ABOUT 1910
This scene is Main Street looking west from street between the present Wayne Werner and Mrs. Frank Meyers homes. In the right foreground is the Best Hotel, on the left is the Curas home, site of the McClutchen home. The next building to the west was a store building.
It was at this end of Main Street that most of the first business houses were located. The site of the Best Hotel is where George Hurford built his drug store, another building for the first bank "Drovers and Stockmans Bank" and next Fleeks Hale built the first hotel.
When the railroad came through they built the Depot four blocks west and 2 1/2 blocks north of this intersection. It is not known "why" except that the railroad company, through its subsidiaries townsite companies platted "Kimball and Blair's Addition to Battle Creek" and "Western Townsite Company Addition" along the section line south of the Depot and platted the lots facing on "Depot Street" as 33 ft. frontages for commercial purposes.
Many years later Frank Connelly (Leo's older brother) had the answer for a travelling man who asked Frank why the railway company had placed the depot so far from the hotel, received the answer, "They wanted it close to the railway tracks."
Frank Ruzick was operating the "City Meat Market" — fresh and salt meats with hamburger steak, made to order. Frank was an artist at chopping meat with two cleavers. There were no meat grinders in those days and his "veanies" from the "old world" with which only Koudelka's wieners can now compare. The Ruzick home was where the Pearl Morris family now live.
Maas and Haman by then had a drug store where the Jackie Church Shop is now located. They were advertising: — "Are you nervous, run down, weak, dispirited? Take a few doses of Herbine. It will infuse new energy, new life into the exhausted nerves, overworked brain or muscular system and it will put a new face on life and business. Price 50¢."
Another ad: — "Nervous children are almost always thin children. White Cream Vermifuge is the best preventative for nervousness. Price 55¢."
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