MAPS ON VINTAGE POSTCARDS - MINNESOTA

This weekend the Twin City Postcard Club is holding its semiannual postcard show and sale.  As I've mentioned previously, I was a member of the Club for many years, and I still love my thousands of antique/vintage postcards.  My love of travel is reflected in my collection of map postcards, a few of which I will share with you here.

This first postcard is a "real photo" postcard showing a map of the United States in 1968, and highlighting the states voting for Nixon, Humphrey and Wallace.  You will notice that Minnesota is shown as supporting Humphrey, which is no surprise given that Hubert H. Humphrey represented Minnesota in the U.S. Senate for two terms.  He also served as Vice President under President Lyndon B. Johnson from 1965 to 1969, and, as shown in this postcard, was the nominee of the Democratic Party in the 1968 presidential election, which he lost to the Republican nominee, Richard Nixon.

The following "Greetings from Minnesota" postcard is a cartoon showing some of the things Minnesota was known for in the early 1900's - particularly farming.  On the back of the card it states:  "Minnesota - area 84,682 sq. miles, of which 3,824 sq. miles is water; 10,000 lakes; 11th state in size; admitted to the Union in 1858.  State flower:  Moccasin Flower.  Capital - St. Paul."

The next map card of Minnesota was mailed in 1909.  On the face of the card is the Seal of Minnesota with the moniker "L'Etoile du Nord" or "Star of the North".

Early in its history the State also adopted the moniker "gopher" which is the mascot of the University of Minnesota sports teams.  The following postcard, mailed in 1908, shows Minnesota industries of Spring Wheat, Iron Ore, Dairying and Salt.  The population at the time is shown as 1,751,394.

It has been interesting living in the land of 10,000 lakes.  Summer cabins, trips to the lake, and visits to friends' cabins continue to this day for most of us.  In the Twin City Metro Area, Lake Minnetonka is well known as one of the most affluent areas.  A fun summer activity is taking a boat ride around the lake, looking at the numerous mansions owned by Minnesota's rich and famous.  As an aside, Lake Minnetonka postcards are much sought after.  This postcard states that Lake Minnetonka is 20 miles long and 4 miles wide, with a shore line of over 300 miles.

Resulting from its glacial past, these lakes offer a wide range of activities including fishing, swimming, boating and, as shown in the following postcard, canoeing the Boundary Waters Canoe Area.

Just west of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area is Voyagers National Park.  The name "Voyagers" (French for "traveler") reflects the early history of the area as a large fur trading route of early French entrepreneurs.  The Park, established in 1975, is not shown in this U.S. Map of National Parks in 1966, the 50th anniversary of the National Park Service.  Here's an interesting side note:  The rocks at Voyagers National Park are older than those found at the bottom of the Grand Canyon!

Itasca State Park in northwestern Minnesota is the headwaters of the Mississippi River which runs south through the continental U.S. and into the Gulf of Mexico.

Many of us remember "Mark Twain" (nom de plume of Samuel L. Clemens)  and his tales of Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer.  This postcard is identified as the "Mark Twain Literary Map" in the Mark Twain Hotel Lobby in Hannibal, Missouri.

I hope you have enjoyed this little travelogue, via postcards, of Minnesota.