Quick Summary
The Minnesota Digital Library has a new Primary Source Set on the history of the YMCA in Minneapolis.
Learn about the history and impact of the YMCA in Minneapolis in Minnesota Digital Library’s new primary source set.
The first YMCA organization in Minneapolis was founded in 1866. It began as a Christian men’s organization, and it mainly focused on religious advocacy in its early years. The organization had a few different homes before the first dedicated Minneapolis YMCA building opened in 1892 at Tenth Street and Mary Place. Over time, the YMCA expanded beyond its religious focus and began to work to enrich people's lives in other ways, through educational programs, fitness classes, wilderness trips, and more.
The variety of sources in this set provide a sense of the YMCA’s broad impact in Minneapolis and beyond. Many of them are from the Kautz Family YMCA Archives at the University of Minnesota. Most of the photographs were taken in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, and they show some of the many ways the Minneapolis YMCA has engaged with its community. The set includes photographs of people participating in activities like exercise classes, English classes, and religious meetings. Other photographs show the interior of the first Minneapolis YMCA building which had a gymnasium, a restaurant, recreational lounges, and rooms for visitors to stay overnight. A brochure for a Camp Menogyn wilderness trip is also part of this set because the camp was founded by the Minneapolis YMCA in 1922.
Explore these resources and more in The Minneapolis YMCA Primary Source Set!
