St. Paulites were predictably outraged in 1885 when a New York newspaper correspondent characterized Minnesota as “another Siberia, unfit for human habitation in winter.”

Members of the city’s chamber of commerce feared such a reputation would scare away investment in their fledgling community. The bad press prompted local business boosters to plan a celebration to promote their city — one that showcased the advantages of its frosty climate.

“The impression has gone abroad … that St. Paul, while a good place to spend the summer, is a bad winter home,” the St. Paul Globe reported. “A successful winter carnival would do more than anything else that could be thought of to disabuse the public mind of that impression.”

The city held its first Winter Carnival 140 years ago, and it has delighted Minnesotans – as well as visitors from across the country and around the world – ever since.

Pioneer Press photographers have braved the cold and the crowds to capture Carnival festivities for more than a century. What you see here is just a sampling of their work.

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