1928 - International Oil Co. Explosion/Fire –

About 1:00 pm on July 3, 1928, a storage tank containing thousands of gallons of gasoline exploded causing a huge fire. The blast shook buildings throughout Minot. International Oils was located in the area of Third Street and Central Avenue North east. The fact that the blast occurred over the noon hour accounted for fewer people being injured or killed as many were out for their lunch break. Neighboring businesses were heavily damaged and continuously doused with water to keep them from also catching fire. In addition to the International Oil Co. offices and warehouse being destroyed or heavily damaged other businesses were affected. Those included the Minot Distributing Company, Midwest Sash & Door, International Harvester, Simmons Seed Co. and Minot Farmers Co-op Elevator.

Oil Related Fires

Oil Fires in Minot – In the 1900’s there were three major oil fires in the Downtown area of Minot. All three of the fires were in the same area, that being the area of Central Avenue and Third Street Northeast. In 1928 it was the International Oil Company fire, which will be discussed.  In 1942 there was another major oil/gas fire which I have no information on. And the worst of the three fires was the Westland Oil Fire in 1947 in which five people perished. Because of these three major fires, large bulk petroleum plants were ordered moved out of the city limits and strict zoning and fire prevention measures were instituted.

Oil fires will be this weeks topic for Minot Memories 

Almost Buried Alive –

 Darius Preston was the first City Attorney for Minot. When he passed away he was buried at the same site Shang Foster had been buried. On the way to the burial with Preston’s body the pall bearers stopped at Jack Doyle’s Saloon for several rounds of drinks. When they arrived at the gravesite and started lowering the coffin into the grave, one end caught on the earth wall and the other end dropped down causing the coffin to rest in a tilted position. John Powers, a rancher and one of the pall bearers, went into the grave to level the coffin as he was the tallest and the strongest. He became trapped in the grave as his feet were wedged between the coffin and the wall of the grave. Apparently his fellow pall bearers did not realize this and started filling in the grave. Unable to free himself Powers began calling for help. His cries were heard by Judge William Murray and a furniture dealer John McJannet. They rushed to the grave to find Powers buried almost to his shoulders. They helped extricate him from the grave.

Judge William Murray –

 William Murray, the judge in the trial, was a native of Dumfries, Scotland. He arrived in on the train Minot literally hours before the shooting of Shang Foster by Roxy Queal. When the train that Murray was on pulled into Minot, the Conductor, Casper Sands, warned passengers… “Minot, the last stop Minot, prepare to meet your God!!” Apparently Murray was in the saloon at the time of the shooting. In an interview later he recalled that Foster fell almost at his feet. Queal was locked up in the Ward County Imperial Jail. He did escape but was again apprehended and tried. He pleaded self-defense and was sentenced to 4 years in the penitentiary but was out on parole after 18 months. After the shooting, Foster was buried on the side of a hill near the intersection of what is now 4^th St SW and Burdick Expressway. Gunder Reishus suggested an epitaph for Foster…. “Beneath these stones repose the bones of the first outsider to try to outsmart a Minot Man”.

 Judge William Murray

Gunder Reishus

Minot's First Murder - 1887 - Version 2

Shang Foster, Roxy Queal and others were involved in a card game at Jack Doyle’s Saloon. Foster apparently was caught cheating at cards and a heated discussion occurred. Queal then shot and killed Foster. According to one account … there were many in town who were able to “riffle” the cards to produce a desired outcome. As a matter of fact, a number of Minot residents made a “tidy living” dealing cards. The fact that Foster was so inept at the skill was not acceptable. Perhaps Foster was shot as an example. Queal then ran out of the saloon and was captured a short time later on a train he had boarded heading west out of Minot

Tomorrow and Friday more stories connected to this event.

Minot's First Murder - Version 1

Minot's First murder occured in August 1887 in Jsck Doyle's Saloon:

In one version Roxy Queal and Shang Foster argued about a debt of $20.00 that Queal owed Foster. Foster gave Queal a deadline of 4:00 pm to pay up or he was going to find him and kill him. Queal, knowing that Foster was drinking at Jack Doyle’s Saloon walked in and bought him a drink as they were standing at the bar. Knowing he could not repay the debt, Queal then pulled a gun and shot Foster at point blank range. Killing him on the spot. Queal then ran out of the saloon and was free for a short time He was captured a short distance from away after he boarded a train leaving Minot.

Version 2 - Tomorrow

Minot’s First Murder

The first murder in Minot took place in August 1887 at Jack Doyle’s Saloon. The Saloon was located on what is now Central Avenue close to Main Street. Shang Foster was shot and killed by Roxy Queal. It is agreed that at one time the two were at least acquaintances if not friends. Foster was a known gambler who spent time in the Black Hills area when he was run out of Minot, which apparently was quite often. Gunder Reishus, a Minot resident for whom Reishus Avenue was named was visiting with John Cooper in front of Cooper’s Jewelry when the shots were fired. They ran to Jack Doyle’s Saloon to see what had happened.    There seems to be two versions of how the infamous event occurred.

Tomorrow we will look at Version 1.