Alva Review-Courier -

Rose Brothers Construction Company played a prominent part in the development, construction and building of Alva. I started working for the Rose Brothers in 1956. They were building the gymnasium on the north side of the Alva High School on Flynn Street. We were pouring cement down the wall and I got the job of running the wheelbarrow 25 feet in the air on a rough platform. This is where I got to know a lot about Rose Brothers and learned a lot about construction work.

There were eight boys and six girls in the Rose family. The boys were Martin, Everett, Carl, Charley, Floyd, Donald, Roger and Richard. Roger is the only one living at this time and he lives in Okeene. The sisters were Lavina, Dorothy, Hope, Rosalie, Corina and Betty. Hope is the only sister deceased.

The family grew up in the Aline and Canton area in a small house that had no electricity or running water and a wood burning stove for cooking and heat.

Alva General Hospital

In 1939, Mart Rose moved to Alva and went to work at the Alva General Hospital for Charley Nicola, the contractor who had the bid on building a wing on the hospital. About this time, Carl and Everett joined the armed forces and soon after Charley and Floyd followed. The hospital building located on 14th and Locust St. is now the home of the Cherokee Strip Museum.

Mart had only been working for a few months when Charley Nicola, the contractor, had a car accident and lost his life. Mart didn't know what was going to happen, but said he would work with the board of directors to try and finish the job, along with the other employees. They did get the new wing completed.

POW Camp

Mart then formed his own company and went to work at the new prisoner of war campsite south of Alva. They built barracks for the prisoners coming over from World War II. This was around 1941-42, and housed some of the most important officers of the Nazi army. Some of these barracks are still around in Alva and are being used as family dwellings. Some are located on east Flynn.

In 1942, when Carl and Everett returned from the service, they, along with Mart, formed the Rose Brothers Construction Company. Mart was the only one who didn't serve due to a medical issue.

To get the company into operation, they needed to locate a sand pit and build a cement plant. They found a location to build the pit on the river north of town. Everett designed it to separate the sand for different uses. The cement plant was purchased and set up by the railroad tracks.

An office was established in the basement of Mart and Ruby's house. They, along with Everett and Ruth, would figure bids and do payrolls every Friday night.

Washington School and Rialto Theater

Their first big job was to replace the two-story Washington School. The bid called for tearing down the old building and replacing it by 1948.They also were hired to build a new Rialto Theater to be finished around 1948 or `49.

After employing about 30 people and two years, they finished the school on time. The theater was a very large job. Fifteen tons of steel and 22 carloads of cement were used at a cost of $300,000 that would equate with millions today.

They began working on a big housing addition on north Sunset, the Central National Bank and also on the Northwestern State College Health and Gymnasium Center. The bid for Northwestern had a completion date of 1952 and the housing addition called for building about 50 houses known as Legion Heights. They needed more help.

In the later part of 1948, Charley, Floyd and Donald all returned from the armed forces and joined the work force. Rose Brothers had reached 60 people working in the little town of Alva.

Tragedy

Everything was going great, they got their new office and repair shop, the housing addition was started and they had contracted to build a new facility for Central Nation Bank. Mart Rose was standing underneath a portable elevator hoist when it got stuck and suddenly it fell, striking Mart on the head. He was rushed to the hospital, but it was too late. This was May 15, 1952. He was remembered by the merchants, companies and local people. At the service there were over one hundred twenty five bouquets of flowers and plants.

Another tragedy occurred one year later in May of 1953. A big fire was discovered in the basement of Monfort's Drug Store. It was located on the corner of Barnes and College Avenue. Rose Brothers was the first to bring their equipment, which included a tall crane. This fire burned all night and into the next day. This was a tremendous loss, as the store was a great meeting place for Alva people and had a wonderful soda fountain. In addition to some office places, it was where all students went to buy their school books and supplies for the coming year.

Reconstruction

The brothers knew there was going to be a big demand for concrete blocks. Everett made a trip to Washington State to check on machines to manufacture the blocks. Dale Dunnigan remembers his dad was sent to get this machine. The load was so heavy it was difficult for the truck to pull it over the mountain passes. They soon began manufacturing the 8-inch by 16-inch size and began shipping blocks every day. Semi load after semi were loaded and delivered. One of the biggest orders was from the Air Force Base in Burns Flat near Clinton.

First Christian Church, Methodist Church Chapel

Things were going great. They got the job to build a new First Christian Church, The Traverse Medical Clinic and also the Methodist Church Chapel. They also received the bids for a new school In Hardtner, Kansas, and the Munson Hatchery, which is now the Moose Lodge.

The Rose Brothers were approached to bid on three schoolhouses. These bids were a little unusual in the roof structure. They called for a concrete roof in five sections to be poured in one continuing pour. This was for the Freedom and Selman schools. Fairview was somewhat different. It was a gymnasium with a round top roof. To pour the roof, it would take about 36 hours, more or less. Freedom and Fairview are still being used, but Selman is no longer in operation.

And So Much More

The construction company furnished cement for U.S. Highway 64, lots of curbs and gutters, the Alva Terminal Elevator and a number of driveways.

Here is a list of the largest jobs completed by Rose Brothers in addition to what has already been listed. Alva Drive-in Theater; Presbyterian Manse, Alva Vocational Ag Building, First Baptist Church, Alva High School, Alva Golf and Country Club, East Barnes addition of 30 houses, the Joe Denner house and many private structures.

The Rose Brothers Construction Company did indeed play an integral part in the growth and development of Alva.