What can you spot in this view of the St. Croix River?
Taken in 1900 by Frederick Holcombe, the photograph is described as “The River Rooms” near Natural Landings in Stillwater, Minnesota. The view is looking southwest.
River Rooms were sections of the river used to hold and sort floating logs during the logging era. Timber companies used natural landforms and manmade barriers to enclose areas in the river for separating logs according to their owners or destinations before the logs continued on to sawmills.
Look closely, and you can make out the city of Stillwater, including a grain elevator, probably the Woodward (Commander) Elevator, and the courthouse cupola.
Holcombe was an award-winning amateur photographer and banker whose photographs documented everyday life in Stillwater from the late 1800s into the early 1900s. His work offers a remarkable glimpse into the people and places that shaped our community.
This photograph is part of the Frederick Holcombe Historical Photo Collection in the St. Croix Collection Room at Stillwater Public Library. You can explore this image and many others depicting life in Stillwater from the mid-1800s through today whenever the library is open.
You can also view many of Holcombe’s photographs through Minnesota Digital Library.