This photo was taken, looking west, down Center Avenue in Moorhead Minnesota, in 1961. These floats, all from 4Hers around Clay County, were on their way to the 4H Roundup in town. Much of what’s seen here is still around, despite the flurry of Urban Renewal a few years later (most of that happened just […]
Author Archives: Derek Dahlsad
Armour Stockyards, West Fargo ND, 1938
More of the Scenic Red River Valley of the North — about the same time period as yesterday’s photo, but from one of the tallest structures for quite some distance, the water tower at the Armour Processing Plant in West Fargo, North Dakota. This view is of the stockyards — each of those tiny dots […]
Farm Funeral, 1930s
I don’t know who passed away, but they were important to this family. Note the lack of scenery; this graveyard is probably at the bottom of glacial Lake Agassiz, now a nearly-flat, low plain along the border of North Dakota and Minnesota. For centuries this area was grasslands, save some hardwood trees along the creeks […]
Nixon at the Tournament of Roses Parade
Who’s that cheery guy waving from the back of a convertible Cadillac? Why, it’s the nation’s most beloved politician, Richard Nixon! Presiding over the 1960 Tournament of Roses parade, Nixon’s car was overcome by beautiful women wishing to lavish kisses upon the vice-president…oh, um, sorry, this IS Nixon we’re talking about, and from what I’ve […]
The Troublemakers
These are the Troublemakers — I only call them that because they look like those reckless teens that were only out to start trouble. You know, the ones that listened to jazz and watched boxing and didn’t give a horse’s patootie about what their fathers had to deal with, what with fighting the Kaiser overseas […]
4Hers Take Over Moorhead, Minnesota: 1961
In the summer of 1961, 4H-ers from all over Clay County, Minnesota, converged on Moorhead for a parade and a Round-Up. Not exactly the County Fair (that’s held in Barnesville), it was a chance for local farm kids to head into the big city and show off their skills. These photos were taken along Center […]
Charles Baxter, in his vestments
Unfortunately for Mr. Baxter, he’s got too common a name for me to reliably track him down. Most photos are from the Winona, Minnesota area, so I’m fairly certain Charles hails from there. This photo of Charles, in his vestments, was taken in 1916 (as was one of him out of vestments), so my guess […]
The Simmons
Oh, dear, no…no, no, no. The guys aren’t so bad — pumpkin wide-collars shirts should be coming back into vogue any time now (although I wonder if Chuck Klosterman in the back ever lived this down). When it comes to the ladies’ outfits, however, using the tablecloth to make dresses, that’s too much. The pattern […]
18 Miles To Norfolk
We’re going to Norfolk! My guess is that these sailors were on the way to Norfolk Naval Base in Virginia, ready to work on the steel-clad steamships that dominated the US Navy in the earliest parts of the 20th century. Given the style of car and the uniforms, Norfolk was probably a short stop: World […]
Took The Roof Off
The idea that a tornado could take the roof clean off sounds like an exaggeration — but there’s ample evidence that’s exactly what happened here. These photos were from the 1950s at the latest — 1920s at the earliest — all of which are on the early side when it comes to rural infrastructure in […]