Born on December 26, 1867, in Pine City, Minnesota, William John Ryder, or simply W. J. Ryder, was one of nine children to John and Sophia (Schweitzer) and attended school until the age of about either 12 or 13. After school, he moved to St. Paul. There, he learned cabinet making and wood carving. He first worked at Moeller, Pederson & Co. before being employed at the Palace Furniture Company from 1886 to 1894. When he first arrived in 1884, he roomed at Wagner’s Hall (458 St Peter Street), a year later, he roomed above 21 E. Fairfield Avenue, and a year later at 115 Edward Street, and in 1887 at 72 W. 7th Street and in 1888 at 122 W 6th Street and then before starting his own business. On December 26, 1892, he married Miss Josephine Achenbach, of Alma, Wisconsin, and they had five children: Ada, Eleanor, William John, Jr., and Mae. W. J. Ryder came north to Hibbing on May 24, 1900, (Hibbing News, 5/24/1900) and his family arrived here on the morning of Wednesday, June 13, 1900 (Hibbing News, 6/13/1900). He first operated his retail business on the southeast corner of Third Avenue and Center Street (302 Third Avenue) in the first post office (Hibbing News, 6/30/1900). In the spring of 1907, Ryder bought another store down the street (504-506 Third Avenue ) for $10,000 from Bryan O’Rouke, which was occupied by the “Power Theater,” which was connected to the theater that W. J. Power operated on Pine Street and moved in in October of 1909. Then in 1918 plans for a Tudor-Revival house were drafted by Architects Holstead & Sullivan and built right next to his old one, just north of him for $12,000 by Contractor August Grenier (7/14/1917, DTH). Ryder gave the old house to his son W. J. Ryder Jr., and by 1923 he would run the store with his dad as a co-owner. Ryder Furniture later would locate its business on 408-410 Howard Street after operating its store there for about 25 years. The building that they moved into no longer exists. In 1939 the house was purchased by the North Hibbing Purchase Company and was able to live in the house until he moved to 2229 2nd Avenue W. in 1941. He then died on March 7, 1950 and is buried at the Maple Hill Cemetery.