Lucky 7 - My Home Town, Howard, South Dakota - Lucky 7 on Waymarking.com

As I was working on this Lucky 7, I see the changes that have occurred in this area since I left back in 1966.

As with many towns, businesses change, are torn down, new ones put up and some just closed.

Growing up, the perceived center of action was the intersection of Main Street and Howard Avenue. Back in the day when I was a teenager, we could park our cars in the middle of Howard Avenue facing Main Street and shoot the breeze with the rest of our buddies. This practice would go on on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights until we got to rowdy and the local cop would come by and send us home.

Howard is the county seat of Miner County and Main Street was the hub of most activity. I remember the businesses along along Main Street and the innocence we had, as well as most people. We would cut through the stores from the alleys to Main Street and the owners wouldn't say a word.

I think I can name most of the businesses on Main while I was growing up (My memory may be a little faulty, but thats ok). Going clockwise from the intersection of Main and Howard on the east side was the Creamery. My aunt worked there candling eggs. Next was the Cozy Cafe, a very small cafe holding about 20 customers at the most. My mom worked there as a waitress. Next was the bakery. I think a family named Gudmastad owned it. Then came Howard Lanes, owned by Mr and Mrs Knutson. I remember getting kicked out because I used too many paper towels once in the bathroom. Later a couple by the name of Pettys owed it. My aunt and uncle lived in one of the apartments above the bowling alley. Next was a little watch repair shop, owed by Emil Clemetson. He was in a wheelchair and a very friendly man. Next was a grocery store, first the Piggly Wiggly, then the Red Owl if I remember correctly. Mette's locker plant was next, owed by Howard Mette, I think. Saint's Radio and TV was next on the block. It was owned by a man named Saint Onge Gadbois. Then came the Texaco Gas Station.

Going across the street west was the Mobil Gas Station. I remember that they had the switch that was used to blow the noon siren in town. Also at one oclock and at six oclock. Moving northerly, Tripps Garage was next, they sold Ford vehicles and did repairs. My dad work there as a partsman. Ken's Bar was next to Tripps and then my memory gets fuzzy because I don't remember what was between Ken's and Dold Implement, which filled out the rest of that block.

Across the street north was a building that I don't remember what was in it. But next to that was the Pioneer, the local newspaper. Then came the Longbranch Bar. Next to the Longbranch was Koehn's Hardware followed by a barber shop, owned by Iver Eide and Junior Schwader. Klines Drugstore was next. Then Coast to Coast followed by Ben Franklin. Maroney's Bar, another barber shop owned by Bob Collins, and the City Cafe rounded out the west side.

Across the street east of the City Cafe was another hardware store, then moving back south was a Rafferty's, a drug store. Following the drug store was a pool hall, then another cafe, a clothing store, a vetinarians office, a farm supply store, then lastly the Miner County Bank.

Today, most of those businesses are gone, but many of the same buildings are still there. Some big changes have been made but the orginal businesses will stay in my memory.

Have fun with this Lucky 7. You can walk to all of them.

Department Number, Category Name, and Waymark Code: 2 Building American Legion Post 145 WM5C0R 3 Business Willoughby Funeral Home WMB2AY 5 Culture Miner County Rural Life Museum WMF3HE 8 Monuments Veterans Memorial WM7QGY 12 Signs Population Sign WMCCHQ 13 Structure Watertower WM60AM 14 Technology St. Agatha Bell WM8P1E Check if all of your waymarks are within a 0.1 mile?: no Tally: 7 Reused Waymarks: no Did you have fun while doing this waymark?: yes

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Date Logged Log User Rating   03/29/2019 BAWags75 visited it