New Book Highlights Bemidji’s Unique History

MT. PLEASANT, S.C. - May 20, 2013 - PRLog -- The newest addition to Arcadia Publishing’s Images of America series is Bemidji from local author Cecelia Wattles McKeig. The book boasts more than 200 vintage and modern images chronicling the growth and change of this Minnesota town.

Bemidji links its early history to that of Shay-now-ish-kung, or Chief Bemidji, who lived with his family on the shores of the lovely lake bearing his name. After the Carson brothers opened their trading post in 1888, logging flourished and lumber camps boomed.

Bemidji was incorporated in 1896 and the railroad reached the town in 1898. Hotels, businesses and saloons mushroomed near the railroad tracks. Saloons and a brisk nightlife kept Bemidji in the news until federal agent W.E. "Pussyfoot" Johnson and his deputies closed the saloons and made it a more respectable place to live.

Early settlers took advantage of the beautiful shoreline to develop summer hotels and parks. Kodak reported that the spot where the statues of Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox stand is the second-most-photographed tourist attraction in the United States.

Highlights of Bemidji include:
•   Highlights the valuable contributions made by the Federal Works Administration programs in the area during the 1930s and the value of these buildings today.
•   Images and stories of the development of the hotel and resort industry illustrates how Bemidji has become a tourist destination.
•   Rarely seen photographs from the Bemidji Winter Carnival and its activities, such as the Dog-Sled Races and the Library Park toboggan slide.

Available at area bookstores, independent retailers and online retailers, or through Arcadia Publishing at (888)-313-2665 or online.  

Arcadia Publishing is the leading publisher of local and regional history in the United States.  Our mission is to make history accessible and meaningful through the publication of books on the heritage of America’s people and places.  Have we done a book on your town?  Visit www.arcadiapublishing.com/.