Atlantic Avenue, Morris

Self-guided Walking Tour

116 West 6

Street

Morris, MN 56267

320-589-1719

info@stevenshistorymuseum.com

www.stevenshistorymuseum.com

There are so many stories and people who make a

community, like Morris, what it is today. This

showcases just a snippet of them. It is impossible

to capture them all.

Our goal is that you will find this tour to be an

enjoyable activity, and educational as well. A

tour, such as this, would not be possible without

our research volunteers. We thank them for their

hours of time and dedication. We would also like

to acknowledge the researchers from the past.

Their compiled historical information was a

valuable resource in doing this project.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR PARTICIPATION!

Some of the best historical artifacts are

right before our very eyes. Take a walk

back into time and learn a little bit about

some people that helped structure Morris

as we know it. The buildings on this tour

were built and owned by folks who began

businesses on Atlantic Avenue. They were

also active in community organizations and

churches and provided a foundation for

the city of Morris to continue to grow.

Thank you to our sponsor!

501 Atlanc Avenue

(1916)

John Linne

Morris Bakery Truck

The Morris Bakery Company opened its doors in 1896. John Linne,

owner and proprietor, moved to Morris from Minneapolis. He had

10 years of experience in the baking trade before opening his own

bakery in Morris. Business boomed, as John was well-known for his

beauful breads. In 1904, he decided to build a new building at 501

Atlanc Avenue, the current home of the Common Cup. The bakery

oered all sorts of pastries, cakes, candies, cookies, doughnuts, and

pies. They even baked beans on Saturdays for those that put in

their orders on Fridays. The upper level of the building was a large

hall (known as Linne Hall) that was used for groups such as Knights

of Pythias, Modern Woodmen, Fraternal Order of Eagles, and also

dances and meengs. (Mr. Linne was a member of both Knights of

Pythias and the Masons.) The most notable use for Linne Hall, how-

ever, was home to an inuenza hospital in 1918. Due to overow of

paents from the Morris Hospital on West 7th Street, a larger

space was needed. By April of 1919, the threat of inuenza had

lessened enough that the hospital was able to handle the paents

and Linne Hall returned to hosng dances. In 1916, John Linne sold

the bakery to William Ross, aer 21 years of baking in Morris. The

Morris Bakery connued for many years with various owners.

(One of them painng “Bob’s Bakery” on the outside back wall.)

506 Atlanc Avenue

2 511 Atlanc Avenue

The building currently occupied by Stone’s Throw Café has, like

other old buildings, been purchased, rented, and home to many

businesses over its lifeme. In 1920, it was purchased by the

Golden Sheaf Mason Lodge #133, as they had already used the

second oor for their meeng space (and currently sll do) for

many years prior, enduring two res. Suckstorf Furniture

occupied the lower level at the me. The Masonic emblem signs

can be seen on the photos below, in the middle of the second

story. Many of the prominent early businessmen were members

of the Masons, not only from Morris, but including those from

Donnelly, Chokio, Alberta, and Hancock. Another similar

fraternal order organizaon was the Knights of Pythias. This

group met in Linne Hall, above the Morris Bakery (now Common

Cup), just across the street from the Masons. It was almost a

requirement, that if you were a male business owner in the area,

you would belong to one of these groups. The queson was,

which would you choose? (Noce John Linne, owner of Morris

Bakery, was in both!)

W. C. “Bill” and Freddy Light, brothers, built this building, marked “A”,

below, for their hardware business in 1906. They had a very success-

ful business with a n shop in the back. Freddy sharpened everyone’s

ice skates in the winter. Bill died in the 1930s and his wife, Clara, took

over and ran the store with Freddy. George and Edna Varnum

purchased the hardware store from the Lights in 1945. Building “B”,

below, was the Orpheum and was the site of plays, movies, hypno-

sts, magicians, and vaudeville acts, and later became a pool hall and

bowling alley. However, a 1950 re burned the inside. George

Varnum purchased the remnants of the Orpheum to expand his

business to include a plumbing department and, in 1951, the two

buildings were joined together into Varnum’s Hardware. Ken Varnum

took over the business from his father in 1963, and he and Marilyn

ran Varnum’s Ace Hardware unl 1979. Probably the most notable

memory people have of Varnum’s Hardware is the alligator named

“Bumpy” that Ken Varnum had inside his store. Bumpy was a celebrity

with the kids in the area. Art Splitstoser, who had a meat market

adjacent to Varnum’s, would bring meat scraps to treat Bumpy.

Bumpy is preserved at the UMM campus in the Biology department.

Cole VanHorn took over the building in 1980 and transformed it into

the Emporium Mall in 1983. Some businesses inside included Second-

Hand Rose, This ‘n’ That, Dog House Snack Shack and Playroom,

Paradise Recycled, and VanHorn’s Home Improvement. The building is

almost unrecognizable now, aer remodels. Today it is home to

Morris Electronics.

Sarlee’s

Building

1920s

1985

BUMPY

Jim’s Chrisan Bookstore and

Sears were just two of the

businesses that have occupied

the street level of this building.

(1960s-1980s)

622 Atlanc Avenue

Aer the 1931 re

Horse-drawn school buses

613 Atlanc Avenue

510 Atlanc Avenue

Emelia Eck was born in Pepperton Township in 1895. Her family moved

into Morris aer her father became too aicted with rheumasm to

farm. She never had a chance to go to high school, as her parents were

poor and she had to help support the family with her sewing. She began

sewing for the public at 14 years old. In the early 1900s, there were few

ready made dresses and, for those who could aord it, would have

Emelia design and create dresses for them. She had a special room in

the family home for her sewing business and later on the second oor

of the Glass Block Building (McGinnis Appliance locaon). Her ledger,

which dates before 1917, has listed the measurements of over 300

women, clients whom she sewed garments for. The locaons of these

women are from all over Minnesota, the Upper Midwest, and even Pas-

adena , California and Vancouver, Washington. Around WWI, Emelia

taught hand and machine sewing to young girls at her house. They

would study with her for about a year. Somemes she would hire them

to help her aer they nished their course. In the 1940s and 50s, when

ready made clothing became more prevalent, Emelia worked on the

oor at the J. C. Penney Store and, by 1960, she was altering for both

Palmer’s Clothing and J. C. Penney. She rered from seamstress work in

1971, and passed away two years later. Emelia loved clothes and fash-

ion and she herself was always very well dressed. Some of her dresses,

ledgers, and a business window with her name, are preserved at the

Stevens County History Museum. She never married, devong her

whole life to sewing for

others and taking care of

her mother.

J. C. Penney was located in the building now

home to Prairie Real Estate and Twisted Ivy.

Palmer Store was located in the space where

Anderson Acres Nursery is now located.

Emelia Eck

In the building where John’s Total Entertainment has resided since

1998, was once Walt’s Shoes. Walter Hadler established Walt’s Shoes

in 1935. The primary focus at the start was shoe repair, adding shoe

sales in 1955. Walt did not begin his business in this building, as he

built it in the 1950s, renng 1/2 of his building to Singer Sewing

Machines and later to Sarlee’s Music. It was another example of a

well-known business in Morris that drew customers from miles

around, selling high quality shoes

and impeccable shoe repair. In

1979, Walt sold the business to his

employee, Tim Esterling, who ran it

for many more years, expanding

into the full building with sporng

goods and custom prinng on

sweatshirts, etc. In 1992, Tim

moved Walt’s Shoes to the City

Center Mall and went back to

focusing primarily on shoe sales.

1914

If you look again at #7 in this brochure, you will noce “Cele’s

Fabrics” between Wayne’s and the Ernst Shop. In the 1970s,

Beverly Vikander purchased this business, combining it with

“Mrs. V’s” and moved her business into the building where

Strategance Capital resides. Because this building had been

Liebe’s Shoes, customers

expected shoes when they

came in, so Beverly added

shoes to her inventory of

fabrics and yarns, and had

a shoe secon called

“Footprints” in the back of

the store. She also sold

high-quality sewing

machines.

1980s

1960s

1980s

632/630/628/624 Atlanc Avenue

Main Street Alberta looking north— 1914

619 Atlanc Avenue

This building was originally known as the Spooner Brick Block and

was built in 1895 by businessman L.C. Spooner. (Later known as the

Halverson Building and Johnson Building) It is the only building on

Atlanc Avenue that shows the year that it was built. The rst

business to occupy the main level was the Olsen, Guter, Healy and

Company Department Store. The rst year many social gatherings

and entertainments were held in the opera house on the second

oor. The opera house was short lived as it was made into a store-

room and various oces. Aer a re in 1902, that destroyed much

of the interior of the building, L.C. Spooner repaired the structure to

nearly its original state. The building regained prominence as a busi-

ness and social center in Morris. The Morris Naonal Bank occupied

the “corner” from 1902-1912. The Commercial Club, ared with

billiard tables, reading tables, and card tables, occupied three rooms

upstairs. Through the years the corner has also been the home of

McCanney and Hanlon’s Saloon, N. Vinje Clothing (later moving

across the street), Coast to Coast, the Home Restaurant, Ben’s Place,

Cruze Inn, Halverson’s Clothing, Arneson and Larson, O’Meara’s

Clothing, Wayne’s Mens Wear, Wilson’s Sporng Goods, Second

Hand Rose, and now Second Chance Consignment Bouque. The

post oce was in this building for many years beginning in 1903. For

60 years, the Ernst Shop was in this building, in the locaon of what

is now Reecons. Originally owned and operated by Margaret and

Anne Ernst, they opened the store in 1922 as a millinery shop

(custom made hats). Their specialty was hem-stching and picot

edging. The shop was later known for it’s very elite high-quality

clothing.

By 1900, Atlanc Avenue in Morris was bustling with thriving busi-

nesses that brought people by train, and later automobiles, to Morris

to do their shopping. Some of these stores were extremely well

known for the quality of their product and their customer service.

Both Weum’s and Vinje Clothing were examples of that. Nick Vinje

organized N. Vinje & Company aer moving here from Moorhead. Up

unl that me he was a traveling salesman of caps, furs, gloves, and

miens. In 1912, Mr. Vinje incorporated his business as Vinje Clothing

Co. While Weum’s sold both men’s and women’s clothing, Vinje

Clothing Co. was exclusively a men’s and boy’s clothing store. So it

came as a big surprise, in 1923, when they added a line of women’s

silk hosiery, called “Holeproof”. A

newspaper quote about Vinje

Clothing Co. states “It is noceable

that this store , known far and wide

for its dependability, is lled with

lines of goods that have a naonal

reputaon for the same character-

isc.” Mr. Vinje was not only a

successful businessman, but was

very acve in civil aairs. Later, his

son, Louis, took over the business.

Today this locaon is home to

Unger Furniture

Nick Vinje

A minimum of 70

businesses have

occupied this

building over its

126 year history!

1905

1960s

Ad from

1913

700 Atlanc Avenue

702 Atlanc Avenue

In the space where Inherit Clothing Co. is today, was once Grove

Department Store. Owned by John Grove, he was one of the most

widely known real estate men in western Minnesota and North

Dakota. He brought thousands of new selers into the Northwest

during the years he was most acve in this line of endeavor. Many

successful farmers in this secon of the state, at that me, were

given their start in farming by Mr. Grove. He had faith in the land of

Stevens County and what it could produce. At various mes he

owned many mercanles in western Minnesota cies, in addion to

this one in Morris. Many of the businesses in the early formaon of

Morris were nancially backed and erected by Mr. Grove, including

the LaGrand Hotel, which he also managed for some me. He was

also the president of the Morris Naonal Bank for a few years. Mr.

Grove also took an acve role in developing the residenal district in

Morris and erected more than 25 homes in the “Grove City” addion

on the east side of Morris. Most importantly, John Grove was known

for his pleasant dispositon and friendly manner. He was loved by all

who knew him.

John and his wife, Vine, had one daughter. Her name was Margaret

and she was the librarian at the Morris Public Library (Carnegie

Library Building) for 40 years.

Grove Department Store was on the street level, with a hotel on the

top two oors. This photo was taken about 1900. This building later

burnt, and rebuilt to a single level building, housing mulple businesses

over the years. Currently remodeled in 2018 by Inherit Co.

The Eul’s Hardware building is believed to be the oldest exisng

building on Atlanc Avenue, built in 1883. The Morris Tribune

(8/29/1883) called it “...a monument of architectural beauty and

mechanical skill.” The building was originally erected for The

First Naonal Bank of Morris, but, aer it failed in 1896, was

bought out and became Cizens State Bank. Later, Cizens State

Bank moved down the street. John and Mary (Hilda) Eul bought

the building in 1940 and moved their hardware store (which

began in a dierent locaon) to this historic structure. They

constructed the addion in 1947. In the 1960s, Rit (Richard) and

Ione Eul took over from his father and brother. When Richard

passed away, Ione carried on the business, passing it on to their

children, Kathy and Rob in 2010. Together, with their brother,

Tim, they have carried on the family busi-

ness into the third generaon. 2021 marks

the end of a long-me tradion in Morris,

as the business is selling. It has been most

famous for the “toy basement” which

began in the 1960s. Shoppers near and far

knew that if they couldn’t nd something

anywhere else, “they could nd it at Eul’s”.

1947

John and Mary Eul