An ambrotype of Governor and Mrs. Horace Austin on their wedding day in 1859.

For more information or to purchase a photograph of this item, view this photograph in our collections database.

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A United States Army Model 1842 single-shot .54 caliber percussion lock pistol that belonged to Alexander Ramsey, Governor of Minnesota from 1860 – 1863. The pistol has an oiled walnut stock and brass mountings. The iron parts are finished white, except for a blued trigger. Made by Henry Aston in Middletown, Connecticut.

For more information or to purchase a photograph of this item, view this pistol in our collections database.

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A quarter plate daguerreotype showing a view of St. Paul at the corner of Third and Robert streets in 1851.

For more information or to purchase a photograph of this item, view this photograph in our collections database.

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A large framed daguerreotype of five men with surveying equipment. Made in the 1850s.

For more information or to purchase a photograph of this item, view this photograph in our collections database.

(Note: The comments section has been temporarily disabled while we upgrade the website. You can always leave comments on our Flickr Photostream at http://www.flickr.com/photos/minnesotahistoricalsociety/)

A daguerreotype showing a view of St. Paul and the First Baptist Church. Taken in 1851.

For details, view this photograph in our collections database.

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An ambrotype of Dr. Josiah R. Snelling with his dog in 1855. Snelling was the son of the first commander of Fort Saint Anthony, which later became Fort Snelling.

For details, view this ambrotype in our collections database.

Daguerreotype of St. Anthony Falls and stores along Main Street, St. Anthony, made in the 1850s.

For details, view this photograph in our collections database.

1/6 plate Daguerreotype of Charles Green McChesney Mount. Made around 1855.

For details, view this photograph in our collections database.

Black silk top hat retailed by G. J. Laage in Quincy, Illinois and bought by Peter Rusche of Saint Paul, Minnesota, circa 1859.

Wooden plow made in Sweden circa 1850 and brought to the United States by Swedish immigrants in 1890.  The plow is featured in the podcast “They Chose Minnesota: Immigration to the North Star State.”

For details, view the plow in our online collections database.