I try to tell stories of Aberdeen’s built environment here in Aberdeen Magazine that you can read about, then actually go look at. There are stories of pioneers, many of which we have forgotten, that can be resurrected simply by looking at buildings we drive by dozens of times.
According to the history of a pioneering family written by their daughter, Aberdeen had its first hotel soon after the arrival of the first train in July of 1881. The family’s name was Proud and they ventured into Dakota Territory with the hopes of opening a mill and claiming a farmstead. John Ayres Proud of Rochester, MN traveled to a much talked spot in Central Dakota (Aberdeen) in June of 1881 and surveyed the area for his mill. Unfortunately, there was no water to power a mill. But, he did notice that there was also no hotel of any kind among the tent shanties set up by newcomers and speculators. He went back to Rochester and on August 16, 1881, he loaded up the family, farm animals, and belongings onto a train car. The journey took two days and when they arrived in Aberdeen, they stepped foot off the train into a grassy slough. You know you’re in the pioneering days when the new trains don’t even have platforms yet.
A few days later, John, family, and a few helpers built a wood floor and immediately people slept on just that with no walls or roof. Just blankets. The water from wells was not very good so it was treated with sugar, ginger, and vinegar, nor was there plumbing. People who couldn’t wait their turn for the outhouse ran across to a ditch behind the railroad tracks. They had soon built a lean-to, a pantry, then started adding walls for rooms. They put stoves in each room for winter heat.
I’ve not yet described where this hotel was located, mainly because there was not much of anything yet to reference its location. In fact, the roads have even been changed since it was built. The current day Richardson Law firm, located in the former Great Northern Depot on the corner of Court Street and Railroad Avenue, was the spot the Proud’s picked for their hotel in 1881. At this time, the Milwaukee Railroad was the dominant railroad in the area and supplied a lot of new people to Aberdeen. The hotel, located a few yards from the tracks, and a stone’s throw from the Milwaukee’s depot, grew, and several additions were added forming a quad with a fountain in the middle. John Proud harvested Elm trees from the banks of the James River and planted them in the quad and around the hotel, sort of like a park. It is reported that these were the first trees in town. To give the hostelry some panache of back east, they called their park-like hotel the Park Place Hotel.
The family historian, John Proud’s daughter, Jessie Proud continues her story. She talks about the first church services, the first school, the first movie theater. She reports water continued to be a problem. Barrels were filled with water and lye and let to steep. The town had no hospital and no cemetery. In fact, their infant daughter, Laura Louise Proud died at just 14 months in 1883 of Diphtheria. The Prouds buried her at their farm claim a few miles north of Aberdeen. She was the first girl born in Aberdeen.
At the time of this photo the Park Place hotel is just over 20 years old. It is in its final configuration after two decades of growth. The distinct tower is over four stories tall. Note all the trees that John Proud planted around the property. The hotel sits on the same corner that Great Northern Depot (Richardson Law Firm) would eventually be built. Photo provided by Dacotah Prairie Museum.
The hotel grew quickly to 100 rooms. John’s wife, Mittie Proud would host an annual luncheon for the women of Aberdeen. Over 100 would typically attend. Jessie says that everyone around was there for a land claim. She said girls would work in the hotel then travel out to their claims at night to sleep, which was a requirement of the claim. Despite owning a hotel, the Prouds also did this and Jessie describes sleeping in the back of the wagon with her brother. Since there was no hospital, Mittie tended to the sick for twenty years before the Presentation Sisters began nursing the sick.
The grand opening of the Park Place was in 1883. boasting a new three-story addition available to travelers. The hotel faced Chicago Avenue, which is now Railroad Avenue. It was located midblock flanked by Lincoln and Washington streets. Once the Brown County Courthouse began construction in 1903, the streets got resurveyed and renamed. Lincoln and Washington were cut off at First Avenue and Court Street (first called Park Place Street) and Market Street were added on each side of the Courthouse block which did not align with the city grid. This caused the Park Place to then be located on a corner lot.
The Park Place Hotel of Aberdeen was instrumental in serving the growing public who were flocking to town in droves. It was well furnished, attractive, but, ultimately, poorly located.
The hotel stumbled along for years. Given the fact Aberdeen was growing at a tremendous rate, the town grew up around the hotel. As the town developed the hotel found itself almost two blocks off Main Street, away from the action at the Milwaukee depot that had since moved west across Main Street to its current spot. Newer hotels were closer and in line of sight of the new depot.
When crops failed, businesses suffer, including the Park Place. In August of 1894 it was reported by John Proud that the hotel would close and probably never reopen. However, just a few months later, the hotel was opened again, this time with comments and optimism from Mittie Proud, John’s wife. She reported a major facelift through and through. They also figured out how to harness steam heat from a nearby flour mill and promoted consistent, central heat throughout the building. The hotel would press on for many more years.
This is a stunning photo contributed by the Dacotah Prairie Museum. This shows the Brown County Courthouse under construction in proximity to the Park Place (Hotel Park). The view is looking from hte south and you can see all the churches and schools made possible by free land in the Hagerty Lloyd subdivision of 1882. This photo is probably from 1903 as the courthouse was opened and dedicated in the spring of 1904.
The Proud Family of Aberdeen
The Proud Family of Aberdeen. This 1905 family portrait features in the back, Paul, John Irving, Chester; in front is Jessie, John and Mittie. Provided by Verneda Carrier.
Jessie Proud was the first child born to John and Mittie Proud. Her brothers were Chester, Paul and John Irving. She and John were born in Rochester, but Laura, Chester and Paul were born in Aberdeen. Jessie excelled in school, the arts, music, and crafts. She was evidently a socialite in Aberdeen as well, as she is always listed among the guests of fancy gatherings and galas. And apparently, she knew business, and meant business. In 1890 she married a trainmaster of the Milwaukee Railroad named Judson Minard. Judson continued to work for the railroad and Jessie apparently helped out around the Park Place Hotel, and even became the owner of it. In 1891, Mittie Proud signed a lease to take over a hotel in Milbank, and Jessie and Judson became the proprietors of it. Mittie fixed it up and it received favorable reviews. However, in 1894, when the lease was up, Mittie gave the hotel back and the Minards came back to Aberdeen. Jessie and Judson moved to West Hill and by this time had two children (David and Mildred).
In 1898, Judson Minard started a bottling works just east of the Park Place Hotel. Since the city started residents complained of the lack of quality
An elegant portrait of Jessie Proud. Provided by Verneda Carrier.
drinking water. Utilizing the latest in technology, Judson was able to output 350 gallons a day of fine, filtered, pure distilled water. They shipped it all over the area and the community was very supportive of Minard’s venture. The Proud/Minard families were very entrepreneurial and addressed the needs of a growing city.
So What Happened to The Park Place?
In 1905, the Great Northern Railroad was looking for a place to locate their depot in Aberdeen, near Downtown. As it turned out, they had their eye on the Park Place Hotel. Community leaders also thought the best place for it was the location of the Park Place. Well, everyone but the Prouds.
So the Great Northern tried condemning the Park Place, and using eminent domain, attempted to force the Prouds off the corner of Court Street and Railroad Avenue. The railroad offered a flat $10,000. The Minards and Prouds believed the buildings, the lots, and the business were worth $30,000. So they rejected the railroad’s offer. The matter ended up in court. The judge convened a jury of average citizens to hear the case. After the jury deliberated, an offer of $17,000 was presented to both parties and was accepted in February 1906. Samuel Jumper (originally hired by the Milwaukee Road to sell Aberdeen parcels) was quoted in the newspapers, commenting to Mr. Proud, “I sold you two empty lots for $45 each in 1881.”
Promptly thereafter, in February 1906, the Park Place announced in the newspapers an auction to sell everything inside the hotel beginning March 3. And they planned to bulldoze the Park Place Hotel. But, that’s not what happened.
Park Place on the Move
Apparently after the sale of the hotel lots to the railroad, Jessie bought all the hotel “pieces” for $1,700. Since the hotel was added on to several times, she wanted to chop apart the sections and actually move them offsite. Her plan was to move the three-story tower section to a lot on First Avenue west. The exact location is now the parking lot one block west of the Blackstone building, just to the north of Zunta Fi (formerly Student Loan). Then she set out to move two sections to the corner of 10th Avenue SE and S. Lincoln Street with the intent of turning them into first class apartments. But, all did not go well and the moving contractor gave up and walked off the job, leaving one building section in the streets of Aberdeen.
Jessie and Judson hired another mover and they got right to work. In June of 1906, the newspapers reported that the last piece of the hotel was moved off the site and was sitting on Washington. The city threatened to tear the structure down if it was not promptly moved. Then a few days later it was on Lincoln Street nearing its final resting place. The buildings were situated at a right angle on the corner and became known as the Minard Flats. What prompted my interest in this story is the fact these two buildings are still there, still serving as apartments. They have been substantially remodeled, but do retain elements of their original use.
In 1907, hotel inspection became a thing. The first hotel to be inspected in town was the old Park Place structure newly opened as the Minard Hotel in its new location at 112 First Avenue SW. It received high marks and operated for several decades downtown.
The End of the Hotel
Jessie, now living in Chicago, owned the hotel until the 1940s. She eventually sold it and the building then became a used furniture store, antique store, a bar, a café before it was vacated in the late 1950s. The Aberdeen American News reported in August of 1969 that the downtown section of the Minard Hotel was being torn down for a parking lot for Johnson Motors. It was demolished because it had sat empty for 10 years and become an eyesore. As you can see in the picture from the County Assessor’s office from the 1950s, the building doesn’t look anything like it did when it was on Court Street. Obviously it was bricked over. I have no idea what happened to the tower.
According to yhe records at the Brown County Assessor’s Office, this is how the Minard Hotel looked prior to demolition. This image is from 1960 and bears no resemblance to the tower, or multi-story hotel that was moved to this 112 First Avenue location in 1906.
A Bucket of Nails
A Bucket of NailsIn our May/June 2024 issue, you may have seen a story about Linda McQuillen’s house (my aunt) in our Open House section, which you can read here. While I was there taking pictures, I asked her about a framed piece of burlap that had square, bent nails attached to it in a decorative pattern. When I asked what they were from she replied, “They are from your grandfather who had a bucket of them and said they were taken from a hotel. He told me the name, but I’ve not found anyone who has heard of it.” I turned over the frame and there was a post-it note on the back with the words, “Minard Hotel.”
Relocated
Once you know the story of the moving of the Park Place First Avenue SW, and becoming the Minard Hotel, you can spot it many old photos.
The tower is visible in this picture looking north on Mainstreet.
The hotel (with triangular sign) can be clearly seen in the shot looking east on First Avenue. The hotel sits between 1st and 2nd Streets.
Minard Flats
If you look closely at the original picture of the Park Place Hotel, you can figure out that at least one section from the original hotel is recognizable after it was moved. The two story section that faced the Courthouse had open porches and balconies, which are still evident in early pictures. This is the corner of South Lincoln and 10th Avenue SE. The two sections of the hotel were moved here in 1906 and placed at right angles of one another. Jesse Minard fixed them up to be classy living spaces, and she must have done it right as both of these buildings are still being used today as apartments.
This image appeared on postcards and in the 1907 book, A Souvenir of Aberdeen, the Railroad Hub of the Dakotas.
These are the same two buildings, but substantially renovated. Dormers were expanded on the one on the left, and the open balconies on the right building were enclosed. These images were provided by Char Miller and it is believed that the buildings were owned by Otto Wolter starting in 1930.
These are current pictures of the two Minard Flat buildings (A & B). If you check them out, remember they are private property. I spoke with Vic Fischbach who is the current owner of the buildings. He said his parents, Joe and Kathy Fischbach, used to own them and when he was little, he and his six siblings helped strip layers of paint off all the staircases. He said there is solid, beautiful oak throughout. His dad reconfigured the units, removing all the lathe and plaster. The 10th Avenue section entrance has colored glass windows that have been painted over. This entrance appears to have been a part of the hotel as it’s drawn on a 1904 fire map (see inset). There are definitely vintage reminders of the fact these two buildings were built sometime before 1900. Photo by Troy McQuillen.
This 1904 inset (Right Photo) shows the configuration of the hotel just prior to Jessie moving it off site. The tower is in the upper right (circular). The Lincoln street section is on the left, and the 10th Ave. section is across the quad, labeled Dining Rm. You can see the entry bump out on the Dining Rm building which is still on the building. The tower portion and remainder pieces are what Jessie moved to First Avenue as part of what she would call the Minard Hotel.
Proud Descendants Create Preserve
Proud descendants return to Aberdeen and their namesake farmstead.
Family members of the Proud family came to town for the signing of the land transaction in June, 1979. They sold four and half acres of the original Proud family farmstead and farmland to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for perpetual preservation as a Waterfowl Protection Area. Left to Right is Jane Proud Kennedy, Glenn Proud, Mary Lou Proud Wright, and Hazel Proud Dant, who were all children of Chester and Minnie Proud. (Courtesy of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)
In July of 2003, family of Chester and Minnie Proud pose by the WPA sign erected on the Proud farmstead land. They are left to right, Jacques Harvey, Carol Proud Harvey, Howard Proud, and Helen Proud Meehan. The sign ultimately deteriorated, and a new one is being installed soon. (Courtesy of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)
This is a mockup provided by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service of the new sign to be installed at the Proud Waterfowl Protection Area.
The Never Ending Story
Lots of people came to Aberdeen when it first started. Many left, many keep coming. What compels a family to uproot themselves from a home and take a train to a grassy section of land, with a variety of shanties, tents and surveyor stakes placed throughout, build a hotel, buy some farmland, and stay for the rest of their lives? None of us will probably ever know that notion. Yet, here we are in what Aberdeen is now because of folks like the John A. Proud family. Had they not invested, innovated and persevered, they, and many other pioneers, could have moved on.
Form Jessie’s history, I mentioned the Proud’s also had a homestead and farm claim north of town. Over the years, they built several buildings on the claim including a house. The family of six, John, Mittie, Jessie, John Irving, Chester and Paul, all enjoyed spending time at the farm. The section of land where the farm was located was bordered by Highway 281 on the west and 127th Street on the north. They had several sections that stretched to the east, and Alkali Lake was included in their claim.
Chester married into the Schaunaman family when he married his wife Minnie. Current day farmer, Kirk Schaunaman is related to Minnie and continues to be in contact with other descendants of John and Mittie Proud to this day. Chester was an area standout in speed roller skating and held the state championship for some time until being defeated in 1908. Chester and Minnie, in particular had a large family. According to Ancestrly.com the extended Proud family is vast, scattered across the country. Many have pilgrimaged to Aberdeen to visit the Riverside Cemetery and the farmstead land.
In June of 1979, descendants of the Proud legacy returned to Aberdeen to turn over their family farm to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as part of their Wetland Acquisition Program. The intent was to have the land perpetually maintained as the best habitat for waterfowl. Chester Proud had lived on the farm until his death in 1963, and several of the family members, including Jessie loved the land. It is called the Proud Waterfowl Production Area and is just north of Aberdeen adjacent to Alkali Lake. All of the farm buildings have been removed leaving only farmland and prairie grass. The land consists of four and half acres and portions of it have never been plowed. It remains, virgin prairie to this day. In an article in the American News about the land transfer, Mary Lou Wright, daughter of Chester Proud said, “My father loved this land and considered conservation as one way to preserve our country for future generations.” And that is exactly what they did. I reached out to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for this story and as luck would have it, they were in the process of upgrading the sign for the preserve. They even had pictures of the Proud family onsite for the dedication in 1979. It is now a public hunting plot and anyone can wander on the grounds and hike, hunt or just enjoy the prairie landscape.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, with the help of Kirk Schaunaman, connected me with descendants, living in St. Louis. Verneda Carrier is the granddaughter of Chester and Minnie Proud and has several family artifacts and photos. Her Aunt Doris, who is Chester and Minnie’s daughter is still living and celebrates her 101st birthday this July. I am very grateful for the information and photos they shared with me.
John (d. 1914), Mittie (d. 1911), Chester (d. 1963), and Minnie (d. 1978) are buried here in Aberdeen at Riverside Cemetery in a Proud family plot. Judson Minard (d. 1921) is also there, however there is a gap between him and the Prouds. Jessie is not there.
And don’t forget. Baby Laura Proud is there somewhere on the farmstead. No one mentions if her grave was ever marked or delineated. When Jessie Proud Minard passed away in 1950 in Chicago, her grave didn’t fill the gap beside her husband, rather, her ashes were brought back and spread here, on the farmland her and her family were so fond of. At the start of this story I mentioned a history that Jessie wrote. It is only three pages and is on file at the Dacotah Prairie Museum. It is not dated, but was definitely written later in her life. I just really wonder why she was the only one wanting her ashes spread on the family farm. Chester lived there most of his life, raised many kids there, yet was buried here at Riverside several years after Jessie passed. Perhaps he spread her ashes. In Jessie’s short history she reflects on her sister: “My little sister, Laura Louise, was born in January, 1882. The first little girl born there [Aberdeen]. She lived fourteen months, then died with Diphtheria. There was no cemetery there so we carried the little white casket on our laps out to the claim and she was buried there where she still lies; so heartaches came along with the hustle of settling a new country.”
This story took over 6 months to research. It would not have been possible without the help of the Dacotah Prairie Museum, K.O. Lee Aberdeen Public Library, Brown County Assessor’s Office, Corey Schuh and Sydney Hanna (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service), Mike Wiese, Kirk Schaunaman, Vic Fischbach, and Verneda Carrier (daughter of Mary Lou Wright). Most of the information came from newspapers and Ancestry.com, and I’ve tried my best to be as accurate as I could. Often I could not cross reference various statements. If you know anything about the Park Place or Minard Hotels, or perhaps you have an artifact or two, please let me know. //
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