The Opera Barber Shop opened in May of 1904. The
owners were Gilder and Eckler (known as Eck). It was located in the basement of
the Jacobson Hardware Building which also house the Post Office, Union National
Bank and the Opera House. Reportedly the Barber Shop had 9 chairs and added a
Turkish Bath with two rooms. Initially the were a non-union barber shop and
were open 24 hours a day. Miss Mamie Olson was in charge of the Turkish baths
and Thursday was set aside for ladies, all day and all night. The Opera Barber
Shop was regarded as the best in the state and many claimed it was the finest
between Minneapolis and Seattle. The Turkish Bath was referred to as the “Hot
Springs of North Dakota”. By 1910 the Opera Bathhouse featured the Turkish
Baths and also Russian Baths as well as a plain bath. In 1910 Eckler sold the
Opera Barber shop to Sam Hanson, a well known barber who in turn sold it to AJ
Bartow in 1915. The Opera House barber shop flourished until 1923 when the
building was ravaged by fire. The barber shop and the opera house were not
rebuilt.
If you look closely at the picture you will see the Opera Barber Shop sign on the lower right corner of the building
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