Minot Memories will be on vacation until August 17th

Johnson Chevrolet – Opens –

 on December 6, 1965, Johnson Chevrolet ( formerly Frosaker Motors) opened in its new location at 1800 South Broadway. The new building was 27,800 square feet all on one floor. The General Manger and new car manager was Al Gimse. The used car manager was J.S. Nowak. Department managers included Floyd Vedvig – Service; Chester Nowak – Parts; and R. Cameron Mills – Finance & Insurance. In April of 1965, just before the move to the new building their ad in the newspaper was proclaiming a Zing into Spring …. Featuring the Chevrolet Corvair. The Corvair Corsa featured a new sporty appearance and handling package. A 180 hp turbo charged rear engine was also available. Also available were the Chevrolet, Chevelle, Chevy II or the Corvette… I’m sure a line of pickups was also available .  Johnson Chevrolet eventually became Auran Chevrolet and is now Ryan Chevrolet

Johnson Chevrolet - Concept Drawing 1965

The Cloth Haus –

May 10, 1973 was the grand opening of the Cloth Haus. Located at 111 Main Street The Cloth Haus was a store that became a favorite among those involved in any type of sewing. The first 100 ladies to visit the store received a free carnation. Prizes to be given away included a Unoque Dress form, a $15.00 gift certificate, a pair of Fiskar scissors and a Dritz Cutting Board. The Cloth Haus featured all types fabrics, patterns and sewing accessories. 

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.

Minot in early 1900's

Broadway – 4 Lane Project –

In 1961 the bids were opened for the projects to convert Highway 83 or Second Street, (now Broadway),  to a four lane road. The project to convert Broadway to a four lane road was divided into two projects. Shultz & Lindsay from Fargo was awarded the bid to go from Central Avenue south to the city limits, (about where 20^th Avenue is now). The cost of that phase was $757,968.00. The north project bid was $736,513.00. this converted Broadway to 4 lanes from the north end of the viaduct to three miles north. The project was paid for by special assessments to all properties inside the city limits.

Taco Shop Opens in Minot –

 October, 1965 saw the opening of The Taco Shop at 1514 South Broadway. The Taco Shop was located next to Magic Mile Market. Owner, Sam Buttz or Taco Sam, who did all the cooking, offered a menu consisting of tacos, grinders, chili, tostados and Mexi-burgers. The Mexi-burger was similar to a sloppy joe and seasoned to the customer’s desire. The grinder was the early and east coast version of what we now call a sub sandwich. The 14 inch long grinder sold for 75 cents while tacos sold for 24 cents. The Taco shop was open form 11 am to 2 am except for Friday and Saturday the hours were 11am to 3 am. Customers also had the option of purchasing the ingredients to make their food at home

Auto Dine –

 the Auto Dine in Minot was located at 8^th Avenue and North Broadway. It was the home of the Big Otto Burger. The Minot Auto Dine was one of six. The others were located in Aberdeen, Moorhead, Bismarck, Fargo, and Grand Forks. The Auto Dines also had a cartoon character depicing a western attired burger known as the Champion “Chow-Boy”. To celebrate the birthday of Big Otto Burger and drawing was held. The first prize was a Honda Model “50” motorcycle. Second prize was a GE portable TV and third prize a portable tape recorder. 

Thrifti-way Auto Wash –

 One of the first automatic car washes in Minot opened on October 15, 1965 at Highway 83 South and 17^th Avenue. This location is now Taco Bell. The deluxe service was $2.00. this consisted of the vehicle being vacuumed before entering the wash line. The car moved through the wash pushed by rollers on the tires, (no hooks or chains). The first wash was a warm wash with detergent, top, sides and bottom. The second wash was the rinse to remove the dirt and soap. The final application was a spray wax and then hand towel dry. The express service was $1.00 and was the same as the deluxe without the vacuum and hand towel drying

The Second Stop Light in Minot

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.

Concerts From the Past

Past Concerts – On April 25, 1973 at the Minot Municipal Auditorium Black Oak Arkansas and Steeleye Spanwere in concert. Then on Tuesday, May 22, 1973, Celebration Concerts presented a concert at the Minot Municipal Auditorium featuring The Hollies and Maldoon. Both Concerts were at 7:30 pm. Tickets were $4.00 in advance and $4.50 at the door. Tickets available at Record Head, White Drug and B&B Drug.  The Serendipity Singers – October 14, 1965 the Serendipity Singers were in concert at the Auditorium at 8 pm. Tickets for this concert were $2.00 in advance and $2.50 at the door.

Minot Construction Boom – 1961

In 1961 construction was booming in Minot. Two shopping centers were under construction, Arrowhead and Oak Park Shopping Center. Town & Country Shopping Center would not be built for another couple years.  A new science building was under construction at Minot State Teachers College as well as the Student Union. A new Junior High School was being built on the Washington Golf Course, (Jim Hill) and more school construction at the Minot Air Force Base. The new Post Office was taking shape, (the Post Office as we know it now.) A new hospital wing was nearing completion on St Joe’s Hospital which would bring them to over 200 beds. To add to the hotel rooms the International Inn was under construction, as well as the Sandman Motel, The Thunderbird and Gordon’s Holiday Spot was adding 40 rooms. AND … The park board was expecting the first nine holes of the Souris Valley Golf Course to open.  

Gold in Denbigh ??

Minot Men Hunting Gold at Denbigh – in 1932, three men from Minot, Joseph Gleske, Robert Hill and Christ Enger, employed by the Willard – Wallace Company were extracting gold from the sand hills at Denbigh. The special machine was made in Denver. Gravel enters the machine at the front. After a series of screens and filters, it  removed larger sized pieces. The fine sand that was left entered “flotation” cells at the rear of the machine where it was agitated in water that had certain oils and chemicals added. Froth would rise to the top of the cells and was brushed into containers by small which scraped the surface of the mixture. They hope was to recover 90 cents of gold per yard of material at a cost of 15 cents per yard. Apparently it was not too successful as it did not last very long and is not around today.

ND State Fair – 1961 in 1961 the Minot – ND State Fair ran for 7 days … Sunday through Saturday. Things were a bit different in 1961. You could park your vehicle for 50 cents. Admission was 50 cents for adults …25 cents for teenagers and children under 12 were admitted free. Grandstand admission was $1.00 for adults and 50 cents for children. The evening show in the grandstand for the entire week was The State Fair Review. This was a new production from Minnesota featuring 4 production numbers with 20 girls and 7 other acts. The afternoon grandstand show was either auto daredevil thrill shows or chuck wagon racing. Of course there was the midway with carnival rides and exhibits of all types. 

Chuckwagon Races 

KCJB - 910 AM

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 “lets go over to the dairy barn,  its hot here but looks like it’s snowing over there"  “Live”  TV at its best.... KCJB-TV is now KXMC-TV.

 KCJB - original Site - Now Home Depot

KLPM - 1390 AM

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.

Walt’s Standard –

In December of 1967, Walt’s Standard was holding their grand opening. Located at 1340 South Broadway, Walt’s Standard claimed to be Minot’s most modern service station and they were open 24 hours. The owner manager was Walt Gutknect. The first 244 customers received a free 5 quart plastic pail. Registration for a door prize could get you a waffle iron, electric percolater, skill saw, electric drill or one of many other prizes. With the purchase of 10 gallons of gasoline you received a free 8-pack of 7-Up and S&H Green stamps. Interesting note – gas was probably about 50 cents a gallon at that time…. Also the 8 pack of 7-Up was glass bottles. 

Southdale Texaco

Self-serve Car Wash  – in August of 1965, Al Jundt, owner of Southdale Texaco on the corner of South Broadway and 18^th Avenue opened a new type of self-service car wash. The car wash had 6 stalls, two open and 4 closed stalls, all equipped with high pressure washers that spray on a special detergent for cleaning with soft water to eliminate streaking. Each stall also had a vacuum cleaner for the cars interiors. The enclosed stalls also had infra-red gas heaters for winter operation. The car wash was open for 6 am to midnight, seven days a week.

Cashiers Arrested – Part 2 –

 Because Tempo decided to challenge the Sunday Closing Law in 1965, the cashiers were the employees that were arrested as they were the ones breaking the law. Tempo opened for business at 1:00 pm. The first arrest was made at 1:22 pm and then last arrest was made at 1:32 pm. One the customers started checking out the event lasted only 10 minutes. All five cashiers were taken to the Sheriff’s residence and each girl was charged with one count of Sabbath Breaking. The bail was set at $100.00 per cashier which was paid by Gamble Skogmo, the parent company of Tempo. Gamble Skogmo was also charged with five counts of Sabbath Breaking for a total of another $500.00

Cashiers Arrested Pt 1 –

In the 1960’s and 70’s, retail stores in North Dakota were not allowed to be open for business on Sunday. The law was referred to as the Sunday Blue Law. On December 5, 1965 … the Tempo store in the Arrowhead Shopping Center decided to open on Sunday and challenge the “Blue Law”. Hundreds of people, men, women and children were there to witness what was going to happen. The spectators jammed the aisles waiting for the police to arrive. When they finally did they arrested the two cashiers on duty. The replacement cashiers were promptly arrested and escorted out of the store as soon as they took their posts. After the last cashier had been “pinched” the store manager announced that the store was closing as he was out of cashiers. One spectator was heard to remark: Nuts! Now what am I going to do…. Go home and watch the Vikings lose again, I guess… which is what they did … the Vikings lost again

Flights to Regina –

On May 1, 1961, North Central Airlines began daily air service between Minot and Regina, Sask. The event was kicked off with a pre-inaugural invitational dinner on Sunday, the day before. The dinner was held at the Tree Top Room in the Clarence Parker Hotel. At noon on Monday the ribbon cutting ceremony was held at the airport. The ribbon was cut by Lt. Gov. Orville W. Hagen. The color guard from the Air Base was on hand and a short concert by the Minot High School Band. The first flight left for Regina at 12:40 pm. The return flight was to arrive at 4:04 pm and then continue on to Minneapolis via Grand Forks.

Airport Terminal - 1961

Clara’s Kitchen –

the year was 1961. The date was July 20^th. The event was the grand opening of Clara’s Kitchen. The restaurant was located at 119 South Main Street. The hours were 7 am to 11 pm, Monday through Saturday and 8am to 6 pm on Sunday. Grand opening specials:… Pancakes and Coffee – 25 Cents ….. Dinner with salad and roll and drink – 65 cents …. Hamburger and malt – 29 cents …. And a donut and coffee for 10 cents.

Concerts of the 1960’s -

November, 1962, a Country Cavalcade of Stars appeared at the Minot Municipal Auditorium.. The Headliner was Hank Snow. Also on the venue was Kitty Wells, Wilf Carter, Roy Clark, Bill Phillips, as well as Johnny and Jack  Advance tickets were $1.50. Ticket prices at the door were $1.75 for adults and children under 12 fifty cents. Ticket locations were Northwest Piano, Arrowhead Records and Mitchell Hardware.

August, 1964, Roy Orbison was in concert in the Minot Municipal Auditorium. At the time he had just released his big hit – Pretty Woman. Advance tickets could be purchased at Northwest Piano, Arrowhead Record Shop, Oak Park Dairy and Main Radio & Record shop.

Western Auto – After 30 years in business in Downtown Minot, The Western Auto Store moved to its new and final location at 300-3^rd St SW in November, 1962. The new building was 100 ft wide by 120 ft long. It included a 40 x 60 foot shop as well as offices. The merchandise display area was 24 x 50 foot. The business was staffed by 12 employees. A loading dock was in the back of the building and large parking lot in front. Western Auto in Minot was established in 1930 after evolving from a automobile wrecking business. The main office was in Minot until 1950 when it was moved to Fargo. Western Auto also had branches in Williston, Devils Lake, Bismarck, Mandan, Grand Forks, Jamestown and Dickinson.  At one time Western Auto was the largest automotive wholesale supplier in North Dakota with the Minot store being the largest.

Western Auto - 1962