Beltrami, Giacomo Costantino (1779–1855)

Born in 1779 in the Lombardy region of Italy, Giacomo Costantino Beltrami achieved fame and fortune at a young age. When political pressure and personal loss spurred him to leave home, he set out to explore the world. Today he is best known for an account of his travels through present-day Minnesota, and for his claim to have found the source of the Mississippi River.

Two women in bathing suits under Minnehaha Falls

Two women in bathing suits under Minnehaha Falls

Photograph of two women in bathing suits under Minnehaha Falls. Captured by a Star Tribune photographer on June 22, 1938.

William H. Illingworth (left) with group at Minnehaha Falls

William H. Illingworth (left) with group at Minnehaha Falls

Photograph of William H Illingworth (left) with a group at Minnehaha falls c.1865.

Black-and-white image from Michael Nowack's album of Lake Minnetonka photographs, 1881.

View of Lake Minnetonka from the Hotel Saint Louis

Black-and-white image from Michael Nowack's album of Lake Minnetonka photographs, 1881.

Photograph of a gathering of people on the banks of the upper Mississippi River for a prayer meeting conducted by Reverend John Sornberger c.1910.

John Sornberger and assembly

Photograph of a gathering of people on the banks of the upper Mississippi River for a prayer meeting conducted by Reverend John Sornberger, c.1910.

Photograph of men waving to Frank Higgins, the lumberjack sky pilot, outside a lumber camp c.1910.

Frank Higgins

Photograph of men waving to Frank Higgins, the lumberjack sky pilot, outside a lumber camp, c.1910.

Photograph of Frank Higgins and a dog with a sled outside a lumber camp c.1900.

Frank Higgins

Photograph of Frank Higgins and a dog with a sled outside a lumber camp, c.1900.

Photograph of Cook’s Bay in Mound c.1950. This is where the Andrews Sisters spent childhood summers. A portion of Maxene Andrews’s ashes were scattered here.

Cook's Bay, Mound

Photograph of Cook’s Bay in Mound, c.1950. This is where the Andrews Sisters spent childhood summers. A portion of Maxene Andrews’s ashes were scattered here.

Painting of Father Louis Hennepin at the Falls of St. Anthony, 1680

Hennepin at the Falls of St. Anthony, 1680

Painting of Father Louis Hennepin at the Falls of St. Anthony in 1680. Painted c. 1903 by J. N. Marchand.

Hennepin, Louis (ca.1640–ca.1701)

Father Louis Hennepin, a Recollect friar, is best known for his early expeditions of what would become the state of Minnesota. He gained fame in the seventeenth century with the publication of his dramatic stories in the territory. Although Father Hennepin spent only a few months in Minnesota, his influence is undeniable. While his widely read travel accounts were more fiction than fact, they allowed him to leave a lasting mark on the state.

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