The History of the Oakes Brothers Building in Caldwell, Idaho.

In the early 1890s, brothers George, Charles and Ralph Oakes established their business first in the old Sebree store (later replaced by the Saratoga Hotel) at 624 Main. The Oakes Brothers General Store, owned by Charles and Ralph, moved into its new building in 1906. Their business became a prominent fixture in the Caldwell community for three and a half decades. The Oakes family sold it to Tingwall's Department Store in 1926. Arvid and Oscar Tingwall, formerly from Minnesota, operated similar small stores throughout Southern Idaho. The building later housed Van Engelen's Department Store, a chain that was started in 1910 at Burley, Idaho.

The Caldwell Tribune Article: 27 May 1905: “Surely Growing.” “The tenants of the buildings between T. K. Little's [next owner of Lucas/Harmon Building] and Picard & Roberts have been notified to vacate within thirty days. The old frame buildings are to come out and new, two story brick buildings to go in. Messrs. Oakes and Davis are the owners of the building now occupied by G. W. Hodson. The new building to go in will be 50X120 feet, with two stories and basement, It will be a handsome and substantial structure….Caldwell is certainly going to grow this summer.”

From Ancestry.com: Ralph Oakes, formerly from Illinois, married Ora Lucas, daughter of F. M. Lucas [who owned the Lucas Building constructed in 1896, which now is the Harmon Building] in 1891. Charles A. Oakes, formerly from Illinois, married Etta [Henrietta] Picard [whose father owned the building built in 1896 on the west side of the Oakes Building, now owned by Bob and Elaine Carpenter] in 1899. George C. married Elizabeth R. Anderson in 1884, moved to Caldwell, then moved to Portland, Oregon in 1901. 1900 and 1905 articles indicate that the property owned by G. W. Hodson in 1905 was the former Fred Hoffman Bakery and Restaurant, located in the inset area of Maddy’s Plaza. It must have been one of the wood frame building razed in order for Oakes have their building constructed.

To read about Hoffman’s Bakery and Restaurant, see the article from The Caldwell Tribune, March 31, 1894