September 13, 1913 – Joseph Granskog held a public auction to sell “a lot running from Main street to Albion street, on which is situated a building of two stories and an attic, and a dwelling.” This property was located west of Kasten Street, where Mendocino Jewelry Studio is in 2022.
Joseph was born in Finland in 1881, immigrated to the United States in 1900, and moved to the Mendocino coast in 1901. He purchased this lot in 1906 and built the two-story building to house the Eagle Saloon. When the town outlawed alcohol sales in 1909, Joseph closed his saloon and took his family to Finland for a visit. He returned alone in 1912, leaving his wife Albertina and three children (Hugh, Irene, and John) in Finland.
Unable to sell the saloon property at the auction in 1913, he opened Bay Front Garage, an automotive supply company, in the former Eagle Saloon building. According to the Beacon, Bay Front Garage was very successful. In addition to selling auto parts and tires, “Mr. Granskog maintains a night and day auto service and is a careful and capable driver. His big Reo car is the Iatest thing in autos and most comfortable to ride in. He has also a Ford for small parties of travelers. His rates are reasonable.” In 1917, he bought the property next door and expanded the business by adding a machine shop.
Joseph made plans to bring his family back to Mendocino, but “revolutionary conditions there [Finland] and in Russia have closed communication between these countries and the United States.” In February 1919, Joseph contracted influenza and died. His brother, who lived in Fort Bragg, bought the garage business. Albertina and Joseph’s children returned to Mendocino in 1920.
Joseph’s sons, Hugh and John, demolished the Eagle Saloon building sometime after 1966.
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