Bemidji saw some hard times in the decade preceding the 1920s. Saloons were closed, sons and husbands went off to war, and the Spanish Influenza epidemic closed schools and businesses for seven weeks. Major fires took down many of the frame buildings on Second and Third Street, and the city was left with a lot of empty real estate. Many thought that when the saloons closed due to Prohibition, the town would die.
On the contrary, Walter Brooks, banker, reported that savings went up substantially, and money was more available than ever. A local building boom started in 1921 and held up through the 1920s until the collapse of the financial world on Black Friday in 1929.
Bemidji experienced a tremendous growth spurt between 1900 and 1910. The next decade was slower in growth.
The population only increased from 5,099 to 7,086, and that probably had a lot to do with the fact that Nymore was annexed in 1916. During this decade, Bemidji’s leaders invested money and manpower to work on the city’s infrastructure. Until World War I, there were great strides in the improvement of water, sewer, bridges and roads. After that, a shortage of building materials slowed progress until about 1921.
Bemidji had a very different look from today or even the prior decade. Several sections of the downtown area were bare in 1914. All the lots facing First Street between Bemidji and Beltrami Avenues were empty. Only a few businesses existed between Bemidji and Beltrami on Second Street.