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A Tale of Two Florists
Ask any long-time resident of the East End of Red Wing, or someone who grew up there, if they remember
the floral business that used to be on East 7th street. Not only do they remember it but most of them can
point to the exact location, which is now a private residence at 550 East 7th. Etched in the memories of
many, East End Floral was a flourishing neighborhood business for about 40 years. Hilda and Ernest
Gihlstorf provided floral arrangements for countless weddings and funerals. They started their business
in the late 1940s, continuing until Hilda put in her last day arranging flowers on July 1, 1987. To own and
run a greenhouse was her husband’s dream - one she had to carry on alone after his death in 1961. But
for Hilda it was a labor of love. She once said she believed in arranging every bride’s flowers as though
that bride was her own daughter.
Fewer East Enders are aware of another East 7th street floral business that actually preceded East End
Floral. This business was established by John and Jane Sten and located at 584 East 7th Street. In the
late 40s, East End Floral took up where the Sten business left off, with the Gihlstorfs purchasing their first
greenhouse from Sten. It was moved from the Sten’s property to a site behind the Gihlstorf house – just
down the street. The Gihlstorfs built two additional greenhouses, one large and one small. There were
apple trees, an orchard in the back yard, but then Highway 61 was constructed and forced many changes
upon the business. The state condemned much of the property for the Highway access and the Gihlstorfs
were forced to sell most of their large backyard. When Hilda retired in 1987, she continued to live in the
family home, but the remaining greenhouse was taken down to create more space in the backyard.
John Sten enjoyed an extensive career in horticulture before he came to Red Wing at the turn of the 20th
century to work as the florist at the State Training School. Born near Gothenburg, Sweden in 1860, he
began his gardening career on a private estate at the age of 11. Later he left Sweden to go to Berlin,
where he worked for a firm that specialized in growing lilies of the valley for shipment to America and points
in Europe. Four years later, he moved to London where he secured a position in the Royal Gardens of
Kensington Palace. Moving to Canada, he started his first greenhouse in Regina. Living in a tarpaper
shack for the first year did not discourage Sten but when a drought came, his business deteriorated and
he accepted a job as gardener for the Lieutenant Governor in Regina.
Two years later, Sten accepted a position at the State Training School then located in St. Paul. When the
school moved to Red Wing, Sten moved with it, describing his newly found home as “the most beautiful
and desirable little city in the world.” At this institution, which would become the current Minnesota
Correctional Facility, Sten supervised the growing of flowers for sale and shipment and planted what are
now some of the oldest trees on the school grounds.
While at the State Training School, Sten also met his future wife, Jane Russell, who was employed there
from 1895 as the first librarian. Born in Brainerd, Minnesota, Mrs. Sten spent her childhood there, moving
to Lake City with her parents as a young woman. Her father was in the newspaper publishing business.
Following his marriage in 1896, Sten leased land with borrowed money and built his first greenhouse. The
venture turned into “30,000 square feet of glass” on five acres of land. Sten operated the greenhouse for
about 43 years, retiring in 1945. He specialized in growing English violets, chrysanthemums, carnations,
roses, snap dragons, and other cut flowers in his nine greenhouses, shipping them in wholesale quantities
every week.
Sten was considered one of the leading florists in the northwest. He was presented with a bronze medal for
his work by the Minnesota Horticultural Society. On another occasion he won nine prizes at the
Minneapolis Floral Festival. Sten was a frequent judge at flower shows and a member of the Minnesota
State Florists Association for many years.
These two Red Wing florists – the Stens and the Gihlstorfs - were following in a horticultural tradition
established early on in the East End of Red Wing. In 1867, the subdivision of “Ladd’s Outlots” was
recorded. Described as an “area east of Bluff Street, north of Wacouta Street and west of Hodgeman
Street”, the land was divided into three blocks and 47 one acre lots. Several large houses were built and
in addition to raising cows, pigs, chickens and rabbits, the occupants maintained substantial vegetable and
flower gardens.
Remarkably, the Stens and the Gihlstorfs provided Red Wing residents with floral services for a continuous
80 years. Hilda Gihlstorf remarked at the time of her retirement that “It was a wonderful life,” a sentiment
that was apparently shared by the Stens. Hilda’s only regret was in disappointing the 31 brides she had to
turn down after making the decision to close up shop.
We hope that anyone who has memories or photographs of these two floral businesses and the families
who operated them will contact the Historical Society.
This article is the first in a series for the East End History Project. Written by Sharon Schroeder and edited by Jo Seton, the
article was first published by the Goodhue County History Center in December: 2009 Historical News.
.
Ask any long-time resident of the East End of Red Wing, or someone who grew up there, if they remember
the floral business that used to be on East 7th street. Not only do they remember it but most of them can
point to the exact location, which is now a private residence at 550 East 7th. Etched in the memories of
many, East End Floral was a flourishing neighborhood business for about 40 years. Hilda and Ernest
Gihlstorf provided floral arrangements for countless weddings and funerals. They started their business
in the late 1940s, continuing until Hilda put in her last day arranging flowers on July 1, 1987. To own and
run a greenhouse was her husband’s dream - one she had to carry on alone after his death in 1961. But
for Hilda it was a labor of love. She once said she believed in arranging every bride’s flowers as though
that bride was her own daughter.
Fewer East Enders are aware of another East 7th street floral business that actually preceded East End
Floral. This business was established by John and Jane Sten and located at 584 East 7th Street. In the
late 40s, East End Floral took up where the Sten business left off, with the Gihlstorfs purchasing their first
greenhouse from Sten. It was moved from the Sten’s property to a site behind the Gihlstorf house – just
down the street. The Gihlstorfs built two additional greenhouses, one large and one small. There were
apple trees, an orchard in the back yard, but then Highway 61 was constructed and forced many changes
upon the business. The state condemned much of the property for the Highway access and the Gihlstorfs
were forced to sell most of their large backyard. When Hilda retired in 1987, she continued to live in the
family home, but the remaining greenhouse was taken down to create more space in the backyard.
John Sten enjoyed an extensive career in horticulture before he came to Red Wing at the turn of the 20th
century to work as the florist at the State Training School. Born near Gothenburg, Sweden in 1860, he
began his gardening career on a private estate at the age of 11. Later he left Sweden to go to Berlin,
where he worked for a firm that specialized in growing lilies of the valley for shipment to America and points
in Europe. Four years later, he moved to London where he secured a position in the Royal Gardens of
Kensington Palace. Moving to Canada, he started his first greenhouse in Regina. Living in a tarpaper
shack for the first year did not discourage Sten but when a drought came, his business deteriorated and
he accepted a job as gardener for the Lieutenant Governor in Regina.
Two years later, Sten accepted a position at the State Training School then located in St. Paul. When the
school moved to Red Wing, Sten moved with it, describing his newly found home as “the most beautiful
and desirable little city in the world.” At this institution, which would become the current Minnesota
Correctional Facility, Sten supervised the growing of flowers for sale and shipment and planted what are
now some of the oldest trees on the school grounds.
While at the State Training School, Sten also met his future wife, Jane Russell, who was employed there
from 1895 as the first librarian. Born in Brainerd, Minnesota, Mrs. Sten spent her childhood there, moving
to Lake City with her parents as a young woman. Her father was in the newspaper publishing business.
Following his marriage in 1896, Sten leased land with borrowed money and built his first greenhouse. The
venture turned into “30,000 square feet of glass” on five acres of land. Sten operated the greenhouse for
about 43 years, retiring in 1945. He specialized in growing English violets, chrysanthemums, carnations,
roses, snap dragons, and other cut flowers in his nine greenhouses, shipping them in wholesale quantities
every week.
Sten was considered one of the leading florists in the northwest. He was presented with a bronze medal for
his work by the Minnesota Horticultural Society. On another occasion he won nine prizes at the
Minneapolis Floral Festival. Sten was a frequent judge at flower shows and a member of the Minnesota
State Florists Association for many years.
These two Red Wing florists – the Stens and the Gihlstorfs - were following in a horticultural tradition
established early on in the East End of Red Wing. In 1867, the subdivision of “Ladd’s Outlots” was
recorded. Described as an “area east of Bluff Street, north of Wacouta Street and west of Hodgeman
Street”, the land was divided into three blocks and 47 one acre lots. Several large houses were built and
in addition to raising cows, pigs, chickens and rabbits, the occupants maintained substantial vegetable and
flower gardens.
Remarkably, the Stens and the Gihlstorfs provided Red Wing residents with floral services for a continuous
80 years. Hilda Gihlstorf remarked at the time of her retirement that “It was a wonderful life,” a sentiment
that was apparently shared by the Stens. Hilda’s only regret was in disappointing the 31 brides she had to
turn down after making the decision to close up shop.
We hope that anyone who has memories or photographs of these two floral businesses and the families
who operated them will contact the Historical Society.
This article is the first in a series for the East End History Project. Written by Sharon Schroeder and edited by Jo Seton, the
article was first published by the Goodhue County History Center in December: 2009 Historical News.
.
 | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  |
The John Sten home and greenhouse at 584 East 7th Street. The
original house was moved in the 1940s and another house was
constructed on the site which still stands there today.
original house was moved in the 1940s and another house was
constructed on the site which still stands there today.
DID YOU KNOW?
More than a century before the first seeds were ever sown in the East End Community Garden at Bluff
and 4th Street, the site was the location of Red Wing’s first electric-light plant, which was incorporated
In 1872. A building was constructed as the repair shop and retort house of the coal gasification plant
of the Red Wing Gas Light Company. The company merged with Red Wing Electric Light and Power
Company in 1888. A large brick addition was constructed in 1901 when a gas engine electric
generating station was added. The plant produced enough power to illuminate city streets.
This facility was Red Wing’s only source of electrical power until 1901 when a transmission line was
constructed to Red Wing from Menomonie, WI. The plant remained in service as a back up source of
power until it was dismantled in 1925. The plant played a significant role supplying illuminating gas
and electrical power to Red Wing homes and businesses for over 50 years.
The Izaak Walton Grounds was the place to be on the 4th of July. Picnics everywhere, sack races, 3
legged races, horse shoe, softball games, and bait casting were prominent throughout the day.
Much of our family were there, including the Brown family of Monroe, Ruth and son Tom. Ruth was
Harris' sister and Monroe was the farmer that invented Brown's Seed Corn, marketed and
distributed now by Charlie Brown, grandson of Monroe and Ruth.
The Izaak also had a carnival atmosphere with hawkers selling their goods, mini doughnuts, sugar
candy, and even snake charmers. Ernie Oberg was a local Jeweler and a good friend of mine. As a
unique pastime, his father was a snake charmer. On that day, Ernie's father got bit by one of his
own rattlesnakes. He was demonstrating how to handle snakes and was bit. One of the Larson
twins, thanks to his Boy Scout training, made the cut and sucked the poison out, which likely saved
Mr. Oberg.
Also, the fireworks that night were housed in a barge across the little river from the Isaac. At the
appointed time for the fireworks, about dusk, all attention switched to the Little River where the
fireworks were about to begin. Just after the first salvo shot into the air, a spark set off all
the fireworks at once. The entire sky lit up and the loudest explosion you ever heard, causing all the
men to jump into the river. End of fireworks for the night.
Fourth of July ... A day that I will not forget...
In the winter time, the Izaac Walton grounds had an ice skating rink and warming house where
everyone could put their skates on. They had major ice skating shows or events much like the Ice
Capades in the Twin Cities. "Cot" Hanisch jumped 8 barrels with skates on, girls did precision
skating with matching tops and short skirts. Helen Lillyblad, (lives on College Avenue) was one of
the skating performers. There were clowns and fancy skating drills put on by Paul and Sophie
Riedell. Paul later founded Riedell Shoes Inc. in the building below the St. James parking ramp.
Later moved to Burnside Industrial park, now run by the Riegelman brothers, Bob, Dan, Scott and
Paul. Several of the top Oylmpic skaters were wearing Riedell Skates this last couple of weeks.
Written by Jerry Borgen
legged races, horse shoe, softball games, and bait casting were prominent throughout the day.
Much of our family were there, including the Brown family of Monroe, Ruth and son Tom. Ruth was
Harris' sister and Monroe was the farmer that invented Brown's Seed Corn, marketed and
distributed now by Charlie Brown, grandson of Monroe and Ruth.
The Izaak also had a carnival atmosphere with hawkers selling their goods, mini doughnuts, sugar
candy, and even snake charmers. Ernie Oberg was a local Jeweler and a good friend of mine. As a
unique pastime, his father was a snake charmer. On that day, Ernie's father got bit by one of his
own rattlesnakes. He was demonstrating how to handle snakes and was bit. One of the Larson
twins, thanks to his Boy Scout training, made the cut and sucked the poison out, which likely saved
Mr. Oberg.
Also, the fireworks that night were housed in a barge across the little river from the Isaac. At the
appointed time for the fireworks, about dusk, all attention switched to the Little River where the
fireworks were about to begin. Just after the first salvo shot into the air, a spark set off all
the fireworks at once. The entire sky lit up and the loudest explosion you ever heard, causing all the
men to jump into the river. End of fireworks for the night.
Fourth of July ... A day that I will not forget...
In the winter time, the Izaac Walton grounds had an ice skating rink and warming house where
everyone could put their skates on. They had major ice skating shows or events much like the Ice
Capades in the Twin Cities. "Cot" Hanisch jumped 8 barrels with skates on, girls did precision
skating with matching tops and short skirts. Helen Lillyblad, (lives on College Avenue) was one of
the skating performers. There were clowns and fancy skating drills put on by Paul and Sophie
Riedell. Paul later founded Riedell Shoes Inc. in the building below the St. James parking ramp.
Later moved to Burnside Industrial park, now run by the Riegelman brothers, Bob, Dan, Scott and
Paul. Several of the top Oylmpic skaters were wearing Riedell Skates this last couple of weeks.
Written by Jerry Borgen
The Izaak Walton Grounds: Memories of July 1940
Izaak Walton Picnic. On platform speaker Edward. C. Bryan introduces two unidentified gentlemen with
their retrieving dogs. Wm. M. Ericson is standing beside Bryan. Date of photograph 8-14-1938.
Courtesy of the Goodhue County Historical Society.
their retrieving dogs. Wm. M. Ericson is standing beside Bryan. Date of photograph 8-14-1938.
Courtesy of the Goodhue County Historical Society.
Izaak Walton was also the site for
winter activities in Red Wing. The
Winter Sports Carnival held in
conjunction with the National Ski
Tournament was held in 1928 and
1936.
Poster courtesy of Jerry Borgen.
winter activities in Red Wing. The
Winter Sports Carnival held in
conjunction with the National Ski
Tournament was held in 1928 and
1936.
Poster courtesy of Jerry Borgen.
EAST END MEMORIES
Many of us are too young to remember when grocery shopping involved not a car trip to a large
supermarket chain halfway across town, but a stroll of a just a few blocks to a small neighborhood store.
Yvonne Thimijan remembers this well, along with many other social changes that have occurred during her
eighty-two years in Red Wing. Ensconced in the neat, cozy living room of the house in Red Wing's East
End that she and her husband built over 60 years ago, the diminutive, young-spirited Thimijan speaks
knowledgeably about this part of town. A life-long East-Ender and a living repository of the area's recent
history, Thimijan has a remarkable memory. She seemingly knows everyone who ever lived here and can
readily reel off whose children played together fifty years ago, who married whom, who lived where. She
can list the names and details of past owners of many local houses going back at least three
generations.
Thimijan has lived her entire life
in just two East End houses -
right next door to each other.
Only one house survives: her
parents' former house was des
-troyed in spectacular fashion
by a gas explosion in 1986.
After attending Kindegarten
at Washington School, Thimijan
went to what she and other locals
refer to as the "old" Colvill school.
Situated on the south side of East
Seventh Street, across from Cen-
tennial Street, all that remains
today of this building is a stone
foundation along the East
Seventh Street sidewalk. When the "new" Colvill School opened in the 1930s, she and her excited fifth
grade classmates traipsed through the snow carrying the contents of their desks to their new classroom on
East Fifth Street. Gazing out of her living room window at the school (currently known as Colvill Family
Center), she recalls playing in the school yard, now the Center's busy parking lot. "There weren't many
girls in my neighborhood", she says, "but all the kids played together". And unlike now, she adds,
"Everyone skated." She points to the north-west corner of the intersection of Green and East Fifth Streets
as the location of the neighborhood skating rink of her childhood. The rink closed in the 1950s with the
relocation onto that site of three houses affected by the Highway 61 re-routing (a major project that led to
the demise of several East End streets and dramatically changed the neighborhood). Thimijan recalls
winter nights when her mother would put a light in the window facing the skating rink at around 8.30 or
9pm. Not just Thimijan, but all the skating children recognized that as a signal to pack up their skates and
head home for bed.
The skating rink of Thimijan's youth became a busy ballpark in summer Nowadays, there is no ballpark in
the area, although the local kids often get together an impromptu game at Bluff View Park, adjacent to the
former schoolyard on which Thimijan played. In winter, this park turns into the neighborhood's current
skating rink, but these days it is the chirping of cell phones, rather than a light in a window, that summons
kids home. Sadly, and to the chagrin of neighborhood kids, the rink fell victim to the City of Red Wing's
lingering budget crisis in the most recent winter and was not flooded.
Thimijan recalls the small grocery store that used to stand near the current rink's warming house, one of
several grocery stores that dotted the area in the past. Known affectionately as the "Little Store", its
actual name was East End Confectionery. It was opened around 1912 by Alex Holmquist, a Swedish
immigrant to Red Wing in 1891. East End children knew him as "Uncle Alex" and would bring their pennies
in to buy from his large assortment of candies. The store's pot-bellied stove was a favoured spot for card-
playing by the local men. Fishermen en route to the Isaac Walton League by the Mississippi would stop in
for cigars and "snuss" (a powdered tobacco product). When the "new" Colvill School was built in 1937, the
store had to accommodate the construction by being moved a few yards to the east. And a name change
– to Holmquist Grocery – eventuated when the merchandise expanded from just candy and cigars to
groceries. To locals like Thinmijan, however, it was always the "Little Store". Alex Holmquist ran the store
for twenty-seven years until his death in 1939, at which point it was taken over by his oldest son Reuben
and the latter's wife. Later, their children, Lois and Robert, ran the store until it closed in 1955, due to the
huge loss of local traffic caused by the new Highway 61.
No less than two other grocery stores also existed nearby, a mere two blocks away and across from each
other on the intersection of Centennial and East Seventh Street. The westerly one of these, Paton's
Grocery, had many owners and names from 1906 onwards; J.O Hanson Grocery, Henry Holst Grocery,
East End Grocery, Nelson's Grocery, BB Rand Grocery, Larson Grocery and Fresh Meats, Kinne
Grocery. Its orignal owner, when it was known as the Lowater Store, had moved it to East Seventh Street
site from its first location on the southwest corner of West Fourth Streeet and West Avenue. Like all the
other small East End groceries, it eventually closed. Now even the building is gone, torn down and
replaced by a Habitat for Humanity house in 2008.
In addition to shopping locally at small grocery stores, Thimijan recalls other things that have changed in
the East End since her youth. To her, it seems that there were more homeowners, and less rental
properties, back then. "I used to know everyone!", she remembers (to a casual observer it seems that she
still does). Perhaps that was because more people were around during the daytime, especially women,
who were less significantly a part of the paid workforce in the past.
At her own workplace is where Thimijan met her husband. In 1947, she sold car insuracnce to John
Thimijan on his return from military service. They met again at the roller skating rink on Trenton Island.
When they married in1950, her parents gave the young couple the land next to their house. Between Aug
1949 and May 1950, John, by now working as a carpenter, but with little work during the winter, built a
house. Married to Yvonne for fifty-nine years, and a notable carpenter to the end, John passed away in
2009. And now, after a lifetime of East End memories, many still vividly alive to her, Thimijan talks of finally
leaving the neighborhood, despite the pleas of her longstanding local friends and neighbors to reconsider.
If your own East End memories - of the "old" and 'new" Colvill Schools, of the ballpark, the ice skating
rinks, the grocery stores, or other East side institutions,, businesses and people – have been jogged by
this article, please let us know. We'd like to record the storied, but largely unwritten, history of this part of
Red Wing.
This article is the second in a series on the East End of Red Wing. Written by Jo Seton, it first appeared in
the Goodhue County Historic News in June, 2010.
Many of us are too young to remember when grocery shopping involved not a car trip to a large
supermarket chain halfway across town, but a stroll of a just a few blocks to a small neighborhood store.
Yvonne Thimijan remembers this well, along with many other social changes that have occurred during her
eighty-two years in Red Wing. Ensconced in the neat, cozy living room of the house in Red Wing's East
End that she and her husband built over 60 years ago, the diminutive, young-spirited Thimijan speaks
knowledgeably about this part of town. A life-long East-Ender and a living repository of the area's recent
history, Thimijan has a remarkable memory. She seemingly knows everyone who ever lived here and can
readily reel off whose children played together fifty years ago, who married whom, who lived where. She
can list the names and details of past owners of many local houses going back at least three
generations.
Thimijan has lived her entire life
in just two East End houses -
right next door to each other.
Only one house survives: her
parents' former house was des
-troyed in spectacular fashion
by a gas explosion in 1986.
After attending Kindegarten
at Washington School, Thimijan
went to what she and other locals
refer to as the "old" Colvill school.
Situated on the south side of East
Seventh Street, across from Cen-
tennial Street, all that remains
today of this building is a stone
foundation along the East
Seventh Street sidewalk. When the "new" Colvill School opened in the 1930s, she and her excited fifth
grade classmates traipsed through the snow carrying the contents of their desks to their new classroom on
East Fifth Street. Gazing out of her living room window at the school (currently known as Colvill Family
Center), she recalls playing in the school yard, now the Center's busy parking lot. "There weren't many
girls in my neighborhood", she says, "but all the kids played together". And unlike now, she adds,
"Everyone skated." She points to the north-west corner of the intersection of Green and East Fifth Streets
as the location of the neighborhood skating rink of her childhood. The rink closed in the 1950s with the
relocation onto that site of three houses affected by the Highway 61 re-routing (a major project that led to
the demise of several East End streets and dramatically changed the neighborhood). Thimijan recalls
winter nights when her mother would put a light in the window facing the skating rink at around 8.30 or
9pm. Not just Thimijan, but all the skating children recognized that as a signal to pack up their skates and
head home for bed.
The skating rink of Thimijan's youth became a busy ballpark in summer Nowadays, there is no ballpark in
the area, although the local kids often get together an impromptu game at Bluff View Park, adjacent to the
former schoolyard on which Thimijan played. In winter, this park turns into the neighborhood's current
skating rink, but these days it is the chirping of cell phones, rather than a light in a window, that summons
kids home. Sadly, and to the chagrin of neighborhood kids, the rink fell victim to the City of Red Wing's
lingering budget crisis in the most recent winter and was not flooded.
Thimijan recalls the small grocery store that used to stand near the current rink's warming house, one of
several grocery stores that dotted the area in the past. Known affectionately as the "Little Store", its
actual name was East End Confectionery. It was opened around 1912 by Alex Holmquist, a Swedish
immigrant to Red Wing in 1891. East End children knew him as "Uncle Alex" and would bring their pennies
in to buy from his large assortment of candies. The store's pot-bellied stove was a favoured spot for card-
playing by the local men. Fishermen en route to the Isaac Walton League by the Mississippi would stop in
for cigars and "snuss" (a powdered tobacco product). When the "new" Colvill School was built in 1937, the
store had to accommodate the construction by being moved a few yards to the east. And a name change
– to Holmquist Grocery – eventuated when the merchandise expanded from just candy and cigars to
groceries. To locals like Thinmijan, however, it was always the "Little Store". Alex Holmquist ran the store
for twenty-seven years until his death in 1939, at which point it was taken over by his oldest son Reuben
and the latter's wife. Later, their children, Lois and Robert, ran the store until it closed in 1955, due to the
huge loss of local traffic caused by the new Highway 61.
No less than two other grocery stores also existed nearby, a mere two blocks away and across from each
other on the intersection of Centennial and East Seventh Street. The westerly one of these, Paton's
Grocery, had many owners and names from 1906 onwards; J.O Hanson Grocery, Henry Holst Grocery,
East End Grocery, Nelson's Grocery, BB Rand Grocery, Larson Grocery and Fresh Meats, Kinne
Grocery. Its orignal owner, when it was known as the Lowater Store, had moved it to East Seventh Street
site from its first location on the southwest corner of West Fourth Streeet and West Avenue. Like all the
other small East End groceries, it eventually closed. Now even the building is gone, torn down and
replaced by a Habitat for Humanity house in 2008.
In addition to shopping locally at small grocery stores, Thimijan recalls other things that have changed in
the East End since her youth. To her, it seems that there were more homeowners, and less rental
properties, back then. "I used to know everyone!", she remembers (to a casual observer it seems that she
still does). Perhaps that was because more people were around during the daytime, especially women,
who were less significantly a part of the paid workforce in the past.
At her own workplace is where Thimijan met her husband. In 1947, she sold car insuracnce to John
Thimijan on his return from military service. They met again at the roller skating rink on Trenton Island.
When they married in1950, her parents gave the young couple the land next to their house. Between Aug
1949 and May 1950, John, by now working as a carpenter, but with little work during the winter, built a
house. Married to Yvonne for fifty-nine years, and a notable carpenter to the end, John passed away in
2009. And now, after a lifetime of East End memories, many still vividly alive to her, Thimijan talks of finally
leaving the neighborhood, despite the pleas of her longstanding local friends and neighbors to reconsider.
If your own East End memories - of the "old" and 'new" Colvill Schools, of the ballpark, the ice skating
rinks, the grocery stores, or other East side institutions,, businesses and people – have been jogged by
this article, please let us know. We'd like to record the storied, but largely unwritten, history of this part of
Red Wing.
This article is the second in a series on the East End of Red Wing. Written by Jo Seton, it first appeared in
the Goodhue County Historic News in June, 2010.
Alex Holmquist in the "Little Store"
More Eastside Memories from Bill Jebram, former Red Wing resident, now lives in North Carolina
I grew up in the East End of not too long ago (40's and 50's); but long enough to be thought of as an old
timer. My home was at 856 (also 807) East Seventh Street and was destroyed in the rerouting of Highway
61 after I moved away in 1954.
The house itself had a very historical beginning, being one of the last homes of Col. William Covill of Civil
War fame. I was able to verify this information last summer with the kind assistance of the Historical Society
staff last year when my high school class celebrated 55 years. We even came up with a picture of the
Colonel in front of my old house in a horse drawn sleigh in the snow taken in the late 1800's.
My grandparents purchased the house soon after their arrival from Germany and made it their home for
the remainder of their lifetimes. Some of my fond memories of the house were the large photo portraits of
my grandparents both of whom died before I was born.
My dad, Frank Carl Jebram, a clerk in the Probate and Juvenile Court was born at the house, as were his
five siblings. He and my mother, Blanche (Nibbe) gave birth to me in 1936. Since he worked with the
Juvenile Court and we lived very close to the Red Wing Correctional facility, I was always the best boy ever!
My earliest memory in the East End area is hearing of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, while
visiting my aunt in Goodhue who ran a hotel there.
My Dad attended the "old" Colvill School, after having grown up speaking German, which was the
language at home. He helped his parents around the house and eventually established a large garden
(being the German custom). He grew everything from asparagus to popcorn.
One of his best crops were the beautiful tomatoes which he sold to Nybo's restaurant in town where I set
bowling pins during my spare time. Dad left us quite early at the age of 54 and my step mom Gertrude and
I moved to her former home in Virginia leaving all behind in Red Wing. I attended the University of Virginia.
Other fond recollections of Red Wing were going fishing in Colvill Park almost everyday after school. My
dad, who also loved to fish, took me when I was barely 5 years old across the Mississippi in winter on the
ice. I recall him testing the ice ahead of us as he pulled me on my sled until we reached the other shore.
This would not be possible now because of the open channel all year long caused by the Prairie Island
Nuclear power plant. Incidentally, the City flooded a street in Colvill park in the winter to create a skating
rink with a warm-up place in the park's pavilion. Of course I explored the hills in the area, caves on Soren's
Bluff and Barn Bluff and enjoyed sledding in the winter and picking crocuses in the spring.
My friends from the East End and I all attended the "new" Covill elementary school which by 1941 was not
all that new any more. I do remember the "Little Store," being a school safety patrolman and having
wonderful softball games near our school which was also flooded in winter as an ice rink. The school had
a team of softballers and we took on the likes of Hancock, Jefferson and Washington schools. Great fun.
My dad kept all the box scores, which I still have.
I grew up in the East End of not too long ago (40's and 50's); but long enough to be thought of as an old
timer. My home was at 856 (also 807) East Seventh Street and was destroyed in the rerouting of Highway
61 after I moved away in 1954.
The house itself had a very historical beginning, being one of the last homes of Col. William Covill of Civil
War fame. I was able to verify this information last summer with the kind assistance of the Historical Society
staff last year when my high school class celebrated 55 years. We even came up with a picture of the
Colonel in front of my old house in a horse drawn sleigh in the snow taken in the late 1800's.
My grandparents purchased the house soon after their arrival from Germany and made it their home for
the remainder of their lifetimes. Some of my fond memories of the house were the large photo portraits of
my grandparents both of whom died before I was born.
My dad, Frank Carl Jebram, a clerk in the Probate and Juvenile Court was born at the house, as were his
five siblings. He and my mother, Blanche (Nibbe) gave birth to me in 1936. Since he worked with the
Juvenile Court and we lived very close to the Red Wing Correctional facility, I was always the best boy ever!
My earliest memory in the East End area is hearing of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, while
visiting my aunt in Goodhue who ran a hotel there.
My Dad attended the "old" Colvill School, after having grown up speaking German, which was the
language at home. He helped his parents around the house and eventually established a large garden
(being the German custom). He grew everything from asparagus to popcorn.
One of his best crops were the beautiful tomatoes which he sold to Nybo's restaurant in town where I set
bowling pins during my spare time. Dad left us quite early at the age of 54 and my step mom Gertrude and
I moved to her former home in Virginia leaving all behind in Red Wing. I attended the University of Virginia.
Other fond recollections of Red Wing were going fishing in Colvill Park almost everyday after school. My
dad, who also loved to fish, took me when I was barely 5 years old across the Mississippi in winter on the
ice. I recall him testing the ice ahead of us as he pulled me on my sled until we reached the other shore.
This would not be possible now because of the open channel all year long caused by the Prairie Island
Nuclear power plant. Incidentally, the City flooded a street in Colvill park in the winter to create a skating
rink with a warm-up place in the park's pavilion. Of course I explored the hills in the area, caves on Soren's
Bluff and Barn Bluff and enjoyed sledding in the winter and picking crocuses in the spring.
My friends from the East End and I all attended the "new" Covill elementary school which by 1941 was not
all that new any more. I do remember the "Little Store," being a school safety patrolman and having
wonderful softball games near our school which was also flooded in winter as an ice rink. The school had
a team of softballers and we took on the likes of Hancock, Jefferson and Washington schools. Great fun.
My dad kept all the box scores, which I still have.
