PARK RAPIDS, Minn. — Long before the arrival of tweets, texts, posts and chats, travelers recounted their vacations with family and friends by mailing postcards.

Lead interpretive naturalist Connie Cox recently shared the postcard collection, dating from the 1900s through 1960s, of Itasca State Park in Minnesota. Many were donated to the park by collectors or family members, she said. Cox also seeks them out at antique stores.

Her presentation opened the fall season of the Headwaters Center for Lifelong Learning in Park Rapids, Minnesota.

Speaking on Tuesday, Sept. 2, Cox said the images and personal messages reveal behind-the-scenes stories from the early days of vacationing in the park.

“Itasca has 1,001 stories. I have not even touched on all them,” she said.

As of June, Cox has wo

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