Rare Historical Photos Of Minneapolis From the 20th Century

Minneapolis is the most populous city in Minnesota. The city was a world-leading center of flour production during its early period, earning the name “Mill City.” The lumber business reached its height in the late 19th Century when logs from the forests of the north jammed the river. The Minneapolis Chamber of Commerce was founded in 1881 as a market to trade grain. The population of Minneapolis grew steadily in the 20th Century, and the city was going undergoing an economic boom. The progress was disrupted bigotry and corruption took hold in Minneapolis. In the mid-20th Century, as a part of urban renewal, several historical landmarks and buildings razed with notable architecture, including the Metropolitan Building.

Here below are some stunning historical photos of Minneapolis from the early 20th Century that show streets, landmarks, buildings, and everyday life.

#1 Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul railway station, Minneapolis, Minnesota, circa 1908

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#2 Nicollet Avenue, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 1904

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#3 Northwestern Guaranty Loan Building, Minneapolis, Minnesota, circa 1905

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#4 Cooperative gas station in Minneapolis, Minnesota, August 1941

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#5 Trucks loading at terminal warehouse, Minneapolis, Minnesota, September 1939

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#6 Union Depot and steamboat landing at foot of Jackson Street, St. Paul, Minnesota, 1905

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#7 Robert Street, St. Paul, Minnesota, circa 1910

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#8 Minneapolis Industrial Exposition Building, 1943

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#9 Hotel Radisson and Seventh Street, Minneapolis circa 1910

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#10 City Hall and Court House, St. Paul, Minnesota, 1905

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#11 Hennepin Avenue, Minneapolis, 1908

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#12 Workers packing butter cut into squares for use in restaurants at Land O’Lakes plant, Minneapolis, Minnesota, July 1941

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#13 Grain elevator, Minneapolis, Minnesota, September 1939

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#14 Hotel Nicollet, Nicollet & Washington Avenues, Minneapolis, 1905

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#15 Robert Street and Pioneer Press, St. Paul, Minnesota, 1904

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#16 Abandoned factory, Minneapolis, Minnesota, September 1939

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#17 Railroad yards, wholesale district, Minneapolis, September 1939

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#18 St. Anthony’s Falls and the milling district, Minneapolis circa 1908

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#19 Gas station in Minneapolis, December 1937

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#20 West Hotel, Minneapolis, Minnesota, circa 1905

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#21 Liquor store in Gateway District, Minneapolis, September 1939

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#22 Robert Street, Minneapolis, 1908

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#23 Wabasha Street, St. Paul, Minnesota, circa 1908

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#24 Minneapolis Post Office, Hennepin County, Minnesota, circa 1908

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#25 Trucks loading at farm implement warehouse, Minneapolis, Minnesota, September 1939

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#26 Ryan Hotel, St. Paul, Minnesota, circa 1905

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#27 Courthouse and City Hall, Minneapolis, Minnesota, circa 1905

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#28 Seventh Street at Cedar, St. Paul, Minnesota, 1905

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#29 Wabasha Street, St. Paul, Minnesota, circa 1905

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#30 Continuing our panoramic tour of Minneapolis, Minnesota, circa 1905

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#31 Minneapolis, Minnesota, 1905

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#32 Abandoned mail-order house, Minneapolis, Minnesota, September 1939

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#33 Capitol dome from Central Park, St. Paul, Minnesota, 1910

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#34 Post office at St. Paul, Minnesota, 1902

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#35 Trucks loading at farm implement warehouse, Minneapolis, Minnesota, September 1939

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#36 Girls playground, Harriet Island, St. Paul, Minnesota, circa 1905

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#37 Chamber of Commerce, Minneapolis, Minnesota, circa 1905

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#38 The Minneapolis Public Library circa 1900-1906

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#39 Lady resident of a St. Paul rooming house, September 1939.

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#40 Lady residents of a St. Paul rooming house, September 1939.

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