David Colburn

COOK – Megan Strong, owner of Montana Cafe, has experienced blow after blow since being inundated by the torrential rains on June 18 that triggered the subsequent flash flood. Strong's restaurant was left with a foot of water in the dining room and kitchen, but the latest blow may be the cruelest of all.
Last Friday, Strong was selling produce and frozen foods that had been saved from the flood. The city closed the store after an inspection found the 116-year-old building was in imminent danger of collapse. They secured the building and blocked off River Street in front of the store to ensure public safety should the building collapse.
“We got most of our stuff out, but most of my appliances are still in the kitchen,” Strong said. “They (the city) couldn't send a technician because it was Friday afternoon, so a building inspector came and said it was actually unsafe. Shane Johnson, a Cook firefighter who is leading the city's flood relief effort, said he couldn't send volunteers to get the very expensive kitchen appliances out because he believes they are the only thing keeping the kitchen running. The city has also shut off power, water and gas from the building.”
A civil engineer was scheduled to inspect the building on Monday.
Strong's nightmarish ordeal began, like so many others, on the night of June 18, when the cafe's basement flooded due to heavy rains.
“Our basement flooded, but we were able to pump everything out and dry it completely,” Strong said. “All of our equipment was working, so we were going to reopen on Thursday, but on Wednesday there was another flood.”
It was hard for Strong to understand that the water would rise so high.
“We thought that was all it should be, it shouldn't go any higher,” she said. “We were just going to put the stuff on the shelves, but around four or five in the afternoon we decided to take out as much as we could because not everything could be saved.”
The next big blow came when Strong met her insurance adjuster.
“We didn’t have flood insurance, so they weren’t willing to cover anything,” she said.
And Strong feels the impact on her employees and the community as much as she does on herself.
“I had about six or seven employees, and now they're all unemployed or have to work more in their second jobs than before,” she said. “And we don't know when we'll be able to reopen, so it's all still uncertain for them right now.”
More than just a place to eat, the Montana Café has been one of Cook's premier social gathering places for decades, where friends and families can gather and spend time together over a cup of coffee or a shared meal.
“I think people are just heartbroken,” Strong said. “We're just such a close community. People come and visit us and we tell them how we're doing. We see people all summer long who come here every year, and now we're going to miss the people who come here for that one week in the summer. And it's just as important for all the locals who come here year-round. You just feel disconnected.”
Given the significant damage and the expected cost of repairs, Strong had already considered the possibility of demolishing the building and building a new café.
“We don't know if we can make up for what happened,” she said. “The building is just so old. It was completed in 1908 and the kitchen was added in 1996. I believe this is the oldest building in Cook – I don't know what other really old buildings there are in town. It housed a lot of different businesses. It would hurt quite a bit if it were to go.”
Depending on the outcome of the structural assessment, no decision may need to be made.
“The most important thing for us is for people to come back and experience the community,” Strong said. “The building has sentimental value, but at the end of the day, it's just a building.”
Strong's pop-up was back in operation Saturday at the Cook Area Farmers Market, and she has also set up an online store on Shopify at https://montanacafecookmn.store.
A GoFundMe campaign organized by Strong's sister, Krystal Brodeen, has so far raised over $19,000 for reconstruction. Anyone wishing to donate can find the campaign at https://gofund.me/4dbf7247.
(Editor's note: After going to press, the result of the technical assessment found that the building is not in danger of collapse, but the fate of the building has yet to be decided.)