Marcell, Minnesota
History
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Excerpted from Memories of a
Small Town
by Curtis L. Newstrom, 1995
CHAPTER XX
THE END OF NEWSTROM'S STORE
There is an old adage that goes something
like this "All good things eventually come to an end". I would say that
the end of Newstrom's Store did bring an end to many good things that
the business did for two families over the many years of its existence.
At any rate, circumstances for Curt & Jennie Newstrom in 1959 resulted
in a very important decision. In this chapter, I tell about that
decision which resulted in our closing down of the store business and
somewhat of a new life style for us.
Store business had been a productive life
for those years after Jen and I purchased the business from my parents.
However, in the mid fifties the summer tourist business had slowed some
and our winter trade did not warrant keeping the store open. I could see
the impending trend and had obtained work in the Itasca County Auditor's
Office in Grand Rapids during the winter months to supplement our
income. In 1957 I accepted a full time position as Deputy County Auditor
and Jen was left with the burden of operating the store. We tried
leasing it out one year, but that proved to be a costly venture and I
knew something had to be done. In the meantime, the State of Minnesota
had been telling me that the store property was an encroachment on the
highway right of way. They had told my father before me the same thing,
but never did anything about it. In 1958 I could see that something had
to be done and I contacted the Minnesota Department of Transportation to
see what their plans were. The result: I was informed that the State
would start condemnation proceedings if I were receptive to more
immediate action. They told me at the time that condemnation of the
property would happen eventually anyway. Because of the economics and
our personal welfare, we went ahead with the proceedings which resulted
in a settlement. The end of Newstrom's Store? Well - yes and no! The
business was shut down September 30, 1959, but then I got involved in
another piece of business that proved to be a big headache.
The State of Minnesota called me one day
to in 1960 to ask about a local paper that could be used to advertise
sale of the building. I told them about the Deer River paper and thought
no more about it for some time, but my father approached me after
learning about the bid process by the State for sale of the building and
suggested that we bid on same. I told my father straight out that it was
a "crazy idea" ..... but he talked me in to submitting a bid and it was
the only bid received. Dagnabit - I had the building on my hands again
and it had to be moved within 60 days. I only paid $105.00 for it, but
moving costs were going to be over $3,000.00! I won't bore you with all
the details of performing the task, but the building was moved the short
distance to its present location where the Lakewood Cafe & Laundromat is
now located. In 1963 the building was sold to Mr. & Mrs. Marcus
Birkeland who started that business. It has changed owners a few times
since and currently in 1994,as I finished writing my book, the business
is owned by Mr. & Mrs. James Alden and Mr. & Mrs. Dennis Korte. There is
more about that business and others that came along in the 1960's in the
next chapter.
CHAPTER XXI
20th CENTURY MARCHES ON
All of the previous chapters have told
many stories about Marcell with most of the detail covering years before
1960. Now I shall recap the years from 1960 thru 1994 and I must say
that this was the most difficult period to write about. Many changes
took place. Some business places closed down. New business entities came
along. Many of the changes that took place after the 1960's are not all
that visible as one drives around the Marcell area...but then some
changes are very obvious. This chapter does not cover all of the changes
that have taken place since 1960 as other upcoming chapters will
highlight some of them.
One of the most noticeable changes one
might notice is that Newstrom's Store is no longer in the triangle where
it had been for over 30 years. I have covered the details of the end of
the store in Chapter XX so now will tell more about what has happened
with that building. As told in Chapter XX, I sold the store building to
Mr. & Mrs. Marcus Birkeland. I first should explain that Mrs. Birkeland
(Betty) is my cousin, a daughter of Mr. & Mrs. Joseph Newstrom (Uncle).
Betty and Mark opened The Lakewood Cafe & Laundromat in the building in
1963 after I moved it away from the triangle location . The Birkelands
sold the business to Mr. & Mrs. Ken Youker in 1967 and they moved, to
Duluth. Mark had already obtained a job there with a printing company
earlier. Youkers sold the business to Mr. & Mrs. Morie Mericle who in
turn sold it to another couple -(sorry their names & the year have
escaped my memory) - but their tenure was short lived and Mericles had
to take the business back. In February of 1982, Mr. & Mrs. James Alden
and Mr. & Mrs. Dennis Korte purchased the business and still operate
same when this book goes to press. It is a thriving business under the
present ownership. This information about the ownership of the old store
building has been rather sketchy and I apologize for that, but at least
we know that the old Newstrom Store building is still in existence.
Update on THE MARCELL GARAGE and the
addition of PAULA'S PRETTY PLACE. Chapter XV told of last ownership of
the garage by Mr. & Mrs. Earl Giraud. Mr. & Mrs. James Alden came to
Marcell in 1968 and purchased the business. Jim's wife Paula started a
beauty shop in the small addition Earl Giraud had used previously.
Paula's Beauty Shop was an attraction to ladies from all around the
area, coming from such places as Bowstring, Jessie Lake, Spring Lake,
Bigfork, Effie and many other communities...to have their "hair done".
Jim & Paula decided they had enough of the garage business in 1977.
They sold out to a partnership of Mr. &
Mrs. Art DeWitt and Mr. & Mrs. Lester Bartell and Paula sold her beauty
shop equipment to Mrs. Cindy Wilke. Jim & Paula took on a new venture
when they purchased a semi truck and "traveled the USA" for several
years as "Truckers". In the previous chapter I told of their buying into
the cafe business and that was after their return from the trucking
venture.
Update on PAULA'S BEAUTY SHOP. When sold
to Cindy Wilke it stayed in the shop next to the garage for a time as
Cindy continued to rent the space from the new owners. Cindy then moved
the business to her home in the Bowstring Community where it is still in
operation.... and ladies from Marcell still utilize her service.
Update on THE MARCELL MERCANTILE STORE.
In Chapter XV I told of the purchase of this business by Mr. & Mrs.
Rissanen. They continued to operate the store until June of 1994 when
failing health of Pete Rissanen forced them to close down the store.
They continue to live in the living quarters in the rear of the
building.
Update on BECKMAN'S BAIT SHOP. Back in
Chapter XV you read about this business that started up in the 1950's.
The Beckmans divorced in 1963 and Mrs. Beckman moved away. By the
1970's, business had slowed down for the bait store because many of the
resorts were selling minnows and there was a second bait store in town.
Lawrence Beckman closed down the business early in 1973 and then worked
out as a stone mason building fireplaces and various other jobs. In
August 1973 Lawrence suddenly passed away while on a job. Funeral
services were held from the Marcell Church.
Shortly after the death of Lawrence
Beckman in 1973, Mr. & Mrs. George Graham purchased the old bait shop
and used it for a time as an antique shop. Then after a short occupancy
by a real estate agency, the building was sold to ASV Inc. and that is
another interesting story of it 's own in Chapter XXXVI. The building
still stands in that same location but the appearance has changed
considerably.
Update on the SNOWSHOE CAFE & TAVERN. It
was 1959 when Mr. & Mrs. Lyle LaGrange sold the business to Harold
Risberg who in turn sold to Mr. & Mrs. Ed Mohring. Mr. & Mrs. Gerald
Gang then purchased the tavern in 1959. Mr. Gang died in December 1984
with funeral services provided from the Marcell Church. Mrs. Gang
continued to run the business until 1993 when she closed the doors for
good. She continues to reside in the building.
Update on MARCELL PLUMBING & HEATING. An
original business started by Jay Benson was purchased by Victor Huju Jr.
shortly after World War II ended and Arvo Rautio became a partner in the
business. They operated the business from their homes with just a small
building as a warehouse. Victor then bought out Arvo's share and in 1966
bought the old Marcell school building from the Marcell American Legion
Post. Mr. & Mrs. Victor Huju Jr. operated Marcell Plumbing & Heating
there until 1977 when they sold out to Mr. & Mrs. Luke Cleath and sons.
The business still operates at that location and provides Marcell and
surrounding areas with much needed plumbing & heating services.
U. S. FOREST SERVICE. I made no attempt
in this book to tell anything about the U. S Forestry operation in
Marcell. There were many Head Rangers in the Marcell Office over the
years and I have made no attempt to capture any past history. The office
has existed for many years and I remember making friends with many
rangers - even back in the 1930's. The Ranger Station complex has grown
and seen many changes through the 20th Century. There have been times
when we heard rumors that the station would be closed down, but today it
continues to serve the area. The Marcell Station provides employment for
a great number of people and is a great asset to the town. In Chapter
XXXIX, where I give a pictorial review of Marcell, there is a picture of
today's very modern U. S. Forest Service Office building in Marcell. An
article in Chapter XXXX contains some newspaper articles involving some
of the work being initiated from the Marcell Station.
Update on THE MARCELL INN, In 1959 Mr. &
Mrs. Vern Orr from Kokomo, Indiana purchased the tavern from Mr. & Mrs.
Gust Koski. In 1969 the Orrs sold to Mr. & Mrs. John Kuntz who then ran
the business until 1983. That year Mr. & Mrs. Richard Volner from
Minneapolis purchased the business and operate same as the book goes to
press. Under this ownership, very extensive remodeling has been done
with development of a very modern night club type establishment. Here is
a present day picture of that business.
RICHIE'S MARCELL INN - 1994 OFF SALE LIQUOR -
ON SALE BAR & LOUNGE - DANCING - DINING MOTEL UNITS ON THE
SECOND FLOOR I trust that I have
been thorough in the update of business entities of Marcell and have not
neglected to cover the many places that we have in this small town. In
fact, there is probably more business in Marcell than many other towns
of the same size. Now I shall go on to some new ventures that came about
after 1960 and right up to present time at the end of 1994.
With the end of Newstrom's Store business, a new bait &
tackle shop was started in 1961. Mr. & Mrs. Louis Probst built a
building on the property next to the sawmill owned by son, Wallace.
Frontier Bait was then the second bait business right in town. I had
given them my LIVE BAIT sign and I made a deal with Mrs. Probst whereby
she took over my remaining stock of tackle. Mrs. Probst ran the business
while her husband worked at other jobs. With failing health a factor,
the business was sold out to Mr. & Mrs. Ed Mohring - date not certain.
In 1979 Mr. & Mrs. Eugene Moore bought the business and operated same
until 1983 when they sold to Jim Wodahl. That ownership only lasted a
little over a year and Mr. & Mrs. Terry Schmitz took over in 1985. The
building has been renovated several times and is now a large convenience
store selling groceries, tackle, live bait, souvenirs, lottery tickets,
gas & oils and much more.
Now named FRONTIER SPORTS, it is the only
grocery business in town as the year 1994 ends. The store not only has
merchandise for sale, but also has rental service of outboard motors,
will help with guide services, sells fishing & hunting licenses...and is
a weigh-in station for the Fuller Tackle Fishing Contest. They also
carry on the tradition of Newstrom's Store of taking pictures of people
with their fish and display same on a bulletin board.
NORTHWOODS NOVELTY was originated in June
1963 when Mr. & Mrs. Clay Williamson from Iowa started the business.
Clay & Lora were experienced in ceramics manufacture and built a shop on
their property west of Marcell. There they manufactured ceramic
novelties and with the need of a shop to sell their wares, they
purchased the old store building next to the postoffice. They not only
sold products they had made, but included many other gift shop items
such as Indian Jewelry, moccasins, pictures, postcards and much more.
Many items were on a consignment basis. The business was an attraction
to summer traffic in Marcell. Clay passed on in 1986, but Lora continued
to operate there until 1988 when failing health forced her to close
shop. NORTH PINE REALTY is a new
business that was started in 1982 by Mr. & Mrs. Eugene Moore. After
selling the Frontier Bait store, they saw the potential for a real
estate agency in Marcell. Their first office was in the old Beckman Bait
Shop, but in 1985 they built a log structure right near by and where it
is still located. The Moore's still own the building, but it is now
rented to Terry Eddington who bought the real estate agency in 1992 and
still operates the agency. The real estate firm has been a fine asset to
Marcell. Next door to ASV Inc. is
the new Marcell Community Church which really saw a big change....and is
very noticeable. Chapter XXIX covers the changes to the church with a
very attractive new church having been constructed in 1992.
Another very noticeable change "downtown" Marcell is
LAKESIDE LUMBER COMPANY. The old telephone office next to Marcell
Mercantile housed a snowmobile business for a short time. In 1983 Mr. &
Mrs. Mike Heinlein purchased the old telephone building and started a
retail lumber business. In 1984 it was sold to Mr. & Mrs. Steve Boggs
who ran same until 1986 when the Heinleins returned to operate the
business. In 1989 Mr. & Mrs. Ken Oja purchased the property and continue
the retail lumber business at present time. This business provides a
great service to area carpenters as well as anyone else in need of
building materials. Another new
business for Marcell was established in the early 1980's after the old
postoffice building was vacated. Mr. and Mrs. Robert Wright opened a
shop where they had a variety of products to sell. THE TENDER TOURIST
TRAP became a popular tourist attraction where "Dee" offered her
homemade dolls as well as many souvenir items. Bob had a background in
horticulture prior to coming to Marcell and created a business offering
plants & flowers each spring. Bob also made clocks using tree burls and
slabs of wood that were laminated with fiberglass resin. Dee & Bob had
many artistic talents and created an attraction for tourists as well as
local residents. The winter of 1984-85 Bob & Dee loaded a vehicle with
such things as nature's cat tails, ferns, etc and took off for Florida
where there was a market for those items. Then again in 1985-86 - with
the other trip to Florida being so successful, they went to Florida
again with another load. Bob passed away in March 1986 while they were
in Florida. Memorial services were held from the Marcell Church. Dee has
remarried and continues in the business with her homemade dolls and a
great variety of items which have an attraction for the summer visitors
looking for souvenirs.
Marcell
History has been excerpted from Memories of a
Small Town, by Curtis L. Newstrom, 1995. The book Memories of a
Small Town contains much more historical information about the
Marcell area. More may be added to ItascaWeb at a later date if there is
interest and we can find the copyright holder to obtain permission to
publish on our site.
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