Labor Day, the first Monday in September, is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It constitutes a yearly tribute to the workers who have contributed to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country. In Warroad, Labor Day also meant the return of Timber Day! This was a day originally intended as a fundraising event, but it grew into a hometown celebration of Warroad, community, and the logging industry. The last Timber Day took place in 1961, sixty years ago!

Many long-time residents of Warroad remember Hotel Warroad on Main Avenue. Though rebuilt multiple times, its presence downtown was well loved by the population. Today, we're taking a look at Hotel Warroad from beginning to end.

At a time when railroad travel was the easiest and fastest way to cross the nation, it's no surprise that hotels and restaurants populated the areas around train stations. In Warroad, we have seen several hotels already meant to service train customers. Today, we're looking at yet another hotel in the downtown area: The CNR Hotel. Some of you may be wondering, where is the CNR Hotel? You've all seen it downtown, just under a different name! The side of the building now reads "Russell Hotel," but that's not the beginning of the story.

Warroad has always taken Independence Day very seriously. While there are numerous memorable 4ths we could mention, we'd like to look at Warroad's celebration exactly one century ago, in 1921. So let's take you back

We're back to look at another hotel that dotted the downtown business district. This hotel was one of the first to host guests in Warroad, and its location saved it from the disastrous fires that overtook Main Avenue and East Lake Street.

In 1903, hotels adjacent to the railroad were cropping up along Main Avenue. One of these hotels was erected on the site approximately where the Warroad Public Library and Mackenzie Street now sit. The Lakewood Hotel was originally a three-story dwelling owned by Alfred Soderstrom, a prominent member of the Warroad community.

The Hampton Inn is getting closer and closer to opening, and with that, Warroad will soon have a grand new hotel. Warroad has had numerous hotels over the many years since its incorporation, but today for our first series on this blog, we'd like to focus on the many hotels that have dotted our downtown area since Warroad's earliest days. Our first entry will be focusing on the hotel that never saw the light of day.