Itasca County MN Archives News.....The Stirring Town of Grand Rapids February 1, 1904 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/mn/mnfiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Debra Crosby http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00010.html#0002467 December 17, 2020, 12:02 pm The Saint Paul Globe Monday Pg 8 February 1, 1904 The Stirring Town of Grand Rapids, Itasca County, Minnesota GRAND RAPIDS, the county seat of Itasca county, is one of the leading towns of Northern Minnesota, and is the general supply station for the vast lumbering and mining industries carried on yearly in the county, and also for the hundreds of settlers and homeseekers daily and weekly pouring into the county. In ten years Grand Rapids has developed from an Indian trading post and steamboat landing to a handsome village of 2,500 inhabitants, whose citizens have shown remarkable enterprise in building up the town that causes admiration from every visitor. Grand Rapids possesses one of the most complete educational institutions in the northern part of the state, with advance educators as principals and teachers. Six fine church buildings adorn the city-- Presbyterians, Methodists, Episcopalians, Swedish Lutherans and Catholics--all presided over by able pastors. It has a fine school house, a magnificent court house, sheriff's residence and county jail, two large hotels that would be a credit to a city of 50,000 people, and a large number of smaller ones; three newspapers, all of which are a credit to the town as well as the county; several large wholesale and retail mercantile houses, a fine system of water works and up-to-date electric light plant; brass band of eleven young business men which the town feels proud of. Grand Rapids Building and Loan association, bowling alley, the new high school building, costing $40,000, the finest in this section of the state. The Northeast experiment farm was located by the state of Minnesota in 1896, one-half mile east of town, and is now a model farm of its kind and demon- strates the resources of the soil in this county. The town is situated on the Great Northern railroad, 112 miles from Duluth, which gives the town the best of freight and passenger service, running through trains to the Pacific coast, as well as St. Paul and Minne-[sic] Fine tracts of land can be obtained, the farmers and the highest price for their products. The stores all carry a very large and fine stock of goods that would do credit to a much larger town. The Reishus- Remer Land company has gotten out some very fine advertising of this county and has given the writer use of its work. It could not be surpassed by any expert writer. They do not flatter this county, for people living in the East and South do not know the good things this county has for them until they come and see for themselves. The schools of the county and town are of the very best, so people coming here will have good schools for their children and the very best teachers. Itasca County {There is a section here that is exactly the same contents as in the article entitled: GOOD HOMES FOR HOMESEEKERS published in The Minneapolis Journal Tues Oct 21, 1902 pg 14 thus I will skip to the area which is not already in that article.}............ .........Potatoes raised in Itasca couonty are unsur- passed, and the average yield is 200 bushels to the acre on well drained land, and 400 bushels is not uncommon. Small fruits are grown in abundance and all kind of vegetables. Now, a word to the young men of the East and South, if you are looking for a home in the West, come to Itasca county, Minnesota, and see for yourself and you will find that I have not flattered this country, but written the truth. Following are a few of the busines firms of Grand Rapids: W. J. and H. D. Powers came here in 1890 and have been in the hardware and implement business since then and have a very fine store. H. D. Powers is president of the Commercial club of Grand Rapids. J. F. Metzger is proprietor of the Grand Rapids Meat and Provision market, and has been in business for twelve years. J. S. Gale is the city reporter for the village, and has improved and unimproved farm lands in Itasca, St. Louis Aitkin and Beltrami counties for sale cheap. John Beckfelt is the proprietor of one of the main general stores in the city, and has been in business for twenty-one years. The Reishus-Remer Land company dealers in wild and improved agricultural, grazing, timber and mineral lands in Central and Northern Minnesota, and makes a specialty of locating homesteaders. Write the for full information. Emil Litchke has been in the harness business for twelve years and has a very fine business, and is a rustler for Grand Rapids. W. C. Messinger is the proprietor of the Messinger hotel, one of the leading $1 per day hotels in this part of the state. Ben Levy, for twenty years in the mercantile business at St. Paul, is the proprietor of the Enter- prise Clothing house, which is the largest exclusive clothing house in Itasca county. He also runs the "Bargain" store, one of the main general stores of the town. H. E. Neveux has been here for fourteen years and for the last three years has run one of the leading barber shops. D. M. Gunn, the proprietor of the Hotel Pokegama, is the right man in the right place, and makes lots of friends. The hotel is one of the finest in the state. Mr. Gunn is also a very heavy real estate owner in Minnesota. Alfred L. Thwing is one of the leading attorneys of Itasca county and is counsel for the Grand Rapids Building and Loan association. W. E. Neal has been in Itasca county for twenty years and is one of the leading real estate men. He has pine and farming lands in Itasca, Cass, St. Louis and Beltrami counties, and will answer all letters of inquiries sent him. A. B. Clair has pine, farming and mineral lands for sale, and is register of deeds of Itasca county. George H. Spear is one of the leading attorneys of the town and is county attorney. H. E. Graffam is general manager of the Itasca Farm Land company. This firm has wild and improved farm, grazing and timber lands for sale in Itasca, Aitkin and Cass counties. King Lumber company is one of the leading lumber firms of the county and does a very large business. Aiton Bros. run the main feed stores of the town and also deal in farm machinery and have several thousand acres of farm lands in the county for sale. John Costello is proprietor of the Grand Rapids Bottling works and agent for the Minneapolis Brewing company. Mr. Costello has been her nineteen years. George Riddell came here in 1894 and since 1901 has been mayor of the city. He runs a large black- smith shop and manufactures sleds, logging tools and plows. W. B. Holman is a dealer in iron, pine and first- class farming lands in Itasca, Cass, St. Louis and Beltrami counties, also improved farms in Assiniboia and Northwest territory, and for full particulars write him. C. C. Miller is treasurer of Itasca county and is in his third term. A. E. Wilder is proprietor of the Hotel Gladstone, one of the first-class hotels of the town. W. C. Tyndall is a farmer of 160 acres of Itasca land and is agent for A. Fitzer Brewing Co., of Duluth. George F. Meyers, one of the leading real estate men, has 500 residence lots and improved and un- improved farm lands for sale cheap and will furnish you any information you desire of this country. E. J. Farrell has been in the town for nine years and has been county auditor since 1898 and gives good satisfaction. James Murchie has been in Itasca county for thirty years and is in his second term as county surveyor. McAlpine and McDonald, two of Grand Rapids business men, are building a large hotel at Lake Pokegama, two miles from town, and it will be open for the public June 1. This is the finest fishing and hunting resort in Minnesota. Ed Chill is proprietor of the Grand Rapids bakery, the up-to-date place of the city, also full line of confectionery always on hand. Roy R. Bell runs the main drug store of the town and has been her five years. Henry Hughes & Co. run a very large department store at Grand Rapids and they have a branch at Hibbing. The First National Bank of Grand Rapids was organized in 1889, and is one of the solid banks of the county. C. W. Hastings, president; A. P. White, vice president; P. J. Sheldon, second vice president; and F. P. Sheldon, cashier. George F. Kremer has been here for ten years and runs the main furniture store and undertaking rooms of the town. Kremer & King run the Itasca county abstract office and have the only complete abstract of titles of Itasca county. This firm has improved and unimproved farm lands in Itasca, Aitkin, Beltrami and Cass counties; also 20,000 acres of cut over land for sale cheap, and will answer all questions in relation to this county. The First State bank was organized in 1902 and does a very large business and is depository for the state of Minnesota and Itasca county. A. C. Bossard, president; W. R. Baumbach, vice president, and L. M. Bolter, cashier. File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/mn/itasca/newspapers/thestirr14gnw.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/mnfiles/ File size: 9.6 Kb