If you think grocery store chaos is bad today, imagine running the US Army Corps of Engineers commissary and warehouse at Fort Peck back in the late 1930s. According to a post by the USACE, it took a full crew of hardworking folks to keep the place operating…because this wasn’t just a grocery store. This commissary was the beating heart of the entire Fort Peck Project, storing everything from everyday essentials to the kind of flour needed for a perfect pumpkin pie.
While we don’t have an exact job description for Mr. Renning, his title “steward” gives us a pretty good idea. We can see him managing officers’ quarters, keeping mealtimes running like clockwork, setting tables with military precision, helping cooks in the galley, and making sure the dining experience didn’t just happen and that it happened well. And yes, he did it all while sporting a tie. Because apparently, even in warehouse life, style mattered!
By December 1938, both Government Plant and Hired Labor crews were running the commissary together, keeping the supplies flowing and the project humming. It is a fun little peek at Fort Peck history and reminds us just how many hands and how much work went into building something this big.
Back row: G.B. Hart, Jr. Clerk; J.L. McCann, Asst Storekeeper; P.F. Dotson, laborer; A.P. Mortenson, Chauffeur; E. Kuebler, Meat Cutter; H.M. Henvit, refrigeration plant operator; R.R. Toombs, Refrigeration plant operator
Front row: F.J. Renning, Steward; A. Weidner, Baker; G.H. Sather, Baker;E.W. Long, Laborer; M.B. Swensen, Chauffeur; J.H. Baker, refrigeration plant operator; J.L. Lamoureaux, refrigeration plant operator.
Photo via USACE
