Category Archives: Minnesota Tourism

“Catch a Memory:” Historic Fishing Contest Photos

Fuller’s Fishing Contest in Park Rapids, Minnesota was probably the first major fishing contest in the state. It was certainly the longest running fishing contest, beginning in 1916 and lasting until 1985. The contest was sponsored by Fuller’s Tackle Shops … Continue reading

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Daughters of History

On March 10, 2018, I spoke to the Brainerd, Minnesota chapter of the Captain Robert Orr National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR). Before my slide presentation, I brushed up on the goals of the DAR on their website … Continue reading

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Latest addition to “Shared Photos”

We are pleased that Rick Wolfe has shared another 70+ postcards, his twelfth contribution. These photos are especially significant to Rick, since some of them show early life at Serpent Lake, located between Crosby and Deerwood, where Rick currently lives … Continue reading

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Here’s Mud in your Eye: Photos of Minnesota’s Early Health Spas

Our many thanks again go to Rick Wolfe, who is once again sharing images from his extensive postcard collection–this time 1910-1940 postcards of early Minnesota health spas. Spas go back at least as far as the Greeks and Romans. Their … Continue reading

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Radio interview

I was recently interviewed on Your Best with Kathy Weckwerth. On Kathy’s radio show we discussed her family’s purchase of a historic resort cabin, my books, and how Minnesota’s resorts are changing from the early era of smaller resorts with rustic … Continue reading

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Fuller’s Tackle Shops

On June 26, 2017, I spoke to members of the Hubbard County Historical Society at the Northwoods Bank in Park Rapids. The topic of the program was one that I could relate to quite well: Fuller’s Tackle Shop. The reasons? … Continue reading

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Less Traveled: A Journey from Pine to Palm

My film review that follows first appeared in the Jefferson Highway Declaration’s Winter edition, 2017. Less Traveled: A Journey from Pine to Palm A film by Darrell Johnston and Josiah Laubenstein Reviewed by Ren Holland, Little Falls, MN   Last May, … Continue reading

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Early Clearwater Lake at Annandale, Minnesota

Steve Briggs, from Eagan, Minnesota, is a postcard collector with a special interest in Clearwater Lake in Minnesota. He has generously contributed fifty cards to the “Shared Photos” section of this website. Most are associated with early resorts, and many are over … Continue reading

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A Mini-Minnesota Tour of Northern Minnesota

It is amazing how much of Minnesota’s resort country can be packed into four days of travel. My wife’s sister Ann, and her husband Ray, from Michigan, have been around the world twice on National Geographic Tours, but had never … Continue reading

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The Jefferson Highway: From Palms to Pines? Or Palms to Prairies?

In 1916, at the dawn of the age of automobile tourism, the Jefferson Highway became the first transnational highway in the United States. It connected existing roads between Winnipeg, Manitoba and New Orleans, Louisiana, and was advertised as the “Pines … Continue reading

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