used car lot in Foley and advertised 9 Overlands, 4 Fords and 2 Mitchells.
Stimler had a blacksmith shop in Duelm where he first resided. In 1903 his first advertisement appeared in the Foley paper announcing his blacksmith shop in Foley. It was a frame building located on the site of the present Foley Locker plant.
In 1906 he moved the Stimler family home from Duelm to Foley. The home was located on the corner lot just North of the Thompson residence on the West side of Norman Avenue. Albert Latterell engineered the job of moving the house to Foley, using logging sleds to move the building in winter months. This was the same Albert Latterell who build the Hogan Drug Store building and years later ran the wood working shop at the corner of Dewey Street and Third Avenue.
Tony Stimler decided to build his garage when the Foley paper reported there were 14 cars in town and the auto business warranted the venture. When he built the garage he took on the Chevrolet Agency, but later became the established Ford Agency Dealer. The first Ford cars sold in Foley were handled by two professional men, Dr. Doheny, dentist, and Dr. Freeman, physician. With his large garage building, it was easy for Stimler to gain the Ford Dealership. His garage and Ford business boomed with the growing demand for cars until the depression of the 1930s ruined many business firms.

-- from "Picture Story of Early Foley Days"
Benton County News, Foley, Benton County, Minnesota
Wednesday, January 14, 1981
Photo provided by Gert Bolagek

Tony Stimler was the blacksmith after coming from Duelm. In February 3, 1916, he operated the Foley Silo Company, advertising cement stave silos for sale. At that time Fourth Street did not go north across Stoney Brook. At the blacksmith shop they did repairs and made machines, sled runners, fixed saws. He took on the Chevrolet Agency and later became the established Ford Agency Dealer and sold Texaco gas. In 1917, he announced the first used car lot in town. The first Ford cars sold were to Dr. J. Doheny and Dr. Freeman. The dealership was actually an agent of the Tenvoorde Motor Co. of St. Cloud, which is the oldest Ford dealership in the world. It failed during the depression of 1930.
In 1938 the building was purchased by the Farmers Creamery and Land O'Lakes, remodeled and installed a milk drying plant. After the creamery went out of business, the building was sold to the Foley School to be remodeled into a Vocational Unit, but was destroyed by fire prior to completion.

-- from "The History of Foley" by Dennis Lewandowski
Page 25
Published December 1999