Downturns in the farm economy and easier access to larger shopping centers (i.e. the completion of the Expressway Bridge to south Bismarck’s Kirkwood Mall) led to many retail store closures in Mandan.Especially hard hit was the downtown business, aggravated by the discovery of an oil plume floating on the groundwater table.Impacts from the ground oil, real or perceived, stopped attempts to renovate or restore abandoned buildings to other uses, unlike numerous other small communities throughout the Great Plains which experienced the same commercial effects.
Another oil boom and bust cycle impacted Mandan. Crude oil (and gasoline) prices peaked in the early decade after a second worldwide oil embargo. Just as Amoco Oil Company's Mandan refinery underwent a major expansion in '81-82 to eliminate the use of lead compounds in gasoline, oil prices (and profits) plummeted in the middle of the decade and squeezed operations and staff levels.
1984
The Mandan Park Board approved construction of new rodeo grounds on the former landfill site south of Memorial Highway. The estimated cost was $200,000 for just the grandstand, plus an added $56,000 for water and sewer. The original fairgrounds/rodeo stands will be reclaimed for the construction of additional softball diamonds.
After six months of traffic tie-ups, a new Highway 6 bridge was opened across the Heart River. The bridge was designated as the Custer Bridge by the city commission.
An outlet from the national chain McDonald's fast-food restaurant openned at an east Main Street location in December
The year also marked the innaurgation of Mandan's "Care and Share" program, geared to helping local families facing hard times. In its first year, more than $15,000 was collected which helped 283 families in need.
1985
The four-lane Bismarck Expressway Bridge opens across the Missouri River tying the I-94 Business Loop in east Mandan to south Bismarck. While improving commuter times for residents of both cities, traffic was also diverted away from Memorial Highway. Mandan shoppers would also shift activity (and sales tax dollars) to Bismarck's large regional shopping centers. Mandan's J. C. Penney's store, for example, closed in April, after 65 years in operation in the city. The Gambles store closed in December.
1986
The loss of Main Street retail stores continued. The Collins Department store closed in January 1986. The site had continousily hosted a clothing store starting with "Tubbs & Cummins Clothiers" in 1881, the same year the city of Mandan was incorporated.
1989
The MHSoc's museum and office is located at 411 W Main St, Mandan, ND 58554 Contact us at info@mandanhistory.org or leave message at (701) 751-2983