Gateway to Minnesota History
Film Screening: “An Ode to Stillwater: The John Runk Films”
February 6, 2025 @ 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm CST
It isn’t often that a community has a person who steps up and records its history. Stillwater and the surrounding area were fortunate to have a photographer named John Runk who not only took photographs of the area but also collected photographs from the community spanning over 100 years. Runk also enjoyed the newest technology and with his 8mm camera captured a slice of the St. Croix Valley that live forever.
Runk was born in 1878 in Menominee, Wisconsin and soon arrived with his family to Stillwater. Using his life experiences as a lumberjack and inventor, he captured the life of a community with his camera, oftentimes building his own equipment. He passed away in 1964 and left behind a carefully curated collection created with archival purposes in mind.
The first part of the film screening will be the 30-minute documentary about John Runk’s life, and the second part will be the DVD extras featuring footage shot by John Runk himself. The extras include Ice Harvest, 1951 State Fair, Minnesota State Prison, 1952 Floods, Last Day of the Streetcars, Marine Ferry, Taylors Falls, Views of Stillwater, and Loggers Baseball.
This event is free to the public and no reservations are required. DVDs of the documentary will be available for purchase at the program.
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