These stories can also be heard on Sunday mornings around 10 am on WILD 102’s “Look Back in Time” program. Each week’s radio story will be posted here on our website.
Weekly radio stories are researched, compiled, and read by Sheila Winstead, RCHS Board Member.
October 13, 2024
Last Sunday I told you about a big honey operation in 1934 in Roseau County, ending with the shipping of
tons of honey, and putting the bees to bed for the winter at the potato warehouse in Roseau. Now the
rest of the story from a February 21, 1935 edition of Roseau Times-Region:
Reduced to smoking ruins was the state of the Roseau potato warehouse, Tuesday. Fire in the building
was discovered by Mrs. Ross Parr at about 3 o’clock on Tuesday morning. Flames were coming out of the
door on the south side of the building as she caught sight of the conflagration.
The alarm was immediately given. The firemen were handicapped some by having to reel out hose from
the nearest hydrant, which was that at the city hall and then find that extra lengths had to be added to
reach the fire. There was nothing that could be saved in the building, and flames had gaines such
headway that the building was doomed before water could be brought to play upon the fire. The fire
department responded quickly and worked well.
J. A. Jakobsen was one of the first to reach the burning building after the alarm was given. He stated that
as far as he could determine, the fire had started in the southwestern part of the basement room. It was
in this portion of the building that F. M. Stover had stored his five hundred colonies of bees for the
winter. The flames may have eaten their way up along the south wall to the south entrance on the first
floor, and there burst through the door to be seen by Mrs. Parr.
There was a stove in use in the building, but that was located in the center of the building on the first
floor and connected to a brick chimney. Firemen stated that on their arrival at the fire there did not
appear to be any blaze near the stove.
The building and all its contents became prey to the flames.
The title to the building had passed into the hands of F. M. Stover last year. Mr. Stover used the building
as his supply house for his apiary and in it he set up his honey extracting equipment and there he stored
his finished product until he was ready to ship it.
Last fall, at the close of the season he stored all the bees in the basement room and left the other
supplies and equipment in the building to be ready for use this coming season. Mr. Stover moved his
bees over here from Warren early last summer because dry weather conditions in that section of
Marshall County were not favorable to honey production.
Last fall Mr. Stover entered into an agreement with J. T. Lyle by which the latter secured right to store a
quantity of potatoes bought in this section of the county, in the warehouse, Considerable quantities of
potatoes were trucked in from the east end of the county. Some of the tubers had been shipped out
since, but it was estimated that between twenty-five and thirty carloads were in storage at the time of
the fire. Mr. Lyle had J. Igo engaged to look after the warehouse and keep the building suitably heated,
and the caretaker had room at a neighboring place.
E. H. Nelson and Harry Paine each had a boat stored in the warehouse. The boats burned.
Whether or not Mr. Lyle was protected from loss by insurance on the stored potatoes is not known, and
whether Mr. Stover is partially protected is not definitely known. His loss on the bees and equipment is
estimated to be about $4,000. The building is at least another $3,000 item.
The warehouse was built in 1918 at a cost of about $5,200. B. A. Boberg and John Nelson had the
contract. The building was constructed for the local co-operative potato growers, and business people
joined the farmers in financing the undertaking by subscribing stock. Benjamin Franklin was its first
manager. The warehouse handled a lot of potatoes, but it ran into difficulties and financial breakers
wrecked it. Shareholders forked over assessments and the property passed out of their hands, shifting
owners several times before Mr. Stover bought it.
This is the second fire in the warehouse since it was built. The first fire occurred a few years back.
Thank you to 
for letting us share our county’s history with your listeners by donating air time, studio time, and production staff every week.