Cities and Towns | Page 60

Women on the World War I Home Front

After the United States entered World War I in 1917, Minnesota women, like Americans across the nation, were called to contribute to the war effort. Though some went to Europe and served as nurses, drivers, and aid workers on the battlefields, many more participated on the home front. They took on new jobs, conserved vital resources, and joined volunteer organizations. At the same time, they struggled to come to terms with conflicting ideals of patriotism, loyalty, and what it meant to be an American.

Intersection of Chicago Avenue and Lake Street, Minneapolis

This image shows the intersection of Lake Street and Chicago at the beginning of 1956. Note the Rialto Theater—which would later become a magnet for anti-pornography protesters—on the left. A photojournalist took this image soon after the city had rebuilt the street to better accommodate automobiles. Lake Street was repaved, widened, and illuminated with state-of-the art florescent fixtures in an effort to make it into what was known at the time as a "Great White Way." These efforts helped to make the street into the center for automobile culture in the region. Dotted by gas stations and drive-ins, the street boasted seventy-four automobile dealers. It also became a magnet for drag racers. These changes to the street's built environment made it inhospitable to pedestrians and weakened the social economy of the street. Businesses left the street en masse in the early 1960s, setting the stage for the Alexander brothers, who were able to profit from these plummeting property values. This photograph was taken on January 9, 1956, by the Minneapolis Star Journal.

Waconia Patriot

The Waconia Patriot has provided local news to the residents of Carver County since 1897. In the twenty-first century, the paper is owned by ECM Publishers, Inc.

View of Cloquet after fire

View of Cloquet after fire, 1918.

Lewis Street, Watertown

Tinted photographic postcard showing Lewis Street in Watertown, c.1909.

Duluth Armory

The Duluth Armory has served as both a military training facility and an entertainment venue since its construction in 1915. Notable for its neoclassical design, the armory was central to the work of the National Guard and Home Guard. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2011.