History · Minnesota
Minnesota’s history is
mostly unwritten
The public archives hold only 3 old photos of Minnesota. The rest are in attics, shoeboxes and the historical society. Help start the collection.
3old images & papers
0recent photos
The story so far
from the U.S. CensusBetween the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 120 to 96 (-20%). Half of its homes were built before 1938.
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Minnesota yet — the old photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Timeline
built from the dates on the items below1880New Ulm, Minn., Valley of the MinnesotaLOC
1898Minnesota River view reflections, New Ulm, MinnLOC
1908Minnesota RiverLOC
1910–1999Nothing yet. Family albums go here.
Be one of the first
Start Minnesota’s collection
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Minnesota’s history is told.
1 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 🔁Retake an old viewNew Ulm, Minn., Valley of the Min…, 1880: stand where they stood+15 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10By decade
Minnesota, decade by decade
1900s1 item
1910s–
1990s
1990s
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
📷 Add from your albumThen & now
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as New Ulm, Minn., Valley of the Minnesota (1880) and it appears here side by side.
🔁 Retake this view · +15Stories next door
nearby towns’ historyFrom the Library of Congress (3). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.