Back in 1933, not long after the repeal of the 18th amendment, three traveling sales men who wanted to get off the dusty trail and into business for themselves launched a new restaurant. The Covered Wagon brought sizzling steaks to the heart of the Minneapolis Loop. The Benson Brothers Hugo and Fritz joined forces with Jim Ryan to launch one of the city’s most unusual eateries. The grand opening festivities included Lily Pens and her pet jaguar, wrestling great Abe Kashley and grid-iron heros Pug Lund and Babe LaVoir. The Covered Wagon was a big success and their unique stunt of handing out change in brand new silver dollars ran the Minneapolis Federal Reserve Bank completely out of cartwheels.
In 1933, Fourth Avenue was a bustling Street. The Minneapolis Journal and Tribune sat along with Northwestern National and the Farmer’s and Merchants Bank. The business at the Covered Wagon was running to full steam from the get go and the wives of the owners came down to help every day. The restaurant seated 114 when it first opened. It was enlarged a few years later to hold at least 500. 12 Banquet rooms were added to seat between 8 to 200. The Decorations and Western Motif at the restaurant came from Fritz and Benny’s brother Vic Benson. Waitresses and bus boys were outfitted in western wear. The guns, birds and animal trophies that adorned the walls came from female patrons who hoped these critters would never return to their attics and cellars. 
On the Covered Wagon’s first anniversary, the Benson Boys conceived a special two bit drink served in a metal goblet, kept as a souvenir by at least 10,000 customers. That’s a lot of sarsaparilla, if you know what I mean! At least six national magazines featured stories about the Covered Wagon. In 1943, Life magazine reported;
Historic guns and pioneer relics adorn the walls, and the booths along the side are designed to resemble such old-time Western institutions as the post office, sheriff’s office and the trading store. The Covered Wagon is also famous for its fine steaks – which are served, of course, with Heinz 57 Beefsteak Sauch, Worcestershire Sauce, Chili Sauce and other of Heinz wonder-working keystone-labeled condiments.
Big time celebrities like Jane Foreman, General Wainwright, Rudy Vallee, Dr. Defoe, Sister Kinney and Ricky Sorenson, Minnesota’s first Congressional Medal of Honor winner, sat down for sizzling steer steaks. Chef Bill Goddard Swift’s Premium properly aged, beef won the Covered Wagon a variety of national awards.
When people went upstairs they were treated to the magnificent “Don the Dude” murals painted by Helen Johnson. You really couldn’t miss the Covered Wagon on Forth Street because of the atmospheric Old West entrance. This was a swell, peppy place with THREE FLOORS of dinner, dancing and drinking. A couple nights a week, they had a great band called the Cowhands that played both kids of music. Country and Western Swing.
The Covered Wagon had two restaurants, one at 110 South Fourth Street in Minneapolis, and the other at 320 Wabasha in St. Paul. The end of the trail for the famed cowboy kitchen came in 1957. Mrs. Mina Benson, secretary and treasurer, said it was the condemnation of the building on South Fourth Street that really did them in, After the government took the title they charged the restaurant $2000 dollars a month. The brick pile was originally the offices of the Minneapolis Daily Times. It was demolished to make way for a new Federal Courts Building. And so it goes.
