This Rare Footage In The 1940s Shows North Dakota Like You’ve Never Seen It Before

We have explored a lot of vintage photographs of North Dakota from all throughout the last century and it is one of my favorite topics to cover. Diving into the past and seeing it for how it really was through actual images can be completely eye opening, so a video can be even more impacting.

I found this video of downtown Dickinson, North Dakota that was taken somewhere around 1940, and what’s great about it is that it’s in full color – something you rarely see from that time period. The video takes us on a drive down the busy streets of Dickinson, passing cars and people, and also gives us a look at some of the people who are there. One of the most interesting characters definitely is the man who took an old plane and converted it into his mail delivery truck. I’m not so sure that’d be street legal today, but you can’t judge his resourcefulness!

Take a close look as you watch it the footage down the street and see what you can spot. If you live in Dickinson or have been there, try to see what you recognize that is still around today or how it has changed since then. Considering North Dakota was just starting to recover from the Dust Bowl, it looks like they are already bouncing back at the time of this video.

Don’t you find the history of this state fascinating? I’m always on the search for more photographs and videos and information and I feel like I learn something new every time I find one; there is so much to see and discover. If you have any stories or vintage photographs of North Dakota, please share them in the comments! I always look forward to hearing about first-hand accounts of the history of where I live, as I’m sure everyone else does.