Evacuate 2011 - Day 9

Not too much has changed. The river is still droppong but very slowly. As it recedes, people on the outer fringes are wanting to get back into their homes. Authorities will not allow this until the electric and gas company have been in and removed meters and checked for leaks and make sure that power is off. FEMA is here and working well. I have registered so I will be in line for future grants and SBA loans. FEMA is giving people, once registered, some money to offset temporary living expenses. It appears that the Corp of Engineers will make the decison on which homes will be "red tagged"..... destroyed..... it may be in the neighborhood of 900+ homes that will be destroyed. We still have not seen the water levels in Eastwood Park. I have been told that the water is not deep enough to run the motorized boats... I take this as a good sign. There is a chance that in a few days I may get a chance to ride in a Blackhawk helicopter to view the valley and/or a ride in one of the DNR boats.... possibly and airboat. The EOC Call Center is slowing down. Broadway is open part time.... 7 am to 10 am and 4 pm to 7 pm to give us another north south passage and relieve congestion during rush hour.

Carnegie Library

Minot Public Library – The original Minot Public Library  began in 1908 in two rooms rented in the Optic Block. In 1908 the city approved its first mill levy for library purposes. In 1910 with $2000 in its treasury, the library obtained a grant from Andrew Carnegie for a new building. The Library was built at the corner of what is now Second Avenue and First Street Southeast. The library moved into its new home in 1911 and remained there for 55 years, when it moved into its current location. When the Library was dedicated in February of 1912, it had 1490 books and claimed to have 1350 borrowers. The original library building is now the Carnegie Center. The pictures below are from 1911. The picture of the interior, I believe, is prior to opening.

Evacuate 2011 - Day 8

We have been out of the house for 8 days... It is hard to remember as the days all blend together. I still have not see any TV video or pictures of Eastwood Park, so I still am not sure how high the water is. Still hoping that it is not on the main floor. When not doing things at the radio station I have been at the Emergency Operation Center (EOC). I started answering phones and for the past week I have been supervising the Flood Hotline Information Call Center. We have anywhere from 6 to 25 people answering phones, fielding any questions that come in. This includes press calling from all over the country, directions on how to get from pont A to point B, concerns about anything flood related and sometimes just letting callers vent or talk to someone. The city has been haveing trouble with water lines and sewer lines breaking. We cannot find them as they are under water, up to 10 - 12 feet of water in some places. Everyone is on a "conserve" water restiction and a "boil" water order is in effect until we get contaminants in the water cleaned up. The only north - south artery is still the Bypass on the west side of town. when it is busy, the trip is about 2 hours.

Eastwood Park - My Home #3

The House Where Lawrence Welk Stayed - Part 3 – One of the residents on the top floor was Joe Welk.  He was a cousin to  Lawrence Welk. In the late 20’s and early 30’s. Lawrence Welk was not the celebrity he became later on. He would stay with Joe while his band was performing in the Minot area and many times at the Pavilion in Riverside Park, now Roosevelt Park. One of the early tenants lived in one of the basement apartments. She knew him only as Larry, cousin to Joe. She told my wife that Larry was always trying to get people to his dances, but she said “he wasn’t that good” so they usually did not go. Years later she realized that the Larry she knew, was actually Lawrence Welk. Joe Welk kicked Larry out as he would run up Joe’s phone bill trying to book his band in the northern part of the state, but never repaid Joe for the long distance calls. This was verified by Lloyd Heusers, a former teacher at Minot High and long time member of the Minot Park Board. As a child he lived in the house just west of our house. His father was a cab driver and a good friend of Lawrence Welk.

Eastwood Park - My Home #2

The House Where Lawrence Welk Stayed #2 - In the late 20’s the person who owned the house got involved with and joined a church out of St Paul, Mn. He deeded the house to the church with the stipulation that he could live there, “free of charge”, until he died. The house was converted to a apartments and sleeping rooms. Two apartments in the basement and on the main floor and five sleeping rooms on the top floor. All the income from the house went to the building fund for construction of a church here in Minot. That church was to be located on 6^th Street SE, Next to the Greek Orthodox church. The foundation was all that was built. That eventually became a 3 unit below grade apartment building that was demolished when the Greek Church purchased the land and converted it into a parking lot.

Evacuated 2011 Day 6 1/2

It is mid day on Monday, June 27th. The river is slowly dropping, a few inches a day.... this will be a long ordeal. Today we have had some breaks in the water lines in the city. We are not sure where. This is on top of contaminated water getting into the system a couple days ago. All Minot and area residents not only have to boil water before using but now have to really conserve water. Water Dept is working on finding breaks... may have to shut down areas of the city to locate them and then re-route water atound them. Still trying to save the dike around Perkett Elementary School. 3 schools are under water. Ramstad Middle School, 700+ students has water to the roof. Longfellow Elementary School has water on main floor. Lincoln Elementary has water on Main floor. It is going to be long time for water to recede and even longer to get into to assess damage and then start cleanup. FEMA is in the area and the registration process has started. Many mobile homes are submerged to the roof and some are floating off the foundations. Many single family homes in some areas are submerged to the roof line also.  More later or tomorrow....

Evacuate 2011 - Day 6

Well ii is day 6 of the evacuation, Monday June 27th. The river seems to have hit its crest on Saturday. Now it will be a slow agonizing wait for the water to go down. Many I have spoken with seem to think this will only take a weekmor so. I am not expecting to get back into Eastwood Park to look at the damages until late in July. One neighbor estimates he has about 2 feet of water on his main floor. I hope he is right, as my main floor is about 2 feet higher than his. There is an outside chance that I may eascape main floor water damage... outside chance.  I have lined up a generator to purchase when the water recedes to get in and pump out the basement. Then comes the electrician to go through the 3 breaker boxes in basement. It is possible the box in the garage is high enough to have escaped getting wet. I have been workin in the EOC... Emergency Operation Center. I started answering phones and now work as a supervisor for the call center, helping up to 20 people field any questions that come to the Flood Hotline Information Center.... Keeps me busy. may have the opportunity to get up in a National Guard Blackhawk Helicopter to fly over the valley.

Eastwood Park - My Home #1

The House Where Lawrence Welk Stayed - Part 1.– This is actually my home in Eastwood Park. My wife, Pat and I purchased the home about 30 years ago after moving back to Minot. In the summer we would always get people driving by our house. Many would stop and ask if they could see the inside as they had lived there in the past, as far back as the late 20’s. I learned a lot from these former residents. The house was built about 100 years ago and went through a few owners. Although the house has very little insulation in the walls, it is very warm in the winter and cool in the summer. The original house had a corner room as an ice box. The ice door is still visible on the east side of the house. The water from the ice melting and rain water all went into  a 2200 or so gallon cistern in the basement, below our laundry room. The water was then pumped into a metal tank in the attic and was part of a gravity feed running water system before the days of city water pressure. I am trying to find a summer picture. I believe they are on my desktop which is packed away on the top floor of the house to escape the flood.

Evacuate 2011 - Day 4

It is now the morning of the 4th Day of Evacuation. We are settling into what is now a normal routine. Staying at the farm on top of Speedway Hill. We have re-located Sew Unique, Pat's sewing business to the radio station for the duration of evacuation. The river is relentless in its rise. I received a call from a neighbor who got as close to our neighborhood as he could. He was at the railroad tracks on 9th St., just south of Coca Cola. At that time, (about 7pm on Friday evening), he estimated about 1-2 feet of water on the street at the entrance to Eastwood Park. Great news.... maybe the water will not get to the main floor of our house. Then we awoke at 4 am this morning to get ready for work. Turned on the TV. At Central Ave. and Third Street the water was 3-4 ft high on the Firestone store and still rising. Looks like my main floor will get wet. Since Thursday,after my radio show is done I have been helping out at the EOC. Emergency Operations Center. It is the base of all flood fight activity. I have been and will continue to help in the Call Center. This is a phone bank of about 20+ phones that is set up to help people and answer any questions about the flood. And the variety of questions is endless. I have been acting in a supervisory capacity, helping the volunteers. Many are not familiar with the city and I can be a resource. I have fielded calls from private individuals, businesses and media from all over the country. It can get hectic, but hopefully in some small way I can help a number of people. I will take my laptop home this weekend and download some current flood pictures to post.  All for now

Young America

In 1963, Stan Fink came up with the concept of the Young America Stores. The first store opened in the newly built Town & Country Shopping Center. The store carried a complete line of infant wear and clothes for tots, juniors , subteens, young men and young women.  Most of the sales were in the men’s lines so the store expanded and eventually opened The American Man Stores. At one time Young America had 15 locations in North and South Dakota, Iowa  and Montana with over 250 employees.  In 1976 they opened the Jeanery in the Town & Country Center. American Man opened in 1981 in Dakota Square in Minot with Young America following in 1983. In 1983 Young America received the Retailer of the Year  Award by the Upper Midwest Mens Apparel Club of Minneapolis.

Chain Food Store

Chain Food Store was established in 1917 by Herman (Heinie) Diamond. He started working a grocery store and soon saved enough money to purchase Standby Grocery on North Broadway. Chain Foods started delivering groceries in Minot with a horse and wagon. They were the first grocery store to use a motor truck for delivery.  In winter when roads were blocked, groceries were even delivered in rural areas by air. Also involved in the store with Heinie were his sons James and Jerry and his son –in-law Stan Fink.  These three also opened Diamonds Department Store in 1959 at 437 North Broadway and in 1961 a second Diamonds Department Store opened in the Arrowhead Shopping Center. I am looking for a picture of the exterior of the Chain Food Store. If any one has a copy I would love to get a hold of it.

Evacuated 2011 - Day 3

This is the third day of evacuation. The river keeps getting higher. At first Minot though we could handle the flow at 11-12,000 cfs. The peak flow through Minot is expected to be 29,000 cfs. To th0se familiar with the 69 flood, this is 8-9 feet more water in the valley than we had at that time. The fight now is to keep the Highway 83 bypass open on the west side of the city, Broadway and maybe Third Street NE. Also in danger now and dikes are being built to protect it is Highway 52 going NW out of Minot. The area Tressel Valley, the railroad tressel, is expected to be flooded and closed by late this afternoon. Highway 52 southeast of Minot is closed due to water over the road. A very high profile vehicle may make it through. An email I received through facebook informed me that the water over-flowed the dikes by Eastwood Park about 11:30 Thursday night, June 23rd. So I am officially flooded out. The picture below shows the flood of 69 in Eastwood Park. The picture, (thanks to Jim Pence),  is looking west on Second Ave. My house is the one in the background on the right hand side. Water in 69 was about a foot or so below the basement ceiling. This time we are expecting 3-4 feet of water on the main floor. Now it is a waiting game ... when will the water go down.



Evacuate 2011 - Day 2

We are somewhat settled in our new, temporary location. Still seems unbelievable that there will be as much water coming as is predicted. so far the water is not here. the crest is now forcast to hit on Sunday. Minot has made national news.... not in the way we wanted. I have not had time to find pictures to post but will work on that today for tomorrow's addition. That is all for now

Evacuate - 2011

Well, no history today.... probably was part of making Minot History. We have spent the last two days moving what we could to the top floor of our home due to pending flood waters coming. The rest of it, furniture, appliances and woodworking power tools we moved out to the farm. The farm is my grandparents homestead where my cousin and her husband live. We will be here for, I believe, months. The water will probably get to our main floor, about 3-5 inches. In the 69 flood the house had no water on the main floor. I think it will be at least a couple months before we can get into the neighborhood, (Eastwood Park), to pump out basement and get electric in first. I have ordered a generator to provide power for pumps. We will have to replace both furnaces, water heater, kitchen cabinets, flooring on two floors and more. In two days Minot will be under more water than ever before. I will keep you posted on what develops as the water raises and the subsides..... More later. I will grab some pictures tomorrow and post .... too tired today to do it.

Westland Oil Fire

The Westland Oil fire occurred in July of 1947. The cause of the fire may have been attributed to “pink gas’ flowing out of one of the tanks. This was reported by someone form the Bridgeman Creamery.  Many businesses were lost in the fire besides losses incurred by Westland Oil. Those destroyed in the fire were: Mandan Creamery & Produce, Riverside Café & Tavern, Becwar & Cedarstrom Texaco and the Minot Co-op Grain Association. Badly damaged included Bridgeman Creameries, Monagin Power Equipment Co, Farmers Union Co-op Store, and Lowe’s Grocery. Four people were killed in the fire and a number were injured.

 

3R's Men's Store

The 3R’s Men’s Store was owned by Rusty Kouba. The store claimed to have a complete retail price range in men’s clothes, hence they were able to handle most customer’s needs. 3R’s had the largest selection of sport coats and men’s pants in Minot. The sport coats varied in sizes from 34 to 54 in short, regular , long and extra long. Waist sizes ranged from 29 to 36. 3R’s also carried men’s suits. At one time 3R’s also moved into the world of formal wear, sales and rentals. They were able to supply men’s needs for weddings, proms and other business needs.
No photo available

Empire Theater

The Empire was located next to the Thomas Funeral Home. It was one of the last theaters of its type with the screen situated as it was, behind you as you enter the theater itself. The Empire also had a balcony, reportedly the home of many budding romances. At one point they also sold a Movie Series Package that provided a strip of 10 tickets for $2. Each ticket got you into a Saturday movie. They had the line-up set in advance with the movie name on each ticket. Among the movies shown as part of the series were "Five Weeks in a Balloon", "Zotz" and some of the "The Three Stooges Meet..." movies. As a Child, you could save the medallions form your milk cartons and redeem them for tickets to the Saturday show. At times various churches used the Empire Theater for their services when their church was going through construction or other mishaps. I believe the Empire also held “live’ concerts at one time. In the late 60’s, my name was on a list of people banned from the Empire and at that time Oak Park Theater. One of my friends lit a cigarette in the balcony and inserted the fuse of a Cherry Bomb, (a very large firecracker) in the cigarette. When it burned down, the Cherry Bomb exploded. We could not go to the movies unless we found someone to open the back door so we could sneak into the theater. The site is now a parking lot for Trinity Hospital.

   

PW Miller Co.

P.W. Miller was well known in county and the state for his many business interests. He was also involved in farming and ranching north of Velva. In 1943 he founded the PW Miller Co. in the Grand Hotel on Central Avenue. It was known as “The Store with the Yellow Front”. The PW Miller Co. specialized in Army and Navy Surplus. After the Grand Hotel fire they moved temporarily into the Westlie Building on the corner of Central Avenue and Broadway. In August of 1960 PW Miller Co. moved into the Weinrebe Building on 1^st Avenue nest to the Clarence parker Hotel. The location is now offices and the home of a law firm.

American Legion Club

The American Legion Club was located in Downtown Minot on 1st St, (Broadway) just south American State Bank, now Bremer bank.. The American Legion Club moved into this building in 1952 after purchasing it from the Minot Daily News. The News moved to its new location at 301 4^th St. SE.  The American Legion Club later moved to a new location on Minot’s north hill, now the home of Don Bessette Motors. The old American Legion Club location in Downtown Minot is now part of the parking lot north of Bremer Bank. I was in the old American Legion Club many times during my stint of driving a delivery truck for Coca Cola Bottling. It was always noted for having great food. Pictured below is the American Legion band from sometime in the 40's

Mercy Hospital - Dr E. C. Stone

I received a call from a listener a while back about a Dr. EC Stone. She has a pill box from Anderson Drug. The physician was Dr E C Stone from Mercy Hospital. What I have discovered is this. In 1907, a Dr. Ringo came to Minot from Chicago to assume the medical practice of Dr. James Windel. In 1916, Dr.Ringo opened a 30 bed hospital in a downtown building to be used by his patients. Later the hospital was managed by a Dr. EC Stone. I do not know the name of this hospital, but it could have been Mercy Hospital. This hospital was eventually as on the east side of Main Street, in the 100 Block. I had the opportunity to meet with the current owner of the building that houses Cookies For You. I toured the vacant top floors of the building. The third floor has the remnants of an office and living quarters complete with a large fireplace with a solid oak mantel. The top or fourth floor is made up of a series of small rooms about 8 X 12 in size. Looking at the layout and size of the rooms, I would guess that this was the hospital on Main Street. Dr. Stone also worked out of a Hospital on 9^th Avenue NW, across the street from MSU.. Some say the hospital was referred to as the Stone Hospital, as the picture shows it was Mercy Hospital. In 1935 Minot’s Mercy Hospital was located at 505 9^th Avenue NW. The phone number was 114 and the resident surgeon was Dr. E. C. Stone. The first appendectomy performed was in a sod house in 1905. Mercy Hospital was regarded as a modern hospital that offered facilities equal to the best in the land. The patients received necessary care from doctor and registered nurses at a minimum expense. From June 1, 1934 to Jun 1, 1935, 697 surgical operations were performed at Minot’s Mercy Hospital. In addition to that, 536 medicaal cases were done during the same period. The total number of patients cared for was 1233. From researching early Minot, I believe Dr. Stone was also the county Coronoer in the 30's and perhaps into the 40's.

Tunnels in Minot #3

 There were also many rumors about tunnels under “High Third”, Minot’s Red Light District. One hears rumors about bars and clubs that had escape tunnels in the basement for quick evacuation in case of a raid by the police. Again, in interviewing people back in the mid 80’s for the Ward County Centennial, I was told that “High Third” in its hey-day had many such tunnels. I was also informed that at one time a person could start at 4^th Avenue (Burdick Expressway) and go to 1^st Avenue or Stearns Motors (now I. Keating’s) without ever going outside. The route would consist of basement tunnels between houses and businesses as well as above ground passages between buildings. I have been investigating the history of Minot’s High Third. I very seriously doubt if this was true. In the days of prohibition, most of the addresses on Third Street were houses inhabited by regular law abiding citizens. True or not about the tunnels, I don’t know, BUT some of the people I interviewed 25 years ago are no longer with us to ask. One thing that did come out is the fact that most of the time the places to be raided were warned ahead of time about a pending raid, hence tunnels were probably not really needed. It appears that many establishments of Third Street had “escape” passages out the back or through the basement if the need arose.

Tunnels in Minot #2

Tunnels in Minot #2 – For many years a number of downtown buildings were heated by steam which was piped into them by steam pipes for the NSP Steam Power plant. The steam pipes had to be maintained so they ran through tunnels below the streets and buildings. These tunnels were large enough to accommodate men who may need to repair or do other maintenance. I had a report that in the days the steam tunnels were used, an enterprising delivery person for a local restaurant would run the steam tunnels to deliver sandwiches in Downtown Minot. Many people confuse these tunnels with tunnels rumored to be running into Minot for the purpose of running contraband in and out of town. Most of this was in the form of alcohol smuggled in from Canada and other points. The Steam tunnels under Minot, while large enough to walk through were separate form any booze smuggling tunnels. However there was a rumor that a tunnel ran from Stearns Motors to the Rex Motel and another tunnel that ran from Stearn’s Motors to the old Flatiron Building. Possibly, only the people working on the Broadway Project in 1960 would know if this were true.

Tunnels in Minot #1

 The next two or three entires will be about tunnels in Minot... some existed, many people believed there were there some tunnels that may have actually existed. I believe that many of the tunnel stories are the result of stories tat have been embellished over the years......
 Before WW II there was a pedestrian tunnel under the railroad tracks on Fourth Avenue (Burdick Expressway). It was probably built about the same time as the overpass. The tunnel was well lighted and dry. Cars no longer had to worry about trains, nor did pedestrians. Cars went over the top and people went underneath. After WWII the lights were broken by vandals. Women were afraid to use the tunnels. Because of liability the railroad boarded up the entrance. The question comes to mind…. Is the tunnel still there? reports from radio listeners believe the tunnle was there when the 4th Street Overpass was two lanes. When the new, four lane, overpass was constructed the walk tunnel was eliminated.

Jacobson Opera House

Jacobson Opera House – The Jacobson Opera House was built by Martin Jacobson, known as “The Hardware Man”. The Opera House had a capacity of 800 people with a stage that was 30 feet by 50 feet. The Opera House  was built in 1902 at a cost of $30,000. The grand opening was on January 5, 1903. The opening play was “The Count of Monte Crisco” attended by over 600 people. Box seats were auctioned off, the highest price paid was $55.00. A note about the curtain on the stage. It contained advertisements and when the show began the curtain was rolled up. The Opera House had the reputation of “the finest west of St Paul”. It was also the home to town meetings, political rallies, dances, parties, school events and other public events. The Opera House was on the third floor of the Jacobson Building. In 1920, the Opera House was used as the Scottish Rote Temple for the Masons.  The Opera House was destroyed by a fire in 1923 and was never rebuilt. The first Opera House was on the northeast corner of Main Street and Central Avenue. In the late 60’s the building was the home of the USO and it is now the home of the Taube Museum of Art.  The Jacobson Opera House was host to many traveling theater companies in the early days of Minot. One of those theatrical companies was the Harry St. Clair Company. This group had an actor with them that would one day become famous. That actor was Boris Karloff, best known later in his career for the horror movies he starred in. Karloff spent 60 weeks in Minot back about 1915 when he was acting with the Harry St. Clair Company. They were performing at the Opera House and would have stayed longer but according to Karloff, they ran out of plays. Probably not many people are aware of the fact that Boris Karloff was a life member of the Minot Chamber of Commerce. The award was presented to him in 1957 by J. Warren Bacon of Minot at the television showing of “This is Your Life”,  about Boris Karloff.  A side note, Bacon, then 12 years old often ran errands for Boris Karloff. Bacon’s father was the manager of the Opera House at the time. The pictures are of the Opera House before and after the fire of 1923.

 

Union National Bank

Union National Bank began its existence in Minot in 1905, in the front of the Jacobson Hardware building. The second floor was home to Offices and the Post Office. The ground floor housed Martin Jacobson’s Hardware Store. In 1923 the building, bank included was gutted by fire. Within eight months a new building had been erected on the northeast corner of Main Street and Central Avenue, the same location  as the old building . Union National Bank remained at that location until 1963 when they built a new bank at 17 First Avenue SW. The bank is in the same location but became First Bank and is now known as US Bank. US Bank also has drive through tellers on South Broadway.

Jacobson Hardware

 Jacobson Hardware occupied the main floor of the Jacobson Building on  Main Street and Central Avenue. The Opera House was on part of the second and all of the third floor. Martin Jacobson, Known as “the Hardware Man”,  started the hardware store after becoming a successful rancher near Des Lacs. In 1898, Peter Fugelso became the bookkeeper of the hardware store until 1901 when he resigned to become the Postmaster. He later resigned as postmaster to join with Martin’s nephew, Doc Jacobson, to purchase the hardware store on January 1, 1907.  The business was destroyed by fire in 1923. The building was rebuilt .  The Jacobson – Fugelso Hardware store eventually moved to the middle of the block just east of the alley on Central Avenue and survived for many years. Jacobson – Fugelso carried a full line of hardware in addition to Schwin Bicycles, Toro Mowers, Delta Power Tools and Benjamin Moore Paint.

Lowe's Grocery - Part 2 / Lowe's Floral & Garden

Lowes Grocery was located in what is now the Ice Box on the corner of 3rd St NW and 1st Ave in Minot. Jim Lowe, one of the Lowe children, along with his wife Clarice began growing fresh produce to provide for the store. Later a "pick your own" vegetable stand was added. From fresh vegetables to bedding plants was an easy transition for Clarice and Jim, who ran Lowe's Gardens as a seasonal business. Lowe's Inc. DBA Lowe's Floral and Garden Center has been serving the Minot, ND community with fresh flowers, green and blooming plants, trees, shrubs, and locally grown vegetable and bedding plants for over 80 years. Their son Philip Lowe and his wife Jennifer purchased the business in 1975 and turned it into its current business form by adding the Floral Division, the Nursery and Landscape Department and the Garden Center. Two years later the couple moved to the caretakers cottage on the property and Jim and Clarice moved to Clarice's ancestral home in Tattman Township, North Dakota near Glenburn. Jim and Clarice worked daily at the business well into the 1980's.

Lowe's Grocery - Part 1

This is a two part blog on Lowe's Grocery. The information was provided by Phil Lowe .....Albert Lowe was born in Wild Rose, Wisconsin on December 25, 1880. He was the son of Thomas and Mary Lowe. Albert’s father worked in the coal mines in Wales. He never saw daylight until he was 19 years old. Albert attended a commercial college in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. He also worked in a general store that was owned by C. A. Smart. Albert came to Minot and worked in the business office of the Minot Optic, later the Optic Reporter, owned by his brother-in-law, W. M. Smart. One of his jobs was picking up advertising for the newspaper. On of the advertisements was, For Sale – Riverside Mercantile Co., located at Third Street and First Avenue Northeast. The store was owned by Ed and Albert Bettin and Harry Marshall. This was in 1916. Albert asked if he could wait a few days before turning in the ad. In the meantime he made arrangements to borrow $3,000.00 on his own signature. In 1930 the store became strictly a food market and the name changed to Lowe’s Grocery, selling “Red & White” goods. Later, Albert purchased 19 acres of land from Harry Smith. This was originally the Joe Roach Ranch located in the bend of the Mouse River. He raised vegetables to sell to stores and wholesale houses in Minot. After purchasing the acreage on the Mouse River, Albert erected a chicken house. He bought Leg Horn pullets and when grown, sold the day old eggs. The cartons stamped with the date they were gathered and got 5 cents a dozen premium. People came from all over town to buy these day old eggs From Lowe’s Grocery.

Strauss Brothers Jewelry

Straus Bros. Jewelers- Straus Brothers Jewelers was owned by Al, Ben and Rose Straus. They began in 1929 in an upstairs room in the First Avenue Building. As business grew, Straus Borthers moved to a location on East Central Avenue and then into the Leland Parker Hotel Building in 1937. In 1950 Straus Brother’s moved to their final location at 19 South Main Street. Straus Brother’s carried Keepsake Diamonds, Longine Watches, Bulova Watches and fine silver and china.

Bader's Womens Clothing Store

Bader’s – The first Bader’s Store was opened in 1935 by A. Bader. It first opened in the Waverly Block. The store was destroyed in the famous Waverly Hotel fire in 1943. Baders employees were able to rescue a majority of the inventory and the lay-aways. The fixtures were destroyed in the fire. Following the fire of 1943, Bader purchased Fauchald’s Dept. Store, next to FW Woolworth. The store was completely remodeled in 1957.  Bader’s prided itself on being identified by the women of Minot as the store they could depend upon for the newest in fashions and the most comprehensive stocks.

Dakota Drug

Dakota Drug – Dakota Drug was founded in 1929 By “Cap” Saunders and was located inside Saunders Drug on North Main Street. Eventually Dakota Drug moved two doors north on Main Street. In 1948 the business moved into its home which is the site of the former Dakota Hotel.  Dakota Drug distributed a variety of products including drugs, drug sundries, tobacco, cigars and sporting goods. The company also rented space at 101 East Central Avenue for tobacco and sporting goods products. This division separated and became known as Nodak Candy and Tobacco Co. At one Time Dakota Drug had 8 sales mangers covering most of North Dakota and a large part of Montana.

Asplund Toyota

Asplund Toyota – Wendall Asplund started his first service garage and body shop on Minot’s north side in 1927. The first franchise Asplund had was the Pullman Coach. Through the years Asplund also sold Kaiser vehicles, Willys and finally in 1955, Studebaker. Asplund eventually became the Toyota dealer. When I first had dealings with Asplund Toyota they were located on South Broadway, just south of the old Frosaker Motor building. The service/shop entrance was located on Broadway. Driving in was no problem. To back out, you needed someone to watch traffic as you exited. Asplund eventually built a dealership on north hill. The Toyota franchise was purchased by Ryan Chevrolet and then by Minot Chrysler. .... no picture available a this time

Northwestern Bell Telephone

Northwestern Bell Telephone Co. – NW Bell was located at 201 South Broadway .. Across the street to the east from Sweetheart Bakery and across the street to the south from the former Elks Club. In its “heyday” the company employed about 200 people. Operator services closed in December 1977. The plant division remained for a few years. Eventually all services were moved to Bismarck. The building was torn down and is now a parking lot.

Northern States Power

NSP – Northern States Power – in 1901 a franchise for phone and electric service was granted to the Minot Light and Telephone Company. The franchise was sold in 1911 and the name was changed to the Consumers Power Company. The name was changed again in 1916 to Northern States Power. NSP was located on Main Street until 1967  when it moved to 24 Second Avenue SE. The company was split. The telephone division became Minot Telephone and is now SRT. The electric division is now Xcel Energy.

Saunders Drug

Saunders Drug – in 1908, Cap Saunders came to Minot to work in the Leland Drug Store which was owned by Paul McCoy and Clarence Parker. McCoy and Frank Taylor owned Taylors Drug on North Main Street. Three months after arriving in Minot, Saunders was moved to Taylor Drug. In 1912 he bought one third interest in the store and later bought out McCoy and the name was changed to Saunders Drug. In 1935 Taylor sold his interest to Saunders. At midnight on December 31, 1948, Saunders turned over the management of the drug store to John Vardsveen. Saunders Drug was located at 5 North Main Street. The first picture is the interior of Taylor's Drug. The second picture is the west side of Main Street in the 50's showing Saunders Drug.

Show N Sell Sign

the Show N Sell Sign is the former marquee from the Empire Theater on main Street.  When the theater was torn down, the theater marquee was rescued by Robert and Becky Weiss. The sign was built in 1954 when the Empire Theater was constructed. The Show N Sell sign was placed on the roof of the Midtown Plaza on the southwest corner of Broadway and 2^nd Avenue. A number of energy saving materials. As the Empire Marquee the sign was illuminated with 480 incandescent light bulbs. As the Show N Sell sign it is illuminated by two exterior high intensity lights. The sign was rented by people and businesses wanting to advertise or announce special events. As co-owner of the Show N Sell sign I can attest to some of the challenges in operating it. The only access to the sign on the roof was by an extension ladder placed on the west side of the building. The first winter of ownership we discovered that water on the roof pooled below the sign. In the winter, the wind blew and polished the ice, making it very slippery. We used a step ladder to place the letters on the sign as this worked much better and was quicker than using the long arms to place the letters. With the ice it became a two man job. One to hold the ladder and one to place the letters. In later years we placed wooden pallets upside down below the sign. When they froze into the ice, the step ladder would not slide around while working on the sign. I have a picture of the sign somewhere. I will look for it to scan after I find it when we get back home. We have been evacuated due to possible flooding of the Mouse River. Below is the sign in its original form on the Empire Theater.

Minot Grocery Company

The Minot Grocery Company started operations in Minot in 1906. Its first home was in downtown Minot east of Main Street and north of Central Avenue. In the early days Minot Grocery was purchased by the Nash Finch Company.  The Nash Brothers started business in 1885 in Grand Forks and were soon joined by Harry Finch. Nash Finch Company supplied products to the area Piggly Wiggly, Jack & Jill and Circle Food Stores. Nash Finch moved to a new, modern warehouse on Highway 2 & 52 West. They are still in business at the same location. That is now 16^th Street SW and Burdick Expressway West. The picture below is Nash Finch Company in the 1940's