The times are always changing…and every place changes, too. North Dakota cities have changed a lot over the decades since the time they were first founded. From railroad towns drawn up as grids on a map in preparation for the tracks to the bustling cities they are today, quite a lot is different now. Take a look at these old photographs and postcards showing what these cities looked like over half a century ago – they’re fascinating.
- Original Fargo train station in 1939. Note the sign - round trip to Minneapolis for $5.70
Arthur Rothstein/Wikimedia
- A street in downtown Bismarck sometime between 1930 and 1945
Boston Public Library/Wikimedia
- Great Northern Hotel in Minot, 1940
John Vachon/yale.edu
- Main street in Bowman, 1910
bowmanlibrary/Flickr
- Lewis and Clark Hotel in Mandan, 1919
NDSU Library/Wikimedia
- Walking in downtown Williston, 1937
Russell Lee/yale.edu
- Busy street in Grand Forks, circa 1910
Wikimedia
- Snowed in residential area in Dickinson, 1942
John Vachon/yale.edu
- Street corner in Harvey, circa 1940
roadsidepictures/Flickr
- County courthouse and jail in Jamestown, 1913
C. Fairchild/Wikimedia
These places sure have changed since then. I wish the price for a round trip ticket to Minneapolis stayed the same, though! What cities included on this list surprised you the most with how they looked back then compared to what they look like now?
Arthur Rothstein/Wikimedia
Boston Public Library/Wikimedia
John Vachon/yale.edu
bowmanlibrary/Flickr
NDSU Library/Wikimedia
Russell Lee/yale.edu
Wikimedia
roadsidepictures/Flickr
C. Fairchild/Wikimedia
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