Welcome to the Chance General Store — I’m Renae, the manager. You’re welcome to step in and look around. Take your time; there’s a good bit to see.
If something catches your eye and you’d like to know more, just click the Begin Visit button below and ask. I enjoy telling folks what we carry here and how it’s meant to be used.
Most goods don’t look fancy out here. They look useful. And if something lasts, it’s because somebody knew how to salt it, smoke it, dry it, or pack it the right way.
The store changes with the seasons and with the needs of the people who come through the door. Whether it’s heat or cold — or anything in between — I make sure we have what helps folks get through it.
We have all kinds of food items here. Taking it home to cook or traveling a far way, we can tell which foods taste the best or which foods will last the longest time in your saddle bags.
Well hello there—come in, come in. Don’t mind the door, it groans like that for everyone. If you brought the cold with you, kindly leave it outside.
You’ll find I keep a sensible store, but not a boring one. Warm coats, solid boots, tools that don’t quit, and shelves full of goods meant to last longer than a Dakota winter. Fresh produce shows up when the gardens behave themselves, and I keep a few finer things tucked in—nice fabric, a bit of imported candy—because even pioneers like to feel fancy now and then.
Take a good breath—you’ll smell coffee, leather, tobacco, kerosene, spices, new cloth, and maybe something cured hanging out back. Barrels and crates cover the floor, shelves reach up as high as I can stack them, and this counter’s for weighing flour, measuring cloth, and settling friendly arguments.
I handle the post here too, and if someone needs a safe place for their money or papers, I’ll see to it. On cold days especially, folks gather just to warm up and talk—about blizzards, grasshoppers, the railroad, or whatever news is drifting back from the Black Hills.
These aren’t “treats.” These are systems — ways to turn fresh meat into food that can cross distance, outlast weather, and hold steady through winter.
A frontier staple: cheap, reliable, and built to last.
Typical price: $0.10–$0.15 per lb
Salted and smoked pork belly — better flavor, strong keeping.
Typical price: $0.18–$0.25 per lb
Lean, tough, dependable — beef preserved for the weeks ahead.
Typical price: $0.12–$0.20 per lb
Lightweight, portable protein for travel and long workdays.
Typical price: $0.25–$0.40 per lb
Seasoned meat, dried firm — a little goes a long way.
Typical price: $0.18–$0.28 per lb
Concentrated survival food — dense energy that keeps.
Typical price: $0.20–$0.30 per lb
When the sun goes down, a home still has work to do. These are the everyday goods that kept lamps burning, chores moving, and families safe after dark.
The fuel that turned night into usable hours.
Typical price: $0.20–$0.40 per gallon
No wick, no light — simple as that.
Typical price: $0.03–$0.06 per foot
Small boxes — big convenience in the 1870s.
Typical price: $0.05–$0.10 per box
Cheap, common, and always worth having on hand.
Typical price: $0.08–$0.12 per lb
A household workhorse — steady indoor light.
Typical price: $0.50–$1.25 each
Outdoor light that won’t blow out in the wind.
Typical price: $0.75–$1.50 each
These are the small comforts that carried people through hard work and long winters — sweetness for energy, coffee and tea for routine, and dry bread that could outlast the weather.
Thick, dark syrup — calories, flavor, and keeping power.
Typical price: $0.40–$0.75 per gallon
Frontier syrup — milder than molasses, used every day.
Typical price: $0.50–$0.80 per gallon
Coarser, darker sugar — chipped, scooped, and weighed.
Typical price: $0.08–$0.12 per lb
The workday comfort — sold loose and ground at the counter.
Typical price: $0.20–$0.35 per lb
Imported leaves — a calm, long-keeping comfort.
Typical price: $0.60–$1.00 per lb
Dry bread built to outlast the season — travel food that keeps.
Typical price: $0.04–$0.06 per lb
On the frontier, tools weren’t optional — they were the difference between fixing a problem today or living with it all season. These are the basics that built homes, repaired wagons, and kept work moving.
The everyday pair — build, repair, split, and shape.
Typical price: $0.50–$1.50 each
From firewood to timbers — the right saw for the job.
Typical price: $0.75–$3.00 each
Dirt work, barn work, and yard work — the long-handled essentials.
Typical price: $0.75–$2.50 each
Harvest tools — long swings for hay, short cuts for tight work.
Typical price: $0.60–$2.50 each
Sold by weight — the small fasteners that built the West.
Typical price: $0.04–$0.06 per lb
The quiet essentials — tying, hauling, hanging, and holding fast.
Typical price: $0.10–$0.25 per ft (rope) • $0.20–$0.60 per ft (chain)
A frontier kitchen isn’t fancy — it’s functional. These are the durable goods that cooked meals, carried water, stored food, and kept a household running day after day.
The workhorse cookware — heavy, durable, and made to last.
Typical price: $1.00–$4.00 each
For the daily routine — boil water, brew strong, serve warm.
Typical price: $0.50–$2.00 each
Affordable everyday tableware — sturdy, stackable, and replaceable.
Typical price: $0.05–$0.35 each
Kitchen storage and mixing — heavy, steady, and long-keeping.
Typical price: $0.25–$2.50 each
Multipurpose household work — wash, haul, prep, and carry.
Typical price: $0.20–$1.50 each
The small tools that make meals possible — stir, measure, strain, bake.
Typical price: $0.05–$0.75 each
Frontier wear was made to work — and made to last. These are the goods folks relied on for daily labor, cold weather, and the constant job of mending and repair.
Durable basics for long days and hard use.
Typical price: $0.75–$3.00 each
Work boots for the field — cleaner shoes for town.
Typical price: $2.00–$6.00 per pair
Shade, warmth, and protection — including cowboy hats.
Typical price: $0.50–$3.00 each
Wool layers meant to beat wind and winter.
Typical price: $2.00–$8.00 each
Sold by the yard — because mending is constant.
Typical price: $0.08–$0.40 per yard
Riding gear and ranch essentials — built tough.
Typical price: $0.50–$10.00 (varies by item)
