The Nelson Store was located on First Avenue, where the present day American Legion now stands. The N.C. Nelson General Store was the first store in Agate Bay, Minnesota, now known as Two Harbors.
Interior view of the grocery counter at Scandinavian Cooperative Mercantile (1893-1957). Company stock certificates were held locally. At one time there were 325 stockholders.
Set of 3 delivery wagons loading in front of J. Schriener and Company General Store (1888-1919). Called the Big Store as all merchandise was purchased in carload lots. Operated by John Schreiner and E.H. Schreiner. The business later evolved into Schreiner Brothers and Molton.
Interior view of Floyd and Lloyd James inside of James Drug Store. The father and son pose for a staged photograph, mixing up pharmaceuticals in the back room of the drug store.
Interior view shows four men posing in the Hansen and Schilberg Ice Cream Parlor. Note the extensive display of cigars, Soda Fountain, and Confectionary Counter.
Exterior view of Wilbur Peterson and Clarence Carlson at the corner of the Scandinavian Cooperative Store (1893-1957). Company stock certificates were held locally. At one time there were 325 stockholders.
Road construction in First Avenue Business district. Note the surveyor in the right corner. People gather on the wood plank sidewalks to watch. Identified businesses include: L.A. Rose Store, Lee Kee Laundry, The Bodega, and Nordby Mercantile Company.
Image shows freshly cleared dirt road lined with clapboard sided single story structures. The Old Two Harbors courthouse is on the right side of the image.
Philip Dick and his sons, Philip E. Dick and Albert Dick, operated this clothing store at 304 South Minnesota Avenue in St. Peter, Minnesota, for many years.
Outside view of the Blandings Store and Teague Drug Store on corner of Washington Avenue and Front Street in Detroit, Minnesota (became Detroit Lakes, Minnesota, in 1926).
Holmes Street in Detroit, Minnesota (became Detroit Lakes, Minnesota, in 1926). Businesses included in image is from left to right, Catholic Church, Minnesota Hotel, Golden Rule, Record, and the Courthouse.
Outside front view of McKenzie Hall in Detroit, Minnesota (became Detroit Lakes, Minnesota, in 1926). McKenzie Hall was built by James McKenzie and later became the S.N. Hornick and Bowman Store.
Pioneer Store with the Bank to the right on the site of the Graystone Hotel and west of the Teague Drug Store on Pioneer Street in Detroit, Minnesota (became Detroit Lakes, Minnesota, in 1926).
Outside view of Central Market in Detroit, Minnesota (became Detroit Lakes, Minnesota, in 1926). The market was built by E.F. Harris and Hannk Smith in the early 1890s. The man standing on the left is Joe Ebert from St. Paul, Minnesota.
Oscar Erickson and Lloyd Johnson stand with furniture, lamps, refrigerators and pictures. Lloyd Johnson was also hired as the mortician in the same building. Today this building is home to The Local, a restaurant.
Sidewalks continue across the street while the sidewalks themselves are well above the street. This era was a mixture, the automobile along with the horse and wagon.
On the left is Ed Goodoien and on the right is clerk Pete Shelstad. An early general store. It stood on the corner of Main and Lincoln Street in Hendricks, Minnesota. Display cases and shelves are filled with merchandise on both sides of the center aisle.
The wooden frame hotel was three stories tall. It stands where the American Legion Hall is now in Hendricks, Minnesota. The street in front of the hotel was dirt with the sidewalk well above street level. Also along the street are telephone poles with eight cross boards attached.
The First National Bank, clothing store, drug store, the PJ Ness cash store and hardware store are some of the business on early Main Street. Wooden traffic signs, Model T Fords and a few people are seen. Many of these buildings remain today much as they were.
Lower side of West Superior Street of signs for downtown businesses Ace Hardware 212 West Superior Street, Jensens Shoes at 208 West Superior Street with the Endion Station Art Gallery above and Bud's Clothing at 206 West Superior Street.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Duluth, Kathryn A. Martin Library, Northeast Minnesota Historical Collections
The center figure in the photograph is Henry Ruikka standing in his general store that was located in the Village of Thomson, Minnesota. Located 3.5 miles from the town center of present day Esko, it was much easier to travel by horse-drawn wagon to buy supplies here than to make the arduous, day-long round trip to Duluth. This was one of the first stores in the area, and early Thomson Township and Esko residents traveled to the Village of Thomson by horse and wagon to buy their home and farm supplies. The Village post office was also located in this store. It was reportedly the first Finnish business establishment in Carlton County, having been established in 1891.
Depicted are several men inside the first Co-Op Store in Esko in the early 1930s. The larger man, second from the left, is Jalmer Hannula, and the eighth man from the left is Erick Raisanen. The store, built by the Cloquet Co-Op Store Society on property acquired in 1926, was on the north side of Highway 61 West. Although the framing mentions the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., and the Canaletto View in Vence, it was mounted in a frame that had previously housed this Venetian scene, exemplifying the thriftiness of people during the Great Depression of the 1930s.
The Henry Raeder designed, five-story, Palladio office building was built at 401 West Superior Street in 1889. Raeder's firm was Raeder, Coffin and Crocker. The top floors were removed in 1937 reducing it to two stories. The top was rebuilt to three stories in 1938 for WEBC. The building still stands.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Duluth, Kathryn A. Martin Library, Northeast Minnesota Historical Collections
The Duluth Chamber of Commerce supplied offices for like minded organizations. The gentleman is Hubert V. Eva, secretary of the Commercial Club. In 1880 the Duluth Chamber of Commerce was organized. In 1889 records of organization were destroyed in a fire. In 1893, the City of Duluth withdrew funds causing the collapse of the Chamber organization. In 1902, it reorganized as the Duluth Commercial Club. In 1930, it again became organized as the Duluth Chamber of Commerce.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Duluth, Kathryn A. Martin Library, Northeast Minnesota Historical Collections
The sculpted details are at the entrance of the Palladio building in downtown Duluth at the corner of Fourth Avenue West and Superior Street. Northwestern Fuel sold coal, coke, and wood from their office at 403 West Superior Street. The 1889 Palladio Building architect was Henry Raeder of Raeder, Coffin and Crocker.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Duluth, Kathryn A. Martin Library, Northeast Minnesota Historical Collections
Miller Music Company at 8 West First Street was the business of brothers Abe H. and Ben B. Miller. The store moved to 32 East Superior Street. Abe Miller was a violinist and the manager of the Duluth Symphony for 37 years beginning in 1932. Ben was an assistant manager of Northern Drug prior to launching the music store in 1922. The song "Yes We Have No Bananas" was popular in 1923.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Duluth, Kathryn A. Martin Library, Northeast Minnesota Historical Collections
The Giant Discount store was located at 2101 West Superior Street. 2103 West Superior was the location of the Young Old Timers Club, Nelson Knitting Mills was at 2105 West Superior.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Duluth, Kathryn A. Martin Library, Northeast Minnesota Historical Collections
Workers during the Christmas season include Clarence C. Bartholomew and Bessie Crasweller behind the counter at the left. The George A. Gray Company evolved. It was the Huntington and Tallant "The New Store" in 1900 with S. W. Huntington, Frank E. Tallant. It was Hendren and Tallant Company, dry goods, in 1901 with William T. Hendren. It was Gray and Tallant Company, department store, in 1902, followed by George A. Gray Company in 1911. Finally it was the Edward F. Wahl Company in 1937. Wahl's went out of business in 1986. Tallant in 1910.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Duluth, Kathryn A. Martin Library, Northeast Minnesota Historical Collections
The Oreck's clothing store opened in downtown Duluth at 18 West Superior Street in 1909 in the Hunter Block building as The National Store. It was owned and operated by Lena Polinsky Oreck (died 1928) and Gabriel Oreckovsky (died 1956) or G. A. Oreck and Sons Company. Lyle Oreck (died 1962), owned Oreck's Department Store or Oreck's women's apparel after his parents and served as president of the store from 1928-1948.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Duluth, Kathryn A. Martin Library, Northeast Minnesota Historical Collections
Freimuth's was at the corner of Lake Avenue and West Superior Street. In 1900 the address of the dry goods store of Ignatz Freimuth was given as 2-10 West Superior Street. It was razed May, 1968.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Duluth, Kathryn A. Martin Library, Northeast Minnesota Historical Collections
In 1934, 5707 Grand Avenue was home to the Anna Clark Shoe Store, including shoe repairing service by Reinhold Mattson, barber Alf J. Wahlstrom was also at this address.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Duluth, Kathryn A. Martin Library, Northeast Minnesota Historical Collections
Fitzsimmons-Derrig Company was the business of Charles Fitzsimmons and Andrew A. Warfield. The wholesale fruit business began in 1890 as George W. Martin and Co. with Charles Fitzsimmons as an employee. In 1891 it was Martin, Fitzsimmons and Warfield. In 1892-1893 Fitzsimmons and Warfield, located at 126 West Michigan Street the address of this image. Later Fitzsimmons Derrig and Palmer. Some of the names on the wagons indicate prior partnerships as the company's ownership evolved.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Duluth, Kathryn A. Martin Library, Northeast Minnesota Historical Collections