We're coming up on Christmas and there used to be a time where showing off your photos required more than just a Facebook account.

Courtesy of the North Dakota State Historical Society, they allowed us to go through some of their old Christmas photos and we picked out 10 of them for you to see here. All pictures are being posted with their permission.

Scroll through the photos below and enjoy Christmas in North Dakota from 'back in the day' ... and in some instances, way back in the day.


North Dakota State Historical Society 1-29-79-1
North Dakota State Historical Society
1-29-79-1
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In the photo above, taken in either 1953 or 1954, a cat playfully enjoys some Christmas tinsel in Williston. Bill Shemorry, who published the Williston Plains Reporter (before ultimately selling to the Williston Herald) took the photo.


North Dakota State Historical Society 1-29-82-9
North Dakota State Historical Society
1-29-82-9
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Another Bill Shemorry photo from either 1953 or 1954 shows three young children in Williston posing for a picture in front of a Christmas tree. And is that a shuffleboard court inside a house?


North Dakota State Historical Society 2009-P-033-01
North Dakota State Historical Society
2009-P-033-01
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In a photo believed to be from 1905, students take a picture in front of the school Christmas Tree at 'Tanner No. 1' school in Kidder County. Fortunately, the backside of the original photo tells us who these students are. Do you know any of them?

Back Row: Carl Job, Perry Robinson-teacher, GM Iszler, Nellie Haadem, Ida Haadem, Dema Haadem, Christina Graf

Second Row: John Job, John Iszler, Sam Graf, Henry Haadem, Fred Job, Ray Haadem, Pauline Mueller, Lizzie Job, Emma Iszler, Mary Mueller

First Row: Gottlieb Job, Edward Job, David Job, Bert Haadem, Anton Izler


North Dakota State Historical Society 1952-0398
North Dakota State Historical Society
1952-0398
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Not a lot is known about this photo other than the fact that there is a nun and a priest (Father Hildebrand) distributing toys to kids. The location of the photo is not given and in terms of when it was taken, all we know is that it was between 1900 and 1930.


North Dakota State Historical Society 1-25C-76-2
North Dakota State Historical Society
1-25C-76-2
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In another Bill Shemorry photo, taken in Williston, kids are given Christmas turkeys. The photo was taken sometime between 1930 and 1949. The boys in this photo are not identified in state records.


North Dakota State Historical Society – 2010-P-026-96
North Dakota State Historical Society –
2010-P-026-96
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Though this photo has no apparent relation to Christmas, we know that this photo was taken on Christmas Day in 1919 aboard the U.S.S North Dakota in Constantinople (present day Istanbul in Turkey).


North Dakota State Historical Society 1-19-61-1
North Dakota State Historical Society
1-19-61-1
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In another Bill Shemorry photo, taken in December of 1945, members of the military who served during World War II enjoy a Christmas dinner.


North Dakota State Historical Society 11035-05-11-04
North Dakota State Historical Society 11035-05-11-04
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This photo shows C. Norman Brunsdale, who served as North Dakota's Governor from 1951 to 1957. He poses inside Great Hall in the Capitol Building in Bismarck in a photo taken sometime between 1950 and 1956. Christmas time must have been near given the wreath in the window behind him.


North Dakota State Historical Society 2001-P-04-05
North Dakota State Historical Society
2001-P-04-05
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This is a photo taken in the 1930s in front of the Northern Pacific Railroad Depot in Bismarck with Santa, a reindeer and some other unidentified individuals


The photos above show a Christmas Day menu from the Northwest Hotel in Bismarck taken on Christmas Day in 1907. The Northwest Hotel was located on 5th and Main but was destroyed by a fire in 1921. The third photo shows the items that were on the menu that night. See larger versions of those photos here, here, and here.


 

Merry Christmas!

 

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