An Appropriate Story for Halloween

Monster Season – 1964 – an article in the Minot Daily on September 25, 1964 was about monsters on TV. It was referring to the two spoof horror shows, The Munsters and the Adams Family. The Munsters, as you may recall, was a show about a rather ghoulish family with a seemingly normal girl, their neice. Herman was a replica of Frankenstein, his wife Lilly was a witch, the grandfather was a portly rendition of a Vampire, and Eddy was a werewolf…. The article implied that the niece must have been abnormal as she did not see anything strange about her relatives ….. 

Past Auto Dealers

Auto Dealers in 1927 -- Blaisdell Motors – Chrysler Dealer – 4^th Ave and Main St. (now Main Medical) … Hanson Motor Co. – Central Avenue and 2^nd St SE – Falcon-Knight auto dealer …. Whitmore Motor Co – Erskine and Studebaker Dealer … Nash-Westra Auto co – Franchise dealer for Nash Automobiles … Eck-Johnson Motor Co – Willys-Knight and Whippet dealer in Minot … 

Blaisdell Motors

Entertainment Spots in the 70's

Nightclubs and Bars – 1970’s – Torchlight –downtown Minot on 1^st St SW - (now the Chicago Club) this building was the Minot Eagles Club prior to becoming the Torchlight…. Stockman’s Bar – East Burdick Expressway  -- Now Ron Lowman Motors ….. 52 Club – west of Minot about 4 mile on Highway 52 (between Minot and Speedway Hill) – Jam sessions on Saturdays at 3 pm ….. Fireside Lounge – corner of West Burdick Expressway and the 2 & 52 Bypass, inside the Sandman Motel …. Covered Wagon -- on Main Street in Downtown Minot

Covered Wagon Bar

Past Minot Business

Red River TV & Appliance – 2121 North Broadway – featured Motorola products ….. Star Banner Service – 1205 North Broadway – Just north of the Dairy Queen on North Broadway …. Kruse’s Truck Plaza & Restaurant – Highway 2 & 52 Bypass East – (now Schatz Truck Stop) ….. Shark’s Men’s Store – Downtown Minot on the corner of Main St and 1^st Avenue ….. North Hill Food – 2031 North Broadway – Smaller full line grocery store …. Barlow’s Miracle Mart – located in the Kmart Plaza – ( the east side of the existing Kmart store was Barlow’s Miracle Mart) ….

Past Business in Minot

Rued Insurance – July, 1978 Rued Insurance was celebrating their 25^th anniversary…. Free coffee and donuts all day and register to win a FREE 200 mile airplane ride for five….. Fisher’s South …. In 1978 Fisher Motors South was the dealer for Mercedes Benz, Subaru, and Itasca Motorhomes ……. Gold Bond Gift Center – 11 South Main St – many grocery stores gave out Gold Bond Stamps with your purchase. They could be redeemed for gifts at this store …..  Cox’s Retail Bakery – 9 North main St. – 10 loaves of bread for $2.89 (not sliced – Sliced bread was 4 cents more per loaf) – If you had a red star on your receipt your order was free……

Fisher Motors 20th Ave SW

More Business from the 70's

Northern School & Office Supply --- in 1976 they were located in the Emporium – 22 South main (Montgomery Wards Building) – featured all types of office furniture – desks, chairs etc. ….. Sofa & Sleep Shop, Inc – 1906 South Broadway – Grand opening was held in October, 1976  -- mattress and bedroom store – (now Computech) ….. Northwest Fabrics – 1905 2^nd St SE – Just east of Kmart – Full line fabrics, sewing supplies and crafts ….. Kmart Automotive Center – Auto Accessories and service shop – located in each Kmart – 20^th Ave SE and 1915 North Broadway (now the home of MLT) ….

Food Establishments in the 1970's

Kentucky Fried Chicken – in 1972 one of the specials was a 50 piece tub of shrimp with fries for $4.99 or a 15 piece bucket of chicken with buns and 3 side dishes for $5.99 …. Little Dutch Mill – Highway 2 East (at 27^th Street) … 1972 special was a chicken dinner with salad , fries and roll for 88 cents or a 9 piece chicken take out box for $1.78 --- The Cookie Chipper and Coffee Bar – in the Oak Park Shopping Center – coffee – 5 cents a cup – cookies 2 for $1.00 ….. Famous Recipe Fried Chicken --  1201 South Broadway – now he home of Dacotah Bank on South Broadway ……

Restaurants in the 60's and 70's

McDowell’s Emporium Restaurant – Located in the Emporium – 22 South Main St. …. (inside the former Montgomery Ward building) … The Fortune Cookie – Chinese restaurant – 615 S. Broadway – In the lower level of Metropolitan Federal –(Across the street from McDonalds) …. Happy Joe’s Pizza & Ice Cream Parlor – 816 20^th Ave SW ….. Sons of Dee Dee Café – 14 North main – Smorgasbord 7 days a week ….. King Leo’s Drive-in – South Broadway in 1972 – featured 20 cent fish sandwich special ….. Sandy’s Pancake & steak House – Burdick Expressway West in the Sandman Motel 

8 Track Tapes - Cassettes

Records – In the early 70’s a person could purchase 4 track and 8 track tapes and cassette tapes were just beginning to make their appearance, (cassettes were going to revolutionize the music industry)….. but the main source of music was still albums. At Christmas time in 1972, JC Penny was running specials on top “hit” albums for only $3.57. Artists like Mac Davis, John Denver, Cher and The Partridge Family….. Christmas albums were only $1.99 …. (Perry Como, Al Hirt, Elvis and more). To play those albums one could purchase stereo systems as low as $28.00 for a portable record player to $170.00 to a console stereo complete with an AM/FM radio….

1979 Gas Prices –

Apparently the price of gasoline went to $1.00 sometime around June of 1979. One of the major car dealers in Minot at the time, Fisher Motors, ran an ad to “Relieve Your Gas Pains”. He was quoted as saying $1.00 gas is not the end of the road. He claimed the luxury cars that his dealership sold all made 18 miles to the gallon or higher. Fisher Motors also held a mileage seminar every hour on the hour in mid June to show customers how to get the maximum mileage possible. On a side note, I had a 1976 Chrysler New Yorker with a big block motor and I would get over 20 miles per gallon on the highway.

Restaurants in 1927

Restaurants in 1927 --  Club Café --  on West Central Avenue … The Eat Shop – West Central Ave – close to Broadway …. U S Café – Main Street … Grand Café – in the Grand Hotel – Central Ave & 1^st St SW – (just west of Brady Martz in the parking lot) … Temple Court – featured BBQ sandwiches cooked on the new Barbecue machine … 

Society News 1927 –

Society News 1927 – the newspaper also had a daily column titled “Society News”. It was the place to find out what was happening in the area. Items in the Society column included parties given by some of the more prominent citizens in Minot,….. Meeting notices and what happened at the meetings of various clubs in existence at the time, (both men’s and women’s clubs) …… Dances to be held in the area ….. rummage sales …… Church activities ….. and even a bit of gossip from time to time…..

Entertainment Venues in 1927

Entertainment in 1927 -- Theaters -  Orpheum - on the west side of North Main St. ….. Strand – On Main Street and the State Theater – in 1927 the State Theater featured and organ and an orchestra pit (played during the silent movies) ……. Other Entertainment – Parkers Auditorium – At one time run by the Sons of Norway (located above the Parker Garage – across from the Blue Rider Bar) ….. MHS Auditorium – The High School auditorium also held and hosted plays and other theatrical events….

Minot Furniture Company –

 In the 1920’s Minot Furniture was located at 225 – 227 South Main St. Their telephone number was 7, meaning they were one of the first to get a telephone in Minot. They carried a full line of furniture and some appliances. Specials in the paper for the fall Harvest Sales Event: Mattresses starting at $7.80 each….. 8 piece dining suites – $11.90 …. Floor and Table lamps with shade as low as $1.98…… Kitchen table with a silverware drawer for $3.89 ….. Wall mirrors starting at 39 cents.

Main St 1924

Dollar Days 1927 –

Apparently the concept of Dollar Day Sales in Minot was around 85 years ago. In the November 7,  1927 news paper many business were featuring Dollar Days Sales but the items were a bit different than one finds now….. everything in the newspaper ads was exactly $1.00….. Goldberg’s Furniture had large reversible rugs … Squtts Clothing – Mens dress shirts with collar …. Mens silk and wool sox ….. Watson’s Sanitary Grocery – 13 pounds sugar… canned vegetables 8 cans ….. Brooms ….. 5 pounds peanuts ….. Fauchalds Department Store – 5 Bath towels … Minot Outlet Store – men’s overalls (jeans) …Minot Furniture Co – bed pillows …

 Main Street Minot 1925

More Business – 1927 --

The Furniture Exchange --  located one block east of the Leland Hotel – O T Tollefson, proprietor (may have been the early days of  Tollefson’s Furniture) …EH Myren Cleaners – 36 East Central Avenue – Johnson’s popular Priced Stores --  one of seven stores was in Minot – They claimed to buy for cash in the New York markets therby offering lower prices in their stores…. Outlet Store --  120 West Central Avenue – Now a vacant lot where the Flat Iron Building was – sold men’s and some ladies clothes at reduced prices …

 Main St - 1928

Business in 1927

 W E Borene Co. – Mens clothing store – featured Hart Schaffner and Marx Clothes … Union National Bank – Corner of Main St and Central Ave. – on second floor – Opera house on top floor – (Now the Taube Museum) … The French Hat Shop – located on Main St… sold all types of hats for women … Fauchald’s Dept. Store – located on Main Street Next to FW Woolworth (at one time on the corner of Central and Main – known as the New York Store before Woolworth’s bought the building) … J C Penny Co. – in 1927 they were located at 116-118 South Main St.  …

Business in 1927

  New York Hardware & Furniture Co – 18 – 22 North Main –telephone number 9 … … Glazer’s Cloak Shop –women’s coats of all types, leather and fur also dresses and fashion accessories … Piper-Howe Lumber Company – on 1^st Ave. NE – just north of Central Avenue – (about where the Railroad Museum is now) … Ellison’s – The Fair Dept. Store – Main Street and 2^nd Avenue – Downtown Minot …. Minot Electric Shop – 32 First St SE – sold Kolster and other brands of radios

More Grocery Stores - 1927…

 Eastwood Park Grocery – on the corner of East central Ave and 6^th St SE (Next to the Hump back bridge that is now closed) … Shirley’s Grocery – Downtown Minot – Oak Park Meat Market --  422 2^nd Ave NW … Fairway Grocery –4^th Ave and 9^th St SE – At entrance to Eastwood Park … City Market --  not sure where they were located – phone number 64 …

Grocery Stores in 1927 --

  Oppens Market – in 1927 located at 3^rd St and Central Avenue ( Val’s Cyclery) …. Watson’s Sanitary Grocery – 39 1^st Ave SW (Downtown in the area of US Bank …. Fairway Grocery & Meat – 823 4^th Ave SE – They delivered in Minot … Chain meat & Grocery – On North Broadway (about where the Barley Pop is now) … Red Owl Store – not sure where they were located in 1927 …

Shirley Grocery - Red & White

More Auto Dealers 1927

Auto Dealers – 1927 -- Fisher – Sandlie Motor Company – They acquired the Pence Auto co. – Buick dealer …Crowell Motor Company – Authorized dealer for Paige automobiles … Parker Motor Co .—115 -119 1^st Ave SE – Dodge dealer (across from the Blue Rider) – Had a large auditorium on the top floor of the building which house Skateland and burned in 1962) … Minot Reo Co. – 21 1^st St SE – Dealer for The REO Flying Cloud and Wolverine autos … 

Auto Dealers in 1927 --

 Kluver Motor Co. – 16 Third St NE – ( across from the Ice Box Bar on south side of the 3^rd St overpass) in 1927 they were the Pontiac and Oakland dealer – later would become the Studebaker and also a Plymouth dealer … Westlie Motor Co – at Central Avenue and 2^nd St NW (Broadway) – Ford and Lincoln dealer … Interstate Motor Co. – Dealer for Hudson and Essex automobiles … Frosaker Motor Co. – 2^nd St and 1^st Ave SW – now the home of  the Wells Fargo Drive-in bank …

Westlie Motors on Central Ave.