Mr. and Mrs. H. J. Maurer came to Binford the same year the railroad came through, 1899.  Mr. Maurer headed a crew of men laying track, and since there was no eating establishment on the Binford town site, Mrs. Maurer filled this need by serving meals through an open window of the room which eventually became the kitchen of the hotel the Maurers built and operated for the next forty years.

Mr. Maurer was born in Sandusky County, Ohio on May 12, 1857, coming to Dakota Territory as a young man and settling in the Sanborn area.  There he met and married Elizabeth Davidson, who was born in King Ussie, Inverveshire, Scotland on February O, 1864.  She immigrated to Canada at the age of nine years, and came to Sanborn some years later to join other members of the family there.  The Maurers moved to Cooperstown during the 1890's when they operated a bakery.

Mr. and Mrs. Maurer watched Binford grow from a few scattered homes and business places to a thriving little community, of which they became an integral part.  They were affectionately called "Uncle Hi" and Aunt Lizzie by both young and old, and a helping hand and warm welcome were always extended, during their many years in the Binford Hotel.

They also built and operated a restaurant at Red Willow Lake for a number of summers, during the years the Red Willow Lake Association was in operation.  They retired in 1938, and lived with their daughter and son-in-law, Mr. and Mrs. Oscar Alm.  Mr. Maurer died in December of 1940 and Mrs. Maurer passed away in October 1950.  Of the children born to them, a daughter, Minnie, died at the age of seventeen years, and John and Hazel (Mrs. Alm) still make their home in Binford.