In the 1930s, Minneapolis was going through an economic downturn as the nation was facing the Great Depression. Industries were in decline, and the flour mills gradually began to shut down. Business and local industries had developed a national reputation for ethnic and labor conflict. The violent Teamsters Strike of 1934 resulted in laws acknowledging workers’ rights.
Gangsters and mobs ruled the underworld of the city. North Minneapolis was ruled by the Jews gangster led by Isadore Blumenfield also known as Kid Cann. Blumenfield was linked to assassinations, money laundering, and the destruction of the Minneapolis streetcar system, and political bribery.
Here below are some vintage photos of Minneapolis from the 1930s. These stunning historical photos show a whole different Minneapolis from the one we know today and they also offer a glimpse into everyday life. Vote your favorites and don’t forget to share.
If you go more into the past, then check out, what Minneapolis looked like in the early 1900s.
#1 Beer wagon, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 1939
#2 Flour mills along the river. Minneapolis, 1930s.
#3 404 Hennepin Avenue, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 1931
#4 Two men stand behind the bar at Schiek’s Cafe in Minneapolis, Minnesota. June 1, 1934.
#5 Rows of chairs at the School of Dentistry at the University of Minnesota, 1930.
#6 Shriner’s parade inside Coliseum featuring clown and drum from Zuhrah Drum Corps. Minneapolis, Minnesota, 1930.
#7 Directing traffic the Minneapolis way, 1930s
#8 Men Making Sauerkraut in Minneapolis, 1932.
#9 Pawnshops and secondhand stores in Gateway District, Minneapolis, 1930s.
#10 Picketing, Minneapolis, 1930s.
#11 Kay Palmquist models a trousers suit in downtown Minneapolis, 1935.
#12 The driver and delivery van for Despatch Laundry in Minneapolis, 1937
#13 Job seekers during the Great Depression have put signs on their car expressing their wish to work. Minneapolis, 1930.
#14 Postal carrier Albert S. Dilley empties a mailbox on his downtown route. Minneapolis, Minnesota, 1930.
#15 Boston Block Department Store, 300 Hennepin Avenue, Minneapolis, 27 December 1936
#16 Spectators watching a Golf Tournament. Minneapolis, Minnesota, 1930.
#17 Fight between teamsters and police, Minneapolis, June 1934
#18 Gas station in Minneapolis, December 1937
#19 Three Dunne brothers work during Labor Strike in Minneapolis, 1934.
#20 Gateway Park, the heart of skid row, Minneapolis, September 1939
#21 Gateway District, Minneapolis, 1930.
#22 Gateway Park, the heart of skid row; Minneapolis, Minnesota, 6 July 1937
#23 Goodwill store and Mission church, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 1937
#24 Child who lives on the other side of the tracks, Minneapolis, 1930s.
#25 Hennepin Avenue, Minneapolis, 1930s
#26 Family of trucker waiting while truck is being loaded, Minneapolis, 1930s.
#27 Horse racing on lake of the Isles, Minneapolis, 1930s
#28 Minneapolis Mayor George E. Leach points out a good place to get run down by a car, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 1930s
#29 Minneapolis women lining up to vote for the first time in a presidential election, 1930s
#30 Flour mills along the Mississippi River. Minneapolis, 1930s.
#31 Pawnshops and secondhand stores, Minneapolis, 1939
#32 Keller Drug and Delivery Car in Minneapolis, 1936.
#33 Bootblack’s stand, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 1937
#34 Chicago Hotel in Minneapolis, 1920
#35 Christmas decorations at 7th Street and Nicollet Avenue. Dayton department store on left, 1930s
#36 Christmas decorations at Nicollet Avenue, Minneapolis, 1930s
#37 Students at work in the offices of the ‘Minnesota Daily’, the campus newspaper of the University of Minnesota, 1932.
#38 Coffe shops, cafes and hotels in Gateway District, Minneapolis, 1930s.
#39 Hennepin Avenue at South Tenth Street, Minneapolis, 1934
#40 Barber College in Gateway District, Minneapolis, 1930s.
#41 Hennepin Avenue from Sixth Street looking north, Minneapolis, 1930s
#42 Looking up Nicollet from Fourth Street south, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 14 January 1937
#43 Streetcars in car yard, Minneapolis, 1930s.
#44 Miller’s restaurant, 126 Washington Avenue south, Minneapolis, 1930s
#45 This billboard from 1937 advertises for the Minneapolis Journal newspaper.
#46 Signs in the Gateway District, Minneapolis, 1937.
#47 Second Street boardinghouse, Minneapolis, 1930s.
#48 Minneapolis, Minnesota, 1930s
#49 Tourist camp in winter, Minneapolis, 1930s.
#50 Miss Minnesota over Nicollet Mall, 1938
#51 Newspaper row, Fourth Street south near Nicollet Avenue, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 1930s
#52 Orpheum Theater (still very much in use), 910 Hennepin Avenue, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA, 1933
#53 Packing flour at Pillsbury mill, Minneapolis, 1930s.
#54 Passengers boarding a street car at Hennepin and 9th, Minneapolis, 1930s
#55 Grain samplers, Minnesota Grain Inspection Department. Minneapolis, 1930s
#56 Pawnshop in Gateway District, Minneapolis, Minnesota, September 1939
#57 Grain inspector at state grain inspection deptartment, Minneapolis, 1930s.
#58 Minnesota state grain inspection department, Minneapolis, 1930s.
#59 Policeman with boy at Thirty-Sixth Street and Nicollet Avenue, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 1930s
#60 Open grain market, Minneapolis Grain Exchange, Minneapolis, 1930s.
#61 Sixth and Nicollet in the rain, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 1930s
#62 Buyer examining sample of oats at open market, Minneapolis Grain Exchange, Minnesota, 1939.
#63 Skid row, Minneapolis, August 1937
#64 Saloon in mill district, Minneapolis, 1939.
#65 Snowplow owned by Jefferson Transportation Company, Minneapolis, 1930s
#66 Beer wagon, Minneapolis, 1930s.
#67 South Sixth Street, near Hennepin Avenue, Minneapolis, 1930s
#68 Brewery, Minneapolis, 1930s.
Grain Belt Brewery, which was established in 1893, survived the Prohibition years by producing "near-beer" and sodas; however, the brewery has experienced tumultuous business since. The original brewery in Minneapolis was closed and operations were moved to a St. Paul location in 1976.
I can’t get over how the telephone number in the Le Sueur truck photo was 141… lol
I’d be suspicious of the dates
really wish I could time travel.
I really like these. Thank you for posting the link. Wolverhampton is my hometown, so most of these happened during my lifetime. I have forwarded them to my Dad, who I know will also appreciate them. Thanks a lot
Cool photos but some of those dates are WAY off.
Some photos have different clothing styles as attributed dates.