MARY'S GENEALOGY TREASURES
Businesses
A History of Spring Coulee and District
The Spring Coulee Trading Company was built in 1907 by
W.L. Thompson and Addison Emery with H.E. Kelley as
manager. Lumber and building supplies as well as clothing
and groceries were sold there. For some years the telephone
exchange was located there and Dorothy Anderson Jessop
was one of the first telephone operators.
After Kelley left, it was managed by George Irwin and
after his death in 1932 by William Steed (Isabel Bennett's
father), later by Harvey Anderson. Mrs Nettie Munroe
bought and operated this store in the late thirties and
forties. In the fifties, John Perley once again opened
and operated a grocery store in this building. Finally
in 1954 the L.D.S. Church bought and remodelled this
building for a church.
Records tell us Dan Eby managed a store in Spring
Coulee which was bought in 1913 by Alex Munroe
and Fred Eby. This store was located west of
Boettcher's garage. Later, John Coffee Thompson
built another store west of this one, a two story build-
ing. The main floor was the store and post office.
The upstairs was used for dances and other entertain-
ment. This burned in 1926.
FLASHBACK: 1926; an Early morning fire Sunday
morning destroyed the general store of Alex Munroe in
which also housed the post office. The loss of stock
is placed at $I0,000.00 and the frame building owned
by John Thompson was worth about $5,000.00. There
is suspicion that night prowlers may had started the fire.
Nearby buildings were saved by the efforts of a
volunteer bucket brigade. The store was rebuilt, but
around 1936 it burned down again and was not rebuilt.
Many card games were played in the Munroe store every
day in the winter. Some of the players were Hans Olsen,
Harry Bishop, Jack Barrus, Clarence Ripley and Herman
Johnson. They would play until the train came in - the
highlight of the day - everyone would come to town to
meet it.
Mrs. Vella Joliffe ran a confectionary store in a building
west of the Boettcher garage - old timers remember
fondly all the penny candy they could buy there.
Berry's Country Store was operated for many years
by Vella and Harry Joliffe. It originally was a blacksmith
shop and harness store operated by Zakanak and Alfred
Yost.
After remodelling it was not only a grocery store, with
living quarters in the rear, but the Greyhound bus depot,
the post office and gas station. Later owners were
Stuart and Kay Van Horn, Norman Brown, Warren and
Desmonia Harris, Corey and Darcy Beck, Kirk and Judy
Godionton and present owner Berry and B.J. Gorham.
A butcher shop operated until 1917. Vic Hillmer and
Lundgreen Leifler came from Magrath once a week
and sold fresh meat in a shop located near where
Garth Peterson now lives.
FLASHBACK.- 1931 -August 27: Mr Smith from Cardston
and Mr Vesper from Mountain View have purchased
the building formerly occupied by L. Leifler and moved
them up on main street. Last Thursday they opened
the new meat market for business and we wish them
luck. For a few years there was a barber shop, pool
hall, hardware store (purchased in 1921 by Paul
Boettcher and converted into a blacksmith shop
machinery repair business, later used as a garage
and auto repair shop).
FLASHBACK: 1909 - September 4th: The new Bank of
Montreal at Spring Coulee is being built on Broadway,
west of the Implement building. The lumber came in
Monday and work began at once on it. It will be opened
for business by September 15. The branch will be run
from the Magrath office.
Spring Coulee had several farm machinery agencies
over the years, the first being the Spring Coulee Trading
Company in the early 1900's. Later, Harry Joliffe was
agent for John Deere and Paul Boettcher for Minneapolis
Moline and Oliver.
Across from the General Store was the Pool Hall and
Barber shop, built and owned by J.C. Thompson.
Alex Snowden and Mike Beimler were some of the
early known proprietors. One of the early residents
recalls that every spring, in the back of the pool
hall, millinery hats were for sale - a real treat for the
ladies of the area. One fond memory is when Vella
Joliffe wished to enter the pool hall, she would knock
on the door and holler "Yoo-hoo, lady coming in."
This building has had various businesses over the
years. Harvey Anderson ran a store and post office
there in the 1930's. Later, John Massaakker used
it for a garage, repairing and servicing vehicles.
Today it still stands, a reminder of days gone by
when small towns were an entity to themselves.
ITEMS OF INTEREST:
Gas at Van Horn's store - 1943 - 8 cents a gallon
Gas at Norman Brown - 1950 - 25 cents a gallon
ICE HOUSES - These were used in the days before
electricity. John Thompson had one, also Van Horn's
and one behind the hotel. Big chunks of ice were cut
from the canal and packed in sawdust which came
from the mills in train cars. This supply of ice would
keep all through the summer and be put in the ice
boxes in the stores and houses of those who had
one.
Return Miscellaneous Histories
Mary Tollestrup