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'Red River Valley History'

Sep 22

A Look Back: Demers Avenue 1938 by Zoe Bruggeman

Posted to Campbell Unclassified on September 22, 2021 at 9:10 AM by Genesis Gaule

Demers Ave circa 1938 featuring neon signs for Luck Strike Peerless Beer, Wonderbar, and W M Stiens

Though today architecture favors sharp, simplistic shapes, DeMers Avenue hasn’t strayed far from this Image. This image is from 1938 found in A Meeting of the Reds: East Grand Forks 1887-1987, Volume 2. Page 649. Back when neon signs were in its golden years from 1923 to the late 1950s. And though neon gave way to LED lights, it still shines an aesthetic light on history.

Browse our RRV Special Collection at the library for more Red River Valley history!

Jul 23

A Look Back: Whitey's Wonderbar by Zoe Bruggeman

Posted to Campbell Unclassified on July 23, 2021 at 2:58 PM by Genesis Gaule

Interior vintage photo of the stainless steel bar at Whitey's

In 1930, Edwin “Whitey” Larson built the first stainless steel horseshoe bar, in the U.S.A. Thus his bar was named “Whitey’s Wonderbar.” Made in the days of Prohibition, the bar still resides at Sickies Garage Burgers & Brews in downtown East Grand Forks. And in 1939, was featured in the Saturday Evening Post and Time Magazine, for its unique art deco design. 

Image found in A Meeting of the Reds: East Grand Forks 1887-1987, Volume 2. Page 299. 

For more information, visit Whitey’s Underground website. 

Browse our RRV Special Collection at the library for more Red River Valley history!

Jul 02

On This Day: 1881 Independence Day Hail

Posted to Campbell Unclassified on July 2, 2021 at 4:36 PM by Genesis Gaule

Old photograph showing chicken egg-sized hail that fell in 1911

Fun as it is for small bits of ice to rain from the sky, or to bask in the fresh rain in midsummer; sometimes it’s better to enjoy a storm under a sturdy roof. 


This image, found in A Meeting of the Reds: East Grand Forks 1887-1987, Volume 2 (Page 672) from our catalog, shows hailstones larger than chicken eggs that fell in East Grand Forks on July 4, 1911. Mother-Nature must’ve thrown quite a light show that July!

Interested in more Red River Valley history? Check out our RRV special collection at our library!