A group of spectators at the entrance to the Zumbro Hotel watch four men in a car at the curb. A jug, spare tire and sign reading ""New York to Rochester"" hang on the side of the car.
A group of men are posed by a caravan of loaded wagons in front of the Hayes Lucas Lumber Company in Stewartville. The wagons are loaded with cement, blocks and building materials for the Urban barn and are being pulled by a tractor. Otto Urban is on the wagon behind the tractor. Frank Urban is on the tractor.
Spectators watch the Fourth of July celebration from the street and from the balcony on the Central Fire Station. Rochester Fire Department motorized equipment is displayed along with horse drawn fire equipment. By 1918, the fire department had become completely mechanized. This was the last public showing of the fire horses. The Tollefson Furniture and Undertaking store is visible on the right.
Teams of horses with wagons wait for a delivery load at the Dodge Lumber and & Fuel Company loading facility. The business, originally known as W. H. Dodge, General Dealer in Lumber, was started in 1869 by W. H. Dodge. His son, Elam Dodge, joined the firm in 1907 and the name was changed to Dodge Lumber and Fuel.
Two men are posed by the front of a Chicago and North Western train engine. A hand operated turntable is visible in the rear. A wooden pilot (cow catcher) is attached to the front of the engine. The man in dark clothes on the right is Joe Bell.
The E. A. Knowlton residence, built In 1875 by J. D. Blake and later owned by Albert Harrington, was sold to E. A. Knowlton in 1889. He owned the house until 1906 when it sold to John Kahler and some investors. The building was extensively remodeled and additions were added. In 1907 it opened as the Kahler Hotel. When the ""New"" Kahler Hotel was built in 1921, the name of this structure was changed to Damon Hotel.
Rochester City Hall is situated on the corner of the intersection of First Avenue Southwest and Third Street Southwest. City Hall was built in 1884 and was razed in 1931 to make room for a new city hall. To the right is the Electric Light Plant, built in 1894 and burned in 1915.
Four men are posed in front of a carriage in the Alvin Van Campen Livery Barn located at 17 Second Street SE next to the Chicago Great Western Railroad depot. In March 1888, Van Campen purchased the business from Milo Jack. In December 1911, he sold the livery business and building to C. L. Arnold and W. S. Burton and moved into the Van Campen building. Tom Williams drove the baggage wagon; Ed Durkee, a brother of Mrs. Louis Rommel, drove the ""taxi"". all vehicles were horse drawn. Note the old hack in the back of the barn (City Bus and Transfer). This bus met the trains for the Cook Hotel. The men in the photo are (left to right): Tom Williams, George Fitzgerald, Alfred ""Red"" Ennis and Ed Durkee.
People with horses and buggies are seen in the foreground of the Rochester State Hospital in this exterior photo. The hospital, also known as the Second Hospital for the Insane, opened in 1879.
A train is photographed moving toward the Rochester depot of the Chicago & North Western Railroad while a group of people wait outside the depot. Other buildings, train tracks and railcars are also visible.
A group of people, picnicking at Fugel's Mill, are posed by a hammock. Back row (left to right): John M. Rowley, Mary Peck, Leslie Stillwell, Ruth Chadbourne, Sam Furlow, Spencer Knapp, Anna Cross (behind fan), Burt W. Eaton, Lucy Du Bois, Clara F. Olds; middle row: M. G. Denton, Inez Kinsbury, John J. Fulkerson, Hattie Smith, Miss Sayles; front row: Miss Evans, Miss Gramling, Will Smith, Matie Knapp, Frank E. Gooding, Miss Evans.
Several people are viewing the damage from the 1883 tornado. A man is standing next to a piece of furniture and a boy is sitting with a large toy horse. Among the debris on the ground is a stove, windows and an umbrella. The inscription on the photo is: ""Cascade Park, 20 houses destroyed, 8 persons killed near here."" The tornado struck Rochester in the early evening of Aug. 21, 1883.
M. V. Rowley's blacksmith shop was located at 22-24 North Broadway. The interior of the shop is shown with a man shoeing a horse and featuring horse shoes hanging from the rafters, forges, tools, anvils and a stove.
People are pictured walking through the landscaped gardens, flower beds and walkways of the Rochester State Hospital. The hospital, also known as the Second Hospital for the Insane, opened in 1879. Farm fields are visible in the background.
The five people pictured were all members of the First Methodist Church Choir; seated: Mr. Wilson (in chair), Bertha Schuster (in black dress), Nellie Bonham (higher seat); standing: Lulu Crouch, Bert Nichols.
A small group of people are standing in front of the Pierce House (built in 1877) with a carriage and team of horses in the street. The hotel was located at 215 South Main Street (now First Avenue SW). Over the years the name of the hotel changed several times: 1884 Commercial House, 1893 Grand Union Hotel, 1895 Rochester Hotel,1920 Olmsted Hospital, 1922 Rochester Hotel, 1923 Rochester's Nurses Home, 1928 Maxwell House (Hall) and 1968 Maxwell Guest House.
The Bradley House (built in 1855 by Albert Stevens) was sold to J. T. Bradley in 1861. This stagecoach stop, located at the east end, facing north, of the then College Street (now 4th Street) bridge, a block east of Broadway was on the Old Dubuque Trail. A fancy coach met all trains and transported customers and their baggage to the Bradley House.