Name: Highway 61 through Minnesota
Brand: Nathan L. Johnson
SKU: 9781467106931
Price: 16.79 USD
Availability: InStock

Highway 61 through Minnesota

9781467106931

$23.99 $16.79 Save 30%

Driving on Highway 61 through Minnesota provides a rare opportunity for one to see virtually every type of landscape in the North Star State. Along the highway’s path are pastoral farms and towering bluffs, as well as the largest of the Great Lakes, Lake Superior. There are picturesque small towns and populous cities, yet stretches of the highway have been abandoned. Despite Highway 61’s east–west counterpart Route 66 getting more attention, the north–south byway is arguably the most fascinating stretch of road in the country. Throughout the highway’s history, music lovers, foodies, and thrill seekers alike have discovered its fun and uniqueness. The 1,400-mile highway signals where the West begins and has a fabulous history that can be traced from the civil rights movement to the development of various genres of music, including jazz, blues, and alternative rock. Famous Americans such as Mark Twain, Bob Dylan, Jessica Lange, and even Kermit the Frog keep the highway in the national psyche.

Cover image for Highway 61 through Minnesota, isbn: 9781467106931

Duluth

9780738518916

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Duluth, Minnesota, "The Zenith City of the Unsalted Seas," is located on the shores of Lake Superior. Once a center for shipping, lumber, mining, steel, railroads, grain, and one of the nation's largest ports, it housed some of the wealthiest people in the country. During the 1880s, the New York newspapers believed that within 20 years it would be larger than Chicago. Due to all of this wealth, the city grew at a remarkable rate, yet it also suffered through several recessions that almost destroyed it. With many handsome houses and remarkable buildings, Duluth's architectural heritage is among the strongest in North America. At the turn of the 20th century, it boasted more park land and green space, per capita, than any other American city, and offered residents a lifestyle that was incomparable.

Duluth Minnesota historical book cover in sepia shows a street scene with horse drawn wagons and a large house in the background.

Downtown St. Paul

9781467102469

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Minnesota's capital city was given a lofty identity when young Catholic priest Lucien Gaultier built a modest log chapel in a wilderness clearing and named it for his patron saint. St. Paul's modern downtown would later take shape at this very site. In the mid-19th century, St. Paul's strategic location at the head of navigation on the Mississippi River was naturally suited as a way station for goods and a hub for settlers pouring into the Upper Midwest. While St. Paul had to relinquish its ranking as Minnesota's largest city to its twin, Minneapolis, the city remains at the center of state politics as Minnesota's state capital. Following World War II, a suburban boom weakened the business district, and downtown St. Paul fell into decline. Over the last 40 years, however, St. Paul's downtown has been reinvented as a major sports, entertainment, and cultural center.

Cover image for Downtown St. Paul, isbn: 9781467102469

University Avenue of the Twin Cities

9781467109307

$23.99 $16.79 Save 30%

At the turn of 20th century, University Avenue emerged as a major transportation corridor, connecting Minneapolis and St. Paul. At the center of the corridor, the Midway district became one the Twin Cities' most prominent industrial hubs. And all along the 13-mile roadway, businesses serving the adjacent neighborhoods clustered around key intersections. But University Avenue fell into decline starting in the 1960s when a new interstate freeway, I-94, provided a speedier and more convenient way of moving between the two cities. I-94's economic blow was offset, at least in part, when new arrivals to Minnesota, many from Southeast Asia, injected fresh entrepreneurial energy into this aging transportation corridor. Today, University Avenue's historic role has been restored now that it serves as the route of a light-rail transit line connecting the downtowns of Minneapolis and St. Paul.

Vintage sepia city street with a large bold banner for University Avenue of the Twin Cities

Winona County

9781467108201

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Winona County, located in the Driftless Area of southeastern Minnesota, was organized in 1854 by an act of the territorial legislature. Following treaties with the local Native Americans, many eastern farmers came to the frontier to settle on a rich land obtained through a system of land transfers called patents. As the area opened to the settlers, railroads were provided with land on which to lay track across the county to bring farm products to market and carry supplies to the interior. In addition to the railroads, roadways were established and villages sprang up at regular intervals where businessmen settled to provide goods and services locally. Scattered throughout the county, churches and cemeteries were established, and one-room schoolhouses were built. As the county entered the 20th century, a system of commerce had been well established, and goods and services easily flowed about the area. However, the 20th century was also a time of change; new technologies were developed, some farms grew while other disappeared, some villages died, and the old ways were cast aside. Winona County uses rarely viewed images from the collections of the Winona County Historical Society.

Sepia image of a barn and farming machinery with Walter Bennick label at bottom

Forest Lake

9781467160254

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Like so many of the places that lined the route from St. Paul to Duluth, Forest Lake came of age as a railroad town and was first incorporated as a township in 1874. Situated on a lake by the same name, it soon became known as a resort town where many residents from the Twin Cities could leave their cares behind for some fishing and sunbathing. Because of its secluded nature, it also attracted well-known gangsters of the era. Minnesota native George "Bugs" Moran had a hideout near the lake, as did the Ma Barker gang. As the resort traffic dried up, progress soon took over, and with it came residential development and downtown revitalization. Today, Forest Lake's population has increased nearly twentyfold and continues to attract visitors to its pristine lakes.

Forest Lake book cover featuring a sepia photo of children swimming in a lake with boats

Hinckley and the Fire of 1894

9781467112963

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Imagine a force in nature more powerful than multiple atomic bombs—that was the Great Hinckley Fire of September 1, 1894. In only four hours, the fire incinerated over 400 square miles of forest, killed at least 418 settlers and an unknown number of forest-dwelling Native Americans, and destroyed six towns in a firestorm of flame. The elements that led to this unprecedented catastrophe included careless logging practices, a drought, freakish weather, and suspected sparks from passing locomotives. The story of the 1894 fire is a saga of devastation, heartbreak, heroism, survival, hope, and rebuilding that captured worldwide attention. Recently discovered photographs provide a backdrop for a fresh look at the events surrounding the disaster and the courage of the pioneers who survived to tell the tale.

Cover image for Hinckley and the Fire of 1894, isbn: 9781467112963

Upper Mississippi River at Winona

9781467115100

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Winona, located on an island where the upper Mississippi River flows from west to east, has been linked to the river from its earliest days. Before the community's settlement, Native Americans and white explorers sailed past Wapasha's Prairie in birchbark canoes, keel boats, and small sailboats. As early as the 1820s, steamboats plied the river while carrying people and goods to and from the state's interior. Before bridges began to crisscross the river, merchants had to use boats to bring people and supplies to Winona before they could travel farther west. The first bridge to cross the river was a swing bridge that allowed steamboats to pass. Images of America: Upper Mississippi River at Winona uses images collected and archived in the Winona County Historical Society's History Center to illustrate the history of the Mississippi River near Winona. Many of the photographs exhibited in this book have rarely been seen by the general public and have never been published.

Cover image for Upper Mississippi River at Winona, isbn: 9781467115100

The Minneapolis Riverfront

9781467112765

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With the Mississippi River's only true waterfalls at its front door, Minneapolis harnessed the power of the falls to become an international milling center. Changing market conditions, though, forced Minnesota's largest city to give up its preeminent position in the milling world after World War I. As the local milling industry gradually faded away, Minneapolis turned its back on its riverfront origins. By 1950, a once-bustling commercial area along the banks of the Mississippi had become an industrial wasteland. Then, a decade later, the seeds of renewal were planted when some urban pioneers recognized the potential of this long-ignored historic district. By the first decade of the 21st century, the riverfront had reemerged as a vibrant residential, cultural, and recreational center.

Cover image for The Minneapolis Riverfront, isbn: 9781467112765

Downtown Minneapolis

9781467124379

$29.99 $20.99 Save 30%

Downtown Minneapolis evolved from a collection of modest frame buildings on the banks of the Mississippi River to the high-rise center of a modern American metropolis. With a burgeoning milling industry powering the local economy, the early frame structures soon gave way to substantial brick and masonry buildings, lining the streets of a bustling 19th-century commercial district. Downtown continued to prosper during the early years of the 20th century, aided by advances in transportation and communications. The heart of the city held its own during the Great Depression and World War II, but the postwar era brought new challenges as a suburban boom threatened the city's economic foundation. Enterprising local leaders responded with innovative developments to meet these challenges, and a reinvigorated downtown took on a new role as the site of a dynamic new residential community, now home to nearly 40,000 city residents.

Cover image for Downtown Minneapolis, isbn: 9781467124379

Hutchinson

9781467110105

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Founded in 1855, when Minnesota was still a territory, Hutchinson is named for a New Hampshire family of minstrels and social activists who sang for emancipation, women's rights, temperance, and other causes of their day. In its early years, the town survived a Dakota War and a grasshopper plague to evolve into a thriving community. Documenting this evolution through six chapters are period photographs--the vast majority from the collections of the McLeod County Historical Society. Images of America: Hutchinson chronicles the town's beginnings, then presents a city tour across time, with a primary focus on Main Street. It illustrates public services and the livelihoods of local citizens, and it reveals a lifestyle that was, and is, enriched by an array of diversions, many centered on the Crow River, surrounding lakes, and an extensive park system. Concluding photographs, spanning the arts, serve as a reminder of the legacy of the founders.

Hutchinson cover with a sepia photo of a horse in front of a storefront advertising Percheron horses.

Stearns County, Minnesota

9780738508337

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Stearns County is situated just south of the geographic center of Minnesota, on the west side of the mighty Mississippi River. Established in 1855, a region virtually untouched by the white man, it could claim all the trappings of "civilization" in less than a generation. Drawing from over 180 photographs and postcards from both private and public collections, Lee Simpson explores the rise of European civilization in the county from the 1870s to the present. This book offers a unique glimpse into the people and places of Stearns County, and is a visual history of daily life in the county that emphasizes the experiences of the average citizen. Included are vintage photographs of St. Cloud, Fair Haven, Albany, Paynesville, Collegeville, Waite Park, Rockville, and St. Joseph that depict the growth of the downtown business districts, resorts, granite quarries, schools, and churches which provided the bedrock of community for each town or city. From its founding as an almost exclusive community of German Catholics, to its present as a region struggling with issues of diversity, the history of Stearns County offers all of us a glimpse of the American experience.

Vintage sepia cover for Stearns County Minnesota from Images of America showing a large group photo outdoors

Northwest Airlines

9780738534152

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Since flying its first mail flight on October 1, 1926, Northwest Airways, now known as Northwest Airlines, has grown to become one of the world's leading airlines. Northwest's legacy of leadership in the aviation industry began with its foundation in the Twin Cities and extended to its pioneering work as part of the U.S. war effort in Alaska, the establishment of the first U.S. commercial air links to Japan and the Orient, and its groundbreaking 1992 alliance and award of anti-trust immunity with KLM/Royal Dutch Airlines. Northwest is now America's oldest air carrier with continuous name identification. In celebration of the airline's 80th anniversary in 2006, this book chronicles the remarkable years during which Northwest became an institutional backbone of both American and worldwide air transport history. This diverse historical tribute relies heavily on the author's own photo archive along with images supplied by the exceptional Northwest History Centre Inc., established in October 2002 to preserve the airline's rich heritage. The rare photographs seen in these pages, accompanied by a detailed and informative narrative, bring together for the first time all of the elements of the Northwest "family," which includes Hughes Air West and Republic airlines and other predecessors.

Northwest Airlines The First Eighty Years book cover with three crewmembers in front of a vintage Northwest Airlines aircraft

Jewish Community of North Minneapolis

9780738508177

$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%

The stories of the Jewish community of North Minneapolis are an important part of the rich and diverse mosaic of North Minneapolis history. By 1936, there were more than 16,000 Jew in Minneapolis, and 70 percent of them lived on the North Side. The Jewish Community of North Minneapolis presents an intriguing record of the earliest beginnings of Jewish communities in the city. Through the medium of historic photographs, this book captures the cultural, economic, political, and social history of this community, from the late 1800s to the present day. The Jews in North Minneapolis enjoyed a busy social and cultural life with their landsmanschaften, and shopped together at the kosher butcher shops and fish markets, grocery stores and bakeries, clothing stores, barber shops, restaurants, and other small businesses that had sprung up along Sixth Avenue North and then Plymouth Avenue. Including vintage images and tales of the community-Hebrew schools, synagogues, and social groups-this collection uncovers the challenges and triumphs of the Jewish community.

Book cover Jewish Community of North Minneapolis featuring a large vintage group portrait.

Minneapolis's Lake District

9781467161299

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Named for the network of lakes and waterways stretching along the city’s western edge, the Lake District helps define Minneapolis as a place of great natural beauty. With stately homes lining the parkways surrounding these bodies of water, the district may convey an image of affluence and prestige, but the district is not an exclusive preserve of the well-to-do. People from all walks of life flock to the area’s parks and lakes that serve as public playgrounds for the entire region. The Lake District was not always the public amenity that it is today. During the late 19th century, much of the area consisted of marshy swamps that had little recreational or economic value. It took a group of forward-looking civic leaders to recognize the undeveloped area’s potential. In the 1880s, they came together to form the Minneapolis Park Board, the public agency that would acquire and improve the lakes, preserving them for future generations. /Iric Nathanson tells the story of this appealing urban district using archival images from the Hennepin County Library Special Collections and the Minnesota Historical Society. Nathanson’s most recent work, University Avenue of the Twin Cities, was published in 2023 as part of Arcadia’s Images of America series.

Cover image for Minneapolis's Lake District, isbn: 9781467161299

Winona

9780738594255

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Located on an island in the Mississippi River in southeastern Minnesota, Winona has been home to the transportation industry from its earliest days. Before Winona was a city, Native Americans and European explorers sailed past "Wapasha's Prairie" in birch bark canoes, keel boats, or small sailboats. As early as the 1820s, steamboats plied up and down the "Father of Waters," carrying people and goods to and from the interior. Until bridges were built, it was necessary to use ferryboats to cross this great river. The first bridge to cross the river was a railroad swing bridge that allowed steamboats to pass by. With the bridge in place, rail traffic arrived in Winona and a terminal was established along the riverfront.

Winona Images of America cover showing a sepia street scene with a two story building and a crowd outside the passenger station.

Brooklyn Park and Brooklyn Center

9780738561349

$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%

Just north of Minneapolis and along the Mississippi River stretch the fertile prairies that attracted French Canadians and New Englanders in 1852. Originally called Brooklyn Township, Brooklyn Park and Brooklyn Center grew as settlers cultivated farms and marketed their produce. One-room schoolhouses evolved into the largest and finest schools in Minnesota while fast-growing industry and commuting replaced the small family farms. The story of Brooklyn Park and Brooklyn Center, as told through pictures, old-timer memories, and yellowed newspapers, reveals the lives of loggers, potato farmers, war heroes, and everyday people who found their dreams and quietly raised their families. Over the years, neighborhoods and fashions change as the people continue to take pride in their community's rich history.

Vintage sepia cover showing a horse drawn wagon and workers for Brooklyn Park and Brooklyn Center by Pat Snodgrass

Swift County, Minnesota

9780738507965

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Not permanently settled until after the Civil War, Swift County was one of the last frontiers of the United States. Once part of the vast prairie land occupied by the Dakota Indians, settlement began in the 1860s. The Swift County Historical Society has compiled over 200 vintage images in order to capture a glimpse of the region's formative years-the establishment of its trading centers and industries, as well as the educational, spiritual, and social lives of its early settlers.

Located in west central Minnesota, the small rural towns of Swift County were once busy trading centers. Through these historic photographs, the reader can follow the changes that occurred on Atlantic and Pacific Avenues in Benson from the 1880s to the 1930s, see the sod house of Swenoda Township, and witness turn of the century rural life in towns like Danvers, Murdock, Appleton, and Kerkhoven.

Cover image for Swift County, Minnesota, isbn: 9780738507965

Minneapolis's Lake Street

9781467104678

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As it cuts across South Minneapolis, Lake Street reflects the city’s diversity and its rich history. Initially a narrow dirt road out beyond Minneapolis’s early city limits, Lake Street evolved into a major transportation route after the turn of the last century. Spurred by the city’s population boom during those early years, the Lake Street corridor soon filled in with retail shops, restaurants, movie theaters, and auto dealers. But Lake Street’s role as a major commercial corridor did not last. Buffeted by the forces of suburbanization after World War II, businesses along the corridor began to close, leaving Lake Street pockmarked with vacant, blighted buildings. Then, starting in the 1990s, the seeds of the corridor’s renewal were planted when an energetic group of new arrivals to the United States began renovating Lake Street’s deteriorating storefronts for their family-owned businesses. Lake Street’s rejuvenation has continued into the current century as business and community leaders build on the work begun by those 20th-century urban pioneers.

Cover image for Minneapolis's Lake Street, isbn: 9781467104678

Sauk Rapids and Benton County

9780738519609

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Sauk Rapids and Benton County tells the rich and interesting history of one of the oldest counties in the state of Minnesota. Benton County was named for Thomas Hart Benton, long time Senator from Missouri, for his efforts in securing the passage of the Homestead Act that helped early settlers, their families, and the descendants live and prosper in this region. Sauk Rapids, one of the five original townships created in Benton County in 1858, was named for the rapids of the Mississippi River near downtown. For several years the village was the northernmost point of steamboat navigation on the Mississippi River for passengers coming up from the Twin Cities.

Featuring nearly 200 vintage photographs, Sauk Rapids and Benton County takes the reader on a historic tour of the past from the Indian settlements of the Ojibwe, to the Great Northern Railroad, to the Sauk Rapids cyclone of 1886, to the Benton County ancestors, and to their present-day descendants with their businesses, industries, and daily activities.

Group of uniformed men posing outdoors in front of a brick building under Sauk Rapids and Benton County label

The Stewartville Area

9780738560007

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Charles Stewart, a Scotsman saddened by the death of his first wife, Margaret McNab, left his infant daughter with his paternal grandparents and headed west from his native New York to begin a new life. It was the early 1850s when Stewart arrived in the territory that was to become southeastern Minnesota. Here he saw the Root River as a potential power source for a flour mill. He received permission to dam the river, which created Lake Florence, a longtime attraction in Stewartville, the city named in Stewart's honor. The area Stewart settled was known for its rich, fertile soil, its abundant timber stands, its wildlife, and its natural water supply, including the river.

The Stewartville Area cover with early 20th century cars and townspeople on a street.

Stillwater

9780738598949

$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%

Stillwater is located 20 miles east of St. Paul on the banks of the scenic St. Croix River and the Wisconsin border. Settled in 1843, Stillwater became the center of the lumber industry in the upper Midwest for the next 75 years. During the late 1880s and early 1890s, more logs passed down the St. Croix River than any other place in the world, and the lumber produced in Stillwater was used to build the central part of the United States. One of the first institutions authorized by the Territory of Minnesota, the prison, was located in Stillwater. Three of the most notorious convicts were the Younger brothers--Cole, Jim, and Bob--who, along with Frank and Jesse James, tried to rob the bank in Northfield in 1876. The Jameses eluded capture, but the Youngers served 25 years behind the stone walls of the Stillwater Prison.

Stillwater Images of America book cover with a vintage river steamboat and crowd along the dock

The Kashubian Polish Community of Southeastern Minnesota

9780738518855

$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%

The Kashubian people in Southeastern Minnesota are a small yet distinct group of people; small, because in a world-view they are few in number, emigrated from a small area in Poland, and settled in a relatively small area similar to the area they left; distinctive, because of the cohesiveness of the community, and moreso, because the Kashubian language is unusual even in Poland. This book describes the culture of the Kashubian community, illustrated with over 200 vintage images. It salvages a history that has almost been amalgamated into the swirling melting pot because of the difficulty of their language, the spelling of their names, and the lack of recognition of their efforts. From the first Polish-American fighters who gave their lives to the Civil War, to the lumber mills that offered so many new residents means of survival, these photographs visually outline the experiences of the earliest Kashubian immigrants, and a history nearly lost.

Cover image for The Kashubian Polish Community of Southeastern Minnesota, isbn: 9780738518855

Elk River

9780738577203

$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%

Fur trade posts were established along the Upper Mississippi River between St. Anthony and St. Cloud during the first part of the 19th century. One of these trading posts was established by Pierre Bottineau on the bluffs just north of the mouth of the Elk River between Orono (upper town) and Elk River (lower town) in 1850. As the fur trade slowed, the logging industry took over and numerous sawmills sprung up along the rivers. Ard Godfrey, well known in the milling industry, established the first mill in Orono in 1851. As the township of Elk River grew, the population jumped from 7 people in 1849 to 134 in 1857. Ponds and gullies were drained and filled to make room for more businesses. In Elk River, learn about the Civil War soldiers, the dynamiting of the Blind Pig Saloon, the murder of Deputy Sheriff Ed Foley, devastating fires, and the Boxcar Murder, told through pictures and newspaper clippings.

Cover image for Elk River, isbn: 9780738577203

Lanesboro, Minnesota

9780738520315

$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%

In 1942, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Sinclair Lewis wrote that the Lanesboro area was "...worthy of Vermont in its sturdy quietude. Through all this district, secret little valleys branch off from the major valleys of the Root River, and there is room enough and view enough for 11,000 poets." Promoted in the late 1860s to east coast investors as an idyllic retreat, Lanesboro was established as a resort community and soon realized an impressive boom due to its unparalleled waterpower. Progressing not as a tourist area, but rather along other avenues of commerce, the community once hailed as the 'biggest little town in southeastern Minnesota' fell off the fast track of growth before its charm could be diminished by too much progress. Today Lanesboro's beautiful 1870s downtown is on the National Register of Historic Places, and the entire city is a haven for the arts-a showcase for the natural beauty that Sinclair Lewis touted more than sixty years ago.

Lanesboro Minnesota historic destination postcard with a vintage storefront and locals.

Bemidji

9780738599793

$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%

Bemidji links its early history to that of Shay-now-ish-kung, or Chief Bemidji, who lived with his family on the shores of the lovely lake bearing his name. After the Carson brothers opened their trading post in 1888, logging flourished and lumber camps boomed. Bemidji was incorporated in 1896, and the railroad reached the town in 1898. Hotels, businesses, and saloons mushroomed near the railroad tracks. Saloons and a brisk nightlife kept Bemidji in the news until federal agent W.E. "Pussyfoot" Johnson and his deputies closed the saloons and made it a more respectable place to live. Early settlers took advantage of the beautiful shoreline to develop summer hotels and parks. Kodak reported that the spot where the statues of Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox stand is the second-most-photographed tourist attraction in the United States.

Sepia cover of Images of America Bemidji with people posing beside oversized animal statues.

Reform Jews of Minneapolis

9780738532172

$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%

The German Jews who began coming to Minneapolis in the 1850s quickly entered society as doctors, lawyers, professors, merchants, and leaders in clothing and cigar manufacturing. In 1878 they founded Shaarai Tov, now Temple Israel--one of the ten largest Reform congregations in the U.S. today. They also enjoyed a busy social and cultural life, and both husbands and wives involved themselves in social service and welfare organizations. Including historic and present-day photographs and tales of the community--schools, synagogues, organizations, and outdoor activities--this collection uncovers the challenges and triumphs of Reform Jews in Minneapolis.

Cover image for Reform Jews of Minneapolis, isbn: 9780738532172

Cass County

9780738552071

$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%

In 1849, the Leech Lake Agency for the Ojibwa peoples was established southwest of Agency Bay on Leech Lake. A government trail wound its way north through the wilderness from Fort Ripley to the agency. The establishment of this trail encouraged exploration and settlement of the area that became Cass County. Fur traders, explorers, and missionaries were followed by the lumber industry. The Ojibwas ceded their lands, which went up for public auction in the 1870s, and the logging companies purchased thousands of acres of these lands. By 1895, the Minnesota Logging Company was in the northern part of the county and built the Brainerd, Northern and Minnesota Railroad, which was sold to the Minnesota and International, which was the first railroad in Cass County. Small towns were platted out by town site companies and quickly settled by immigrants and others seeking new opportunities. Cass County presently has 15 villages and 50 townships. Tourism was first introduced into the county when a trainload of 300 tourists from St. Cloud arrived for a weekend of fishing on Leech Lake. Tourism is the county's number one industry today.

Cover image for Cass County, isbn: 9780738552071

Carver County

9780738582788

$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%

Located just southwest of the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, Carver County was established by the Minnesota Territorial Legislature in 1855. The Minnesota and the South Fork of the Crow Rivers flow through this Big Woods county of Minnesota. Named after explorer Capt. Jonathan Carver and built on a predominantly agrarian culture, it boasts one of the richest farmlands in the state. Arrival of the railroads resulted in prosperous new industries and businesses and made it a popular resort destination. In the 1890s, the abundance of dairy farms and creameries earned it the nickname, the "Golden Buckle of the Dairy Belt." Many local farmers such as Andrew Peterson, Wendelin Grimm, and Henry Lyman became nationally recognized for their horticultural contributions and achievements. Hundreds of vintage photographs and postcards that depict everyday life in Carver County through the 1950s were collected and researched. This work is a tribute to the citizens of Carver County, whose pride in their rich history inspired this book.

Images of America Carver County cover in sepia with a group of people posed in front of a wooden building

Lake Minnetonka

9781467113342

$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%

Known to native peoples for centuries as a sacred place and hunting ground, the ninth largest of Minnesota's 10,000 lakes remained unchanged until its shores were opened to settlement in 1851. The following year, New York promoter George Bertram wrote, For healthfulness of climate, fertility of soil, beauty of scenery and nearness to markets [it] cannot be surpassed by any other locality in the country, being within twelve or fifteen miles of two of the most important towns in the territory . . . navigable for steam and other boats over forty-one miles, its waters clear as crystal and abounding with fish. Settlers began to flock to Lake Minnetonka's 120 miles of shoreline, clearing the Big Woods and building new lives in the wilderness. Soon, the lake became a tourist destination; thousands traveled across the country to stay in its lavish hotels, ride in massive steamboats, and enjoy the lake's beauty.

Cover image for Lake Minnetonka, isbn: 9781467113342

Plymouth

9781467104234

$23.99 $16.79 Save 30%

Years before Minnesota became a state in 1858, hopeful land speculators designed a plan for a town named Plymouth, built on the northwest shore of Parkers Lake.

A gristmill and other structures were raised, but a flood in 1857 destroyed the fledgling pioneer town.Settlers continued to arrive, though, setting up homesteads in the 36 square miles of Township 118. By the time Hennepin County commissioners christened the township Plymouth, over 400 citizens resided within its borders. Over the next century, this close-knit farming community, located just 12 miles from downtown Minneapolis, maintained its rural roots. Urbanization finally took hold in 1972 when Plymouth installed its first traffic light. Now the seventh-largest city in Minnesota, Plymouth reflects a newly diverse and dynamic American suburb where industrial, residential, and recreational areas converge. This book aims to bridge Plymouth’s past with its present, connecting the city’s newest pioneers with those who founded it so many years ago.

Sarah Winans is a resident of Plymouth and a volunteer with the Plymouth Historical Society. She is an award-winning educator with experience making history accessible to people of all ages. Natasha Thoreson is the historic site manager for the City of Plymouth. She directs operations at the Plymouth Historical Society, helping to discover, preserve, and share the history of Plymouth, Minnesota.

Cover image for Plymouth, isbn: 9781467104234

Robbinsdale

9781467111614

$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%

Robbinsdale was named for entrepreneur, politician, and real estate developer Andrew B. Robbins. While serving in the Minnesota State Senate, Robbins often passed through the area just north of Minneapolis by train. Impressed by the landscape, he purchased 90 acres of rolling hills and lakes. In 1887, he platted a tract called Robbinsdale Park. Five years later, the development was incorporated as a village bearing his name. Robbins worked tirelessly to attract residents, business, and industry. When the transit company refused to extend a streetcar line to the area, he built his own. City dwellers came out in droves to enjoy hunting, fishing, boating, and the bathing beaches on Robbinsdale's lakes. In the 1920s, the village gained notoriety with every new issue of Captain Billy's Whiz Bang. Created by local veteran Wilford Hamilton Fawcett, the little humor magazine launched a publishing empire. Along with the rest of the country, Robbinsdale grew up in the 20th century, but the first suburb of Minneapolis still feels like the small town Andrew B. Robbins dreamed up more than a century ago.

Robbinsdale cover shows a sepia photo of a dairy delivery crew in coats holding milk crates beside a vintage milk truck

Dayton's Department Store

9780738550619

$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%

Dayton's department store, grand in scope and company spirit, enjoyed a century in the limelight as one of the nation's leading retailers. Its disappearance has been a challenge to the community, but it is a sign of the times, as many other urban department stores have shared the same fate. Originally called Goodfellows, the store got its start in 1902 when real estate investor and banker George Draper Dayton became a silent partner in the business. He soon took over the company but had to learn the ropes of retail as he went along since he had never intended to become a merchant. The early years were not without struggles, but Dayton's department store was nevertheless an instant hit with its daylight-filled aisles, generous return policies, and quality merchandise. The Minneapolis store became a vibrant self-contained community with a post office, newspaper, infirmary, laundry, bakery, and even a college. "Daytonians" worked and played together around the clock, in baseball and bowling teams, glee clubs, and orchestras. Over time, the reach of Dayton's extended far into the upper Midwest, with stores in North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin, including the development of the nation's first indoor mall.

Cover image for Dayton's Department Store, isbn: 9780738550619

Mower County

9780738519920

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The history of Mower County, Minnesota, is the story of its people-their dreams, their hard work, their joys, and their disappointments. It is the story of the Native Americans who built mounds and lived in villages along the shores of the lakes. It is the story of the early pioneers who braved the hot, sticky summers and the sub-zero winters. It is the story of the merchants, who believed in the future of these small farming communities, and the entrepreneurs, who platted sites for new villages.

These stories are told here with the help of over 200 vintage prints and photographs from each of the twenty townships that make up Mower County. In these townships, many communities have developed over the years. Some lived only a short time, dying out because they were bypassed by the railroads that crossed Southern Minnesota, or because the villages could not attract settlers. Those that survived grew, and to this day provide homes for descendants of the earliest pioneers, as well as newer residents, who were drawn by industry or the beauty of Southern Minnesota.

Cover image for Mower County, isbn: 9780738519920

Brainerd

9781467110365

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In 1870, the Northern Pacific Railroad survey crew chose the spot where the tracks from Duluth to Moorhead would cross the Mississippi River. By March 1871, the first train rolled into Brainerd, named for the family of the wife of railroad president J. Gregory Smith. As the town site agent, Lyman P. White was responsible for platting the city and was therefore known as the Father of Brainerd. The railroad established its headquarters and general offices in Brainerd, which quickly drew thousands of workers to the new town, known as the City of Pines. Many boardinghouses, saloons, churches, homes, and businesses quickly sprang up to accommodate them. Important industries developed, including logging, lumbering, brick making, ice harvesting, and more. Brainerd's well-known landmark, the historic water tower, was the first concrete elevated water tank in the United States. Brainerd has been home to a wide variety of politicians, artists, actors, athletes, authors, and musicians.

Cover image for Brainerd, isbn: 9781467110365

Architecture of Minneapolis Parks

9780738560267

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Buildings, bridges, and much more--these are the treasures in or near Minneapolis parks that are rarely given attention. This book diverts the reader from the traditional park elements of lakes, woods, streams, and playfields and focuses instead on the rich architectural components they offer. Buildings range from the 160-year-old Godfrey house, believed to be the oldest standing house in Minneapolis, to the recently completed shelters in the Wabun picnic area at Minnehaha Park. Many architects, from Stanford White to Harry Jones to Frank Gehry, have left their marks either on parkland or across the street. Some of their notables are presented in this book. One of the most popular icons of Minneapolis, the Lake Harriet Bandstand, with a long list of predecessors and once painted blue, rounds out this presentation.

Architecture of Minneapolis Parks cover showing brick columns and surrounding native plants

Pine City

9780738577401

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Laden with pines and interspersed with lakes and rivers, Pine City has long served as the gateway to Minnesota's Northwoods. Over the years, people have traveled through the area via the river, military road, railroads, and scenic highway. In the 1880s, as people of European decent were settling in, the crux of the community moved from Chengwatana, Ojibwe for City of Pines, to a location west of there, nearer the rail line, called Pine City. The story begins with the fur trade and takes one through a fascinating journey of the logging industry, showing the rural community's transition from predominantly agricultural underpinnings to a more diversified economy. This collection of vintage photographs highlights Pine City's laboring people and other influences that have had roles in shaping what it is today-a city of great history, unique people, nostalgic small-town traditions, and mystifying legends.

Cover image for Pine City, isbn: 9780738577401

Waseca County, Minnesota

9780738520476

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Waseca County, Minnesota, is comprised of a number of unique communities-Alma City, New Richland, Waldorf, Otisco, Janesville, Palmer, and the county seat of Waseca-each adding to the county's rich history and remarkable scenic beauty. The county can boast of nine architectural gems on the National Register of Historic Sites. These distinctive landmarks include the Richardsonian Romanesque-style Waseca County Courthouse, the Greek Revival-style Janesville Public Library, and the Gothic Revival-style Vista Lutheran Church in Otisco Township. Historic houses include the P.C. Bailey House, built in 1868 and one of Waseca's oldest homes, as well as the R. Percy Ward House, home to one of the area's most prominent turn-of-the-century businessmen.

With over 200 vintage photographs Waseca County showcases not only the buildings and businesses of this historic county, but also the people who helped contribute to its growth and prosperity, people whose devotion to education, history, and a sense of community continues to grow.

Images of America Waseca County Minnesota cover with a black sign framed in red over a sepia rural scene

Minnesota's Angling Past

9781467110532

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The importance of fishing in Minnesota goes back thousands of years: first as a means of critical subsistence and then, in the last 200 years, as a major economic influence. In the 1800s, anglers seeking pristine lakes with ample fish traveled to Minnesota on the railroads. The widespread use of automobiles and an improving road system rapidly increased the state's accessibility in the 1900s, and resorts sprouted everywhere. During the early tourist boom, the state was also home to countless boat builders, tackle manufacturers, and other fishing-related businesses. Images of America: Minnesota's Angling Past provides a view of the time when boats were made from wood and propelled by rowing; when great fishing spots were found through experience rather than electronics; and, for some, a suit or dress was proper attire for a day of fishing. This book includes rare images from across the state that capture memorable days of angling, such as the 1955 Leech Lake Muskie Rampage.

Cover image for Minnesota's Angling Past, isbn: 9781467110532

Detroit Lakes

9780738584041

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Detroit Lakes, Minnesota, was incorporated in 1871 as the village of Detroit. Detroit became a boomtown in the late 19th century because of the vast supply of timber that dominated the landscape of northwest Minnesota at the time. The population grew by leaps and bounds, and by 1900 the census recorded 2,060 residents. In 1926, the US Postal Service officially changed the town's name to Detroit Lakes in order to avoid confusion with Detroit, Michigan. The lush landscape of lakes and rivers created a natural vacation destination, and tourism pioneers like John K. West began to market to the newly moneyed industrialists of the Gilded Age, promising steamboat transportation and boardwalks to the shoreline. Today, Detroit Lakes remains a vibrant city with thriving resort and business communities. It is the heart of lakes country and continues to provide a welcoming atmosphere for visitors and residents alike.

Cover of Images of America Detroit Lakes featuring a bustling vintage street scene and storefronts

Freeborn County, Minnesota

9780738503035

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Freeborn County is home to pioneers from many different nations. Their common denominator was the rich farmland and the related businesses that promised a good life for their families. When Lt. Albert Miller Lea surveyed the area in 1835 with the Dragoons of Fort Des Moines, he described sparkling lakes encircled by gently sloping woodlands, smooth prairies interspersed with shady groves and rich with the melody of feathered songsters--one of the most beautiful lands ever witnessed.

Cover of Freeborn County Minnesota showing a flooded main street with children and early houses.

Nicollet Island

9780738577913

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Above St. Anthony Falls, in the middle of the Mississippi River, hidden in the heart of Minneapolis, lies Wita Waste, the beautiful island. Named Wita Waste by Dakota Indians, it is known now as Nicollet Island, the only inhabited island in the Mississippi. Over the centuries, it has been a sacred birthing place, at the center of the lumber and flour-milling industries that built Minneapolis, and involved in the collapse of the Eastman tunnel, which almost doomed those industries. One of Minneapolis's largest fires, the great conflagration of 1893, started there. It has been the home of pioneers, veterans, elite barons of the Gilded Age, Roman Catholic monks, hippies, artists, vagrants, and donkeys. Many of their houses still remain, preserving Minneapolis's architectural heritage. Nicollet Island has been at the center of numerous controversies ranging from its original land claim to proposals to locate the state capitol there, to, more recently, the threatened demolition of its historic houses. Nicollet Island is the history of Minnesota in miniature, and its tale is one of beauty, romance, disaster, and conflict.

Cover image for Nicollet Island, isbn: 9780738577913

Ham Lake

9781467114035

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Ham Lake is a six-mile-by-six-mile township as prescribed in the Northwest Territories Act of 1787. One of the area's major lakes looks exactly like a slice of ham, with an island as the ham bone, thus the name. In 1856, a town named Glen Carey, Scottish for Beautiful Valley, was formed southwest of the lake. Seven or eight homes were built, but a prairie fire burned them out. In 1866, Mads Gilbertson, a native of Norway, was the first permanent settler; other Scandinavians followed. Early settlers found the soil well suited for farming and developed churches, schools, and commercial centers. Farmers raised pigs, turkeys, cattle, and horses, along with corn, wheat, potatoes, and other vegetables and fruit. Ham Lake became the sod-producing capital of Minnesota. Eventually, the town subdivided those farms and grew housing developments—the most profitable crop yet.

Cover image for Ham Lake, isbn: 9781467114035

Eden Prairie

9780738531885

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Nestled on the banks of the Minnesota River, the city of Eden Prairie possesses a vibrant history and a unique heritage. This book showcases over 200 historic photographs, many of which are published for the first time, to document Eden Prairie's rural roots and urban progress, from the 1850s, when immigrants began to settle in the region, through the present day. Author Marie Berger Wittenberg takes readers on a visual tour of Eden Prairie's founding families, its notable historic homes and businesses, and the churches, schools, landmarks, and organizations that have shaped the community as it is known today.

Sepia-toned cover of Eden Prairie featuring a large group of children posed in front of a house.

Hibbing, Minnesota

9780738518596

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Surrounded by large stands of virgin white and red pines, an enterprising iron prospector named Frank Hibbing set up camp on a bitterly cold day in January of 1892. When he awoke the next day, he insisted that there was iron beneath him-he could "feel it in his bones." He staked his claim near that campsite, and after digging several test pits, one of the world's richest deposits of iron ore was found.

Beginning as a small collection of tents and log cabins, the Village of Hibbing was incorporated in August of 1893. It became one of the largest of the mining towns along the Mesabi Range, attracting immigrants of many backgrounds such as Finnish, Italian, Slavic, Swedish, and Greek. This mixture of diverse backgrounds gave Hibbing a unique culture that remains evident today. From Minnesota's famous dual in 1910 between friends Sam Kacich and Pete Radovich, to the relocation of the entire village in the 1920s, Hibbing, Minnesota takes us back in time to the days of pioneers, horse-drawn carriages, and a love of the land that has been passed on from generation to generation.

Cover image for Hibbing, Minnesota, isbn: 9780738518596

Willmar

9781467128605

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It was the 1850s when the first settlers arrived in the area that would become Willmar, Minnesota. Encouraged by the land itself, they came for the fertile soil and the beauty and serenity provided by the landscape. Calamity would strike in 1862 due to the Dakota War, causing residents to flee for safer pastures. In 1869, the Great Northern Railroad would again call settlers to Kandiyohi County. Most of Scandinavian descent, this hardy lot would not be driven from the land again. In 1870, acting as agent for the St. Paul & Pacific Railroad, Leon Chadwick Willmar purchased the title to Section 1 of Willmar Township. The following year, Willmar was officially named a city and became the county seat of Kandiyohi County. As the years passed from then to now, Willmar residents would face success and challenge, feast and famine, and partnership and controversy. No matter the circumstance, they would band together to face whatever arrived and join together in both celebration and sorrow.

Cover image for Willmar, isbn: 9781467128605

Rogers, Hassan Township, and Fletcher Remembered

9780738541112

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The heavily wooded area of western Hennepin County, known as the "Big Woods" to early explorers, slowly transformed into three trade centers with the first permanent settlers staking their claims to land in 1854. The initial pioneers emigrated from such faraway places as Germany, Ireland, England, and France in search of a better life, and the fact that many of their ancestors still reside in the area demonstrates they found just that. Rogers, Hassan Township, and Fletcher Remembered is a photographic tour of three early trade centers that formed a community. The pictures, newspaper clippings, and stories provided by local residents and businesses capture the rich history of the area and illustrate how emphasis on church, education, commerce, and entertainment created the endless opportunities enjoyed today.

Cover image for Rogers, Hassan Township, and Fletcher Remembered, isbn: 9780738541112

Kanabec County

9780738590561

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Featuring 217 historic photographs, Images of America: Kanabec County guides readers on an exciting journey into the past as it explores the daily lives of the people who helped make Kanabec County, in East Central Minnesota, what it is today. Each chapter examines a unique aspect of Kanabec County's history. Readers meet Native Americans, settlers, and loggers from the county's earliest days; learn about early government, industries, and transportation; catch a glimpse of towns and villages in the 19th and 20th centuries; go on a shopping trip with county residents; discover the fascinating histories of area schools and churches; and find out what Kanabec County people did for fun in the days before television and computers.

Kanabec County Images of America cover depicting five people in a boat on a lake with a tree lined shore

Wabasha County

9780738500546

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Wabasha County captures the spirit of a region and its people through rare historic photographs, many of which are previously unpublished. A truly multicultural community, Wabasha County has been home to residents of Canadian, French, English, Irish, Native American, and German origin. The earliest known pioneers, Augustine Rocque and his family, became the first white people to occupy a year-round residence in Minnesota in 1826. Within these pages, discover the people and events that have shaped Wabasha County's history over the past 170 years. Wabasha County was named after the great chief Wabashaw II. Many aspects of Wabasha's heritage are featured here, including the dewakanton Band of the Dakotas, riverboats of the Mississippi, pioneers and their descendants, and buildings throughout the area. Author Judith Giem Elliott has produced a volume that truly reflects the value Wabasha County's residents place upon their rich and colorful history.

Wabasha County cover from Images of America with a vintage train scene and Judith Giem Elliott credit

Uptown Minneapolis

9780738533582

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One of Minneapolis' most celebrated communities, Uptown is a distinct group of four vibrant neighborhoods that have long offered a host of cultural treasures to residents and visitors alike. In addition to the entertainment provided by the area's nightspots and lakes, Uptown also has a long history of presenting its residents with a wide range of housing choices, schools,churches and temples, parks, restaurants, and stores. This book uses rare photographs to document and celebrate Uptown's development from a 19th-century summer retreat and agricultural area into a thriving metropolitan business, entertainment, and residential district. From the Minneapolis Arena-home to the Minneapolis millers and the Ice Follies-to Lake Calhoun and Lake of the Isles, and from historic homes and majestic theaters to the Buzza greeting card factory. Uptown Minneapolis takes readers on a scenic journey through the heritage of this much-loved community.

Cover image for Uptown Minneapolis, isbn: 9780738533582

Savage

9780738590554

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Savage's history is deep and diverse. The city was home to a famous racehorse and its owner, the site where Charles Lindbergh's plane crashed, and a prominent ship-building industry that thrived during World War II. It all started in 1852 when a small trading post was established at the mouth of the Credit River where it empties into the Minnesota River. Soon, the town of Hamilton was established, and its residents made a living farming and trading. In the early 1900s, Marion Willis Savage purchased a pacer named Dan Patch and built the International Stock Food Farm along the river. In 1904, the depot agent suggested Hamilton be renamed Savage after the man who brought notoriety to the town with Dan Patch, a horse that set records and charmed crowds until his death in 1916. Today, the horse that was viewed as a symbol of the past serves as a beacon to residents who continue to celebrate the city's heritage along with the natural beauty of the community.

Savage book cover with a sepia photo of a ship being launched and a crowd watching

Shoreview, Minnesota

9780738518602

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This fascinating pictorial history arrives as the City of Shoreview marks its 45th anniversary of incorporation. In over 200 historic photographs, Verna Rusler tracks the area's development, from its roots as a farming community and recreational area to today's bustling city. During the early 1800s, the area now known as Shoreview was part of the Indian Territory. By 1850, Samuel Eaton and the aptly named Socrates Thompson philosophized that the Shoreview area would make for an ideal land claim. More than one hundred years later, residents voted to incorporate as a village, with the first mayor being Kenneth Hanold. Shortly thereafter, it became a city. Shoreview includes images of familiar lost landmarks, from the summer cottages and farms that formerly dotted the shores of the community's lakes and ponds, to the Snail Lake Tavern, where Chicago gangsters mixed with local residents.

Cover image for Shoreview, Minnesota, isbn: 9780738518602

Northern Pine County

9780738583440

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Featuring over 210 historical photographs, Images of America: Northern Pine County guides readers on an exciting journey into the past as it explores the successes and sorrows as well as the joys and trials of the people of northern Pine County, Minnesota. Each chapter examines a unique aspect of their daily lives. Readers meet loggers and settlers from the county's earliest days, catch a glimpse of many towns and villages, and encounter a variety of industries, businesses, schools, and churches that shaped the area's economic and social landscapes. Life was not easy for the people who called northern Pine County home. On September 1, 1894, and again on October 12, 1918, forest fires devastated portions of the county, killing hundreds, destroying thousands of acres, and leaving countless residents homeless. While photographs cannot capture the heartache of fire victims, they do provide a window into northern Pine County's rich history and help tell the fascinating stories of its residents.

Vintage sepia cover for Northern Pine County showing a lumber crew at a quarry.

Camp Ripley

9780738550787

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Camp Ripley is the successor to Minnesota's first formally established National Guard training facility, Camp Lakeview, which was located on the shores of Lake Pepin and south of the town of Lake City. The new post took its name from Fort Ripley, a U.S. Army frontier fort that opened in 1849. The fort's original site with its remaining ruins are encompassed within the current boundaries of the
Camp Ripley Military Reservation. Since the camp was expanding its facilities during the Great Depression, numerous individuals employed by federal New Deal programs participated in the building of Camp Ripley. In words and images, Camp Ripley: 1930-1960 documents the history of the camp during the first three decades of its existence. The images in this book have been selected from the archives of the Minnesota Military Museum as well as the Minnesota Department of Military Affairs and private collections.

Cover image for Camp Ripley, isbn: 9780738550787

Martin County

9780738577210

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When the first settlers arrived in Martin County in March 1856, the county was part of Brown and Faribault Counties. Perhaps these settlers heard the stories told by soldiers who passed through the region. They spoke of the many lakes and streams of clear water and abundant fish and waterfowl, ever-popular fur-bearing mammals, and timber stands where elk, deer, and buffalo foraged. Word spread fast, and by the winter of 1856-1857, the population of Martin County exploded to 20 men, 9 women, and 23 children. Martin County provides a visual record of the many cities in the county, from Dunnell to Truman and back down to East Chain and all the rest in between. There are photographs of the blizzard of 1881, a 1918 Red Cross auction, men balancing on telephone poles, and much more.

Martin County Images of America book cover with a sepia group photo posed in front of a large house.

Alexandria

9780738598529

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Beautiful Alexandria, Minnesota, in the heart of lake country, offers something for everyone. Home to internationally recognized businesses, a bustling downtown, a thriving tourism industry, and a lively arts community, Alexandria is a city with a rich history and a bright future. On these pages, one will discover how the unique spirit of Alexandria grew out of its early days as a pioneer outpost. That spirit grew as men and women built the downtown still seen today, as tourists came to experience the pristine lakes and rolling hills, and as families set down roots. It is the same spirit of exploration, entrepreneurship, and enthusiasm that still stirs visitors and locals alike. Take a journey though the history of this special town and find out why there is a giant Viking statue on Broadway, why the Kensington Runestone continues to stir up controversy, and why the ghosts of Alexandria's past continue to whisper into her future.

Cover image for Alexandria, isbn: 9780738598529

Long Prairie

9781467129039

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The area known today as Long Prairie was once the battleground of the Sioux and Chippewa Native American tribes. With the arrival of the US government–established Winnebago Agency in 1845, Long Prairie became the first white settlement in what became Todd County. Approximately 700 Winnebagos and 150 buildings were located here. Since those days, town roads have been cut from the sloping hillsides, straightened, and leveled. The river traffic succumbed to the power of the railroad. The addition of a stunning courthouse in 1883, overlooking the townsite, has greeted families and visitors for generations. The historic main street, lovingly built by the founding members, has given Long Prairie that comforting sense of place that only small towns seem to have. Long Prairie, home to generations of people, has seen many changes.

Cover image for Long Prairie, isbn: 9781467129039

Preston

9780738532363

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Nestled in a lush valley along the banks of the Root River, Preston, Minnesota, is ideally located at the geographic center of Fillmore County. The earliest settlers found the area rich with everything they needed to build a community: timber, building stone, water power, and fertile soils. By 1860, Preston was a bustling business and government center in the heart of the most populous county in Minnesota. With rare and vintage photographs culled from the collection of the Fillmore County History Center, as well as from the albums and scrapbooks of many local residents, this book brings together nearly 200 images of Preston and its environs.

Cover image for Preston, isbn: 9780738532363

Spring Grove

9780738519494

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Spring Grove: Minnesota's First Norwegian Settlement is a tribute to the state's earliest Norwegian emigrants, and to generations of Norwegian Americans who have made this small farming community amongst deep valleys, fjord-like bluffs, and winding streams their true vesterheim. It is a tale told through striking historic photographs, many previously unreleased, and personal narratives, often humorous and always insightful.

The area was first settled in the 1850s by pioneers like James Smith, who, inspired by the landscape, named the place Spring Grove. Smith was followed by the likes of "Big" Ole Gulbransgutton, who chased crooked land surveyors out of town with his bare fist; by the innovative Mons Fladager, whose business acumen earned him the title of "Father of Spring Grove"; and by the 20th-century cartoonist Peter J. Rosendahl, whose work gave a comical voice to the challenges of cultural assimilation. Spring Grove: Minnesota's First Norwegian Settlement also conveys the universality of the Norwegian immigrant experience, and anyone with Norwegian roots who desires to learn more about their ancestors will find it an enjoyable read.

Cover image for Spring Grove, isbn: 9780738519494

Stevens County

9780738540825

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The land area that came to be known as Stevens County was ceded to the United States government by the Dakota Indians in the treaty of the Traverse des Sioux in 1851. Government and railroad exploration parties, Red River Trail oxcarts, and pioneers and missionaries had come through the area long before it was officially ceded or settled. After the Dakota uprising of 1862, the United States government made the decision to put a fort in Dakota Territory. In 1864, Fort Wadsworth, later called Fort Sisseton, was built. Mule teams with supplies for soldiers and Native Americans, and pioneers began traveling in greater numbers across the tallgrass prairies of Stevens County from St. Cloud and into Dakota Territory. Pioneers from many different countries settled in Stevens County to break up the prairie sod and plant wheat and tree claims on their homesteaded land. Grasshoppers, prairie fires, and blizzards tested their determination, but the hardy ones survived to provide for their children's education, organize local governments, and build homes, churches, and businesses.

Cover image for Stevens County, isbn: 9780738540825

St. Cloud

9781467163255

$24.99

St. Cloud, Minnesota, sits at the crossroads of urban and rural life, blending the modern city with agrarian landscapes. As the heart of central Minnesota, St. Cloud’s strategic location at the intersection of major highways, railroads, and the Mississippi River made it a hub of transportation, commerce, and industry.

Workers established St. Cloud’s reputation for high-quality goods and strong infrastructure. These industries also influenced local neighborhoods, as many laborers settled near their work and formed tight-knit communities where traditions, languages, and cultural practices were preserved and expanded upon. Individuals like Jane Grey Swisshelm, A.G. Whitney, and Samuel Pandolfo also helped shape the distinctive history of St. Cloud. The seat of Stearns County, a center of industry, and a haven for immigrants and refugees, St. Cloud has played a pivotal role in the history of central Minnesota since its founding.

The roots of the Stearns History Museum are found in the Old Settlers Association of the 1890s. Out of these early efforts to preserve the history of Stearns County came the organization of the Stearns County Historical Society in 1936. The Stearns County Heritage Center was constructed in 1984 to securely house and preserve the county’s historic artifacts and records. Now known as the Stearns History Museum, it remains central Minnesota’s premier destination for experiencing history. Miranda Stueckrath is its public program librarian, and Grant Wilson is its archivist.

Cover image for St. Cloud, isbn: 9781467163255

Crookston

9781467110150

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Crookston was first settled in 1872, organized in 1876, and incorporated in 1879. By 1880, the enterprising young town known as the "Queen City of the Northwest" had 1,500 inhabitants. Its location on the Red Lake River and in the fertile Red River Valley secured its tenure as the Polk County seat. Crookston first served the northwest as a trading center, then as a grain shipping point, a lumbering center with large sawmills, a brewery and liquor distribution base, and a railroad hub with terminal facilities, a roundhouse, and office headquarters. It was also a banking center of the prospering northwest. By 1915, Crookston's population of over 8,000 people made it the 14th-most-populated city in Minnesota.

Crookston cover from Images of America depicting a nostalgic street scene with vintage cars.

Lyn-Lake

9780738583310

$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%

The Lyn-Lake area of Minneapolis, centered around the intersection of Lyndale Avenue and West Lake Street, is one of the city's most distinctive neighborhoods. The core commercial district is one of the oldest in South Minneapolis, thanks in part to its strategic location along several early streetcar lines. A rail line along Twenty-ninth Street, now the Midtown Greenway, brought an industrial element to the neighborhood and provided additional jobs for the thousands of residents who lived in the surrounding houses and apartment buildings. As the neighborhood evolved, it took on a distinctive bohemian bent and filled with a diverse mix of artists, musicians, and writers living side by side with blue-collar industrial workers, along with those who worked at professional office jobs downtown. Lyn-Lake retains its unique flavor today, characterized by its blend of both the historical and the cutting edge.

Cover image for Lyn-Lake, isbn: 9780738583310

Ewald Bros. Dairy

9781467126847

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For nearly 100 years, the Ewald family has been associated with delivering the world's finest milk to families of Minneapolis and surrounding suburbs. In 1886, the 16-year-old Chris Ewald, who had recently emigrated from Denmark with his widowed mother and siblings, secured a position on a milk route to help pay his family's expenses. Chris eventually purchased the milk route, which is now marked as the beginning of the dairy. Ewald Bros. grew by continuous expansion on the merits of quality dairy products, customer service, and loyalty, eventually becoming the largest home-delivery dairy operation in Minneapolis. With nearly 300 employees, Ewald Bros. quickly became one of the city's largest employers. Formerly located in North Minneapolis, the company was well recognized for its large two-story creamery covering two city blocks and its bright-yellow milk trucks.

Coming soon cover placeholder for Ewald Bros Dairy book.

Blue Earth County, Minnesota

9780738508306

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The first white settlers came to what is now Blue Earth County in 1852, and discovered an abundance of rich land, streams, rivers, and lakes for survival in southern Minnesota. Showcasing photographs from the area's first 70 years, the Blue Earth County Historical Society has compiled over 200 images of the lifestyles and advancements of its earliest settlers.

The pioneers of Blue Earth County recognized the potential for success at the bend in the Minnesota River, and forged a vibrant community out of the big woods and prairies of southern Minnesota. Pictured here are the fruits of those settlers' labors, seen in vintage images from the townships of Blue Earth County, including life on the farms and in the towns.

Historic crowd photo in front of a house beneath a decorative Blue Earth County Minnesota sign.

Rock County

9781467111386

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Rock County, located in the southwest corner of Minnesota, is proud to share its history through a pictorial journey of settlement, growth, and development. The county is, and has always been, an agricultural community. One of its outstanding features is the Sioux Quartzite cliff line visible to settlers who moved in or came through the area as well as today's residents and visitors. The cliff line is 120 feet high and stretches for about two miles. It was formed through the early glacier period and travels northwest through Rock County, past the South Dakota border, before going back underground. The rock was quarried and used in many of the homes and businesses in Luverne and other Rock County communities.

Cover image for Rock County, isbn: 9781467111386

Around Clearwater

9781467116596

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Burrowed below bluffs overlooking the Mississippi and Clearwater Rivers, Clearwater's houses, its churches, and most of its original businesses resemble those that settlers had left behind in the East. With its arch-like trees sheltering Oak and Main Streets, the community remained home to many who lived and died there and those who had moved on only to return for yearly Old Settlers' gatherings. This sense of community allowed Clearwater to thrive. Flour and pulp mills lined the shores of the Clearwater River. Mercantile, hardware, jewelry, and drug stores cropped up, providing the products for a growing community. Trade once powered by steamboats on the Mississippi was taken over by James Hill's Great Northern Railroad. While the village and surroundings have changed over time, the original charm is still there, ready to be explored again.

Cover image for Around Clearwater, isbn: 9781467116596

Rochester

9780738531502

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In 1869 The Minnesota Guide summed up Rochester, Minnesota as a fine business point. Today Rochester is not only a fine business point but also a world-class medical center, a technology town, and a city of such favorable charms and amenities that it has been repeatedly recognized as the best place to live in America. The story of Rochester's journey from frontier crossroads to international destination is found in Rochester, Minnesota. With nearly 200 photographs and insightful commentary that help preserve the city's rich history, this book is a tribute to the individuals and institutions that gave rise to this classic Midwestern city. The homesteaders of the 19th century, the founders of Rochester's tradition of medical excellence, and many of the enterprises that contributed to Rochester's growth are remembered here.

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Moorhead

9780738533025

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Moorhead, Minnesota, was founded in 1872 as a major stop on the Northern Pacific Railroad during its push toward the Pacific Ocean. The town grew to prominence in western Minnesota because of its location at the intersection of the rail line and the commercially important Red River of the North. Garnering an unenviable reputation in its early years as a wide-open town, dominated by its saloons, Moorhead subsequently developed as an important rural service center. Tracing the history of Moorhead from its founding in 1872 to the present day, the images in this volume reveal the experiences of this small Midwestern community within a framework of change and continuity.

Cover image for Moorhead, isbn: 9780738533025

Enfield

9780738523095

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The area of Silver Creek Township was settled in the 1850s by Swedish immigrants who left their ancestral home to face the challenges of life in the new world. They cleared the land and developed a prosperous farming community, which they named Enfield when a post office was established in 1910. Enfield was a booming farm community in the early part of the 20th century, with schools, churches, a potato warehouse, a cheese factory, and its own baseball team. The rural farm community thrived for a century, but now the farming way of life has given way to a residential bedroom community for nearby Minneapolis. Those first homesteaders are long gone, but their legacy lives on, and many of their descendants continue to live and work in the community.

Book cover for Enfield in the Images of America series showing a vintage wagon and crowd in a Swedish American farm community scene.

Breezy Point

9781467114882

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In 1919, Wilford Hamilton Fawcett, better known as Captain Billy, published the first issue of Captain Billy's Whiz Bang. Filled with jokes and cartoons, the little magazine made a fortune for Fawcett. In 1921, he purchased 80 acres on the shore of Big Pelican Lake near Brainerd, Minnesota, and built a bluff-top village of cabins. The following year, as Fawcett Publications brought out True Confessions magazine, construction began on the Breezy Point Lodge. This magnificent log structure featured a ballroom, casino, billiard room, and bowling alley. After Fawcett's untimely death in 1940, the resort was closed until the end of World War II. When Breezy Point reopened, Minnesota families returned in droves. After a fire destroyed the main lodge in 1959, Breezy Point was rebuilt and reimagined by Hollywood entertainer Ginny Simms. The legendary resort has grown and changed over the years, but Fawcett's vision and adventurous spirit are still soaring above Big Pelican Lake and the piney woods of Breezy Point.

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Nobles County

9781467124881

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Located in the southwestern corner of Minnesota, Nobles County was first established in 1857. However, a financial panic and concerns about Indian conflicts delayed the area's settlement until the 1870s. Railroad companies had only recently expanded their rail networks to this part of the state. Meanwhile, hundreds of people, including many Civil War veterans, began migrating to the region to make their homestead claims. They were attracted to these virgin prairies by the allure of plentiful land and fertile soil. Other new settlers chose to reside in one of the many small towns that had sprung up around the railroad depots, offering business services and community support to townspeople and the growing farm population. Though there have been changes over time in how people work the land, farming and agriculture-related industries continue to be the major driving forces of the county's economy.

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Otsego

9780738550718

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Heavily laden with deciduous trees and interspersed with lakes, rivers, ponds, and prairies, the area of Otsego was part of the region known as the Big Woods. Located at the junction of two major waterways, the Mississippi and Crow Rivers, this fertile land attracted its first settlers of European descent in 1852. After only a few short years the land was clear, businesses, schools, and homes were built, and an abundant future in agriculture had begun. The story of Otsego, as told through pictures, newspaper clippings, and the memories of local residents, shares how generations of war heroes, agricultural scientists, and entrepreneurs survived years of hardship to eventually form what is now the youngest city in
Minnesota, having been incorporated in November 1990.