In small communities, the lone country store was its social hub. They varied in size and offerings depending on the location. Many housed the local post office, and in some cases the back portion included the living quarters for the proprietors.
Flanigan, was a former railroad town in eastern Honey Lake Valley. Its country store—Milne Grocery—was a prime example. In 1915, the store was established as the Flanigan Mercantile Company.
In 1930, the one-room school at Flanigan, known as Bonham, was in need of a teacher. Gertrude Milne, who at the time was living in Yerington, applied and got the job. Her husband, William then packed up and moved to Flanigan. In 1934, Orlando and Victoria Gasperoni, owners of the Flanigan Mercantile Company, sold the store, the old hotel and some rental cabins to William and Gertrude Milner for $1,000. The Milne’s changed the name to Milne Grocery. William who not only took the operation of the store. but succeeded Victoria, to become the town’s postmaster.
In 1945. William Milne passed away. This left Gertrude to juggle her duties as school teacher, store operator and postmistress. Flanigan continued with its quiet existence until the late 1950s. In 1958, Gertrude retired from Bonham School, though when needed served as a substitute. In 1959, the Southern Pacific eliminated its section crew at Flanigan. Thus, with even less traffic, Gertrude decided to no longer stock the store. The store remained open to sell non-perishable food items, and equally important it was the town’s social hub since it also served as the post office.
In 1960, a reporter from the Reno Evening Gazette paid a visit to Flanigan. It was duly noted the town’s population consisted of one—Gertrude Milne. On March 31, 1961 activity at Milne Grocery more or less ceased to exist with the closure of the Flanigan Post Office. While many would have moved on Gertrude stayed. On January 2, 1969, Gertrude while on a social visit to Fish Springs Ranch, her beloved store and home burned down. Gertrude was bound and determined to stay in Flanigan. and moved into one of her own cabins. In June 1969, another tragedy for Gertrude, was the closure of Bonham School, where she spent four decades teaching. In 1971, the school was sold and moved to Standish.
Yet, Gertrude stubbornly clinged on and would not move. Finally, she conceded to her family’s urging, in 1973, and moved to nearby Sutcliffe where she passed away later that year at the age of eighty-four.