In 1969, Dayton's merged with Michigan department store chain Hudson's to form the Dayton-Hudson Corporation.

The company's mark on Minnesota remains with three Twin Cities shopping malls created by Dayton's, Southdale, Rosedale, Ridgedale, with the original location still standing.

[5] George Draper Dayton constructed a six-story building at Nicollet Avenue and Seventh Street in 1902 and convinced Goodfellow's, then the fourth-largest department store in Minneapolis,[6] to become the tenant.

[23] In 1949, on the hunt for new and different items for its clientele, Dayton's accepted several Cootie games on consignment from its inventor, Minnesota resident William "Herb" Schaper.

[33] Southdale became the first fully enclosed, climate-controlled shopping mall in the United States, changing the retail landscape.

In November 1954, Dayton's announced it had acquired Fantle Bros. Department Store in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

This marked the first purchase and location for a Dayton's-owned store outside of Minnesota, but it kept the Fantle name instead of converting to the Dayton's nameplate.

The ramp was constructed to accommodate 750 cars, which did not make it the largest in town, but was designed for quick and convenient accessibility for patrons to both properties.

[39] Dayton's also announced it had acquired choice retail property in downtown St. Paul to construct a new store in the future.

[40] In February 1962, after acquiring additional property needed to expand in St. Paul, Dayton's announced the plans for a new five-story building and parking ramp for 650 cars, all located in one structure.

[43] The new St. Paul store opened in August 1963 with 380,000 sq ft of retail space in five stories, taking up an entire city block.

[47] Fantle's Department Store in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, was sold by Dayton's, 13 years after purchasing it in 1967.

In the '60s, Dayton's was one of the first retailers to recognize the buying power of the teen market, and it aggressively pursued it with youth-oriented merchandise, concerts, and attractions.

In 1966, it spearheaded a "Super Youthquake" movement at area Dayton's stores featuring the latest fashions and music, with artists including Simon & Garfunkel and The Yardbirds.

Dayton's captured and enjoyed a trendsetter reputation, which contributed greatly to its success and standing apart from other area retailers.

[58] Rapidly expanding, by the end of the year there were four Target stores, with locations in Roseville, Crystal, Duluth, and St. Louis Park, Minnesota.

[59] B. Dalton Booksellers was announced in April 1966 as a new book-store chain to be launched and wholly owned by Dayton's.

[60] After research, Dayton's believed book stores would be a successful merchandising field for the company, due in part to the increase in education and disposable income of Americans.

The mall had been open for a short time when Dayton's decided to leave the downtown area and construct a new 150,000 sq.

At that time, Apache Mall was the third-largest shopping center in Minnesota and the largest outside of the Twin Cities area.

Previously announced in 1971,[75] the first Dayton's store outside of Minnesota opened in August 1973 in Fargo, North Dakota.

[76] The $5 million store was one of the anchors of the newly constructed West Acres Shopping Center, contained about 100,000 sq ft of retail space, and employed close to 200 people.

[77] The shopping center underwent an expansion in 1976, adding an additional 200,000 sq ft of retail space, resulting in the inclusion of a new Dayton's store, marking its entrance in the St.

[82][83] In September 1976, Dayton-Hudson Corporation announced the development of a new shopping center and Dayton's store to be built in Grand Forks, North Dakota.

[89] Harold was a high-end women's retailer in Minneapolis, and had been experiencing declining sales in recent years, due in part to previous absentee ownership.

Besides owning Harold, he also developed The Conservatory, a retail shopping center on Nicollet Mall directly across the street from Dayton's, and which was ultimately deemed a failure and demolished.

Valley View Mall (La Crosse, Wisconsin) opened in July 1980, with Dayton's as one of the four anchor stores.

[102] After previously announcing its intentions in 1988,[103] Dayton-Hudson also opened a new Dayton's in the summer of 1991 in Appleton, Wisconsin, at Fox River Mall, after closing a nearby Marshall Field's location.

In January 2001, much to the dismay of shoppers in Minneapolis-St. Paul and Detroit, Dayton's and Hudson's were rebranded with the Marshall Field's nameplate, which has a higher national profile.

[116][circular reference] The first sign of the name change came with the discontinuation of the Dayton's website in favor of the Marshall Field's site in May 2001.