The 405 Aired May 20th, 2026

Today O.K. shares with us an interesting true story. That of Wilmer McLean, the man apparently had an ambition in life, to be left alone. History refused to cooperate.

What is The 405 Coffee Break with O.K. Solberg?

Greetings and Welcome to The 405 Coffee Break with O.K. Solberg

New episodes tend to air over the local KMMR radio station @ 5 minutes past 4PM each M-F. And have been doing so, nearly every week since Sept 2018.

I'm D.J. Rasmussen, O.K.s friend since junior high, possibly your neighbor & this websites maintainer, whom strives to get each episode's show notes written, the transcript proofed and the audio posted to the internet within a few hours of that days KMMR air time. NOTE: recently been publishing most new releases by 4:30PM.

Thanks for visiting and I hope you enjoy the time we can spend together.

OK Solberg: 00:00

Wanna again welcome you to The 405 Coffee Break, guys. Cool out there. Get you cup of coffee, glass iced tea, or bottle of water. Let's see what's happening.

OK Solberg: 00:09

Spring wheat not doing much $6.02 a bushel. 550lb steer calf $4.95 a pound all the way up to $5.10 a pound, and a 100lb fat lamb in Billings at $2.92 just kind of sitting right there in that area. But guys, there's more, much more.

OK Solberg: 00:33

Okay. I have a true story for you today. So listen to my bible verse, Proverbs 16:9 The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps. Oh, yes. He establishes our steps. Again, Proverbs 16 verse 9.

OK Solberg: 01:00

Now listen to this factual historic report. There are some men who spend their entire lives chasing history, And then there are a few poor souls, history seems determined to chase them. Such was the case with a quiet Virginia grocer named Wilmer McLean. Now Mr. McLean was not a general. He did not command armies. He never gave a famous speech nor did he ever sit in the White House.

OK Solberg: 01:37

As far as anyone can tell, Wilmer McLean had one grand ambition in life, to be left alone, and history refused to cooperate. In 1861, McLean lived with his family near Manassas Junction in Virginia. At the time, the nation stood on the edge of civil war. Tensions crackled through the country like static before a thunderstorm.

OK Solberg: 02:09

It was north against south, brother against brother. And Wilmer McLean hoping simply to make a living operated a small business wholesale store on his plantation. Unfortunately for him, his farm happened to sit in a very inconvenient location. You see, railroads crossed nearby, roads converged nearby, water sources sat nearby, which meant military men studied maps, and they began looking at that area with great interest. And when generals become interested in your property, it's rarely a good thing.

OK Solberg: 02:54

On 07/21/1861, Union and Confederate armies collided near McLean's farm in what became known as the first battle of bull run. Pull up Johnny Horton, battle of bull run. We said we'll run them to Atlanta and to Galveston Bay, but they ran us back to Washington and Philadelphia, the 1st major battle of the American Civil War. During the fighting, a confederate cannonball reportedly crashed through McLean's kitchen fireplace. Are you kidding me?

OK Solberg: 03:31

It's true. Now for most folks, that's usually considered a sign. And Wilmer, at the age of 47, decided he had seen quite enough of war. So he packed up his family and moved. He moved farther south, farther from railroads, farther from soldiers, farther from trouble.

OK Solberg: 03:53

He settled in the quiet village of Appomattox Court House, Virginia. Look it up. Check me out. Hoping at last for peace and normalcy. And for nearly 4 years, perhaps he thought he had escaped history's attention.

OK Solberg: 04:09

But guys, in April 1865, the civil war was dying, Ulysses S. Grant pursued Robert E. Lee through Virginia. Lee needed a place to meet, a respectable home, neutral ground. Guess where they picked? And somehow, among all the houses and homes in Appomattox, they selected Wilmer McLean's house. On 04/09/1865 in McLean's parlor, Lee surrendered the Confederate Army to Grant.

OK Solberg: 04:44

And with that meeting, the civil war came to an end. Think of it. The war had burst open near McLean's 1st home and closed inside his 2nd. One man accidentally standing at both bookends of America's greatest conflict. Now after the surrender, union officers began purchasing souvenirs from McLean's house, tables, chairs, furniture, anything connected to this historical moment.

OK Solberg: 05:17

One officer reportedly carried away the table on which Grant had written terms of surrender. Another took the table used by Lee. McLean later complained that his house had been picked nearly clean by souvenir hunters. And somewhere in all of that, you can almost hear the exhausted sigh of a man who moved halfway across Virginia just trying to avoid cannon fire.

OK Solberg: 05:46

Years later, McLean reportedly summarized his strange experience with one unforgettable sentence. The war began in my front yard and ended in my front parlor. And for once, history could not have said it any better itself. The end, it's all true. Please check me out.

OK Solberg: 06:11

So until next time, as you go out there, remember now, don't be bitter.