American Café –

 The American Café opened in September of 1922 in the Scofield Block on Main Street by a Chinese-American named Louis Lolling.  The  menu featured Special Chow Mein at 25 cents a plate and Lobster Egg Foo Yung at 55 cents a plate. Mr Lolling, while looking for an employee at the Dakotah Hotel, 60 South Main, was arrested in an opium raid. After convincing authorities that he was just looking for an employee, charges were dropped. However, Lolling became discouraged with Minot, sold his new café and left Minot in 1924.

American Cafe - 1950's

Scandinavian Hotel & Windsor Hotel –

 The Windsor Hotel was on the corner of 1^st St and 1^st Ave. SE. This is where the old YMCA was located. The Scandinavian Hotel was on the east side of the block on 1st Avenue, just east of the Blue Rider Bar. The original Soo Line Depot was across the street, on Third Street SE. When the early settlers arrived at the Soo Line Depot, they would see they Scandinavian Hotel. Most if not all of the Scandinavian languages were spoken here. Many of the early pioneers in the northwestern part of the state arrived at the Soo Line depot and may have stayed at the Scandinavian Hotel. Eventually the Scandinavian Hotel was demolished to make room for an expansion on the Windsor Hotel.

Windsor Hotel - 1949

Herman Gordon

The Boston Store – Herman Gordon arrived in Minot in 1905 and opened a small tailor shop in town. His first shop was on First Street South West. Later he moved to Main Street and opened the Boston Store. Eventually, The Boston Store moved to First Street Southwest, just south of what is now the Federal Building. Herman was ten years old and still living in Russia when he “ went on the bench”. The term used at that time applied to learning the tailor’s trade. He learned from his father. After coming to America in 1902, he worked for three years as a tailor in Petrosky, Michigan before moving to Minot. Herman and his wife, Helen, lived at 613 East Central Avenue, or in what is now know as Eastwood Park

Main Street - Early 1900's

Minot Park Board's First Wildlife

Squirrels in Minot – there are not too many places in the Souris Valley in Minot that one does not see a number of squirrels. At times there seems to be a number of black squirrels in the mixture. I often wondered if these were a different breed of squirrel. Back in 1939, the same question was on people’s minds. It seems that in the early 1900’s, the Minot Park Board imported squirrels from Iowa and Wisconsin. One story had it that the squirrels were brought in to provide wildlife for Riverside, (now Roosevelt), Park. The idea was the squirrels, once released in the park would stay on the east side of the river, confined to the park. Obviously the early Park Board did not realize the ingenuity of the squirrels. George Valker, a long member of the Park Board, recalled that the black and foxtail squirrels were introduced to the Park in 1916. In 1939, Perna Stine, a biologist at Minot State Teachers College said the black squirrels are a variation of the grey squirrel family. Although the black squirrels are not as prevalent as the grey squirrels, there are still some in the city today

New Minot Radio - KCJB 910 AM and KCJB-TV -

KCJB arrived on the scene with several new personalities and shows. Two of these were Dean Thurrow, and Cis Hadley. Cis went out to neighboring towns grocery stores for remote broadcasts. One of these was from the HiLo Groceries at Van Hook. Of course the show was called "Hello from HiLo" .  Many remember being at the remote shows and  also listening to the shows to see if your neighbors might be interviewed on the radio.
Another Minot Memory would be when KCJB TV went “On Air”. The first year they were at the state fair they did closed circuit from several locations on the fair grounds. The broadcasts were not very  clear, having a lot of “snow” on the scene. This led to the famous statement of one fair attendee watching the dairy cattle judging in a different building. His statement to his wife was “let’s go over to the dairy barn,  its hot here but looks like it’s snowing over there"  “Live”  TV at its best

Old Minot Radio

KLPM 1390 AM. KLPM was referred to as “Old Minot’ Radio. One of the on air personalities was Les Maupin. One of his radio shows was called Tello-Test. This was a program where random people were called to answer a question to win a prize. When dialing the phone number, over the radio it was 8 – 3 – 8 – 1 – 4 – 5 - ??? the listeners would not know the complete number until the last digit was dialed.
Saturday morning the station had a program called Birthday Train for kids. Parents would send in information on the child’s age and birthday for an announcement on the radio. The radio station would wish the children Happy Birthday and give them clues as to where their presents were hidden at home.

Restaurants From Bt Gone Days

. Restaurants of the Past – 1960’s & 70’s – Dee Dee’s Frozen Foods – Barbecued ribs, hot tamales, chili con carne and barbecue sauce were Dee Dee’s specialties. In 1968 you could purchase these items at Red owl Stores – Downtown and Arrowhead, Garden Valley Super Fair, Piggly Wiggly – Town & Country and Highway 2 East and of course Dee Dee’s Grill on Third Street… King Leo’s – 1734 South Broadway – once in a while on Thursday and Friday, King Leo’s featured a Hamburger, Fries and a milk shake for only 49 cents…... A&W Drive-In – 1819 South Broadway – with a coupon you could buy one Teen Burger at regular price and get the second for a Penny …..

Headlines from the 40’s –

1940 – Sawyer ran a a band of Gypsies out of town ---

1940  - Unemployment checks averaged $9.68

1943 – The Waverly Hotel burned down ---

1943 -  North Dakota Speed limit lowered to 35 mph

1945 – Construction began on the Empire Theater

1945 -  Thomas Funeral Home moved to its Present location

1946 – Minot City Council approved parking meters ---

1946 -  Propane gas came to Minot

1947 – More than 1400 rats killed at Minot Dump in one day --- 

1947 -  Westland Oil Fire

1948 – New Clarence Parker Hotel opened

1949 – Parking meters abolished in Minot 

 Waverly Hotel burning

After the fire was out

Green Hill Potato Chips - A Minot Product

Potato Chips – In 1933, a Minot native who lived in the northwest part of town figured out how to beat the depression. T.J. McIlhargey worked for the Great Northern Railroad for eighteen years. Since he was unemployed, he and his wife started making potato chips in the basement of their home. He sold the potato chips under the “Green Hill” label to over 40 retail establishments in Minot. In time he not only sold the potato chips, but he expanded into selling donuts also. They would process 2 to 3 bushels of potatoes a day, yielding up to 13 pounds of chips. The plan was to expand into other area communities with the chip and donut business

Opera House Barber Shop

Opera House Barber Shop – Edward Henjum, a barber in Minot, owned the Leland Barbershop. During its busy days, the Leland Barbershop employed as many as five barbers and grossed over $15,000 annually. This was big money back in the 1920’s. Before starting out on his own, Edward Henjum worked at the Opera. The Opera was a barbershop located in the basement of the Jacobson Opera House. The Opera was a big barbershop. It boasted nine barber chairs. A Turkish bath parlor was run in conjunction with the barber shop. Besides the nine barbers, The Opera employed a cashier and two porters

The sign on the side of the building is for the Barber Shop

Second Attempt With Traffic Signals

Stop-Go Light – A suspended stop and go signal was ordered for the City of Minot in August of 1939.  Some years before a post type signal was tried in Minot. It was located at the intersection of Main Street and Central Avenue. The use of this signal was discontinued as most drivers ignored it and a number of drivers ran into it. The installation of the signal light was an experiment at the intersection of 2^nd Street and 4^th Avenue Northwest, (now known as Broadway and 4^th Avenue), at the north end of the overpass. The signal weighed about 115 pounds and was equipped with red, yellow and green lights. It was timed with 30 second intervals on the north-south lanes and 20 second intervals on the east-west lanes. The signal went into operation on September 16, 1939. Motorists were given time to get used to the signal. Violators were not arrested on the first day. The signal was in operation 7 days a week, (yes, Sundays included), from 7 am to 1 am. The experiment proved to be successful as signals were also ordered for: Central Avenue and Second Street West, Central Avenue and Main Street, Central Avenue and Third Street East, Main Street and First Avenue and Main Street and Fourth Avenue, (Burdick Expressway.) By the end of 1939, these additional signals were installed and operating.

Theaters – 1945 --

   State Theater – Movie ending was “Without Love” starring Spencer Tracy…… the next show was “Between Two Women” – Starring Van Johnson with Lionel Barrymore, Gloria DeHaven and Keenan Wynn ….. Strand Theater – “When the Lights Go on Again” starring Jimmy Lydon and Barbara Belden ….. Orpheum Theater – “The Impatient Years” – Starring Jean Arthur and Lee Bowman ….. 

Bars from the 1970's

Night Clubs in the 70’s -- The Blue Moon Nite Club – on East Burdick Expressway – now the home of Ron Lohman Motors – Featured Dancers and entertainment ….. Club 52 – on Highway 2 & 52 – West of Minot about 2-3 miles (just past the Oil Tanks west of town) ….. Covered Wagon – Downtown Minot on Main Street – Featured jam sessions every Saturday night……. Riverside Lodge – Highway 2 East (where the Holiday Inn is now) ….. CP Lounge – inside the Parker Motor Hotel … The Dutch Mill - Later this bar was known as Fridays and today it is the Rockin' Horse 

 The Dutch Mill

Covered Wagon

More Businesses From the 1970's

Past Businesses – 1970’s – Alhood Motors – Highway 83 South – At one time they were the Mercedes Benz Dealer in Minot….. Red River TV & Appliance – 2121 North Broadway – across from the International Airport ….. Ben Franklin Store – located in the Arrowhead Shopping Center …. Payless Family Shoe Stores -  at one time located at 1601 South Broadway …..  Big Bear Surplus – Originally located at 14 North Main Street – Carried some clothing, sporting goods and hunting supplies ….. 

Grocery Stores From the Past

Red Owl stores – Three locations at one time – Downtown Minot – across the street west of the Midwest Federal Building, managed at one time by Don Steffan – Arrowhead Shopping Center (where White Drug is now located) managed by Leonard Kretchmar and South Broadway in the Tractor Supply location- managed by Don Jessen ….. Piggly Wiggly Stores – Three locations – Town and Country Shopping Center (on the north end where the Trinity Cancer Center is – Highway 2 East – Across from the ND State Fair Grounds – Oak Park Shopping Center…… Super Valu - There were two Super Valu Stores as I recall....one at 627 North Broadway - South of the Subway Restaurant and the other on South Broadway - where the Good Will Store is at 14th Ave and South Broadway.

Miracle Mart – 1971 –

In 1971 there were two Miracle Mart Discount Food Center Grocery Stores in Minot. One was in the Kmart Shopping Center at the intersection of Highway 83 and The Highway 2 & 52 Bypass, (they were in the east end of the Kmart Building). The other location was in Garden Valley in northwest Minot at 16^th Street and 4^th Avenue.  In 1971, Miracle Mart advertised, “Item for item our prices are lower than any other store”. Price comparisons between Miracle mart and other “Chain” grocery stores were usually featured in the Miracle Mart ads. Example” Bisquick, 40 oz box was 53 cents at Miracle mart, the next cheapest price was 63 cents.

Winter Festival – 1971 –

The Minot Downtown Merchants held a Winter Festival in mid February back in the early 70’s. The Festival was a three day event covering Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Most of the Downtown Merchants featured advertised special during the event. Some of the other activities included a Torch Light Parade on Main Street, Beard Judging Contest, Snowmobile races at the Fair Grounds, Carnival Night at the Auditorium, Kids Mini toboggan Races at Jim Himm (prior to the new High School being built), Trap Shooting at the gun club and a basketball game between the Minot Sate football team and the Minnesota Vikings.

1971 – More Past Businesses –

 Thunderbird Home Center  - 623 North Broadway ….. Jay’s Men’s Shop – 106 South Main – featuring a $10.00 suit sale …… Minot Eagles Club on 1^st St SE (now the home of the Chicago Club) …… Merk’s Twist Inn – 800 North Broadway (now home to Originals – The O Bar)….. Erna’s Restaurant – 1542 South Broadway (Blind Duck location)…. Viking Table Smorgasbord (now the new Pool and Spa store)  – Sunday dinner - $1.89 included fried chicken, meatballs, halibut and BBQ ribs and a Complete Thanksgiving Dinner for 10 people for $13.99…. The Auto-Dine – 8^th Avenue and North Broadway….. 

Businesses from 1971

1971 – Past Businesses – Ted Schweigert Volkswagon – 1430 South Broadway … Auran Chevrolet (now Ryan Chevrolet) on South Broadway….. Don Moe Inc. – two locations – 3615 South Broadway and on 3^rd Street NE ….. Blesener Olds-Datsun – 1310 4^th Ave SE (across from Roosevelt park ….. King Leo’s Drive-In – featuring hotdogs for 16 cents on Tuesday and Fishburgers for 20 cents on Fridays….. Tony’s Tavern on South Broadway  ….. Bonanza Sirloin Pit (now Paradiso) – rib eye steak dinner for $1.69 ……. Village Inn Pizza Parlor on North Broadway…. Fireside Lounge on West Burdick Exp – in the Sandman Motel….