by April Scheinoha
Reporter
River Walk Public House closed for the final time Sunday, Aug. 8. The restaurant had a long history here.
The property originally housed the Dine-a-Mite. The drive-in featured carhops serving chili dogs, Little Dick ice cream treats and other curbside fare. Until indoor dining was added, the business was only open during the summer.
Jane Mattson has property deeds for the property going back to 1948. She said the initial property owners were William and Dorothy Soeby. They eventually sold it to Abner and Lucille Johnson, who, years later, sold the property to Donald and Bonita Magner.
The next set of owners were Lon and Joyce Gobell. Lon Gobell recalled purchasing the property in 1969. The couple later renamed it Lon’s Restaurant & Pub. Over their tenure at the fine-dining restaurant, they removed the carport and built an addition.
The Gobells sold the business in 1991 to Jim and Curt Efteland. The Efteland brothers operated the business for about a year before they sold it to Michael and Rhonda Noel. The Noels also owned the business for about a year, when on June 28, 1993, Jane Mattson and the late Diana “Granny” Josephson purchased the restaurant. They renamed the business Evergreen Eating Emporium. Josephson left the restaurant business in 1996, and Judy and Terry Nelson owned the restaurant with Mattson until 2000. That year, Mattson and her husband, Bruce, became the sole owners.
Over Mattson’s time at the Evergreen, a soup and salad bar, a children’s menu, a light menu and more specialized offerings were added. The business also offered a catering service, which was added under the foresight of Mattson’s daughter Lisa Robson.
Robson purchased the business from her mom Jan. 1, 2012. She operated the restaurant until June 2018, when she sold it to Mitch Stevens.
Stevens and General Manager Lisa Swanson made a few changes at the restaurant. The most notable changes were the indoor cosmetic changes. They also made a few menu changes and added a boutique upstairs at the restaurant.
On RiverWalk’s Facebook post, it was noted the decision to sell the property wasn’t taken lightly. However, Stevens and Swanson cited various reasons for the closure, including staffing shortages, the need for major building repairs and an opportunity to sell prior to the restaurant’s busy season.
The Gobells returned to Thief River Falls for a final meal in the days prior to the closure and walk-through of the restaurant. “We feel a little sad about it, but time goes on,” said Lon Gobell, who hadn’t been back to the restaurant in about a decade.
Andrew Peralta, who owns the nearby Dairy Queen, is in the process of purchasing the property. He planned to close on the property sometime within the next few days. The real estate closing was delayed by the purchase of right-of-way to realign the nearby intersection.
Peralta plans to tear down the building at the end of September at the earliest. He said he has some ideas for the property, but he added that nothing was set in stone.