Trinity Hospital Skyway

in July of 1972 construction had already begun on the Trinity Hospital Skyway. The cost of the project at that time was abut $125,000.00. The Skyway would span 4^th Avenue (now Burdick Expressway) connecting the third floor of the Trinity Professional Building to the second floor Trinity Hospital. In addition to the Skyway, a covered driveway entrance to the east side of the clinic and stairs leading to the Skyway was constructed. Prior to construction the plans had to be approved by the Minot City Council, state and federal highway officials. The skyway (skywalk is still in use today.)

Clarence Parker Hotel

The Clarence Parker Hotel was originally built to be an office building. The original owners were Vaulker and Christenson. When the economy slowed in the 30’s and the outbreak of Work War II, the building sat empty for about 20 years. It was often referred to as the Sparrow Hotel as the top 4 or 5 floors were just steel girders, inhabited by birds of the area. After the War, Clarence Parker bought the building and finished construction, turning it into the 250 room Hotel that was named after him. In 1961, at the Diamond Jubilee, and in honor of the Dakota Territory’s Centennial celebration, the new Lounge was named the Centennial Room. In 1953 when President Eisenhower came to see the Garrison Dam Project a block of 20 rooms were used by his entourage. Charlie DeMakis from Charlie’s Café was the personal chef to Eisenhower while he was in Minot. It is now known as the Parker Senior Center.

The Sparrow Hotel

Clarence parker in the 1950's

Parker Hotels

 The Parker House – Minot’s first hotel was The Parker House, built in 1886 on the north end of Main Street. It was built by Mr. & Mrs. W. H. Parker, parents of Clarence Parker. Fire destroyed the hotel in 1890. In 1896 the Parkers leased the Leland House from the original owner, Allen Tompkins and bought it from him in 1898. The Leland House was located on the corner of Main Street and Central Avenue. It was Minot’s first brick building and boasted 10 rooms with a bath. The Leland House also had its own sewer system as the city council back then voted down a proposal for city sewer.  The Hotel Leland – in 1904 the Hotel Leland had 110 rooms that were steam heated, electrically lighted and finely equipped. The Leland also had a large, pretentious dining room that could seat 1oo people. One of the specialties was  buffalo steaks from the Parker’s famous bufflo herds on their ranch in the Des Lacs Area. The Leland Hotel building also was the home to many other businesses on Main Street over the years. The location of the Leland Hotel was a parking lot on the north end of Main Street at Central Avenue. This location is now the future home of Art Space which is now under construction. Like the Phoenix rising out of the ashes, buildings seem to be reincarnating from parking lots back into buildings.

Leland Parker Hotel - 1947

Leland Parker Block - 1920's

Pizza Plus

 On May 2, 1977 Pizza Plus was celebrating its grand opening. Pizza Plus was located at the intersection of South Highway 83 and the 2 & 52 Bypass, next to Chateau Bowling Alley.  Their grand opening specials included a free small pizza with the order of a medium or large pizza. They featured a noon special of a ham and cheese sandwich for only 77 cents. Customers could register for daily prizes and the grand prize was a 10 speed bike. Pizza Plus also had a large game area and showed old time movies. They boasted plenty of free parking available. This location is now the home of Hardee’s on South Broadway.

Eatmore Sausage & Packing Co. – starting in a tiny one room building in 1934, Eatmore sausage had a line of products that included smoked meats, all kinds of sausage and all grades of beef, veal and pork. Eatmore was a local company that employed all local help. They purchase all their meat products from local feedlots and sales rings. …. Collins – Russell Mortuary – Owned by Harlan Russell and Chester Collins, it was located in Green Valley on Souris Drive, directly south of the Fairgrounds. The location is now a church

Oak Park Liquors

Oak Park Liquors – located just one block west of the Oak Park Piggly Wiggly on the southeast corner of 16^th St and 4^th Ave NW. Oak Park Liquors opened for business in 1958 as Minot’s first packaged liquor Supermarket. Some of the reasons given to shop Oak Park Liquors were: Convenient drive-in… parking for 50 cars…Most popular brands…Carload capacity cooler … Chilled soft drinks and mix … All occasion gift wrap … Free ice cubes … one of the finest liquor stores in the nation….. and it was air conditioned. In more recent years the building has been a Bar B Que take-out restaurant and office space.

Hans Thorpe - 1898

Minot/Ward County Legal Hanging – Hans Thorpe will go down in history as the only person to be legally hanged in Minot. Thorpe drifted into Minot in 1898 and was reported to be quite a handsome guy and quite a lady’s man. Shortly after arriving in town he met and married a Minot girl…. Then his trouble began.  Thorpe and his wife got into a terrible argument one evening at the dinner table. In her room, the house keeper heard shots and when she ran into the dining room found Mrs. Thorpe dead of gunshot wounds. She also found Thorpe lying in his own blood as he had then turned the gun on himself. He did not do a very good job of shooting himself as he recovered and had to face his trial for murder. He was found guilty and sentenced to be hanged which happened on September 14, 1900. The gallows was just east of Minot on Valley Street, (about at the intersection of Valker Road, or at the bottom of the truck stop hill). Thorpe was reported to have wondered why everyone was in such a big hurry to get to the hanging, as “Nothing will happen until I get there”. Reports state that Thorpe was taken to Rosehill Cemetary and placed in an unmarked grave…..