Posted: 1/22/03

Lone-standing hotel served as reminder of Forest Lake history

(Editorís Note: The following Reflections column was first published February 9, 1988 and is reprinted here as part of the newspaperís on-going coverage during its 100th year.)

By Elsie Vogel
Times Staff Correspondent

It is the only one left... this building on Lake Street is the last visible reminder of the hotel era that was once so important to Forest Lake. Today we know it as Roseís On Main.

In the ìolden days,î Forest Lake had many fine hotels. It might be of interest to our newcomers to hear of the early hotels.

The first hotel was the 75-room Marsh Hotel on North Shore. Guests from all over the world signed the hotel register, including President Grover Cleveland and his wife, and also President McKinley.

Other hotels followed in their own time. There was H.D. Gurneysí summer hotel, the Euclid, the Vexio, Forest Home and the Windsor. Fire in 1962 destroyed the last operating hotel, the Vogel Hotel, owned by the Lakeites. This hotel, previously known as the Park Hotel and Hendricksons, had been in continuous operation from the early 1900s.

First hotel guests arrived by train or horse-drawn carriages. Many of these hotels were summer resort hotels used by guests planning, with high anticipation, a vacation of swimming, fishing and boating on our beautiful, clear lakes.

Hotels also were very important to the traveling salesmen, as they criss-crossed the country taking orders for all types of merchandise.

Hotel Vexio

The origin of the hotel in todayís story is sketchy, but a historically important picture from the postcard collection of Dwayne and Jackie Fladland, former owners of the Forest Theatre, shows the hotel under the name of Hotel Vexio.

The postcard was mailed from Forest Lake on Jan. 20, 1912. A one-cent stamp sent it on its way to a lady in St. Paul. The message, from a St. Paul man expecting to return to the city on Jan. 22, starts with this correspondence: ìAs I am out here in the wilderness, I will drop you a card.î I suppose for a city man our small village with its huge trees and thick underbrush looked like a wilderness to him.

Through the years the building had undergone name changes under different owners, but for a majority of years it was called the Commercial Hotel. These changes brought a variety of services, but it was always a place for people to gather for food, beverages, lodging and entertainment.

Commercial Hotel - Nels Olson

We are fortunate to have Agnes (Hendrickson) Nygren describe this early period of the hotel. Agnes and her sister Gladys spent many happy summer days at the hotel as guests of the Olsons, who were family friends.

Main floor

Agnes remembers the lobby with lounge chairs, the registration desk and Olsonís office. She was impressed with the big curved stairway with its fancy carved railings leading to the rooms upstairs.

Many hotels had space for barbers, and the Commercial was no exception. There were two barber chairs to the left of the lobby.

Dining room

Guests walked past the stairway into the dining room. Agnes remembers how busy the dining room was. On Sundays a special table was set for the local ministers and their families.

Mrs. Hatti Marier worked at the hotel when she was a young lady, and she recalls that Mrs. Olson was a marvelous cook. We must remember in those days kitchen help worked without many labor-saving devices. We can imagine how hot it must have been in the kitchen in the summer as Mrs. Olson used the big range stove to bake the roasts, chickens, rolls, pies and cakes.

Hotel rooms

Hotel guests occupying the nine guest rooms used the one and only community bathroom. Incidentally, this arrangement existed until the hotel closed.

The Hendrickson girls slept in comfort during summer heat waves, as they occupied the beds on the screened sleeping porch in the back of the hotel.

Just relaxing

The screened front porch of the Vexio Hotel was removed by this time, and in front of the hotel there was a bench. It was a place for people to just sit and pass the time of day. These were, indeed, slower-paced times. While US-61 through town, was being readied for paving, the local men sat, watched and discussed the work being done by mules and scoops.

Nels Olson and his wife sold the hotel to E.F. Finnegan. After the sale, Olsons continued in the hotel and restaurant business in Cambridge.

First liquor licenses

Finnegan continued to run the hotel very much as his predecessor, but an important change was coming. On Feb. 1, 1934, Forest Lake Village Council issued the first liquor licenses since prohibition. Finnegan and Mrs. Eugenie Hendrickson received on sale licenses, and F.C. Bergh had an off sale license.

Ernie Millette - next owner

Ernie Millette brought the Commercial Hotel into more modern times. We do have a photograph of the first bar with its brass rail and the always present cuspidor. We also see the popular bartenders of that period.

An art-deco bar replaced the older type bar, and it has remained the focal point of the barroom to the present time. In the dining room, patrons ordered expertly prepared steak and chicken dinners.

Millette built a cement block addition to the rear of the building called the Rainbow Room. Its first use was for bingo games, a banquet hall and a few dances.

Lively Saturday nights

Summer nights, especially Saturday nights, found tourists, cottage people and local residents congregating downtown for an evening of entertainment.

There was a time period in our state that was described as ìwide open,î at which time illegal gambling games were a form of entertainment. This is a brief description of those times.

Inside the establishments, the juke box played popular tunes of the day. Against this background people played slot machines or a horse racing game. Some customers preferred playing a popular dice game called 14; they rattled and shot out 10 dice in five tries to accumulate 14 points in one number for chips to be used for merchandise. With that, punch boards paid cash for prizes.

In January 1947, newly-elected Governor Luther Youngdahl banned slot machines and games of chance.

It seems we now have come full circle. Bingo, slot machines, pull tabs, lottery tickets and Las Vegas nights are legal forms of charitable gambling and once again offer entertainment as in the past.

Forest Lake Lanes

Millette completely changed the use of the Rainbow Room into a six-lane bowling alley. He purchased the lanes from the Park Alleys, which had closed during World War II. Dick Cornish was once again the alley manager.

Hector Pepin and Sons

On Dec. 9, 1946, one of Forest Lakeís well-known businessmen, Hector Pepin, purchased the Commercial Hotel. This differed greatly from a business he had owned for many years - the Pepin Oil Company. His sons, Kenneth ìBud,î Richard and Wayne also were associated with their father in this enterprise. From 1949 to 1964, Wayne was in charge of the bowling alley.

In addition to owning a business, Hector donated much of his time to local projects, serving as our mayor for several terms.

One major change at the Commercial was to discontinue serving food.

Hotel

From the early times, things did not change too much upstairs. Bert and Clara Taurman were caretakers of the hotel for about nine years. In a conversation with Clara some time ago, she told about living in the hotel with their family (three daughters). It is almost unbelievable to realize that a single person would pay only $2 for a nightís lodging and $3 for a double.

At times the rooms were filled with construction and telephone workers. Several local men were steady roomers. Vacationers now preferred to stay in the cabin courts.

An outside stairway leading up to the hotel rooms was built on the south side of the building. Hotel guests, going to their rooms at a late hour, used the outside stairway and walked through the living room of Taurmanís apartment to reach their room. It is unbelievable in this day and age to realize that Taurmans never locked their doors.

Succession of owners

In 1966, Dexter Gillette followed the Pepin ownership. Instead of bowling, once again dances took place in the Rainbow Room with music by local bands and food was served. At one time the chef was Greek, and his menu offered Greek-style ribs, veal Parmesan and other foods seasoned with Greek spices.

Pat Donahue and Novotny were next owners for a brief period.

Forest Laker

New name, new owners, Lenny Kuznia and Jerry Jasicki, followed Ed and Pat Donohue. A complete remodeling turned the dining room into an attractive cozy room. The Forest Laker had an extensive menu with prime ribs and chicken as featured items. Mrs. Joyce Johnson, one of the long-serving waitresses, remembers that they started the all-you-can-eat Friday Nite Fish Fry.

There were many banquets served in the addition, the former bowling alley. They had good music for dances, too. Many will remember the music of Marvin Rainwater.

Jasicki and Kuznia owned the Forest Laker from 1971-78. In the later years the addition was torn down to make more parking space in the back.

Jasicki continues in business in our area as food and bar manager at Forest Hills Country Club.

There was a period of several years after the original Forest Laker ownership when there was a succession of owners and different names, such as Don Kristner, Fred and Frank Maclaus. We chuckled at the name ìStarvin Marvin.î Harveys was the next sign.

They all opened with high hopes, but somehow they didnít make it. Periodically, we saw the lights out, the sign dark, and certainly no sign of life in the hotel upstairs. Then one day inside building activity began and a new sign emerged in front.

Roseís on Main

The interior has a new fresh look, new furniture, and even a small dance floor and entertainment again. Especially on weekends customers enjoy karaoke, an electronic sing-a-long. Itís a challenge for guests to get up and sing familiar songs with the accompaniment of music and words. Once again thereís laughter and hand clapping.

In this age of electronics, thereís a new-age dart board and also a pool table. Owner Rose Ortt advertises all you can eat fish fry on Friday nights.

The art deco bar that has been a familiar fixture throughout the years still remains against the north wall. Rose celebrated her one-year anniversary in business in March, and she has a long-range plan to remodel the hotel rooms into apartments. This would once again bring people to the second floor.

My story today covers the life story of a building that has provided a livelihood for many people for over 80 years. It has had its good times and bad times and is still a reminder of early days in our village.

100-Year Celebration

Is it too early to think about celebrating Forest Lakeís 100th birthday in 1993? Save your old pictures and gather your memories.

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