Blue Earth County officials buy, demolish beloved Rapidan Dam Store

    BLUE EARTH COUNTY, Minnesota (WCCO) -- Blue Earth County officials on Friday bought and demolished the iconic Rapidan Dam Store to prevent it from falling into the Blue Earth River.

The nearby home collapsed into the river earlier this week as the raging waters caused an abutment of the 114-year-old dam to partially fail. Jim Hruska bought the store in 1972, and for more than 50 years, it was a place for pie and making memories.

After the river swallowed the home, the family told WCCO that officials believed the store would be next, as the river carved out the ground around it.

On Thursday, Blue Earth County officials said they worked with the Hruska family to remove the bar, chairs, tables, booths and memorabilia from the building. The county then bought the building from the family on Friday so it could be removed from the site, lessening the environmental impact to other properties downstream.

"My family has lost their home, they've lost their business, their livelihood and their land will be gone," said Shannon Whittet of the Hruska family earlier this week. "This feels like a death in our family."

"The Dam Store was an integral part of the community and remains embedded in the memories of many residents," wrote the Blue Earth County Sheriff's Office. "Our thoughts are with the Hruska family and everyone close to them."