Reeder, Wolfe, and Wasche came to Wahpeton during the boomtown years and became very wealthy. They envisioned the civilizing influence of a massive brick opera house on the corner of Dakota Avenue, the main street of the rowdy frontier town. Key to the venture were several railroad lines running daily to cities where acclaimed dramatic and musical acts were based. Entertainers and audiences could arrive and depart on tracks behind the building.
In 1894, the grand opening was a gala event that drew hundreds of people from miles around. Buggies pulled up to the entrance, unloading ladies in brilliant gowns and men in stiff white tuxedo shirts. Private boxes were filled, and the gallery was packed as well. Every seat was sold, and many people could not get in. The cheapest seats for the high-priced Calhoun Dramatic Company cost five dollars. Many citizens paid fifteen or twenty dollars for the best seats.
The three-and-a-half-story building was designed in the opulent and elaborate style of the 1890s, complete with a folding ballroom floor and three levels of seating. The owners spared no expense. The public was awed by the lavish décor and scenery, including heavy tasseled velvet curtains, plush seating, and gold-trimmed moldings around the stage and walls. The first floor housed a fashionable department store and a drugstore.
As railroad passenger service declined, so did the availability of high-class drama companies. The Opera House remained active by hosting other forms of entertainment. The owners rejected motion pictures at first and instead promoted uplifting community events, including annual school plays and graduation ceremonies in May, troop-support rallies and memorial services during World War I, Boy Scout demonstrations, concerts featuring local musicians and singers, and public speeches by civic leaders. The Wahpeton Conservatory of Music spring commencements and concerts exemplified the cultural refinement and civic pride fostered by the Opera House.
In 1925, manager Ned Lounsberry announced that the Opera House would offer not only high-class attractions, but also cheaper and more popular entertainment, including vaudeville, minstrel troupes, and moving pictures.
By the 1940s, the building had been gutted and remodeled. Over the following decades, it housed a grocery store, hardware stores, a funeral parlor, a furniture store, and later businesses including a data center and an electronics store.
As of May 22, 2026, the Opera House still stands on its downtown corner, a monument to times gone by and to hopes for the future.
Dakota Datebook by Lise Erdrich
Sources:
- The North Dakota Globe, Wahpeton, North Dakota, December 13, 1894, Page 3
- ALL SOLD OUT. Balance of the Stock of the Firm of Reeder,Wolfe, & Wasche Cleared Up.
- Short History of the Firm. The Wahpeton Gazette, Wahpeton, April 1, 1904, Page 3
- The Globe Gazette, Wahpeton, May 26th, 1910, Page 5
- Page 10 of The Globe Gazette, published in Wahpeton, North Dakota on Thursday, May 29th,
- 1913, Page 10
- MORE "MOVIES" FOR WAHPETON. Manager Lounsbery Sub-Lets the Wahpeton Opera
- House for Off Nights. Moving Pictures and Vaudeville to Supply Popular Demand in the City.
- The Richland County Farmer, January 1, 1925, Page 1
- The Wahpeton Globe, May 22, 1923, Page 1
- The Wahpeton Globe, November 22, 1923, Page 1
- The Richland County Farmer, May 27, 1926, Page 1
- Remodel Opera House to Make New Store Room. The Richland County Farmer Globe,
- September 24, 1935, Page 1
