Martin Christian Kroll and wife Elizabeth Winn Kroll

 Main Street Fire    (History of Mt. Pleasant) p 180

About one a.m., on the morning of the 24th of July, 1898, a fire was discovered on Main Street, about one. half block west of State Street. The alarm was sounded and along with the fire engine, volunteers formed a bucket brigade. Most of the buildings were frame, and the flames could not be checked, in spite of their efforts, until all on the block between the Equitable build­ing and Consolidated Furniture Store had been destroyed.

Those who sustained losses were: Dr. S. H. Allen, store build­ing; M. G. Rolph, building and cigar factory; Dr. A. Lundberg, building, household furniture, dentist and jewelry tools; M. C. Kroll, store and bakery; Maiben & Aldrich, drug store; New York Cash store, merchandise; Equitable Co-op Store, building; Victor Nielson and Olaf Olson, Shoe Company; Kofford & Johnson, building and stock. The Post office, owned by John N. Ericksen; C. E. Hampshire, barber shop; Dr. C. McGoughan, office furniture; Dr. H. P. Morrey, office fixtures; J. C. Barton, barber shop and fixtures; Carl Kroll and Hyrum Hansen, each shoemaker fixtures. The Odd Fellows, Masonic, Workman and Woodmen lodges, their hall and furniture. Some were partly insured. The fire being checked by an adobe wall in the Lundberg building, saved the Con­solidated Furniture Company, W. O. Ash & Company, and a frame building built by Nils Rosenlof, later owned by Rasmus Anderson. A year later, this frame building was also destroyed by fire.