This photo from 1920 shows Main Street looking north and how some storefronts have changed and others have not. What stays the same in historic Main Avenue photos is cars parked in the middle of the street.

Lots of cities have a main street, but this Main Street was the place where Park Rapids really began. Charles Todd filed the original townsite for Park Rapids in 1879 and claimed land where Main Street is now. While he relinquished the rights to the townsite to the Rice family, Main Street remained the heart of the new village.

In the early days of Park Rapids, Main Street looked quite different. It was a sandy dirt road. Hitching posts and horse troughs lined either side. Early sidewalks were made of wood, elevated to keep pedestrians out of the mud.

One thing that hasn't changed is the width of the street. When it was laid out and surveyed, early Park Rapids was a vital supply center for the logging camps in the nearby forests. The street needed to be wide enough for four- or six-horse teams with a full load of timber to drive down the street and turn to get to the railroad station. By the time logs didn't need to go through town, the street width was fully established.

The hitching posts were removed in 1913 as horses were gradually replaced by automobiles. Vehicles began parking in the center lanes on Main by the 1920s.

Main Street's broad history is a great example of how Park Rapids has been shaped by the changing needs of its residents. Whether it's for logging carts or for parking, Main Street continues to be the vital hub of the city.

217 Main Avenue South
Park Rapids, MN 56470

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46.92036446037312, -95.06003959503128