Old photos are AMAZING! Especially those in black and white! I love how they allow us to take a glimpse into the past to see what life was like so long ago. It's interesting to see how people lived during a time when life was much more different than it is today. The following 12 photos prove that North Dakota has definitely come a long way.
1. State School of Forestry in Bottineau, North Dakota, Circa 1911
2. Downtown Grand Forks, North Dakota, Circa 1912
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3. Hotel Vendome in Rolla, North Dakota, 1940
4. Episcopal Church in Linton, North Dakota, 1909
5. Store in Grand Forks, North Dakota, 1880
6. Duke Ellington at Fargo, 1940 Live
7. Downtown Minot, 1909
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8. University of North Dakota Science Hall, 1907
9. U.S. Post Office and Court House in Bismarck, North Dakota, 1913
10. Westland Super Service Station in Minot, North Dakota, Circa 1930s
11. Lewis and Clark Hotel in Mandan, North Dakota, 1919
12. Ontario Store in Grand Forks, North Dakota, Circa 1923
Which picture is your favorite? Let us know in the comments below!
Most high schools in North Dakota could be considered small and many of us even went to school in the same building from kindergarten to 12th grade. It is highly likely many of us who were growing up in North Dakota can relate to this list - see if you remember experiencing anything similar to these 9 things. What's it like growing up in North Dakota? These photos will show you how it was for so many of us. People from North Dakota will likely feel a sense of nostalgia from this!
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1. Your gym teacher probably also doubled as your history teacher, and likely coached most of the sports teams, too.
And if they didn't coach any teams they at least were a ref for some of the games.
2. Your graduating class was not even close to triple digits in size.
Can I get a show of hands for members of the less-than-50-classmates club?
3. The most important day of the year was the first rivalry football game of the season with the school in the next town over.
And we beat them every year, right? Of course!
4. If you were involved in sports, you were probably involved in more than one - or all of them.
You want to play only football? Why not join track, basketball, and golf, too?
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5. Your whole school fit on one side of the gym bleachers for assemblies, with plenty of room to spare.
Ah yes, the pull-out wooden bleachers that have been there since the school was built. You wouldn't believe some of the things people carved into those!
6. Some of the teachers who had been around for a while probably taught your parents, too.
That, or they went to high school with your parents.
7. It was likely that a good chunk of class was gone on the opening day of hunting season.
...If classes hadn't already been conveniently canceled that day.
8. The cafeteria servers knew you by name by the time you reached your senior year.
And yes, they saw you take extra portions that one time. They remember.
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9. In fact, everyone knew everyone else's names by then.
It's not very difficult when there aren't many names to know!
I know you're out there, small-town North Dakotans- what other things can you think of for this list that you experienced? Let us know your memories of growing up in North Dakota in the comments. To get a sense of how things were even further back, take this road trip to historical places in North Dakota:
Before there were big box chain stores everywhere, and before technology started keeping everyone inside more often and outside in the world less often, there was a more community-driven aspect to all the towns. Specialty stores and businesses, for instance, are unfortunately becoming a thing of the past. Now, many seem to demand convenience over quality in many parts of their lives. Looking back at life in the 1930s in North Dakota will make you realize just how much some things have changed.
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The 1930s and '40s were a simpler time for small towns in our state. These historic photos of North Dakota from that time help portray what has changed, and how it used to be. So sit back and take a trip to the past, and maybe we can all reflect a bit on how things have changed.
1. "Drugstore, Ray, North Dakota"
Drug stores were not just a place to get some cold medicine, they were also the cool spot that had soda fountains! This drugstore in particular is even sporting a large "SODA" on the sidewalk to advertise their refreshing drinks.
2. "Grain elevator and flour mill, Fargo, North Dakota"
This one is still very common today - every small town usually has a grain elevator or two.
3 "Sign board, Crosby, North Dakota"
Theater still does remain a popular form of entertainment - here is a neat board of some movie posters. It was probably a lot cheaper to go to the movies then, I doubt it cost as much for concessions as theaters seem to charge these days!
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4. "Farm family window shopping, Williston, North Dakota"
Of course, there was a new wave of department stores that came with this time, such as Montgomery Ward's and others.
5. "Farmer bringing food out of co-op cold storage lockers."
This was more popular back in the day - community cold storage lockers for meats and preserved fruits and veggies, available for use for all local farmers and residents, if they did not have a way to store it themselves.
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6. "Signs at entrance to office building, Fargo, North Dakota"
Many smaller specialty businesses were way more popular back then, local family-owned and proudly run.
7. "Mrs. Bettenhausen with canned goods in cellar. McIntosh County, North Dakota"
Back then a lot more people were self-sufficient, growing their own produce and canning foods for preservation to be used at a later time. Here, a woman shows her cellar full of goods.
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8. "Entrance to beauty parlor and barber shop, Williston, North Dakota"
Of course! This is one of the things people think of the most in small towns from the past - the classic barbershop pole and the ladies' beauty parlor. These in particular were conjoined.
9. "Football players. Minot, North Dakota"
This is not much different today- we love all of our school's athletics programs and teams, especially in small towns. These high school football players are seen walking through town in uniform. Neat!
10. "Grand Forks, North Dakota"
A busy street in Grand Forks showing off some specialty stores, such as the hat store and a shoe repair store. It's hard to find places like that today, with owners and employees who know their trade and are proud of the products they offer.
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The times are always changing and there is not much we can do about that, but sometimes it doesn't hurt to wish they were a little more like life in the 1930s in North Dakota. Here are more vintage photographs of North Dakota to reminisce upon. Old photos like these really offer a sense of pride in our North Dakota roots, don't they?