image: Minnesota Historical Society

The industries that transformed Minneapolis from a frozen backwater into a Midwestern metropolis in the 19th century – farming, logging, milling – came with a steep price: severed limbs. As a result, Minneapolis became a leading producer of artificial appendages – frequently made of heavy wood. In 1914, the new Minneapolis Artificial Limb Company debuted lighter versions made of pressed sawdust fibers, which it marketed at the Minnesota State Fair. Thousands inspected the limbs, handled by booth staffers – many of whom were amputees themselves – openly using their company's products.