Empty Lot on corner of 3rd and 4th

This lot was once was the home of the Koochiching Hotel and the ACE Hardware store. The Koochiching Hotel (or Hotel Koochiching) was opened in October of 1909. Before the Koochiching Hotel was built, the town lacked a comfortable and modern hotel which led to many travelers staying across the river in Fort Frances. The new hotel was financed by Messrs. Olson & Peterson, Greeley, E. Carr, W.W. Gregory of Minneapolis, and J.C. Chamberlin. Many wealthy people, such as E.W. Backus spent much of their time at this state of the art hotel. ACE Hardware was in business here from the late 1940s until 2002. The building unfortunately burned down not long after ACE Hardware closed.