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Historic Minneapolis Discover Minneapolis through its past. Sharing historical insights, landmarks, and untold stories of the city.

Northland Pine Lumber Company Fire 1920On August 24, 1920, a massive fire swept through the Northland Pine Lumber Compan...
10/10/2026

Northland Pine Lumber Company Fire 1920

On August 24, 1920, a massive fire swept through the Northland Pine Lumber Company’s 25-acre lumberyard in North Minneapolis, threatening one of the city’s important industrial areas.

The flames consumed huge quantities of stored lumber and shingles, allowing the fire to spread rapidly through the yard. The enormous piles of dry wood made it difficult for firefighters to bring the blaze under control.

Reported losses exceeded $500,000, representing a major financial blow to the lumber business. Even after the main fire was controlled, burning timber continued to create dangerous conditions.

The disaster highlighted the risks of storing vast quantities of combustible materials in an industry that had helped shape Minneapolis’s growth.

Spectators gathered on Nicollet Avenue between S 10th and S 9th Streets awaiting the Aquatennial Grande Day Parade, Minn...
10/10/2026

Spectators gathered on Nicollet Avenue between S 10th and S 9th Streets awaiting the Aquatennial Grande Day Parade, Minneapolis (1963)

Photo: Walter Leporati

10/10/2026

The 2012 Duluth Flood

In June 2012, torrential rainfall overwhelmed Duluth and surrounding parts of northeastern Minnesota, triggering one of the region’s most destructive flooding events in decades.

Rivers and creeks surged beyond their banks, roads crumbled, bridges were damaged, and floodwaters tore through parks, trails and neighbourhoods.

The St. Louis River rose dramatically, while the famous Lake Superior Zoo suffered severe flooding, with animals escaping their enclosures and several dying.

The disaster caused extensive damage to public infrastructure and private property, leaving communities facing a long recovery.

What began as days of relentless rain became a powerful reminder of how quickly extreme weather can transform a familiar landscape.

Minneapolis WPA Sewing-Project Shooting 1939On July 14, 1939, a labor dispute involving the Works Progress Administratio...
10/10/2026

Minneapolis WPA Sewing-Project Shooting 1939

On July 14, 1939, a labor dispute involving the Works Progress Administration escalated into deadly violence at a Minneapolis sewing project. The confrontation unfolded during a period of growing frustration over relief jobs, wages, and government work programs.

Workers were protesting changes affecting their employment and financial security. The WPA had provided jobs to people struggling through the Great Depression, making reductions in work and relief funding a source of deep concern.

As tensions rose and a crowd gathered, police gunfire left one relief worker dead and 24 people injured. The shooting transformed a labor protest into a major public tragedy.

The incident became one of the most violent episodes of Minneapolis’s 1939 WPA labor unrest, reflecting the hardship and conflict faced by workers during the Depression.

35W during construction, Minneapolis (1960s)
10/10/2026

35W during construction, Minneapolis (1960s)

Murder of Mary Fridley Price 1914On November 28, 1914, Mary Fridley Price died at the bottom of a steep Mississippi Rive...
10/09/2026

Murder of Mary Fridley Price 1914

On November 28, 1914, Mary Fridley Price died at the bottom of a steep Mississippi River bluff in Minneapolis.

Her husband, Fred Price, initially told police that Mary had accidentally fallen while trying to save their dog.

At first, her death was treated as a tragic accident. But Mary's father and family members became suspicious of the circumstances surrounding her death.

A private investigator was hired to examine the case and began uncovering evidence against Fred Price.

Investigators eventually alleged that Price had pushed his wife from the bluff and then struck her with a rock after she survived the fall.

His friend Charles Etchison later confessed and became the state's key witness against him.

In 1916, Fred Price was tried in Hennepin County and convicted of first-degree murder.

He was sentenced to life imprisonment at Stillwater Prison.
The case became one of Minneapolis's most sensational murder trials of the early twentieth century.

10/09/2026

The 1952 Minneapolis Ice Storm Minneapolis

On January 14, 1952, a severe ice storm transformed Minneapolis and communities across Minnesota into a dangerous frozen landscape.

Freezing rain, glaze, sleet, and ice accumulated on streets, sidewalks, trees, telephone lines, and electrical infrastructure.

In Minneapolis alone, 81 people were treated at Minneapolis General Hospital after falling on the icy streets.

Across Minnesota, approximately 1,100 Northwestern Bell telephone wires were reported down, while some locations experienced ice more than an inch thick on wires.

The storm disrupted transportation and communications while turning ordinary walks through the city into hazardous journeys.

What began as winter precipitation became a major weather disaster, demonstrating how a layer of ice could bring down essential infrastructure and make everyday life unexpectedly dangerous.

Sears on East Lake Street, Minneapolis (1941)
10/09/2026

Sears on East Lake Street, Minneapolis (1941)

Northwestern National Bank Fire 1982On Thanksgiving Day, November 25, 1982, one of the largest fires in Minneapolis hist...
10/09/2026

Northwestern National Bank Fire 1982

On Thanksgiving Day, November 25, 1982, one of the largest fires in Minneapolis history erupted in downtown Minneapolis.

The fire began in the partially demolished Donaldson's department store next to the Northwestern National Bank building.

Flames quickly spread through the windows into the 16-story bank headquarters.
The fire raced through the upper floors, sending flames and smoke high above downtown.

More than 150 firefighters from Minneapolis, St. Paul, and surrounding communities responded.

At one point, firefighters had to withdraw from the bank because of fears that the floors could collapse.

The blaze continued for hours and gutted the bank's upper floors from roughly the sixth floor to the roof.

Ten firefighters were treated at hospitals, mainly for smoke inhalation and exhaustion, but no one was killed.

The destruction was estimated at around $30 million, making it one of the most destructive fires in Minneapolis history.

10/09/2026

Bloody Friday Minneapolis, 1934

On July 20, 1934, a labor dispute in Minneapolis erupted into deadly violence during the city's Teamsters strike.

Truck drivers belonging to Teamsters Local 574 were fighting for better wages, improved working conditions, and union recognition while employers attempted to keep trucks and deliveries moving through the city.

That morning, police escorted trucks through the streets as striking workers attempted to stop them.

Near Third Street North, police opened fire on the picketers. When the shooting ended, 67 strikers had been wounded and two John Belor and Henry Ness were dead.

The violence shocked Minneapolis and intensified the already bitter conflict. Governor Floyd Olson eventually declared martial law, and the National Guard entered the city.

Thousands later gathered for Henry Ness's funeral, turning the tragedy into one of the most powerful public demonstrations of the strike.

Bloody Friday became the defining episode of Minneapolis's 1934 labor conflict and remains one of the city's most significant episodes of civil unrest.

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