Leon Haskin History

Born December 3, 1905 in Hopkins, Minnesota, Leon was always called by his initials LJ. Economic conditions of the family were poor and all the children of the family worked to help out. LJ inherited jobs from his older brothers as they moved up to better jobs. These included janitor assistant at the school, post office errand boy, box maker at the berry box factory and turning the cranks of neighborhood washing machines.
One summer, Leon and a friend took a job watering the elephants of the traveling circus performing in Hopkins. Water had to be carried from the town pump in the middle of town to the outskirts where the elephants were quartered. The boys traded off one watering in the morning, the other in the evening. Many trips with buckets were made to satisfy the elephant's thirst. One evening the elephants were forgotten and not watered. In the morning a large elephant was found at the place where the town pump had been as the elephant in its thirst had torn the pump up by its roots.
Leon's mother was determined to give her children the best education possible. These jobs were performed after school and on Saturdays. The chores of the household were done by the younger children before school. Wood, water and coal were brought in each day and the ashes and slops were to be carried out.
At age eleven, LJ got a job in the grocery store where not only did he get paid, but there was lots of food to eat around the store. The owner of the store took an interest in Leon and set about teaching him the grocery business.
Leon also helped out at the livery stable owned by the father of one of his friends, Mike Schutz.
Gerald Krautkramer, a neighbor to his family living at 188 8th Avenue South, Hopkins, Minnesota, who operated a West Minneapolis Fuel and Ice Company, cut ice on Shady Oak Lake every winter. Teams of horses pulled the cut locks of ice to the icehouses outside of town. On one occasion, a team of horses fell through the ice into the cold water below. After the horses were pulled from the icy water, each horse was given a pint of brandy, rubbed dry and trotted back to town by LJ and his friend Mike Schutz.
Leon graduated from Hopkins High School in 1923. The class motto was "Concentration is the secret of success". Classmate Nell tells of the Baccalaureate evening at the Masonic Temple. "We marched in couples as usual, and I had the best boy in the whole bunch, Mr. Leon J. Haskin. He makes a dandy partner cuz he well built and tall. He looked awful cute, had a slick pompadour, and he carried himself so well. I was number twenty five and he was number twenty six."
After graduation, Leon worked one day in the local linseed mill, where the heat of the milling process almost killed him. He passed out and his brothers had to carry him home. LJ then went to work full-time in the grocery store, attending night school at the University of Minnesota Extension Division, in accounting.
LJ became interested in meat merchandising basically because a meat cutter made a better salary than a grocery clerk. Leon left the grocer store and began an apprenticeship in the meat cutting trade, which included working at the South St. Paul Stockyard and riding the street cars back to Hopkins every night.
Anne Shaw's first cousin, Stazzie Polifka, was working at Prochaska's Drugstore in Hopkins, while attending the University of Minnesota. She was dating Hubert Schone, whom she later married. Hubert was one of Leon's friends from high school, so Ann and Leon met on a blind date.
Leon married Anne Mae Shaw, who was born October 21, 1904 and died September 19, 1979, in the church parlor of St. Stephen's Catholic Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota, because she was not a Catholic.
Anne and LJ worked hard in the first years of their marriage, she as a hairdresser and he as a manager of a National Tea grocery store. He made $16.50 a week and she made the same, sometimes more. Some of Anne's customers were prostitutes and if business was good for them, they were big tippers. Both were very frugal and saved money during this time. They lived at 4040 6th Avenue North, Minneapolis.
In 1931, they were expecting their first child. A surprise baby shower was planned. Anne got wind of it and went into a frenzy to clean their apartment before the party, and fell down the stairs. Their baby boy was stillborn on March 7, 1931. Leon wrapped the infant in a quilt made by his maternal grandmother, Mary Shaw. He carried the infant to the undertaker's in Hopkins, stopping by his parent's home. His paternal grandmother provisionally baptized the child. He was buried in St. Margaret's Cemetery in Hopkins.
On May 4, 1932, Beverly Anne was born.
In 1933, in the middle of the Big Depression, an opportunity came up to go into partnership with Frank Cooper. Prices were very low and both partners were willing to work hard. They took a few chances when more markets became available at bargain prices these were also purchased. In 1938, the partnership split up, LJ kept 5 of the markets and later purchased two more. These businesses were located at 609 Hennepin Avenue, 309 Cedar Avenue, 322 Cedar Lake Road, 701 West Broadway, 313 West Broadway and 116 North Lyndale Avenue all in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
One December 21, 1938 Joan Mary was born. The family lived at 918 30th Avenue North, Minneapolis.
When World War II broke out, it became very difficult to obtain supplies and help was soften impossible to find. One particular butcher kept ending up in the drunk tank and Anne would have to go to the jail and bail him out so he could come and cut meat for one market. LJ's brother Harry, sister Mildred and her husband Skoog, and Anne's brother Glenn Shaw all came to work in the markets during the war years.
The house at 4428 Victory Avenue North, Minneapolis was purchased in 1942 for $10,000 cash.
Anne drove the delivery truck, did the books and deposits, and Beverly and Joan helped where they could. They cleaned counters, sliced lunchmeat or dressed chicken at the farm at Fish Lake. This 80-acre lakeshore farm was bought in 1942 for $3000 (it is now called "Sailboat Addition"). Chickens and other meat and produce were grown for the markets. This farm was sold in 1964 for $80,000, enabling Leon take an early retirement.
By 1954, all the small markets had been sold. A retail grocery store was run at 309 Cedar with Haskin Meats. The grocery store was purchased in 1960 and run as Haskin Market. This store by this time was in an area that had been taken over by urban renewal. Most of the housing units had been torn down, taking away the customer base. Anne was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1936. Her disease progressed and she was having trouble finding day help. LJ decided to retire in 1965.
After retirement, Leon sang with the senior choir, took classes at the local high school, worked on the family genealogy and spent summers at his lake cabin in Mora, Minnesota. He enjoyed fishing, playing cards and arguing.
After Anne's death in 1979, Leon's health began to fail. After a stay in the hospital, Leon could no longer care for himself. He came to live with his youngest daughter, Joan, in 1984. He died in Northfield June 21, 1985. He is buried at St. Margaret's Cemetery, Hopkins, Minnesota.