Jeanne Sexton-Brown

Corporal Ernest “Ernie” Hoelscher, 95 is a combat Veteran of the Korean War. He lived through more than many could even imagine in a horror movie. His story is one that makes the statement ‘War is Hell’ seem like a fairy tale.

In about 1974, Ernie and his friend, Lee Vigstol, now deceased, started the restoration of a Civil War Freight Wagon.
“We found it in a wood pile, ready to be burned,” recalled Ernie. “Oh, it was in bad shape.”

Lee and Ernie were part of a Civil War Reenactment group in the Foxholm, ND area. That is what triggered the notion that they should restore the old freight wagon.

Ken Hoelscher, Ernie and Shirley Hoelscher’s second oldest son, remembers them hauling the old wagon home on a trailer. It started to fall off and Ken tried to stop it. Ken was about 14 at the time. He remembers the tongue of the wagon digging into the dirt road.

They found the running gear in Canada. The only two original parts of the wagon are the front and rear bolsters. The wagon was designed to haul 3,000-pound loads. It was pulled by a 12-mule team with the driver being on the back left mule. He drove them by cracking a whip in the air and the mules just knew what to do, according to Ernie.

“We had to send to the National Archives to get the blueprints for the wagon to know how to restore it,” said Ernie. “We had to measure everything just right. The spokes, the metal hubs, everything made to scale. We had to build a big fire to put the metal in. It had to be red hot then put in water to cool and shrink it onto every wheel.”

They went to Minnesota to get the hardwood for the undercarriage. Even the paint job was made according to specs.
“The paint shop had to mix the color we needed,” said Ernie. “The outside is light blue and the inside is red.”

Ernie moved to the North Dakota Veterans Home in January, 2025. His wife of 73 years, Shirley, passed away two years ago.

On Sunday, October 12, Ernie once again saw his Civil War Era Freight Wagon. The wagon was brought to the Veterans Home along with a people mover wagon to give rides to the residents and for Ernie to show his fellow Veterans his wagon.
The Civil War Freight Wagon was on display while residents were given horse drawn wagon rides around the Veterans Home grounds.

Several members of Ernie’s family were there to share the big day with Ernie and the other residents.

Ernie’s youngest son, Bruce Hoelscher, lives on the family farm in Foxholm. Bruce and one of the neighbors, JoAnne Radmacher arrived shortly after the wagon pulled into the parking lot. Ken and his wife Karla Hoelscher were there from Oakes with their daughter CeCe and her fiancé Marshal Buelow with their daughter, Ernie’s great-granddaughter, Kollyns.
One of Ernie’s grandsons, also named Ernie and his wife Kathy Bauer had been in Fargo for their 23rd wedding anniversary and stopped by to see Ernie and help him celebrate the wagon. They live in Minot. Little Ernie belongs to the Hoelscher’s only daughter, Sherry who passed away shortly after her mother. The oldest Hoelscher son, Wayne lives in Surrey and was not able to make the trip.

The current caretakers of the Civil War Freight Wagon are Phil and Kim Newman, Minot. Newman brought his team of Belgian Draft horses to pull the wagon. Residents and guests were given rides in the people mover wagon. Ernie’s family was given a ride in the Civil War wagon. It was too difficult to get into the wagon or to climb up on the seat in the front for Ernie but he was happy his family was able to ride in it and to have his family in the pictures of him with his restored wagon.

“Doing restoration work on the wagon and later on old 1940 Era tractors is what helped get the war out of my head,” said Ernie.

For Ernie, he was overwhelmed with the fact that his friend, Phil Newman, would bring the wagon all the way to the Veterans Home.

“I just can’t believe it,” Ernie said many times throughout the day. “I can’t believe he would care enough about me to do this for me.”

For Newman it was an honor to be able to thank the man who is so well known and loved in the Minot/Burlington/Foxholm area.

“Everyone knows and loves Ernie,” said Newman. “I am grateful for his service and honored for the times he and I lead parades sitting up on that wagon.”

Editor’s note: Read Corporal Ernest “Ernie” Hoelscher full story in the November 10, Veterans Edition of the Ransom County Gazette.

Read the full “Tribute to Service” feature at https://northernsentry.com/3d-flip-book/tribute-to-service-2025/