Captain America Vintage T-shirt
The Golden Years of Minnesota Tourism
From the 1860s through the 1930s, Minnesota was a trip to Mecca for sportsmen and woodswomen from the east coast and deep south. It was touted as "America's Favorite Fun spot," "The ideal holiday destination out of doors," and America's Vacation Wonderland ", among other fancy titles. People from New York to Alabama boarded James J. Hill 's Great Northern Railway to get a glimpse of the new border, which it says more than 10,000 lakes.
In the early days, the rustic areas surrounding Minneapolis and St. Paul was full of visitors looking for new, natural settings. The Twin City Line Trolley tracks ran from cities to rural communities such as Stillwater, the birthplace of Minnesota, and Lake Minnetonka, a irregular immense body of water with many islands and over 100 kilometers of coastline.
Steamboat companies sprang up to accommodate many travelers waiting to take tours the breath of the St. Croix River Valley and many bays of Lake Minnetonka. The tour boats were followed by large Victorian hotels overlooking the square, electric lights and water current. The trolley company built three spectacular amusement parks within 15 miles of Minneapolis and St. Paul – the most picturesque Big Island Park that was built on an island in the middle of Lake Minnetonka. This park featured a dance hall, a network of walks and a charming lighthouse towering fixture that was visible from all points of lake. Massive steamships, including the "City of St. Louis," which could carry 1,000 passengers, transported visitors to and from the island.
As the railroads pushed farther north, tourists ventured in central Minnesota, including Alexandria, the chain of lakes north of Brainerd, and Lake of the Woods at Warroad on the border Canadian. Rustic log resorts appeared in the popular lakes, offering hunting, fishing, sailing, hiking, golf and tennis, among others, outdoor test of time.
One of the most enduring is the resorts Naniboujou Shop, which is still located on the shores of Lake Superior. This fabulous get-away was built in the 1920s. It's great room cavernosum was decorated from floor to ceiling with magnificent Cree Indian hieroglyphs. A large river rock fireplace anchors one end of the room that is filled with rustic but warm furniture. Regular visitors included Babe Ruth and Ring Lardner, a journalist from New York.
Another famous get-away, still in tact, is Breezy Point Resort, a wonderful variety of cabins around a classic log lodge in a point at Pelican Lake. This was the essence of Minnesota in 1920 rustic vacation spot, with a fleet of boats for rent, fishing guides and long sandy beaches surrounded by tall pines and birches. It was built by "Captain Billy Fawcett, editor the popular "Whiz Bang magazine." Captain Billy was well known in Hollywood and Breezy Point soon became a favorite fun spot for the likes of Clark Gable, Carole Lombard, western star Tom Mix and boxer Jack Dempsey.
As the travel industry grew Minnesota, the newly founded Minnesota Department of Tourism began publishing promotional posters and travel guides. Minnesota had already become a favorite destination for graphic artists, and quality of these promotional materials were among the best in the country. Pamphlets and prints highlighted wonderful pastoral scenes of bathing beauties, sports and rugged unspoiled vacation spots, accompanied by advertising copy charmingly romantic.
Many examples of such promotional materials, representing the golden age of tourism Minnesota, can be seen in www.MinnesotaPosters.com.
About the Author
Chris Foote is a resident of Deephaven, a sleepy village on the shores of Lake Minnetonka, Minnesota. He is a painter and graphic artist who restores vintage travel materials in his spare time, reproducing them as fine art prints. To see examples of vintage Minnesota travel posters, please visit: www.MinnesotaPosters.com.