On the Job with Monica Olson at the Great Northern

“I’ve been called ‘Moni’ since I can remember. I was born in January of 1958,” Moni says. 

Not only Moni, but the Great Northern has a ‘great’ history of its own. 

Moni grew up playing volleyball and basketball, and also track in high school.

“I was captain of the volleyball team, and captain of the basketball team,” Moni says. “In summers, I worked or played softball.”

“She was a real ‘Tom Boy’ growing up,” her mom Trudi states. Trudi works right alongside Moni at the Great Northern, making and serving coffee plus other duties to help things run smoothly. A sister Kim also helps out.

Moni participated in summer programs at the Clearwater Clinic, and after graduation at Bagley High School worked full time there for 20 years at the reception desk and doing bookkeeping. She got her start cooking at the Angelina Supper Club for 10 years, and also coached volleyball at the high school. 

“I learned a lot at Angelina’s about cooking and baking.”

She says she likes cooking, so it was a natural for her to pursue a business of her own in the restaurant industry when she purchased the restaurant on Great Northern Avenue. 

“It was called the ‘Chicken Bar’ then, but was also a restaurant. I bought it from the Bakers in Bemidji who owned the Northern Distributing Company. A relative of theirs from North Dakota, George Miller, was leasing it then.

“I wanted to be my own boss. It had not been open for three or four years. It had to be rewired and remodeled for code.”

Moni does her own cooking, and has daily specials, as well as homemade seasonal pies, like strawberry-rhubarb and apple.

Her train theme, which you see outside, and throughout the interior design of the restaurant décor came from the location on what was then “Great Northern Avenue”, so that became the inspiration for the name. The street was later renamed Waterplant Drive when things were rezoned there, and Great Northern Drive was moved just north of the tracks. But she still kept the Great Northern name. 

Moni designed the train that sits on top of the building.

“It had all my nieces and nephews on the train. There were 11 then. I hired Linda Knutson who built the train and painted their pictures from 11 transfers. Now one car is missing, and I have hired someone to rebuild it and repaint the train.”  

Moni tells the early history of the location as far back as when Bagley first became a Village in 1897.

“It was a bar called ‘Bloody Bucket of Blood’. They kept moonshine hidden in spots in the floor during the prohibition. There were poker games, and the bar changed hands many times as a result because they would bet the business to cover their bets. Some of the early owners were Archie Berry and Bob Clarin. 

The Great Northern used to be open seven days a week, and until midnight when the bars closed. But when the laws changed for the DWIs she cut back the hours. When the casino in Mahnomen was built, Moni says there was less drinking. Now the restaurant is not open on Sundays or holidays, and only open Monday to Saturday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. 

“I’m not open on holidays – that’s ‘Family Time.’” Besides holidays, she closes from time to time to accommodate special events and doctor’s appointments.

“I keep a log here as to what happens in the establishment, what time someone was here, and if I refused them a drink; and in 30 years I have never had a loss due to alcohol. I will refuse to serve someone who is obviously intoxicated when they come in. If they had one drink each at several other places, they may be drunk before they get here. 

“Sometimes I am asked when I wouldn’t serve a customer, and I tell them they’ve had enough. It’s not worth it to serve them and then they have an accident after leaving here.” 

Running the restaurant is not without other challenges. 

“Every day there is a lot you have to do. As owner, you have to be involved in the everyday operations in order to make a go of it. You have to work it yourself. It’s like you are married to the business, night or day.” 

In addition to the restaurant and bar, Moni does catering and planning for events such as funerals and receptions. She also caters at the Farm By The Lake annual festival. 

“She’s a good worker, and people like her,” says Trudi fondly of Moni.  

““She is also a rescuer. If anyone needs help, she’s right there.”  

A firsthand story attests to this, when someone was trying to get their vehicle unstuck from the snow on a very cold winter day. Moni spotted their struggle when making a delivery and soon had the vehicle pulled from the snowbank by attaching a cable from her vehicle and pulling them out. 

When Moni’s parents were looking to move closer to Bagley from Ebro area, Moni said, “Why don’t I just build a house? Finally after some challenges the County approved the location by the restaurant for a house.” 

Moni had been commuting to the restaurant for many years. She saw a lot of deer, and had a grill put on her vehicle just before hitting one. So it only dented that a little. In 2001 they moved into an all handicapped accessible house. Moni’s dad Stanley has since passed away. 

Moni cares for three nieces who live with her, and has a total of 12 nieces and nephews, 16 grand nieces and nephews, and two more on the way.

She is active in her church. She has taught Vacation Bible School during summers, after school programs, and Bible classes for the handicapped with Joannie Hough. Moni was involved in a program the church used to run called “Light Lighters”, a visiting program to the elderly. 

One that she went to visit was Beryl Eggers who had no children, and her husband had passed away. 

“Beryl was the first resident at Greensview Nursing Home, and I would go pick her up so she would spend holidays with me and the family. We kind of adopted her.” 

Moni is still teaching Sunday School, belongs to the Lutheran Women’s Mission League (LWML) and is a member of the American Legion Auxiliary. She also belonged to a bowling league for many years. 

Hobbies include being an avid crossword puzzle fan and doing yard work. She even cooks in “spare time”, and recently she made apple butter. 

Though she has travelled to Germany many times, Moni is ready to go again. Trudi’s sister Truly and many cousins are there whom they would like to visit. 

Everyday challenges have taught Moni to trust that God will know what she can handle and what she cannot. 

“Whatever He puts on my plate, He knows I can handle. Everybody has their ups and downs. You should look forward and not at the past. There are hurdles no matter what, good or bad.” 

“Never give up, and live one day at a time.”