DUANE
Duane's take
Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'll do my best to do it justice. After oil was discovered in this area, a townsite called Borger sprang up in 1926 — and if you know anything about oil boomtowns, you know they don't ease into existence. They erupt.
And into that eruption stepped two brothers. Gus Yiantsou, born in 1895, and John Yiantsou, born in 1881, were Greek immigrants who had made their way to St. Louis before they caught wind of what was happening out here in Hutchinson County.
They came. They saw the chaos. And they opened a restaurant.
Now, that right there tells you something about these two men. A boomtown full of roughnecks and wildcatters needs feeding, and the Yiantsou brothers were ready to do the feeding. But Gus wasn't finished.
He bought a piece of property, and in 1927 — just one year into Borger's wild existence — he put up a building. One of the first large structures in what the marker calls, without a hint of exaggeration, the booming town. Think about what that means.
The dust is still settling, the streets are still being figured out, and Gus Yiantsou is erecting a real building. A big one. Then in 1929, the brothers opened the Grand Hardware and Variety Store on the first floor.
The second floor? That became a hotel. The Grand Hotel.
So under one roof you could get your nails, your notions, and a night's sleep. When John passed away in 1948, Gus leased the facility and carried on. Through it all — the boom, the years, the changes — the Yiantsous generously supported local charities and Greek charities both.
Two brothers from far away who showed up when Borger was barely a name on a map, and left a building that still has a story worth telling.
What the marker says
After the discovery of oil in this area, Borger developed as a townsite in 1926. Gus (1895-1971) and John Yiantsou (1881-1948), Greek immigrants, came here from St. Louis and opened a restaurant. Gus bought this property and in 1927 erected this building, one of the first large structures in the booming town. The brothers opened Grand Hardware and Variety Store on the first floor in 1929. The second floor served as a hotel. After John's death, Gus leased the facility. The Yiantsous generously supported many local and Greek charities. (1979)