Full circle through time and space

Memory Walk Park display has close ties to Mountain Lake’s 10th Street history

As the 70-year-old reminiscence goes, the two young women were spending their Saturday night in Mountain Lake during the early-to-mid-1940s sitting on the stone block at the corner of 10th Street and 4th Avenue in front of Ross Cleaners, talking and watching people. And, there were a lot of people to watch since Saturday night was the “big shopping night” in town in those days.

During the evening, the pair noticed two guys in a car who just kept driving by – and driving by – and driving by.

At one point, one of the girls decided to give a friendly wave to the boys.

Her friend asked her, “Do you know them?”

To which she replied, “No . . . at least . . . not yet!”

On their next lap, the boys stopped the car, got out and started up a conversation with the girls.

The end of the story?

They eventually paired up – and got married.

Simple stone block integral part of Mountain Lake’s story

If that stone block could talk, all of us would know a great, great deal more about Mountain Lake’s story.

On the flip side, much is already known about the story of this particular stone cube.

Its history ranges from its first “job” as a hitching post at the State Bank of Mountain Lake – known later, after consolidating with the State Bank of Mountain Lake, as the First State Bank of Mountain Lake, at the corner of 10th Street and 2nd Avenue – to its eight decades marking the corner at Ross Cleaners – and now, a triumphant return to where it all began at 10th and 2nd, as a distinctive marker and part of Memory Walk Park.

Demolition of buildings precipitates block’s move

The stone block’s “homecoming” was precipitated by the proposed demolition of three buildings on the east side of 10th Street, just south of 4th Avenue, along with the moving off of property a duplex residence on 4th Avenue.

That trio of buildings includes, running north-to-south on the east side of 10th Street:

+ Former Ross Cleaners.

+ Over the course of time, this building housed – Mountain Lake Produce (which bought and sold eggs and chickens and sold milk, butter, sliced meat, ice cream, popcorn and candy), Worthmore Ice Cream (known for its 3-dip ice cream cones), Youth For Christ and Joy Shoppe.

+ For many of the past years, this building has been a private residence. Before that, the Hiebert sisters operated a small hat shop in the structure. Mrs. Daniel Epp operated then operated the business, with Marie Kintzi the last owner.

The block made its arrival at the corner by Ross Cleaner in about 1935. As history lays out, the block – a former hitching post at the State Bank of Mountain Lake – was being drug to a demolition ump on the north side of the city. Because the streets at that time were still dirt roads – and a heavy rain had occurred just before the move – 10th Street had been turned to mud. The horse was only able to drag the block the two blocks from 2nd Avenue to 4th Avenue before it became stuck in the muck. John Ross (the father Art, Bayer, Donald and Max Ross) – then the owner of Ross Cleaners – paid $2 for the block, and it became a fixture at that corner.

And it remained there until this fall, at which time it was lifted by Steve Peters and the heavy equipment of the Streets and Parks Department of the City of Mountain Lake, and taken the two blocks south back to where it had all began.

New park means trip down Memory Lane

The Mountain Lake Area Chamber of Commerce has undertaken several downtown beautification projects over the past couple years, with the development of this park one of those efforts. Over $2,000 was given by the Mountain Lake Area Foundation (MLAF), pinpointed to develop the area – as well as a $10,000 grant in city beautification funds presented to Mountain Lake by Toro of Windom in 2014 in celebration of the company’s 100th anniversary, used to create the welcoming park space.

Memory Lane Park – at the corner of 10th Street and 2nd Avenue – offers green space accented by four paver stone walkways that converge at a center point where there are a pair of wooden park benches and a colorful flower garden. The Downtown Memory Walk Paver Stone Program – with specially-engraved paver stones honoring or recognizing past and present Mountain Lake residents or businesses – continues today under Chamber auspices. As pavers are purchased for those designated, the names are engraved on the individual pavers.

Last spring, two cedar pergolas (or shade shelters) over each bench were constructed by the ag classes of Tom Appel, Lindsey Brown and Stephen Funk of Mountain Lake Public High School’s (MLHS) ag department, adding to the park’s ambiance.

A Peace Pole, donated by Edna Gerber and the late Ellis Gerber, is also a park addition. The pole is inscribed with the words, “May Peace Prevail on Earth” – written in German, Lao, Spanish and English. It had earlier been posted on property owned by the Gerbers at the corner of 4th Avenue and 11th Street. During that time, members of the First Mennonite Church would gather around the pole to pray, sing and present readings all centering around the topic of world peace.

The piece de resistance was the return of the State Bank of Mountain Lake’s stone block – highlighting the close ties of Mountain Lake’s 10th Street history.

Throughout the years, a number of local businesses were open for business along 2nd Avenue in the area where Memory Lane Park is now located – in addition to the First State Bank of Mountain Lake.

+ At the corner with 10th Street, was the State Bank of Mountain Lake, which was built and incorporated in 1902. In 1907,  it consolidated with the Bank of Mountain Lake to become the First State Bank of Mountain Lake. That bank consolidated in 1931 with the Farmers State Bank and was moved to 3rd Avenue between 10th Street and 11th Street. ed to 3rd Avenue. In 1938, the building became Mountain Lake Public Library until the library moved into a new building on 4th Avenue in 1968.

+ Next door to the east was once a two-story business building. On the main floor was a clothing store and grocery store and on the second floor, a land office offering farm mortgages, loans and insurance, as well as a doctor and dentist office. The building later became the John J. Janzen Furniture and Hardware Store. As the Janzen sons grew, they were clerks in the store. Eventually funeral services were added. Peter A. Janzen became the funeral director and that business moved into the hardware half of the store. Occupying the other half was the Mountain Lake Observer newspaper office. Clelland Johnson took over the funeral home after the death of Peter A. Janzen, operating Johnson Funeral Home. The following businesses in the building were Ruby’s Crafts and Darlene’s Crafts.

+ A private residence completed that stretch of area along 2nd Avenue, east of 10th Street.

Back to its beginning

When all of those businesses were eventually demolished, an opening was created for the rehabilitation of the corner as the new park – with the stone block back to its beginning – returning “home” full circle through time and space.

 

 

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THESE THREE BUILDINGS along the east side of 10th Street, just south of 4th Avenue – from left, former Ross Cleaners, former Joy Shoppe and former private residence – are slated to be torn down. Before that happens, Steve Peters of the City of Mountain Lake’s Streets and Parks Department moved a stone block that had stood in front of Ross Cleaners for 80 years (see metal post just to the left of the building) south two blocks to Memory Lane Park at 10th Street and 2nd Avenue – to where it had once stood as a hitching post for the State Bank of Mountain Lake (later the First State Bank of Mountain Lake).

 

 

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THIS IS THE spot where the stone block had stood in front of Ross Cleaners. The block was being moved from the First State Bank of Mountain Lake to a dump north of town when it became stuck in the muddy dirt road that was once 10th Street. John Ross of Ross Cleaners paid $2 for it – and it remained on that corner until this fall.

 

 

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AT LEFT IS the State Bank of Mountain Lake as it appeared in the early 1900s. It became the First State Bank of Mountain Lake in 1907 when it was consolidated with the Bank of Mountain Lake. At right is a building that over the years housed a clothing and grocery store, a land office, a doctor and dentist, the John J. Janzen Furniture and Hardware Store, a funeral home under two different ownerships, the Mountain Lake Observer newspaper office and a crafts store operated at different time was by two women. This is the spot where Memory Lane Park is located. A couple of notes – the implements in the foreground are from the Thiessen Implement Company. And – if you look really, really close at the corner by the bank – that special stone block hitching post can be spotted. In 1931, the First State Bank merged with the Farmers State Bank and moved to 3rd Avenue between 10th Street and 11th Street, prompted the eventual moving of the stone block.

 

 

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A LOOK AT that same area later in time. 

 

 

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A LOOK AT Memory Lane Park, with paver walkways,white fence, benches, pergolas, flower garden – and at left, the stone block returns.

 

 

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UP-CLOSE-AND-personal with the now-famous stone block hitching post.

 

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AN EXAMPLE OF the stone pavers that make up the walkways, including the specially-engraved Memory Walk Paver stones that honor, memorialize or recognize individuals, couples, families, groups or businesses.

 

 

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A MORE DETAILED look at the flower garden, fence and benches under the pergolas at – as the sign declares – Memory Walk Park.

 

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THE ADDITION OF the two pergolas was completed in spring 2015 by the students in the ag classes at Mountain Lake Public High School. The garden feature adds shade structures over each bench in Memory Lane Park. 

 

 

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AFTER ERIC-JOHN Niss De Jesus, right, is done drilling the hole, Caleb Rempel, left, joins the boards with a heavy-duty bolt.

 

 

THE FINISHED SHADE shelter pergolas.
THE FINISHED SHADE-shelter pergolas.

 

 

 

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