Going Up 10! - Royalton, MN
Now I do!
So far that series has included features on the towns of Hawley and Frazee, and will now be joined by Royalton, MN!
One cannot simply drive through Royalton and NOT stop by Treasure City!
Minnesota’s greatest tourist trap!
For all of your cheap plastic and tacky trinket needs!
Also a convenient pit stop on the well travelled Highway 10 route, from Minneapolis/St. Paul, to the greater Fargo/Moorhead area. If you’re not following to the end, it’s the access point for all sorts of off shooting roads taking you to the lakes of your choice. March on you weekend warriors!
A few years back, my mom stopped in at Treasure City after taking my dad to Hawley, MN, to visit family. She picked up this Street Lamp while there and gave it to me.
The lamp fully lights up and each of the two settings work as advertised.
It’s deserving of shelf space in The Home of Happy Playthings.
She thought I’d want a good Treasure City price tag, for my collection of stuff I find interesting.
I did!
******
Sunday, October 8, 2023
Royalton was our first Highway 10 stop after passing through St. Cloud. Sitting roughly 20 miles north of there, and about 12 miles south of Little Falls. We skipped stopping in Rice, because the highway now completely bypasses the town. The old 4-way intersection with stoplights had been replaced by a freeway overpass, with exits to the town of Rice. Surprised to see an estimated 2024 population of just over 2,200 people. Rice has nearly 1,000 more residents than Royalton. Which surprised me… From 1920-1970, Rice had a total population in the 300’s. It was 500 in 1980, and only 700 in 2000.
Perhaps we should have stopped?
Rice was never a stop on those old family drives, so I felt no obligation to visit now.
Royalton however, that was a planned stop from the earliest thoughts of making this trip for this purpose.
Most of Royalton sits in Morrison county, with a small part in Benton county. The town was incorporated in 1887. The name Royalton was based on Royalton, Vermont, where many of the original settled arrived from. As of the 2020 census, Royalton’s population was 1,281. Up from around 800, in 1990.
And that’s about all the town specific history I feel like getting into. However, there I s a good amount of deep Royalton history, dating back to the mid-1800’s available online. So if you want a deeper dive than I’m doing, I found some interesting stuff to read without much effort in digging it up.
Behind that barbed wire topped chain link fence is a large roadside junkyard. It doesn’t have any real information about it on the Googles. So it just looks cool and I move on…
Approaching downtown. I’ve never been to Bowles, though I like the name. Never been to Little Rock either, but I’m apathetic about that name. I don’t remember how old that Tesoro gas station is. Hazy 1980’s memories of Royalton draw a blank for when I first noticed it. Or if it was even there in the 1980’s… Though I recently discovered the Quonset Hut liquor store on the right side of this picture is now listed as “permanently closed”.
Tesoro was definitely there on my previous Royalton drive through, with my dad, on September 27, 2012. Some of the signs have been moved over the past ten years, which keeps messing with my perspective between this and the previous photograph.
A better look at the Royalton Tesoro gas station.
Tesoro sits on the southwest corner of the Highway 10 and Highway 26 intersection. What’s on the northeast corner of the intersection, is why we’re stopping before moving on to Treasure City…
This abandoned Antiques store. The last time I was through Royalton being 2012, I have no memory of it being open or closed then. Looking at it today, it’s clearly been years since Antiques were sold inside of it.
The building itself stood out to me when I was a little kid, watching the scenery from the backseat of the car. Probably had the same Antiques sign affixed to the wall, even back then. The oddly shaped footprint of the building stood out. The front facing storefront is much narrower than the back, fitting the angle of the streets.
Originally, the was the First National Bank of Royalton, which opened in 1903. (I’ve seen it listed as the structure went up in 1902, so I’m just assuming the bank was the first occupant.) The original bank vault is still inside, even though it hasn’t been a bank for decades. I don’t what else it was between Bank and Antiques.
Also, I didn't know when this ceased being an Antiques store. When I started writing this story, I took a ride on the Googlesmobile (a little) way back machine, all the way back to July 2009. The neon open sign in the window isn’t lit, but it’s fairly safe to say they are still running the business inside. Even if the for sale signs cast a little doubt.
While visiting the photo from July 2009, you can click above the front door, on the little pin that pops up. That opens a window that labels this as, Rural Origins Antiques (Permanently Closed). But I’m not sure that is correct, because the address listed on Googles doesn’t match the street address of this building. So I don’t know. I’m going to call it Rural Origins Antiques, because I couldn’t find any other name for it. Feel free to correct me if you know better!
Pastime Antiques ran from the storefront next door, with Great Old Estate Jewelry, operating out of the third storefront.
All three of which had closed up shop by the August, 2014 Googlesmobile drive by. Looks like the front windows facing Highway 10 are boarded up. Wonder what happened there…
I’m also not sure why the sign reading: “Signs, Primitives, Furniture” would need blurring out in 2014…
It was allowed in 2009?
Found another picture of the front door, on the Googles from 2018. The Antiques store is getting shabbier… Now the “Cabin Decor” window is poorly boarded up.
And whatever it is going on at the front door… If you don’t have the money to fix things, sell the building already!
Well, I guess they were trying to…
Let’s take a look inside and see if there’s any antiques left over!
Hmmmm… Would seem the last official order of business for Rural Origins Antiques was to detonate a few land mines and lock the doors.
The large door in the back, beyond all of the broken wood, appears to lead into Pastime Antiques.
Guessing both the floor and ceiling have collapsed, and the roof itself is likely questionable.
Wish I could have seen more of that room in the back.
Pretty sure that would be the bank vault. Probably looked fairly cool in its day. Probably wasn’t painted as tacky as this once was.
I read a story published in August 2025, saying the city is trying to work with the property owner to demolish the building. Which is sad, but the amount of work to undo all this, is probably not worth it. The whole building was appraised at just over $19,000. Still, sad to know another part of local history will simple disappear, with not a whole lot of original structures left in town. Seems rather short-sighted to me…
But I don’t live in Royalton.
Left door was Pastime Antiques. One large window now boarded up, the other covered from the inside. The door had frosted glass, so I couldn’t tell if Pastime was as destroyed inside as Rural Origins had been.
Back to July, 2009, via the Googles. Great Old Estate Jewelry is open in the last storefront.
Another large window has likely been broken out. Necessitating the rust-colored plywood coverings. The other window is obscured by broken Venetian blinds, and Skull Crushing Teal curtains, which are surprisingly not all that faded. Despite facing the sun for much of the day. The last windows are covered on the inside, so I also couldn’t tell how destroyed Great Old Estate Jewelry was…
Former front door for Great Old Estate Jewelry.
Whomever was put in charge of painting the door and frame, did a very sloppy job. Rust colored splatters and a nice white spill, not to mention painting over part of the glass. It’s almost like they want the property to look as bad on the outside, as it does on the inside.
The back (east) end of the Antiques Store. Great Old Estate Jewelry on the left, with an unknown storefront on the right.
Which had awnings and a nicer paint job, back when Googles drove by in August, 2008.
Closer look at the three doors, from the sidewalk outside of them.
Behind the Antiques store, showing the angled building next to the 10 Spot Bar & Lounge (that I didn’t get a decent photo of).
This was the last picture taken before Laura and I moved on down the road to Treasure City.
The same road taken on September 27, 2012, with my dad, on our way to Genola, MN. We did not visit Treasure City that day. The pictures I took as he drove by, didn’t turn out. Making the 2012 pictures I’d wanted of Royalton, not as usable as I’d need for Wasted Quarter.
EZ Stop became a Holiday gas station in 2015-ish? Their building had a double layer of pumps out front, with a long, narrow store behind it. Looked to be fairly old, and likely didn’t have the amenities that Holiday likes to have in their stations. So it was demolished in October, 2024. In its place, a brand new Holiday was built, this one so much more Holliday-ey… With the new car wash, separate diesel pumps and a better layout for regular pumps. From what I’ve seen on the Googles, it’s a needed improvement. Unfortunately, I didn’t get a decent picture of the old station.
Wonder if it was any relation to the long gone EZ Stop, in Coon Rapids, MN?
Now, if you kids behave at Treasure City this afternoon, I’ll show you a better picture of the yellow building later.
This was the best shot I got of Treasure City during our 2012 drive by. Coincidentally, I was aiming for the EZ Stop sign, which I did get. With a bonus of Treasure City’s “Garden Center”, outside the south end of the store. Mostly blocked by all of the hand painted signs around the property.
A Treasure City business card that Laura picked up at the register, while we paid for our pirate booty.
That’s a pretty clever ad… Knowing that Treasure City’s main source of traffic consists of families going to, or coming back from, their lake cabins in the northern part of the state, you appeal to the kids to beg dad to pull over. My Dad (and I’m assuming most dads) didn’t like to stop here on the drive. He just wanted to get us to our destination as quickly as possible. Now that I’m not 6 anymore, I can totally relate to that. However, he would acquiesce fairly regularly, because it meant he could get a break from the wife and kids, while smoking cigarettes in the parking lot.
Again, I can totally relate to that… And I don’t have any kids…
Treasure City’s “Garden Center”, as you drive around the building to the north parking lot. Not much for a garden in there… But it was early October in Minnesota, and no one does much gardening then and here.
We did!
North parking lot.
Which had no cars in it other than ours.
Across the parking lot, in the northeast corner, was the Treasure City “Barn Yard”…
And that was this…
In case you can’t read the rules, they are as follows:
* Don’t feed the animals.
* Pet but don’t ride.
* Keep the gate closed
* Watch where you step
* Keep your pets out
See what I mean about a classic tourist trap? It’s cheesy, but it’s fun.
In today’s world, it’s genuinely refreshing.
North side of the building…
Big ass pirate sign. I like that his treasure chest has a mini treasure chest inside. That’s for the treasuriest of treasures!
Wonder if Treasure City ever gave their pirate mascot a back story?
For example: How did he lose his leg? Shark attack? Gangrene? Blown off by an errant cannonball? Bear attack? Crushed when he accidentally dropped his treasure chest of treasure chests on it? Electric Eel attack? Did the now three-legged coffee table continuously spill the crew’s drinks? How exactly did they become shipwrecked in Royalton? Or did Captain Treasure City (Yeah! What even is his name?) just retire here after a lengthy career in pirateering?
So many questions…
Fireworks stand, under the shadows of the Treasure City sign. These fireworks may be sold year round, but the fireworks booth was closed today. Maybe they are sold inside during the explosion off-season. Not like it matters as Minnesota law doesn’t allow for anything more dangerous than a Sparkler. Not that I care. I’ve never been interested in buying something to blow it up. I spend enough money on stuff to burn, in all those delicious Winston Gold 100’s BOX!!
The other side of the fireworks hut has some covered picnic tables. There are additional uncovered picnic table out by The Barn Yard. Hopefully the smell doesn’t bother you too much, as you eat an egg salad sammich.
And after you finish that sammich, it’s time to check out the entrance to Treasure City. And all the stuff around it!
Rounding the corner of the building, from the parking let, next to the closed-up open year round fireworks booth. And there’s Highway 10, maybe 20 feet from a mirror image of Captain Treasure City.
Window on the corner of the building, with signs advertising just a few of the things you will find inside. There must have been a recent subtraction from the inventory, as a sign has been removed. But at least you can still get “knives & swords” with your “greeting cards & gift bags”.
“Rocks & Shells” and just a tease of all the cheap plastic kitschy knick-knacks inside…
Treasure City really needs to re-paint that sign. The building is bright and freshly painted, so it’s time to get the sign. When we drove by in 2012, the paved area with flags on it, on the right side of this picture, had a Coke and a Pepsi vending machine sitting on it.
Along with the Street Lamp light I led this story off with, my mom also picked up this older Treasure City postcard. This photo is a lot closer to how I remember it looking in the 1980’s. Less stuff outside, and no fireworks hut next to the sign. Captain Treasure City has a more realistic appearance compared to the more cartoonish version of today. Really would have liked to know the year of this photo.
Distinctly remember those large wooden treasure chests filled with wrapped mystery packages. One chest each for men, women and children. Every mystery package was wrapped in plain white paper, and priced at certain levels. Basically it would be like buying yourself an X-mess gift to unwrap.
According to a May, 2024 story in the Morrison County Record, Treasure City’s mystery packages have always been a big seller. If you don’t feel like reading it yourself, here’s the most relevant information gleaned from the local news… Treasure City opened April 1, 1963. And the current owner, Robert Janski, bought the business in 1977. The story implies he was with Treasure City from opening day to present day, but it wasn’t made clear.
Before going inside the store, be sure to have your photo taken with the Pirate Cut-Outs. Cast against a backdrop of Highway 10 and the brilliant Royalton skyline, you have your choice of being Captain Treasure City, Fair Maiden Princess Girl or weird crew member, Grass Skirt Guy. Again, I don’t know if those are their real names. Pretty sure I just made them up.
Technically more of a stockade than a guillotine… I can see why they would have left out the guillotine blade, for safety reasons. At least they provided the bucket to collect falling heads. This is actually the Treasure City “Pirate Ship”. (Billed as such from a sign facing Highway 10. ) So that does answer the question from earlier. Captain Treasure City was indeed shipwrecked in Royalton.
It’s all starting to come together…
Some other wacky photo cut outs have taken down by this bear. They appear to have been Royalton natives, that the bear knocked off, upon request of Captain Treasure City. Who developed a working relationship with the bear to do something… I haven’t figured it all out yet.
Treasure City’s Garden Center looks pretty bleak. Typically I remember it featuring a lot of outdoor yard ornament type stuff. If you needed pink plastic lawn flamingoes, this was your go-to spot!
Laura grabbed this tri-fold pamphlet from the entrance, and I figure this is the best place to show. Just in case you weren’t clear what Treasure City had to offer.
Their mascot is looking a little more like Ted Cruz cosplaying a pirate…
ENHANCE!
Uh-oh!
Now the possible backstory takes a dark and creepy turn…
Okay, I’ve seen all of that stuff for sale inside Treasure City, but I did not see “real shark in a bottle”. Had I seen that, it would have came home with me. Now I’m disappointed. I saw like 73 different items with my name on them, but no real shark in a bottle… Guess we have to start planning a return… Hmmm… Little Falls was sorely under photographed on this drive…
Well those rules are a lot less fun than the ones for The Barm Yard.
Watch out!! Man Eating Clam!!!
(No “Your Mom” jokes, please.)
Just inside the doors of Treasure City, is a big treasure chest filled with plastic jewels. These are sold loose for whatever you would use loose jewels for. I’d hoped there would be miniature treasure chests inside. Probably would have bought one of those.
Treasure City’s cashier area, with tons of last minute impulse items surrounding the cash registers. If you view stuff like fake rubber scorpions, Chinese finger prisons, Slide Whistles, Pop-Pops, handcuffs, tin kazoos and switchblade combs, impulse purchase items.
Which I absolutely do…
Nothing more impulse than a brand new Whoopee Cushion!
The more hilarious the poly bag topper they come packaged inside, the better… “burp bury burp bury burp”? Of all the sounds I associate with a whoopee cushion, “BURY” is not one of them. “Do not infl ate too he a vil y.” Good advice.
Remember, the whole point being, when anyone “SITS-ON-IT” it emits a REAL Bronx cheer.
Please put “both” home and work numbers on checks.
Another higher class brand of whoopee cushion, Ja-Ru inc. of China, was kind enough to provide an instruction guide that actually looks like it was once proofread!
Even including a completely natural looking example for how to deploy the whoopee cushion. Just in case there was any more confusion, a handy “POO!” exclamation was drawn in. If you are wondering if this is indeed funny, the background is just the word “Ha!” repeated in different font sizes. This is to simulate laughter. Because of the “POO!” sound.
You get it.
I need a break from all these zany antics…
Let’s go check out the businesses on Highway 26 east, just a few blocks south of Treasure City…
August 23, 2013. I found this photo on Wikimedia. Taken roughly where the BNSF Railroad tracks cross Highway 26, looking east. Entrance to Tesoro would be the driveway on the right side. Antiques Store is left center, with the Log Bar & Grill on the right side. If the city of Royalton demolishes the Antique Store, it will really change the look of this intersection.
Just don’t replace it with a Starbucks drive thru, and I’ll be happy…
Across the street from the behind the Antique Store, is the Royalton City Offices / Police Station / Library / Museum, all in one building!
All of it closed on the Sunday afternoon we drove through town. Since the lot was empty, we parked the car here while I walked around the roughly two block business district of Royalton.
This banner was hanging off an electric pole, pointing you in the direction of Splash Park. (Laura and I decided against going there.) The Platte River flows just a few blocks east of here, and played a large role in Royalton’s earliest days, both for logging and milling.
Behind the Royalton City Offices, is the Royalton Post Office, built in 1968.
It certainly looks like 1968.
Signs for Buds to Blossoms and Alley Cuts, attached to the building directly across the street from the post office.
Next door to the post office is the Platte House Grill.
A better look at their sign.
Not necessarily the sign I was interested in… Pulling the car onto Highway 26, I saw it and was ecstatic.
Not the Premier Real Estate sign, but the 7 Up sign hanging next to it.
Finding a vintage psychedelic 7 Up sign in the wild, and in great condition, was completely unexpected. I remembered seeing this sign attached to a building in Hawley, MN, as a kid. Remembering that sign as a key memory of early 1980’s Hawley, I’d hoped it was still there in 2023. (It wasn’t.) But here it was in Royalton!
******
Speaking of Royalton, what are we looking at inside Treasure City?
Well, I’m currently in the Native American handcraft section, making my way to the men’s room. But I got caught up in a web of dream catchers and brightly dyed feathers with beads attached to them…
But in the distance I recognize a helpful floor arrow pointing me in the direction of my destination. A right turn after the plastic spaceships, toy guns and coloring books. If I run into the spinning racks of greeting cards, I’ve gone too far.
Ahh yes, the restrooms! By the rubber chickens and vintage Dr. Pepper machine. (Wow, they have Grape Crush!)
Apparently Ice is seasonal, and October is just too cold to have ice.
There we go!
And they’ve provided advice!
Captain Treasure City says don’t shoplift. Thatt’s good advice.
And it helps cover up the hole in the wall behind the toilet.
Might help to clear the blockage that caused three different streams? Maybe there’s some hair or lint stuck to the end? You know, because, fluids… Also, move up. The toilet isn’t going to bite you.
That should be a no-brainer…
But if you’ve been out in public in the last 25 years, you understand it’s probably needed.
Now let’s get back to all that glorious retail!
Yeah well, my trucking company has nicer trailer art than Adam’s trucking company.
So, suck it Adam!
Because there was nothing else in the west, other than guns.
And here we are in the heart of the cheap plastic toy section. You can lose a lot of time here. All of it is endlessly fun and cool to look at. But none of it is really high quality, necessary stuff. There’s a reason they had to post a sign declaring they do not warranty any toys. If you can make it from the parking lot, to whatever destination you choose without it breaking, congratulations. You won.
Bins of knock-off Beanie Babies… The real ones are at the front register, by the whoopee cushions.
And behind them… Lamps!
Beyond all of the already I’ve talked about, I had another mission I wanted to accomplish at Treasure City. At some point in the early 1980’s, a stop at Treasure City on the way back from Hawley, MN, brought home one of these Die-Cast metal pencil sharpeners…
Specifically, I was looking for the miniature Slot Machine pencil sharpener. My hopes were to replace the one I had as a little kid, that either broke or was simply lost a few years later. But I always thought it was really cool. While I put no effort into seeing they still existed, it popped into my head, here and there over the years. Now I wanted it back!
Well, here it is, 40 years later! I can and did replace it for only $4.95!
The box it came in still looked like 1983 as well.
Exactly as I remembered some 40+ years ago!
I was so happy that I almost thought Glow Maggots were a plausible concept!
Then I found something that also brought some memories back…
Instant Insanity became popular in the late 1980’s, thanks in part to their great TV commercial. A parody of Napoleon XIV’s classic They’re Coming to Take Me Away! Ha! Ha! Hmmm… Been decades... I’d love to hear that song again…
Wonder if it’s on the You Tubes?
It is!
And it’s even better than I remember. Too bad the audio quality is so poor.
I had that game, that game, that simple game, and I never did figure it out.
Didn’t try for very long though…
All four cubes sit on a shelf in The Home of Happy Playthings. One of many pieces of the 1980’s. Briefly debated buying the MOSC Instant Insanity, for the Archives, but ultimately passed.
Unlike all of the gridlocked toy cars, who have no room for passing…
Floating high above the traffic jam, are several piles of composition books. Notebooks will always catch my eye, on occasion, even walking down the school supplies aisle in big box retailers, just to look at the notebooks of the day.
But I don’t need a “Be a Kind Human” motivational statement on the cover of any book I’d write in.
Here’s something I didn’t see at Treasure City, but I’d assume they still exist in some form. Mr. Mystery was one of many titles put out under the Yes & Know series. Each book came with a “magic” pen, that would reveal solutions to puzzles when scribbled over specific areas.
When I was a little kid, my mom used to get these for me to not be obnoxious during long roadtrips. This particular issue had somehow survived at their house until the spring of 2020. When it was found in an old TV box full of childrens books from the 1970’s and 80’s. That box was amongst several in a car load moved from their house to mine. Less than a month later, a fire destroyed their house. Leaving a lasting mark on anything we did salvage.
But all the children’s books were saved beforehand. I actually scanned most of the covers and started planning a story about them. That was about five years ago already. Remember enjoying such titles as… Rotton Ralph, Barbapapa’s Ark, Mr. Pine’s Mixed Up Signs, What I Like About Toads and my all time favorite children’s book, The Big Orange Splot.
I may revisit that idea in the future.
Here’s an oddly placed assortment of plastic mini MLB Helmets. The kind that stadiums put a few ounces of soft-serve into and sell you for $12. I don’t see any Twins helmets, which is no surprise. Those would go first. No Montreal Expos helmets either. Which would be a practical expectation given this is clearly a 1998 logo assortment. The Angels and Devil Rays are dead giveaways…
Not that I would have bought an Expos mini-helmet. There’s already at least five of them in New Baseballcardland. The territory of which shares a border with The Home Of Happy Playthings…
Ruled over by General Action Figures.
General Action Figures was a dollar store donation from Trav, some 15 years ago. And it rules. The absolute most generic action figure you could make, sold under the name: “Action Figures” just tickles me… Apparently it tickles General Action Figures as well, judging from the protrusion rising above his pants…
Settle down there General, you’re going to put Andy Kaufman’s eye out!
I just now noticed that Action Figures are another in the Ja-Ru line. If you remember back to their interpretation of the whoopee cushion. While both of these items didn’t come from Treasure City, this is exactly the line of toys you find here. Cheap Chinese knock offs.
And I would not be disappointed with the Cheap Chinese knock offs, interpreting my childhood favorite…
Transformers.
But not the terrible post 2008 re-boot…
Which this fake Optimus Prime is taken from. I remember seeing the real toys some 15 years ago, that looked just like these, so it’s a reasonable job. The logo is a great eye catcher. You have to actually read the letters as they’re so close in shape and style. I don’t care at all about anything Transformers post-2008, so I was hoping for something that was closer to the 1985 era. All I had to do was round the corner and look into the next bin…
A MOSC fake Superion, crowd surfing over some plastic dinosaurs.
But he wasn’t alone…
He was backed up by a fake Defensor!
And a laughably fake Bruticus…
Had they not been $17 each, I would have picked them up. But that’s too much for even one of these bad rip-offs of classic toys.
Satisfied with my fill of Treasure City’s toy division, I moved to the always interesting Travel Games area.
Although I wasn’t interested in much of this.
Not shown on the shelf, but present, was Phase10. One of my favorite simple card games.
But that’s probably because I’ve never experienced that fine Puke Snot Fart Fart line…
Time to get some fresh air, so let’s check out a few blocks south of here.
The building directly across the street from the Antique Store, is the home of Scottie’s Log Bar & Grill. Many years ago, there was a two story building next door, but it was demolished for Highway 10 expansion. The wall facing the highway, has a cool mural painted on the side. I wasn’t able to get a full picture of without crossing the street, which I didn’t do. Though I should have.
Might want to get that gap in the roof fixed before winter…
The left side of the mural shows the Blanchard Dam, which crosses the Mississippi River, about 4 miles northwest of here. The railroad bridge would have been part of the old Soo Line tracks. Those tracks crossed over Highway 10, about five or six miles north of Royalton, before they were removed in the late 1980’s. Another 20 or so miles northeast of here, those tracks crossed through the town of Genola, MN. I wrote about the old Soo Line railway in my Griffy’s Tavern story, last summer.
The right side of the mural is a continuation of what was on the left side.
And a 5am breakfast, 7 days a week.
Looking at the Antiques Store, as I prepare to cross the street.
Here’s a close-up shot of the fire hydrant that’s been seen in many of the shots outside the Antiques store.
It says: “Boo! Verm” on the base.
Because why wouldn’t it?
Poor representation of the 10 Spot Bar & Lounge, I didn’t get a better picture…
In times like this, I turn to the Googles, to give me a little 2014…
The very top of the building reads 1889 Muncy Block. James Muncy was one of Royalton’s pioneers, and built a dam on the Platte River, in 1884. There is a surprising amount of detailed information online about Royalton’s history, digging far deeper than I’d intended to go.
Facing west toward the (current) BNSF railroad tracks. The (then) Northern Pacific Railroad first came to (what would eventually become) Royalton in 1877, on a line connecting Minneapolis/St. Paul with Fargo, North Dakota. It would only make sense that Highway 10 would parallel much of the route.
Just across the tracks is that blue painted building, with “Home Of The Royals” on the side. It appears to be abandoned, with broken windows up near the roof. There’s a notation covered by the tree on the right side of the building, crediting the Class of 2001, for the paint job. I get why they named their high school the “Royals”, because of the town name. But that’s too easy… Go with the Pirates, and play into your town’s biggest claim to fame.
It’s better than an obvious and lame play on words.
Royalton’s former grain elevator has definitely seen better days. Large holes are ripped into the south and east walls.
Royal Rides & Recycling has a newer building sitting just behind it, between Highway 10 and the railroad tracks.
Meanwhile… Back at Treasure City…
They pulled out extra yard ornaments for this postcard photo shoot…
Also have to like the implied ranking on this turn of the toy trucks spinning rack.
Amongst all of the things I found with my name on them, was this laser-etched wooden plaque, commemorating my time as a Ginger. I know my first name had Hebrew roots, but the phrasing: “Aaron Enlightened. A Form Of Aaron.” Confused me. So if Aaron is enlightened, am I enlightened or am I just a form of enlightened? As far as the rest of the vague positive inspirational crap, this is just random phrases pulled from a hat. Assertive… Carefree… Courageous.. Yup, they nailed it... That's me...
Nothing about anxiety, frustration, pessimism, near crippling introversion or a general negative outlook on life. Guess I could be called creative, but I wouldn’t call me appealing. My adventurous spirit rarely takes me anywhere other than my job or my couch.
And they didn’t even burn in a set of lucky lottery numbers.
As Laura and I make our last rounds through TreasureCity, we encounter more Native American crafts for sale. Thanks to bad late night television, I can’t look at stuff like those displays of bracelets, and not hear legendary shill, John Basedow, telling the camera: “Sold! Sold! Sold!”
I won’t be looking that up on the YouTubes for you.
Yeah, of course I expected to find this garbage here…
And if you want to “both sides” the two faces on these tacky coffee mugs… Remember, only one of these two put active armed fascists, nazi’s and white supremicists into America’s cities. With the mission of terrorizing the population and ripping families apart, under the guise of making this country great. As someone who lives close to Minneapolis, and sees videos of ICE terrorizing -and now killing- civilians in neighborhoods I know, without facing any consequences, I’m a little sensitive to that.
And I should be.
You’d think these actions, which fly in the complete opposite direction of Jesus’ teachings, would be denounced by a business that slips references to Jesus on their promotional material. It’s pretty hypocritical to support a leader who leads in such drastic contradiction to your alleged beliefs, flying in the face of every single aspect of simple human decency.
I will never stand with fascists, nazi’s and white supremicists.
That shouldn’t be a hard stance to take.
But in 2026, apparently it is.
I’m not going to hold it against Treasure City. They’re going to sell what brings in money. Unfortunately this garbage still sells. And I can imagine it’s still pretty hot up in that part of this state. Wisely, Treasure City stocks a vast supply of other souvenir shot glasses. So if you’re just in need of a method to do Tequila shots, to take your mind off the horrors of the day, you don’t have to slam them out of a pathetic fascist dictators head!
Also, I like Treasure City’s own “you break it, you bought it” poem, they put on signs around the store. There’s a lot of stuff I wouldn’t touch just because it looked like it was ready to fall apart.
Would have liked this photo of these painted pewter dragon statues to look good. Extremely fragile looking to begin with, I sure wasn’t going to touch them.
Necklaces… More shot glasses… Birdhouses…
Seashells… Lighthouses…
And a Minnesota shaped Cribbage board, featuring Captain Treasure City. This was the picture I used for the the entire Coon Rapids to Fargo travel story. It was the single image that represent the spirit behind that mission best.
While ringing up our purchases, a couple of Treasure City refrigerator magnets were added to the total. We paid and made our way to the car, now further behind on a schedule were were behind on to begin with.
I don’t remember how much we spent there, but it was more than I expected. Both in terms of money and time. Yeah… It’s all cheap plastic and loud colors and nothing you need, until you see it and it becomes something you want. I was surprised at how little Treasure City had changed in the last 40 some years. A little more worn down, but almost exactly as I remembered it from when I was a kid.
It was nice to see.
Now departing Treasure City, with easy access to Highway 10 northbound, on our slow journey to Hawley, MN.
Behind the Black Cat Fireworks sign is the Royal Care Car Wash, with the Pine Country Bank building behind that. 40 years ago, there was a small abandoned building that sat roughly between the car wash and bank. It was square, single level, and appeared to have been some sort of fast food drive in place. But the building had been sinking into the ground, for several years. My mom said many years ago, it was a Dairy Queen.
I know there’s a Dairy Queen on the south end of town. Which looked newer in the 1980’s, and is even newer today. While it’s possible, I don’t think the building in my memory was likely a Dairy Queen. If only because I could find absolutely nothing about this building online. Had hoped for a photo, but that was fruitless. Trying to piece anything together, out of what I did read, combined with a ballpark guess at an address. I still found nothing.
While getting pictures of the Antiques Store and Treasure City were two big wins, the third goal was a massive whiff.
The rest of the day was more of this… Drive to the next town, then drive around for pictures.
Getting out of the car when necessary for side missions on foot.
******
Thursday October 12, 2023.
After five days in the greater Fargo/Moorhead area, with overnight camp set up at the AmericInn in Hawley, we had to make the drive home. There were no stops made in Royalton, as we drove south through it. But I did take advantage of the opportunity for pictures from the southbound angle.
Approaching Royalton from the north on Highway 10, you pass by the Holy Trinity Cemetery, then encounter the Pine Country Bank building.
Look! It’s Treasure City! Wonder what that place is like?
Googles check in 2025, the Treasure City parking lot has now been paved! That’s weird, it had been gravel since opening. Looks like a casualty of the paving was The Barn Yard. The barn is still there, but in leveling out the parking up, it raised that side higher than it previously was, forcing the animals to move out. Happens all the time…
Also noting that sign and fireworks hut have been re-painted to match the building. Gone is the bright yellow building with poorly painted Black Cat logos on the walls.
And the Garden Center has been removed, on the south side of Treasure City. With the new parking lot paved up to the building.
These are some relatively drastic changes to Treasure City, in comparison to how little had changed over the decades.
Just south of the EZ Stop/Holliday gas station, sits Rick’s something. It’s been abandoned for years, with the bright yellow paint, new from the last business that I could find operating from it.
August 2008, Royal Rides was still the dressing on the structure, but I think they’d already moved across Highway 10 by that point. Into the newer building, just north of the grain elevator.
By September 2009, the building had been painted bright yellow and then left unused. Due to the poor resolution of the 2009 era Googlesmobile, I have no clue what that sign says.
A block or so south of Rick’s something, is Nordlund Repair. A long running business in Royalton. According to stuff I read online, this may or may not have been a Sinclair gas station, many decades ago.
I didn’t get a shot of the Antiques Store on the drive south, so here’s one from the Googles, in August, 2014.
Just because I liked the signs.
Was hoping for a good shot of the mural on Scottie’s Log Bar & Grill, but oncoming traffic and a slow camera ruined that chance. Had it been that important to me, I would have pulled off in the Tesoro parking lot for a few pictures from across Highway 10. Come to think of it, that’s what I should have done from the start.
Did get a desired decent shot of the Junkyard, on the south side of town. You can’t really see it from this angle, but that broken down, shabby shell of a house (center-left in this picture) is several shades of awesome.
Just outside of Royalton, is the Highway 10 and Half Way Crossing.
If it’s a crossing, how can it be half way? If it’s not all the way, it’s not really crossing now is it? Does the road end between the two sets of railroad tracks?
You’d think that would be a safety hazard…
Well… I think it’s pretty freaking scary…
That 7-Up sign is fantastic. I've never seen one in the wild but would love to.
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