Humboldt's Historic Sites

Windsor Hotel

821 Fifth Avenue

The Windsor Hotel opened in November 1905, but the building had already made history. It was the site of Humboldt's first fire. The building was under construction when the fire began. Several men escaped, but one man and his dog died in the fire.

During the night of the fire, a strong wind blew the flaming shingles approximately three miles south. People on the south side of the village spent the night on their roofs, extinguishing sparks as they landed.

The Windsor was considered one of the best, most modern hotels of its time on the main line of the Canadian Northern Railway. The cost of construction was $25,000.

Originally, the main floor included a kitchen, dining room, sitting room and a bar. The second floor contained a public parlour and a writing room. The rest of the second and the third floor were furnished with suites.

Unique Hotel Tenants
Aside from hotel guests, the Windsor had a few tenants not normally found in a hotel. Dr. George Heidgerken's dental office was located in the southwest corner of the main floor, and consisted of a reception area, a private examination room and a surgery room. Dr. Heidgerken started his practice in 1923 and stayed in the building for over 50 years.

Another interesting business was located in the Windsor Hotel - the Humboldt Bottling Works. Founded by Steve Kraus in 1931, this business was involved in the making, bottling and distributing of soft drinks to the surrounding area. The mixing and carbonizing of the soft drinks was done in small batches because it was very important to have just enough carbon in the mixture. After a few years the business moved out of the Windsor, and Kraus sold the business in 1934.

Business Timeline
1905 -                   Windsor Hotel
1923 - mid 1970s   Dr. G. Heidgerken - Dentist
1931 - 1934           Humboldt Bottling Works