Minnesota became a state in 1858, not long after photography began to spread across the globe. Many of the earliest photos of our state are long gone, but others remain to give us a glimpse into what life was like in the early days of our state. These pictures from the 1860s to 1890s may be some of Minnesota’s oldest photos. They offer a fascinating look at the state’s past, from the state’s early logging operations to some of its most famous natural wonders. Take a look:
- This image shows an instructor holding a skull and standing next to a human skeleton in front of a class of at least thirteen women and three men in 1889.
MCAD Library/Flickr
- Enormous logs float in a Minnesota river, showing just how big the logging industry was in the 19th century. This photo dates back to 1867.
Library of Congress
- Even 100 years ago, Lake Superior was a busy shipping hub. This photo depicts a boat on the lake in Duluth around the year 1890.
Library of Congress
- The original Union Depot was built in St. Paul in 1881. This photo shows the historic building in 1882, just one year after construction was completed.
Ramsey County Minnesota/Flickr
- This 1895 photo shows a group of men loading huge logs onto a horse-drawn sled in Park Rapids, Minnesota.
Library of Congress
- This photo shows the elaborate bar of the Fred Schiek Co. Bar in Minneapolis around 1895.
Library of Congress
- This stereograph, dating back to 1865, shows Minnehaha Falls, complete with two people bravely crossing the rushing water on a rustic wooden bridge.
Library of Congress
- By 1890, St. Paul’s population surpassed 100,000 people. You can see just how much the city had grown since its founding in this 1896 shot from Daytons Bluff.
Library of Congress
- Another 1890s photo of New Ulm, this one shows a serene view of the Minnesota River in 1898.
Library of Congress
- A woman looks over confluence of the Minnesota and Mississippi Rivers. In the background, you can just make out a low building nestled among the trees.
Marion Doss/Flickr
- Two women, one with a bicycle, meet in the doorway of a Minnesota School of Fine Arts building in 1889.
MCAD Library/Flickr
- This shot shows a clear view of the Winona Sugar Loaf. The photo dates back to 1898, before the area was as populated and developed as it is today.
Library of Congress
What did you think of Minneosta’s oldest photos? I love looking at Minnesota’s landscape when it was still mostly undeveloped. Did any of the pictures stick out to you? Leave your thoughts in the comments below!
MCAD Library/Flickr
Library of Congress
Ramsey County Minnesota/Flickr
Marion Doss/Flickr
If you love going back in time, check out these 23 photos taken in Minnesota during the Great Depression.
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