Cities and Towns | Page 73

Residence of George O.Robertson, Nininger

Illustration of the residence of George O.Robertson in Nininger, Dakota County, made c.1874. Taken from An Illustrated Historical Atlas of the State of Minnesota by A.T. Andreas (page 95).

John Nininger

Cabinet photograph of John Nininger taken c.1875

Plan of the city of Nininger c.1856

A layout plan of the city of Nininger c.1856

Ignatius Donnelly house, Nininger

The Ignatius Donnelly house in Nininger, c.1937. Photograph by Edwards, Everett E.

A view from the site of the town of Nininger c.1890

Nininger site

A cyanotype photograph taken from the site of the town of Nininger c.1890.

Billy Graham at the Minneapolis Auditorium

Photograph of the Reverend Billy Graham speaking at the stage door of the Minneapolis Auditorium. Taken in September of 1950 by a Minneapolis Tribune photographer.

Nininger, a small town built quickly in 1856 and abandoned only a few years later, was located twenty-five miles south of St. Paul near present-day Hastings. The story of its rise and fall is typical of many of the boom towns that sprang up in places like Minnesota Territory during the mid-nineteenth century. It shows both the high hopes of the area’s newcomers and the despair they felt when their communities failed.