Name: Hidden History of the Minnesota River Valley
Brand: Elizabeth Johanneck
SKU: 9781596298811
Price: 16.49 USD
Availability: InStock

Hidden History of the Minnesota River Valley

9781596298811

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

Traveled by mammoth-hunters and motorcyclists alike, the Minnesota River Valley shows the traces of a unique legacy: where else are you going to find a political party with ideals based on honest conversation and gymnastics? Not all of it is as lovely as the natural scenery it accompanies--Mankato was the site of the largest mass execution in United States history--but its heritage demands contemplation. Discover the valley's most enterprising characters, from Fort Snelling bootleggers like Pierre "Pig's Eye" Parrant to the Granite Falls lawyer behind Prohibition, Andrew Volstead. With a guide like Johanneck, you might meet some familiar figures in surprising circumstances as she steals up behind Dr. Mayo at the grave he was robbing for medical research or catches FBI director J. Edgar Hoover in a moment of unguarded correspondence.

Hidden History of the Minnesota River Valley

Excelsior Amusement Park

9781467137935

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Minneapolis roared into the 1920s as a major metropolis, but it lacked the kind of outdoor amusement facilities common elsewhere across the country. In 1925, Fred W. Pearce introduced the Twin Cities to his "Picnic Wonderland." Crowds eagerly poured onto the shores of Lake Minnetonka by the trolley load. Luckily, Excelsior Park survived the Great Depression and World War II on the strength of its celebrity acts. Changes in the forms of transportation, combined with innovations in the outdoor entertainment industry such as Disneyland and an aging infrastructure, eventually forced the park to close its gates.

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.

Minnesota Mysteries

9781626193628

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Any Minnesotan worth his lutefisk has heard of the Kensington Runestone. But have you heard of Victor Setterlund? In 1949, he uncovered another runestone less than ten miles away. How about Newmann the Great? In 1909, the Kenyon-born illusionist astonished Minneapolitans by driving a team of horses blindfolded across town to find a key hidden in a drugstore safe at Lake and Nicollet. How about little Mary Weinand? In 1915, her father demanded justice when the meanest boy at her one-room schoolhouse in Corcoran cut off her luxurious auburn curls. These little-known stories, along with dozens more culled from Minnesota newspaper archives, are presented here in their original form.

Cover image for Minnesota Mysteries, isbn: 9781626193628

Fading Ads of the Twin Cities

9781467148740

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On brick buildings throughout Minneapolis and St. Paul, overlooked, fleeting symbols chronicle the cities' past.

Champion, John Deere, and International Harvester still tout their agricultural equipment, and Gold Medal and Pillsbury Flour remind everyone where these now global companies began. Weathered proclamations from Grain Belt, Jacob Schmidt, and Gluek's Beer offer a glimpse into early local brewing. Ads from Schmitt Music and Dahl Violin Shop recall a thriving art scene. Local hardware stores like Welna Ace Hardware and grocery stores like J.H. Allen & Co Grocers and Schoen's Home Grocery hawk long-gone wares through elegant painted announcements.

Join photographer and author Jay Grammond for a fascinating journey through Twin Cities history.

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

Minnesota Mayhem

9781609495978

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Turn back the yellowing pages of Minnesota's past and explore the best of the state's worst moments, as chronicled in the Minneapolis Tribune and its successor newspapers. These stories and photos, culled from the Star Tribune's microfilm archive by author Ben Welter, range from the catastrophic to the merely curious. From a fire that destroyed the State Capitol in 1881, to a wordless fistfight that broke out on a Minneapolis street in 1898, a flu outbreak that killed more than 10,000 Minnesotans in 1918 and the arrest of Frank Lloyd Wright at a Lake Minnetonka cottage in 1926.

Historic Bridges of Southeast Minnesota

9781467154666

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Minnesota is often called the Land of 10,000 Lakes, but it could also be called the Land of 20,000 Bridges. /

During the early days of the state, the Mississippi River and its many tributaries barred and disrupted transportation and commerce. To span these obstacles, communities battled to build and maintain bridges. Their efforts created a variety of bridge designs and purposes—from small hiking and biking bridges to concrete beams across rural rivers. Across the area, one can behold wonders like the beautiful Stone Arch Bridge, the La Crescent Swing Bridge, the Point Douglas Drawbridge, the elegant Winona Main Channel Bridge as well as other massive structures crossing the Mississippi.

Studying and photographing these amazing structures, local author Steve Gardiner celebrates the innovation and determination of Southeast Minnesota./

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

Jewish Community of North Minneapolis

9780738508177

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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.

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

The Minneapolis Millers of the American Association

9781467113472

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The Minneapolis Millers graced the fields of the American Association for six decades, from 1902 to 1960. Known as a high-level training ground for professional ballplayers, the Millers were also famous for their heated rivalry with the neighboring St. Paul Saints. Drawing on the extensive array of photographs from the Hennepin County Library Special Collections and the author's private collection, Images of Baseball: The Minneapolis Millers of the American Association presents the history of these "boys of summer."

The Minneapolis Millers of the American Association

Minnesota Twins Baseball

9781626193819

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For more than half a century, Minnesotans have been treated to the memorable players and teams of the Minnesota Twins. From the Ruthian blasts of Harmon Killebrew and Kirby Puckett to a successful brand of small ball, the Twins have fielded competitive teams at Metropolitan Stadium, the Metrodome and Target Field. But prior to its arrival in 1961, the team also had a storied past in Washington that included Walter Johnson, the greatest pitcher of the Deadball Era, if not all time. Sports historian Stew Thornley highlights the lesser-known events in the club's history, from the area's attempts to lure a major-league team to town in the 1950s to then-owner Calvin Griffith's campaign to regionally rename the team. He also pays tribute to the rich heritage of baseball before the Twins, marked by minor-league teams such as the St. Paul Saints and Minneapolis Millers, which produced future Hall of Famers Willie Mays, Duke Snider, Ted Williams and Roy Campanella.

Cover image for Minnesota Twins Baseball, isbn: 9781626193819

A History of Professional Hockey in Minnesota

9781626193611

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Of the four major sports leagues, the National Hockey League was the most conservative, clinging to only six cities until 1967, when it improbably doubled its size. The resulting upheaval gave birth to the Minnesota North Stars and the construction of the Metropolitan Sports Center. Though the well-loved Stars made the playoffs seventeen times, including two Stanley Cup Finals appearances, they never achieved ultimate success. Their loyal fan base watched in anguish as the franchise merged with another, divided in two and relocated to Dallas. In 1997, the Twin Cities' sports market was awarded an expansion franchise. Named the Minnesota Wild, the team sold out 409 consecutive games, setting the highest sell-out streak for an expansion franchise, and returned the game back to the State of Hockey.

Cover image for A History of Professional Hockey in Minnesota, isbn: 9781626193611

Minnesota Caves

9781467135924

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Minnesota's caves have a deep history. Carver's Cave is the first to be described in the literature of North America after explorer Jonathan Carver visited it in 1766. The storied Fountain Cave was the birthplace of the city of St. Paul. Just after the American Civil War, Chute's Cave inspired an elaborate national hoax regarding an ancient civilization. Folklore surrounds Petrified Indian Cave, where a strangely shaped stalagmite was mistaken for a person turned to stone. Geologist and urban explorer Greg Brick, PhD, uses decades of research to uncover the secrets of geological wonders.

Cover image for Minnesota Caves, isbn: 9781467135924

Brooklyn Park and Brooklyn Center

9780738561349

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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.

The Story of Minneapolis

9780738594873

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The author has grown up in Minneapolis. He believes in Minneapolis and wants all the boys and girls in the city to believe in Minneapolis. But how shall they believe in the city of which they have not heard, and how shall they understand except they be guided? In the course of his teaching the author has tried to guide some of them, both in the class-room and through the city itself, to a better knowledge of what Minneapolis has been, what she is, geographically, industrially, and culturally, and whithter she is tending, so far as we are able to judge by the activities of her citizens. At the same time, following the revised course of study, grade teachers have been aiming at the same end. If this book shall prove of service to them in their interpretation of the city built to music, and therefore never built, and therefore built for ever, the author will feel deeply gratified.

Cover image for The Story of Minneapolis, isbn: 9780738594873

St. Cloud

9780738577876

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St. Cloud, located on the Mississippi River and in the center of Minnesota, was incorporated on April 2, 1856, by merging three towns together. Through the magic of vintage postcards, travel through time to early in the last century. Readers can see buildings and street scenes that are long gone or changed so much they are unrecognizable today. Explore the granite industry, here since the early 1860s. Meet Samuel Pandolfo, who decided to build an automobile here in 1917. Learn about the man who developed a tin can chair, as well as the St. Cloud Reformatory, which has the largest wall in the United States.

Lake Minnetonka

9781467113342

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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

Downtown Minneapolis

9781467124379

$29.99 $22.49 Save 25%

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

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

Stillwater

9780738598949

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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.

Brainerd International Raceway

9781467111416

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If it has an engine and anything close to two wheels, Brainerd International Raceway has hosted a race for it. From sports cars, stock cars, drag racers, and the Can-Am Racing Series to motorcycles, snowmobiles, and chump cars, Brainerd International Raceway has been the northern outpost for exciting track action and infield get-togethers since 1968. It has been called one of the best-constructed tracks in the nation, and with several hairpin turns, a backfield with an undulating, curved spine, and a mile-long straightaway on which racers hit speeds of as much as 200 miles per hour, it certainly is one of the finest in the country.

The Kashubian Polish Community of Southeastern Minnesota

9780738518855

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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.

The Kashubian Polish Community of Southeastern Minnesota

Elk River

9780738577203

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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.

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

Thief River Falls and Pennington County

9780738540252

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Positioned on the east edges of the Red River Valley and the northern Minnesota Woodlands, Pennington County was settled by farmers of predominantly Scandinavian stock, and census surveys indicate that Thief River Falls was the "most Norwegian" city in the United States. These settlers broke the soil, planted grain, and traveled to the woodlands for logs with which to build their homes. They floated the trees they cut down the rivers to the mills in Thief River Falls, St. Hilaire, and Crookston. Grain elevators and flour mills stood out against the prairie skyline, and milled logs became ties for the railroads that would transport the lumber and grain to distant cities and ports. The postcards in this book depict the industries, buildings, and people of Pennington County.

Reform Jews of Minneapolis

9780738532172

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

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.

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.

Cass County

9780738552071

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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.

Carver County

9780738582788

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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.

Waseca County, Minnesota

9780738520476

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

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.

Hutchinson

9781467110105

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

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.

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.

Twin Cities Beer

9781467137058

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The Twin Cities witnessed a recent explosion of craft beer breweries and brewpubs, but the region's beer history reaches back generations. The Minneapolis Brewing Company introduced the iconic Grain Belt beer in 1893, and it remains a local favorite. Fur trapper and bootlegger Pierre Pig's Eye Parrant established a St. Paul tavern along the banks of the Mississippi River in the early 1800s. The area has been home to some of the best-known beer brands in America, from Hamm's and Schmidt's to Yoerg's and Olympia. Today, microbreweries such as Bad Weather Brewing, Summit Brewing and more than fifty others are forging new avenues. Join author Scott Carlson as he offers an intriguing history and guide to Twin Cities beer.

Cover image for Twin Cities Beer, isbn: 9781467137058

Growing Up On A Minnesota Farm

9780738518619

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The years 1930 to 1970 were a time of rapid change in the American farming industry. Following World War II, the wave of mechanization demanded a major shift in attitude and skills. The small family farm started expanding. There was more competition for land, fence lines disappeared, the threshing ritual was replaced by combines, corn cribs gave way to corn dryers, hydraulic power replaced muscles, and chemicals began replacing cultivators. The family farm was changing more drastically that anyone ever dreamed. With nearly 100 vintage images and personal stories, Growing Up On A Minnesota Farm relives the era of this major agricultural revolution and takes the reader on a journey that will define a time of momentous change. From the introduction of the steel-wheeled D John Deere, to the conservation and frugality necessary during the Great Depression, a period lost to technology is relived through the pages of this book. We learn what it means to "take good care of the land, and it will take care of you."

South St. Paul

9781626198814

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Incorporated in 1887, South St. Paul grew rapidly as the blue-collar counterpart to the bright lights and sophistication of its cosmopolitan neighbors Minneapolis and St. Paul. Its prosperous stockyards and slaughterhouses ranked the city among America's largest meatpacking centers. The proud city fell on hard economic times in the second half of the twentieth century. Broad swaths of empty buildings were razed as an enticement to promised redevelopment programs that never happened. In 1990, South St. Paul began to chart out its own successful path to renewal with a pristine riverfront park, a trail system and a business park where the stockyards once stood. Author and historian Lois A. Glewwe brings the story of the city's revival to life in this history of a remarkable community.

Cover image for South St. Paul, isbn: 9781626198814

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

Lanesboro, Minnesota

9780738520315

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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.

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.

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

Bemidji

9780738599793

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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.

Winona In Vintage Postcards

9780738532295

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Before its founding by white settlers, Winona, Minnesota, was the home of a band of Sioux led by the great Wapasha dynasty. After white settlement began in 1851, the city's growth was fueled by the Mississippi riverboat trade. Groups of immigrants passed through the "Gate City," and many stayed, founding enduring ethnic communities and building a city that for a brief time rivaled Minneapolis. The settlement covered the sandy flats with houses, churches, colleges, and factories, and carved the hill "Wapasha's Cap" into the landmark now known as Sugar Loaf.

Yesterday's riverboats have given way to today's recreational vehicles, but Winona's factories and businesses still sell products to the national market, and the colleges-now universities-are a significant part of the city's life.

Through their combined collections of rare postcards, authors Chris Miller and Mary Pendleton take readers on a visual tour of Winona's history, exploring the city's Native American heritage, natural scenery, development, historic landmarks, and long relationship with the Mississippi River.

Dinkytown

9781467119634

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Dinkytown belies its name with a big history and outsized influence on the culture of Minneapolis. It began as a business district serving the University of Minnesota and became a creative center between the flour milling district and a massive railroad yard. By 1875, Dinkytown was a terminus on the horse-drawn streetcar system. The area transformed into a nexus of culture and counterculture with the growth and expansion of the university. Its burgeoning arts scene launched Bob Dylan and The Fiddler on the Roof, and its student activism spawned the Red Barn protests of 1970. Dr. Bill Huntzicker narrates the enthralling history of one of Minneapolis's most influential neighborhoods.

Minnesota Moxie

9781467135719

$23.99 $17.99 Save 25%

Minnesotans are a tough lot, capable of pulling a house six miles by muscle alone or giving birth to a sixteen-pound boy. In 1921, young Phoebe Fairgrave set a parachute world record, stepping off the wing of a biplane 15,200 feet above the Twin Cities. In 1962, the last powerhouse Gophers football team brought home the Rose Bowl trophy. A year later, thirteen-year-old Jean Webb of Minneapolis risked arrest and refused to leave a segregated restaurant. In 1979, Gerry Spiess crossed the Atlantic alone in a 10-foot sailboat he built in his White Bear Lake garage. These inspiring stories and dozens more, culled from the Star Tribune newspaper archives, are presented in their original form by author Ben Welter, along with in-depth background, fresh interviews and more than seventy-five historic photos.

Cover image for Minnesota Moxie, isbn: 9781467135719

Haunted St. Paul

9781596299337

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From the phantom pig at the Minnesota State Fair to the ghostly gangsters of the Wabasha Street Caves, St. Paul bristles with haunted history. Let the spectral usher of the Mounds Theatre show you to your seat as Chad Lewis reveals why the bits of St. Paul's past that insist on intruding on the present deserve to have their stories told. By the time the lights come back on, you will be convinced that sometimes the strangest things have happened in the dorm room upstairs...or the table next to you at your favorite restaurant...or even in your own backyard.

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.

Rogers, Hassan Township, and Fletcher Remembered

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.

The Perilous St. Croix River Valley Frontier

9781626193499

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Minnesota's early territorial days were exciting and filled with hope for the future, but many dreams were broken before they were ever realized as settlers met untimely deaths in tragic ways. The St. Croix earned its nickname the River of Graves when watercraft were dashed against hazards like Death Rock. Torrential downpours flushed settlers from their dwellings, while diseases such as cholera and E. coli were imminent threats. And those whom Mother Nature did not destroy or defeat still had to contend with their fellow pioneers. Take a read on frontier life in the St. Croix River Valley with over fifty stories of adventure, including horse-and-buggy road rage, scalp dances and land disputes settled by war.

Cover image for The Perilous St. Croix River Valley Frontier, isbn: 9781626193499

Stillwater, Minnesota

9781467135160

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The riverfront always drew people to Stillwater. The Ojibwe and Dakota first settled here, later striking a treaty with Europeans, who quickly realized the St. Croix River's potential as an ideal way to move lumber. One of the first to float logs down the river was Captain Stephen Hanks, cousin to Abraham Lincoln. The lumber business gave birth to Minnesota's first millionaire as the city grew, and Stillwater received one of the state's first Carnegie grants for a free public library. Meanwhile, the state prison saw notorious gangster Cole Younger found the Prison Mirror in 1887, now the nation's oldest continuously operated offender newspaper. Authors Holly Day and Sherman Wick celebrate the history and charm of one of Minnesota's finest cities, from the frontier to today.

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.

Eden Prairie

9781596299412

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From scouting reports of Native American tribes to Money Magazine's declaration that it was the best place to live in America, Eden Prairie has a history that commands attention. Few can rival Marie Wittenberg's dedication to telling this story or match her intimate knowledge of her hometown's changing landscape, from early sheep barns to modern megachurches. In this brief history, she describes how Eden Prairie got its name, visits with pioneer families and points out the local places and critical moments that shaped this beloved community's identity.

Lost Rochester, Minnesota

9781625858320

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Rochester is synonymous with one of its most famous landmarks, the Mayo Clinic, but there's so much more to the Med City. It began as a frontier town, struggling to make its mark in a sparsely populated wilderness. By the late nineteenth century, Rochester had expanded into a vibrant city, rich with business, educational and cultural opportunities. Rediscover the Dubuque Trail and the beautiful summer lake retreats, along with the Cook Hotel, the Central Fire Station and more. Author Amy Jo Hahn uncovers the lost beginnings of Rochester and brings the stories of this unique place to life.

Alexandria

9781467112147

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Alexandria is situated near the center of Douglas County, surrounded by a chain of beautiful lakes. These lakes brought pioneer settlers to the area as early as 1858, when Minnesota achieved statehood and the town was established. The lakes remain a key factor that continue to draw residents and visitors. The images in Postcard History Series: Alexandria tell the community's story, recalling fond memories of the businesses, churches, homes, schools, and recreational opportunities that form the generous and caring nature of the welcoming community that is Alexandria.

Minneapolis and St. Paul in Vintage Postcards

9780738519821

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During the first half of the 20th century, communication by postcard was an inexpensive and popular means of exchanging travel stories, news, and gossip across the United States. The postcard, for just a few cents, connected friends and loved-ones separated by hundreds of miles. Today, we treasure these little correspondences of yesteryear as unique glimpses into the long-lost places of a long-gone era. Minneapolis and St. Paul in Vintage Postcards captures this historic era of Minnesota's "twin cities" through 200 classic postcard images. Inside will be found views of St. Paul's Hotel Ryan, providing a rare glimpse into a once-famous landmark that no longer stands. A picture of a solitary 1911 automobile traveling along Minneapolis' popular Lake Calhoun Drive will remind us of how one may have gone to-and-fro at the start of the last century. And the scene of a well-dressed Minnesota family at Minnehaha Falls shows us that this site was as popular among tourists in 1908, when the image was taken, as it is today.

Minneapolis and St. Paul in Vintage Postcards

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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

The Ku Klux Klan in Minnesota

9781626191891

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

Minnesota might not seem like an obvious place to look for traces of Ku Klux Klan parade grounds, but this northern state was once home to fifty-one chapters of the KKK. Elizabeth Hatle tracks down the history of the Klan in Minnesota, beginning with the racially charged atmosphere that produced the tragic 1920 Duluth lynchings. She measures the influence the organization wielded at the peak of its prominence within state politics and tenaciously follows the careers of the Klansmen who continued life in the public sphere after the Hooded Order lost its foothold in the Land of Ten Thousand Lakes.

Cover image for The Ku Klux Klan in Minnesota, isbn: 9781626191891

Haunted Mantorville

9781609491093

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

Stroll into Mantorville, and you get the sense that it is a place where you could comfortably live forever. Ghosts seem to feel the same way, and this excursion into the stories of their activity keeps pace with the feverish bustle buried in the town's heritage. From ruined breweries to opera house mummies, Christopher Larsen takes the measure of one of Minnesota's most historic and haunted places. The tale of his investigations might not rob Mantorville of its charm, but when you walk into a gift shop that was once a funeral parlor, you might be a little more susceptible to a shiver.

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

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

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.

Canoeing the Boundary Waters Wilderness

9781609497323

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

Canoeing the Boundary Waters Wilderness: A Sawbill Log continues the story of wilderness canoeing begun in A Boundary Waters History: Canoeing Across Time, this time offering historical information about black bear attacks on humans, loon calls and behaviors, lightning strikes on the waters, the experience of a woman going into labor while canoeing with her husband, the sighting of spectacular northern lights, and reflections on the wilderness experience. All the while Wilbers reflects on experiences canoeing with his family. As in the first book, quotes from some of Minnesota's well known wilderness authors appear throughout the manuscript.

Legendary Locals of Crookston

9781467101578

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Crookston is in the heart of the fertile Red River Valley. Railroad baron James J. Hill positioned the city to be a hub of transportation, so Civil War veterans and railroad workers settled Crookston first. At Hill's behest, a long tradition of learning how to "farm smart" started with the Northwest School of Agriculture in 1906. Facing a short growing season, farmers stayed close to the soil and invented better implements to harvest the area's bounty. The tradition of improving technology continues from the century-old practices begun at the Experiment Station. Currently, precision agriculture is taught at the University of Minnesota, Crookston's "laptop university." Familiar family names from Crookston's retail sector have prevailed throughout the farmers' cycle of boom and bust. Many other talented personalities shine through, especially those skilled in sports and music. Also included in this volume are unsung heroes for their acts of kindness and volunteerism.

Faribault Woolen Mill:

9781467117937

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

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.

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.

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

9780738551944

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Rochester has grown and changed incredibly since it was chartered as a city in 1858. Many of the places depicted in this book either no longer exist or have changed significantly. Despite these changes, Rochester retains its small-town welcomeness. Using vintage postcards, this book tells the story of the development of a remarkable community. Whether readers have lived in Rochester all of their lives or are first-time visitors, this book is a fascinating look back into a unique history.

Twin Cities Prohibition

9781609491277

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Ferret out the haunts and habits of those who kept speakeasy doors oiled and politics crooked in the Twin Cities. If you take a tour of former blind pigs today, you will probably encounter nothing more dangerous than a life-long attraction to the 5-8 Club's Juicy Lucy Burger, but Twin Cities Prohibition will return you to a time when honest reporting like that of Walter Liggett was answered with machine gun fire. Clink glasses with notorious characters such as Kid Cann, Dapper Dan Hogan and Doc Ames, the "Shame of Minneapolis" in Elizabeth Johanneck's raid on this fascinating era of history.

A Boundary Waters History: Canoeing Across Time

9781596299702

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Teasing out the history of a place celebrated for timelessness--where countless paddle strokes have disappeared into clear waters--requires a sure and attentive hand. Stephen Wilbers's account reaches back to the glaciers that first carved out the Boundary Waters and to the original inhabitants, as well as to generations of wilderness explorers, both past and present. He does so without losing the personal relationship built through a lifetime of pilgrimages (anchored by almost three decades of trips with his father). This story captures the untold broader narrative of the region, as well as a thousand different details sure to be recognized by fellow pilgrims, like the grinding rhythm of a long portage or the loon call that slips into that last moment before sleep.

A Boundary Waters History: Canoeing Across Time

Legendary Locals of Pine City

9781467101196

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Throughout the history of Pine City, individuals have dreamed, struggled, and created a remarkable place of American culture. Legendary Locals of Pine City represents an amazing mix of talents and activities, sometimes with far-reaching effects. The Pine City story is told here in the faces of its people: the innovators who brought industry and commerce; generous people and institutions who have given back to the community in a variety of ways; participants in Pine City's thriving cultural life embracing a spectrum of interests and enthusiasms; and ordinary people living everyday lives who have done extraordinary things or had remarkable experiences. This book honors such individuals as the renowned Karla Nelsen, the world's most muscular woman; Anna Dickey Olesen, the first woman to break the glass ceiling and run for US Senate; and Shane Bauer's mom, Cindy Hickey, who worked diligently for more than two years to free her son from captivity in Iran, along with many other memorable people.

Cover image for Legendary Locals of Pine City, isbn: 9781467101196

Old Frontenac Minnesota

9781596295070

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The entire village of Old Frontenac is snugly nestled on the National Register for Historic Places--a tribute to the frontier paradise cultivated under the patronage of the Garrard family. With the exception of the modern county road that serves the local residents, all the streets are still unpaved gravel. No streetlights or visible utilities mar the overall impression of an untouched early settlement. No commercial businesses are in the village. As we enter the twenty-first century, the nineteenth-century buildings of Old Frontenac remain virtually untouched by the heavy-handed development that has so recently decimated other historical areas. It is hoped that this little time capsule of Minnesota's architectural history, occupied by preservation-minded owners, will survive.

Old College Street

9781609496142

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Every city has a neighborhood that housed its earliest founders and their successors, an enclave of local power and financial success. For Rochester, Minnesota, this neighborhood is personified by a ten-block stretch of tree-shaded street originally platted in 1855 as West College Street, now designated as 4th Street Southwest. In the span of 150 years, two and sometimes three generations of remarkable buildings have come and gone in this neighborhood. Under the direction of movers and shakers like George Head and Dr. William J. Mayo, the street helped shape the city's architectural legacy and define its purpose. Join architectural historian Ken Allsen on a stroll down this storied street.

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.

Robbinsdale

9781467111614

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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.

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.

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.

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.

Lyn-Lake

9780738583310

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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.

The Lost Jewish Community of the West Side Flats: 1882-1962

9780738519869

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Beginning in 1882, many Russian and Eastern-European Jews who fled to the United States settled in the "West Side Flats" in St. Paul, Minnesota. The area once stretched from the banks of the Mississippi River to the cliffs of the West Side Hills, about 320 acres in all, but has since fallen victim to the vagaries of the mighty river and the progress of "urban renewal." The Lost Jewish Community of the West Side Flats: 1882-1962 takes the reader on a pictorial tour down memory lane. The families, houses, businesses, streets, and synagogues-all vanished now-are brought back to life through vintage photographs from the archives of the Jewish Historical Society of the Upper Midwest, the Minnesota Historical Society, and the private collections of many former residents. This is a memoir of a historic neighborhood that can no longer be visited.

The Lost Jewish Community of the West Side Flats: 1882-1962

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.

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.

Cover image for Rochester, isbn: 9780738531502

Jewish Pioneers of St. Paul

9780738518626

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The roots of the Jewish community of St. Paul, MN, were established in 1849, with the arrival of two American-born brothers from Pennsylvania. From these early pioneers the community grew and spread. Through the medium of historic photographs and stories, this book captures the remarkable evolution of the Jewish people of St. Paul. It is a story of the cultural, religious, economic, and everyday life of St. Paul Jews.

These pages bring to life the people, events, neighborhoods, and institutions that helped shape and transform today's Jewish community. These photographs, derived from the collections of the Minnesota Historical Society and the Ramsey County Historical Society, paint a poignant and vivid picture of Jewish life in St. Paul. In addition to recalling the establishment of Mt. Zion and Sons of Jacob, the first two major synagogues in St. Paul, this book displays the distinct impact that prominent Jews of the community, such as Abram Elfelt, Judge Isaac N. Cardozo, and Isador Rose, had on the shaping of St. Paul.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.