Volunteers of America - 1930's

The Great Depression of the 1930's stretched the nation's private social welfare system almost to the breaking point. Volunteers of America mobilized to assist the millions of people who were unemployed, hungry and homeless. Relief efforts included employment bureaus, wood yards, soup kitchens and "Penny Pantries" where every food item cost one cent.  The Volunteers of America in 1932 were serving several hundred meals a week to school children at their food station on Second Avenue Southeast. Children sent to the food station are selected from various schools in Minot, according to Capt Richard Das.  Volunteers of America was founded in 1896 by social reformers Ballington and Maud Booth. They envisioned a movement dedicated to “reaching and uplifting” the American people. On behalf of the organization, the Booths pledged to “go wherever we are needed, and do whatever comes to hand.” In turn-of-the-century America, there was no shortage of work to do. The Volunteers moved into tenement districts to care for people in poverty. They organized day nurseries and summer camps, provided housing for single men and women, and established the nation's first system of halfway houses for released prisoners.    

Oak Park Theater

 On Saturday, March 27^th, 1976 the Oak Park Theater was showing “The Hindenburg”, staring George C Scott and Anne Bancroft. The Oak Park Theater also featured Saturday Matinees. This particular Saturday the Matinee was “ The Phantom Toll Booth”. The theater ad stated: “Mothers, take an hour and a half break and come along with your kids to see this great show. They’ll drive you crazy but you will thoroughly enjoy the show. All matinee seats – 75 cents. The upstairs of the theater also had a separate for parents with small children to watch a movie without disturbing the rest of the audience.

I also remember back in the late 60’s, the Oak Park Theater would have all night shows on Saturday nights in the summer. The all night  shows tended to get a bit rowdy causing the theater to stop having them. The theater closed and became a pool hall for a while and eventually returned as a theater prior to the 2011 flood

FW Roach Elevator

One of the first grain elevators was built and managed by FW Roach. The earliest information I have is a picture from the early 1900’s and the article in the Ward County Independent on Sept. 27, 1905 in which he stated … “When Marketing your grain, visit the Roach Elevator and I feel certain you will be satisfied with the treatment you receive. I can guarantee to give you price equal to any in the state. I am determined as one grain man to make Minot the best marketing point in the northwest. Remember the FW Roach Elevator near the Great Northern Track in Minot.”  Roach was also one of the earlier land developers in the Minot downtown area.

Grow Clothing

Another business that was located on the north end of Main Street in the early 1900’s was Grow Clothing. They were across the street from the Dacotah Hotel ( about where the SOO Line Depot is now). In 1905 Grow Clothing was holding a gopher tail contest. The reason was to help the farmers reduce the gopher population that was damaging crops. The contest was open until July 3^rd with prizes being awarded on July 4^th. The winner received a $20.00 suit of clothes. Anyone turning in over 100 gopher tails was to receive a prize. In 1907 the business ran into hard times and in 1910 Grow Clothing was Purchased by the Cohn Clothing Co. In 1916 the store was purchased by MG Olson and became part of the Olson Men’s stores which had locations throughout the state.

The Opera Barber Shop / Bath House

 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

Astoria Barber Shop/ Bathhouse –

 I have an undated picture of Main Street showing the Astoria Barbershop and Bathhouse. It was owned by Mrs. L. Muhs. The earliest reference I can find about the Astoria is in 1903. It was listed under Minor Topics in the Ward County Independent. The Astoria Barber Shop was noted for giving smooth shaves and up to date haircuts. The Bathhouse claimed the shower bath was their specialty. In 1903 the Astoria added metal siding to the building making it one of the warmest Bathhouses in the city. The Astoria was said to have the “swellest” rooms in the Northwest. In 1904 the Astoria featured special arrangements  for the ladies. They also installed a new Compress Air Vibrating Massage machine

Astoria Bath House in the middle left side of picture

Bath Houses

In the late 1800’s and early 1900’s Bathhouses were a common and popular item. They were usually associated with barber shops but often were free standing. Most tried to locate in the downtown areas and close to rail depots. Many travelers when making stops in major cities would utilize the services of the bath house. As hot water was scarce, especially in homes, many citizens also frequented the bath houses… the bath houses were designed for the male population but some provided special days for the ladies only. The next two days will be devoted to two of the larger bath houses/barber shops in early Minot.