Fans of the Answer Man have filled his mailbox with notes on the Anchor Inn, a popular supper club and bar on U.S. 61 south of Lake City that closed many years ago. He teased his readers in print today -- he didn't have enough room to run all the comments, so here they are:
If I'm not mistaken, the Anchor Inn was originally built as a casino, but before it was completed the state of Minnesota passed an anti-gambling bill. It was a number of different things before it became the Anchor Inn; none were successful.
Pete
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Your item this evening brought back many memories. My first memory of the Anchor Inn was an old wooden building on the river bank in Read's Landing in the 1950s. It was not a franchise but a single operation. The menu was all you can eat but it was not a seafood place, though shrimp may have been an item, and there was fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and other items that you would find in a place of that era. I can't remember the name of the family that operated the place but it was a down-home operation. I believe the first move was to Wabasha and I remember eating there in the spring of 1966 or '67 during the district baseball tournament. I can't remember when they took over the Terrace Cafe in Lake City. That was the place described in your article. The Terrace had been a conventional supper club and featured dance bands several nights a week. As the Terrace it attracted many Rochester people because at the time there were legal prohibitions in Rochester that did not allow dancing in places where you could eat and get a drink. The only dance places were the ballrooms, the Pla-Mor and the Valencia. As a result many people from here, sometimes in fairly large groups, would go to the Terrace in Lake City or the Oaks in Minnesota City for a steak, a drink and some dancing. The bands played real musical instruments and couples danced with each other to MUSIC.
By the mid'60s, there had been expansion and there were probably franchises but I know not how far-flung the operation was. I know there was an Anchor Inn in Eau Claire on the west side as you entered town from the Durand area. I ate there and the bill of fare was the same as I had known, all you can eat, simple food. I have no idea of how many franchises there were or when the operations ceased in all locations.
My memories are anecdotal but I am sure that there are records somewhere that would tell more than I can tell. Having lived in this town since August of 1950 I have some memories; how much longer I will retain them is a moot question.
Dan Moore
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Hello, love your answers and want to add to the plate about "The Terrace" in Lake City. What a fun place that was! We had a cottage down stream on Lake Pepin and spent many, many evenings eating and dancing at that place. I think the name came from the fact that the tables and booths were on terraces above the wonderful dance floor. We danced to many name bands after enjoying the great food. The crowds were so large that often they had to set tables on the dance floor until the music started. The food was served family style with big bowls of coleslaw, beans, etc. to complement the yummy seafood. The crowds included everyone from the small towns around Lake City and half of Rochester! Its demise was a huge loss for everyone. Yes, what a trip down Memory Lane!
Keep up the good work.... from one who misses those good old days!
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More about Anchor Inn:
In 1963 we acquired a boat and a travel trailer and started spending weekends at the Pioneer Supper Club trailer court. We could boat to Reads Landing to the Anchor Inn -- such good food. The building was a tall, small brick building. There were only six or eight tables, so there was always a waiting line. Soon it was moved to Lake City near Wild Wings -- good food, good drinks, good dance floor. After awhile the business decreased somewhat and it closed. It then reopened on Main Street of Wabasha. It was always very good food, but many new places opened and the business was spread around to other places. I do not feel Anchor Inn was a franchise outfit. It grew locally at Reads Landing, perhaps funded by a group when moving to Lake City.
There are many memories of the Mississippi. They just keep rolling along...
LaVonne and Lester Kruse
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Your recent column regarding Anchor Inn was interesting and stirred up memories. I'm wondering what the years were of the Anchor Inn's run. Long ago, circa 1959-1967, when we were making weekend trips through Waseca, we passed by an Anchor Inn south of the business district on the main street. Always wondered if it was related to the "famous" Anchor Inn over by the Mississippi. As I recall, the food was good at Waseca's Anchor Inn.
Just a comment. Your column is always interesting!
Joanne Sass, Austin
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Dear Answer Man,
I read with interest your answer regarding the Anchor Inn. I grew up in Lake City and in the late '50s, the restaurant was built and called the Terrace. It was a nice dinner club, with entertainment and a nice dance floor. I do not remember if it was closed for a while, but in the 1970s it became the Anchor Inn.
I think that it may have been a small chain, because I lived in the Woodbury area at the time and there was a nice Anchor Inn in Bayport and one in West St. Paul. For some reason, I think there was one in Duluth. I do remember that whenever you went, you had to stand in line and wait for 30-60 minutes every time, and the shrimp and onion rings were wonderful.
Marge Breuer
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I attended the University of Minnesota in the mid-1970s and we used to go to an Anchor Inn on U.S. 10 on the north side of the Twin Cities on a lot of Sundays. They did have an all-you-can-eat buffet with the best shrimp I have ever eaten. There was also the one in Lake City, and one in LaCrescent that we ate at a couple times after college.
I don't remember exactly when they ceased to exist. My college buddies and I may have eaten up their profits.
Duane Bakke, Lanesboro
Actually, looking at these again, I have to get them in print -- I'll fudge the Four Stars column on Tuesday and run them there, so print readers can enjoy as well.
Have any other memories or purported facts about the Anchor Inn, the Terrace or other favorite haunts of yore?
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