Logs were shipped by rail from northern Minnesota to Stillwater and made into rafts. They were then floated down the St. Croix and Mississippi Rivers. The rafts usually consisted of 8 to 10 strings of logs fastened side by side, each string measuring 16 across and about 400 feet long. Some of these enormous rafts stretched 4 or 5 acres in size.
Lumber was rafted downstream from Stillwater. Boards were arranged in cribs or heavy crates, each 16 feet wide and 32 feet long. A lumber raft might contain as many as 200 cribs.
Landscape view; address given for photographer is Merchant Block, 22 Washington Avenue, Minneapolis; building may be the Cataract House Hotel on Sixth Ave South; verso of card is advertising for a number of Minneapolis businesses
Contributing Institution:
Hennepin County Library, James K. Hosmer Special Collections Library
At the boom, floating timbers chained between piers caught and contained logs for sorting and measuring and rigging into rafts. At one time, the Stillwater boom extended a distance of 9 miles and employed 400 men to sort, scale and raft timber.
Landscape view; address given for photographer is Merchant Block, 22 Washington Avenue, Minneapolis; building is identified as the Nicollet House Hotel located on Hennepin (view may be from 3rd St); awning on building in background says, "Williams Book Store." The verso of the card contains advertising for a number of Minneapolis businesses.
Contributing Institution:
Hennepin County Library, James K. Hosmer Special Collections Library
Aerial view looking from St. Anthony side of river; first suspension bridge; log jams; lumber stacked up on Nicollet Island, town of Minneapolis with mills, houses, businesses in background.
Contributing Institution:
Hennepin County Library, James K. Hosmer Special Collections Library
This is a photograph by Paul B. Gaylord of the steamship "Quebec" of the Great Western of Canada company docked in Duluth's outside harbor next to Elevator A.
This photograph by Duluth photographer William Whitesides is taken from Point of Rocks looking east and shows much of downtown Duluth and the hillside.
This photograph by Caswell & Davy shows a steamship and a sailing ship docked at Duluth. Image is captioned, "Scenery on the Northern Pacific Railroad."
This photograph of the dalles of the St. Louis River is by Duluth photographers Gaylord & Thompson (Paul B. Gaylord, 1848-1936, and Edward A. Thompson, ca.1874-1938).
street view; unpaved streets with horses and buggies; awnings extended on the first floor windows and doors; signage for real estate company and other businesses; view from Hennepin Avenue and Washington; similar photo to Minneapolis Collection M0091; business advertisements on backside
Contributing Institution:
Hennepin County Library, James K. Hosmer Special Collections Library
Exterior view of an ornate brick building with double double-decker cupola on top of house; elaborate frame decking; walkway or road with wood fence posts/gate; tree and another structure can be seen in the background.
Contributing Institution:
Hennepin County Library, James K. Hosmer Special Collections Library
Congregation standing in front of church; address of Jacoby's Artistic studio listed as 252 Nicollet Ave; donor identified church as First Free Baptist Church which was erected in 1871 and taken down 1891; it was located on Washington Ave near 1st Ave. N (not located on 1887 city atlas); cannot verify that any churches listed on verso of card were the church on the stereographic card.
Contributing Institution:
Hennepin County Library, James K. Hosmer Special Collections Library
Street view; unpaved streets with horses and buggies; awnings extended on the first floor windows; building could be the First National Bank Building at Washington Avenue and Nicollet Avenue.
Contributing Institution:
Hennepin County Library, James K. Hosmer Special Collections Library
Landscape view; view of the bridge taken before railroad ties were laid; steel frame bridge; bridge could be the Northern Pacific Railroad Bridge or Short Line Bridge (this is penciled in on back).
Contributing Institution:
Hennepin County Library, James K. Hosmer Special Collections Library
Street view with unpaved streets with horses and buggies; awnings extended on the first floor windows. Buildings in foreground could be the First National Hotel located at Washington Avenue at corner of 2nd Avenue South and Nicollet Avenue.
Contributing Institution:
Hennepin County Library, James K. Hosmer Special Collections Library
View of Minnehaha Falls, two persons in what appears to be Native American dress are standing separately by the falls; image is invoking the "Song of Hiawatha" poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow; trees and plants are quite bare of leaves.
Contributing Institution:
Hennepin County Library, James K. Hosmer Special Collections Library
Street view; unpaved streets with trees blocking view of parts of building; photographer is listed as artist with business at 301 Washington Avenue South.
Contributing Institution:
Hennepin County Library, James K. Hosmer Special Collections Library
Street view; unpaved streets with horses and buggies; awnings extended on the first floor windows and doors; signage for real estate company and other businesses; photographer, Minnehaha Falls, Minn.; view from Hennepin Avenue and Washington Avenues. Image is similar to Minneapolis Collection M0091 and stereographic card MS00032. Various Minneapolis business advertisements on verso.
Contributing Institution:
Hennepin County Library, James K. Hosmer Special Collections Library
Landscape view; from a series by M. Nowack; view checked on card is: "view of Suspension Bridge; " bridge completed about 1876. This is the second bridge over the Mississippi River. The third replacement bridge was constructed from 1886-1888.
Contributing Institution:
Hennepin County Library, James K. Hosmer Special Collections Library
According to city directory St. James Hotel in 1882 was located at Washington Avenue and Second Avenue South; photo shows street car track and electric power pole, and unpaved streets.
Contributing Institution:
Hennepin County Library, James K. Hosmer Special Collections Library
Photo is unidentified; board walk is visible in front left of photo; unpaved streets; streetlight and power pole; list of stereographic views by photographer/publisher on verso.
Contributing Institution:
Hennepin County Library, James K. Hosmer Special Collections Library
View of Nicollett Avenue. Note: did not locate a business called Hause and Davis Boots and Shoes in city directories 1885, 1890, 1895. A list of stereographic views by photographer/publisher is on verso.
Contributing Institution:
Hennepin County Library, James K. Hosmer Special Collections Library
J.C. Oswald & Co., wholesale wines and liquors, was located at 17 Washington Ave N according to the city directory from 1880 to 1900; Nicollet House in background; great street view; streets are unpaved; list of stereographic views by photographer/publisher on verso
Contributing Institution:
Hennepin County Library, James K. Hosmer Special Collections Library
This photograph by Paul B. Gaylord from the 1880s or early 1890s looks to the south from Duluth's hillside to Rice's Point and shows the 1871 railroad roundhouse to the east of Garfield Avenue and the steeple of Second Presbyterian Church at 1515 West Superior Street.
Exterior view of the American House. This was built as a hotel, but never housed any guests. It became one of the first buildings on the Carleton College campus.
Street view; unpaved streets with horses and buggies; photographer probably Charles L. Jacoby from address; on backside is stamp from Siddall and Co. Art Book Store and Circulating Library.
Contributing Institution:
Hennepin County Library, James K. Hosmer Special Collections Library
Landscape view; address given for photographer is 119 Washington Avenue North, Minneapolis; building is not identified but may be Eastman Flats; Eastman Flats were constructed starting in 1877 on Nicollet Island; verso of card is advertising for a number of Minneapolis businesses; card gift of Stuart Dudley Diamond.
Contributing Institution:
Hennepin County Library, James K. Hosmer Special Collections Library
Unidentified rural photo; image might be of road construction; water tower in background; equipment may also have been used for farming; summer foliage; sepia tone photograph.
Contributing Institution:
Hennepin County Library, James K. Hosmer Special Collections Library
This photograph by Paul B. Gaylord shows the wrecked hull of the tugboat "Amethyst," which was wrecked nine miles east of Beaver Bay about 1881, docked in front of Williams & Upton, contractors for river and harbor improvements, on Minnesota Point at Buchanan Street.
A timber was impaled through a fourteen inch oak tree by the force of the 1883 tornado. The tornado struck Rochester in the early evening of Aug. 21, 1883.
Two children are sitting on piles of bricks at the rear of the destroyed Rochester Harvester Works building. Piles of lumber and bricks surround the children. The tornado struck Rochester in the early evening of Aug. 21, 1883.