More Past Businesses ---

Dacotah Homes – offices in the Arrowhead Shopping Center – 3 bedroom home as low as $13,900.00 – with custom fireplace as low as $23,500.00 ….. Parkway Grocery – Open seven days a week featuring a meat department, Fruit and vegetable (produce dept) and a complete stock of nationally advertised groceries….  Hardware Hank – 2105 North Broadway – Across from the old Hardees and Hwy 2 East – ¾ mile east of Fair Grounds….. Singer Sewing Center – 13 West Central Avenue – Authorized center for the sales of Singer Sewing Machines ……

Parker Auditorium - Skateland Fire 1962 –

Skateland Fire – Skateland was located in the auditorium portion of the old Parker Motor building located at 113 1^st Avenue SE. Early in the morning of Sunday, Sept 23, 1962, the upper portion of the building was destroyed by fire. About two years previously the building had been purchased from the Parker Corporation by Dr. Ringo. The building also house the California firm of Ets-Hokin-Galvin Inc. They were involved in laying cable for the Minute Man missile project in the area. By the time the firefighters arrived there was to chance to save the roof and upper story. Damage to the rest of the building was limited as the auditorium had a double layered wooden floor. There had been a dance in Skateland the evening before which may have contributed to the cause of the fire. The building is still there and is used as a parking garage.

Interior of the Parker Auditorium (Skateland) 

Westland Oil 1962 - New concept in Gas Stations

Jundt’s Westland Gas Station – An article in the newspaper on Thursday, September 27, 1962 proclaimed the opening of a new Westland gas station on the magic Mile in Minot, (the Magic Mile being South Broadway). The proprietor of the new station was Leo Jundt. Prior to operating this location, Jundt operated a Westland Station on East Central Avenue. The new station on South Broadway was built at a cost of $85,000.00. It featured a 25 foot canopy in the front that extended over the gas pumps. The station also housed two service bays, each with a single post hoist. The “Selectane” gas pumps were new in design and could dispense nine different grades of gasoline to match the gas to the octane requirements of the vehicle. 

Diamond's Department Store

Past Businesses – Arrowhead Record Discount Center – Besides Records they also sold stereos – many in furniture styled cabinets ( in the 60’s – before the days of  cassettes, cd’s and mp3’s) ……. Diamond’s Department Store – Mainly clothing in two Minot locations – Arrowhead Shopping Center and 437 2^nd St NW (N. Broadway) …… Arrowhead Drug – in 1963 – Minot’s newest drug store ….. H&H Variety – located at 109 South Main St …. Coast to Coast Store – 14 1^st Ave SW – Northwest Piano Co. 121 South Main St …. Also sold radios and TV’s and had a complete radio and TV service Dept…..Shark’s Mens Store – corner of 1^st Avenue and Main St. – home of Rick’s Jewelry repair …. Deardurff’s Hobby House – 111 West Central Ave.—used to hold model contests – 3 Divisions – Cars, Ships and Airplanes ….. 

Underhanded Maneuvers to Become County Seat

Minot becomes County seat for Ward County – Through some rather underhanded maneuvers by Minot officials and the railroad, Minot edged out Burlington as the county seat of Ward County. It appears that when the vote was to be taken by county residents, Minot officials demanded a polling location at Lone Tree, which is west of Des Lacs…. The Lone Tree precinct was approved as the railroad had dropped off an old boarding car and plugged it into the telegraph line to prove its existence. At election time, 143 votes were cast at the Lone Tree location where two weeks previously, no inhabitants could have been found. The vote went in Minot’s favor 499 to 134 for Burlington

The Aristocrat Of Hamburgers

King Leo’s opens in Minot ….. the ad in the newspaper on January 22, 1963 proclaimed that King Leo’s was open for business. They billed themselves as the “Aristocrat of Hamburgers)…. King Leo’s was open Sunday through Thursday from 11 am to Midnight and Friday and Saturday from 11 am to 1 am… The opening menu featured Hamburgers - 15 cents …..  Cheeseburgers – 19 cents ….. French fries – 12 cents …. Soft drinks 10 and 15 cents ….. hot chocolate – 12 cents and triple thick milk shakes – 20 cents …. All burgers were made with 100% US Gov’t. inspected ground beef…. King Leo’s was located on the Magic Mile (south Broadway – where Arby’s is now).

Early Main Street

Main Street 1890 – Looking North -- In the picture of Main Street in 1890 the teams of wagons belong to local Indians and are filled with buffalo bones which were traded to merchants for groceries and other merchandise. The bones were taken to a railroad spur and eventually shipped to St Louis to be used in refining sugar. The bones were worth ten to fifteen dollars a ton. The small building on the left is the Post Office. Next to that was the office of J.B. Rourke, Justice of the Peace. The taller building was a drug store owned by W. E. Mansfield. This is the intersection of Main Street and 1^st Avenue. The two story brick building was a large general store owned by the Strain Brothers. North of Strain Brothers was John and Peter Eher’s meat market. The original Jacobson Hardware was a few doors down the street and at the end of the street is the Great Northern passenger depot.