Hotels in Thief River Falls

Hotel Brummond is on the corner, this photograph was taken over the construction of the post office, which dates the picture in about 1933.

This is Horace Avenue and Third Street. The building with the open windows in your lower left corner is the Evelyn Hotel, later, it would be the site of the Pennington Hotel.
These gents with their cart are in front of the Hotel Northern. This is the Northwestern Hotel.

In thinking about the old hotels in Thief River Falls, Old Trunks is amazed at just how many there were. Although many of them were tossed up out of wood in a few weeks and burned in a matter of hours; nevertheless, the city had numerous places to stay.

In the downtown area we have already talked about the Ogahmah. In research, Old Trunks learned that means “Chief”. We also believe that the Ogahmah burned, although the article was an oral conversation and the person wasn’t quite sure. It is quite sure the Ogahmah was still standing in 1910 when the directory for the city was published.

Another hotel mentioned in the 100 block of north LaBree was the Brummond. It was on the northeast corner. Later, this same area would be the Stewart Hotel. I remember being in the lobby of this hotel as a child, as my brother’s friend's family owned the hotel. It may have changed hands numbers of time in between. In the early sixties, it was the Times office. Earlier it would also be called the Tveten Hotel. It would have apartments upstairs.

It isn’t quite clear if the Evelyn Hotel, which was on the corner of Horace and Third Street later became the Pennington Hotel or not. In some of the newspaper articles, it talks about the Pennington being the former Evelyn Hotel. It certainly looks the same.

The Pennington Hotel in the late fifties was really very pretty with its marble floor and heavy wood work. It did have a dining area, then called a coffee shop on the west side and a barber shop. The entire grand building was demolished for a parking lot.

There were little wooden hotels that grew out of necessity. Not as grand as the ones mentioned but none the less, housed traveling salesman. If one looks at the hotels in a city directory, one also notes that people boarded in hotels.

Hotel Central 303 4th St. East. This would be close to Trinity Church on the north side.

Park Hotel 301 Atlantic ave North. This appears to be the closest hotel to the Soo Line, it was a block west on the corner. To give you an idea of just where that was, think about standing in the Piggly Wiggly, (now a liquor store), and looking north.

Hotel West 314 Main ave Just in from the corner where the Times is now

The Northwestern Hotel was on LaBree in the 300 block. It was behind what is now called the Northern State Bank.

HOTEL STAVANGER 324 Duluth Avenue North

Telemarken Hotel was on Fourth and Knight. It later was a clinc run by Dr. Swedenburg.

Why were these hotels away from the center of the city? Was it because the liveries were in this area? The first livery was owned by Remmen's and was located at the corner of 3rd and Knight, there was also a boarding house there. This location is north of where Wenneberg's Welding was at one time. Was this the original building and did they shoe horses there? Shall I write to Dale?

The Falls Hotel was on the east side of the 100 block of LaBree, or the same side of the street as the Brummond. Some of you might remember the Fixit shop that was south of the hotel. It had rooms, did it have a lobby? There was a hotel where people roomed when I lived there called the Welch Hotel. It was down town on Third Street on the opposite side of the Pennington. I believe it was walk up only and was not listed in the 1910 directory.

As we work through the town in pictures, I will be honored to share a picture Soozi sent regarding the 200 block of north LaBree which includes the Falls Theater, Thanks, Soozi!

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