October 9, 2017 On September 23, 1891, Minneapolis celebrated the plentiful harvest and the industrial might of the Northwest with the Harvest Festival Parade. The celebration was planned after a bumper crop that followed several years of economic hardships for farmers. [...]
September 6, 2017 The Mu-So Choral Club, a Minneapolis-based choir of approximately 40 African American singers, depending on the year, was formed in 1917 and remained active through the 1920s. Members were drawn primarily from local church choirs, and the group was [...]
August 22, 2017 In 1932 twenty-nine counties from across Minnesota gathered at the Minnesota State Fair grounds to compete for fame and glory. Well, at least glory. The entrants in the "lively" county booth competition were judged on "general scope and [...]
July 7, 2017 Hennepin County's famous Aquatennial has been part of the Minneapolis summer since 1940. So, too, have been its royalty, including the festival's Queen of the Lakes. Young single women representing cities and companies across the state gather in [...]
July 1, 2017 In the summer of 1955, the life of a "summertime shop girl from Uptown" was changed forever. Judy Penney, a 19-year old language student at the University of Minnesota and a retail clerk at the Purple Door gift [...]
June 28, 2017 Many people today have heard of the famous African American Buffalo Soldiers, but did you know that the Buffalo Soldiers were based here in Minnesota during the 1880s? This photograph, part of Hennepin History Museum's archival collection, shows [...]
May 4, 2017 Are you thirsty for history? How about for beer history? This week's featured photograph depicts the local distributor for the La Crosse, Wisconsin-based John Gund Brewing Company. John Gund was a German immigrant who began his brewing career [...]
March 28, 2016 This street scene, photographed circa 1925, was taken on 6th Street looking towards Nicollet Avenue (now Nicollet Mall) in downtown Minneapolis. Visible at the intersection is the corner of the Donaldson's Department Store's famous Glass Block building. One [...]
March 23, 2016 This 1896 certificate, documenting the legal licensing of a black and white dog named Sport, gives us a glimpse into the lives of Hennepin County dogs 120 years ago. Highlights from the City's ordinance: All "dog or animal [...]
March 22, 2016 Hopkins, like the rest of the Twin Cities, changed dramatically in the decade following the conclusion of World War II. In addition to the many new single family homes built in this period, the city's first rental apartments [...]
