The Great Idea Project for The Stillwater Foundation, 2016

What is Lens Flare Stillwater?

Lens Flare Stillwater allows us to make a connection between the historical photo collection of Mr. John Runk and the digital technology of 2017. Specifically, there is a connection between the geo-location of the historical photo and its appearance in 2017 at the same location. Lens Flare Stillwater allows you to have the History Book of Stillwater in your mobile device or computer. We can enjoy looking at the John Runk Collection of photos from the comfort of wherever we happen to be (virtual reality), or we can enjoy these same experiences while on location in Stillwater by using the browser-based APP (Augmented Reality). There are photos, narratives, audio narratives and additional photos and features that function in any mobile device. The best news is that they are FREE !

Virtual Reality Tour

Virtual reality means that you can take an imaginary tour of Stillwater and view photos, read text, listen to audio narrative, view video and go to other maps and references that are related to the history of Stillwater. You can take this tour from the comfort of your home or hotel room anywhere in the world.

The Lens Flare Stillwater web site allows you to visit Stillwater, Minnesota for a virtual tour of the city in times past. The historical photos are sourced from the John Runk Collection, but more about that when you read and view who Mr. Runk was and what he did for all of us many years ago. What makes the site interactive is that it is linked with GPS coordinates that allow you to view the historical photo in the context of its location as it exists today. There are narratives for most of the locations. Some of these will provide audio descriptions as well as written descriptions of the historical sites. There also are Google Street View 360 Maps of these historical locations in Stillwater that are linked to their present day locations. There are photos on the maps that show and provide a brief description of the locations. In summary, Lens Flare Stillwater is a combination of the past work of Mr. John Runk with today’s technology.  This allows us to accurately locate his historical photo contributions  against today’s scenes and do some other magic.

This web site also functions with all mobile devices, so you can view these photos while walking and taking a tour of Stillwater.  The web site is very interactive and puts the "History of Stillwater in your Pocket or Purse". The site host and the APP have compatibility with all mobile devices and desktop computers. 

Progress and Different Consequences

What is different about Lens Flare Stillwater is that many of the places in the photos do not exist today. Some have burned while others have been razed. Some are still standing, while others have been modified or are undergoing modifications. Some, you can touch and feel while others are gone, but for these images. Many of these historical photos have been juxtaposed over scenes of the same location as it appears today. The intention here is to give everyone a feel for the history of Stillwater as it went through the wilderness, the Native American, the Territorial Prison and Statehood, the lumbering era, the manufacturing enterprise era, the railroading period and other times of change. We want to make visitors or residents curious as to what life must have been like during any of the epochs of Stillwater’s unique history.

 

Augmented Reality

Augmented reality is a feature on your mobile device that enhances your real experience.  In the case of Lens Flare Stillwater, that feature is the geolocation technology.  This allows you to be nearby an active location and have the technology automatically provide information, such as photos, text, audio and video related to that location. It enables us to sense when we are nearby an identified historical location. This is best used with your mobile device when you actually are in Stillwater learning about these locations. There are two ways to accomplish this;

Native APP

A "Native app" is a separate software that functions apart from your mobile device browser. Generally, you must download the App via the Apple Store or other location in order to use the App.

The future of Lens Flare Stillwater will include a "Native APP" for your iOS mobile device (Apple). The APP will enable you to easily locate and identify these historical sites using your camera function. It will also allow you to swipe across the historical photo and view the same scene as it appears today or at different times in the past. Lens Flare Stillwater will be truly an “Augmented Reality” APP.  At this time however, the native APP is not yet available.  When it does become available, you will be able to easily download the FREE APP from this site.  Stay Tuned !

Browser-Based APP

A browser based APP is similar to the native APP, but it is functioning via your device browser.  Lens Flare Stillwater is also fortunate to have software that enables us to have Augmented Reality features via our web site.  The software has been generously provided by Robert Bilyk of Lodestar Learning Systems.  This software functions thru the web site gateway.  The device senses the geolocation and changes the screen view as you enter the new geolocation.  As you walk or drive thru Stillwater and you come within the geofence of an active location, your screen will change with a photo, text narrative, audio narrative or video related to this historical location.  Bob Bilyk and Lodestar Learning Systems have also provided training for our volunteers to input content into this software.  This software is fully functional at this time and will work on all mobile devices.  

Volunteers

The historical content, voice, text, photos and locations are being created by an “All Volunteer” team. Click Here to see our Volunteers.  If you are interested in helping out, please contact Lens Flare Stillwater.

Funding

Funding for Lens Flare Stillwater has been provided through a very generous grant from the Stillwater Area Foundation as a prize for winning their 2016 Great Idea Competition. These people have been very patient with us because of delays and problems with software development during the past seven months. The Stillwater Foundation has helped many organizations who are centered on improving Stillwater.  Keep them in mind when you are interested in making a contribution to this worthwhile foundation.

Software Development

Pivot The World

The hard work for such an APP had already been done by a start-up called PIVOTtheWorld, the brainchild of Sami Jitan and Asma Jaber. Sami and Asma have been working on the software for this native APP, which has allowed our volunteer team to focus on content development.

Lodestar Learning Systems

Bob Bilyk and Lodestar Learning Systems have also worked very hard with their Lodestar Browser-Based APP.  Their software powers the Browser-Based APP at the Lens Flare Stillwater web site. Their generosity and adaptive work has demonstrated how a community works together in a cooperative manner.

Sources of Content

The John Runk Collection of Historical Photos has been sourced from:

The Washington County Historical Society

The Stillwater Public Library

The Minnesota Historical Society

We are also grateful for the availability of digital files from the New York City Public Library for some the content in Lens Flare Stillwater.

 

FREE Apps 〰️

FREE Apps 〰️

 

All of the Images Below Are Links to Seven Different FREE APPS. These APPS will work for any computer or mobile smart device. They will work from your armchair anywhere. The best experience is when you are in Stillwater, nearby these historic locations. Your smart device then will know where you are and every time you enter a new historic location, it will provide photos, text or audio information related to the location. Just click on the TOUR of your choice and learn about the early days of Stillwater, Minnesota

  

 
Main Street TourApp for All Mobile DevicesThis features 15 active sites and triggers a visual cue when a new geo fence is entered.

Main Street Tour

App for All Mobile Devices

This features 15 active sites and triggers a visual cue when a new geo fence is entered.

Downtown Guided TourApp for All Mobile Devices.This features a quick guided tour of downtown Stillwater MN. It triggers a visual cue when a new geo fence is entered.

Downtown Guided Tour

App for All Mobile Devices.

This features a quick guided tour of downtown Stillwater MN. It triggers a visual cue when a new geo fence is entered.

Main Street TourApp is ONLY for APPLE iOS Devices.It features 19 active sites and triggers an audio as well as a visual cue when a new geo fence is entered

Main Street Tour

App is ONLY for APPLE iOS Devices.

It features 19 active sites and triggers an audio as well as a visual cue when a new geo fence is entered

 
 
 
 
This APP is for all Mobile DevicesTake a tour of Stillwater as it was when it was serviced by the early Streetcars. Use the map of the Stillwater Streetcars that ran between Stillwater and Bayport. There are stories about the streetcars, the fares and the people who used them. Walk, pedal or ride as a passenger in a car and enjoy what it was like in the early 1900’s to ride on a streetcar. This APP can provide a Virtual Reality Tour from your armchair anywhere in the world. The APP works best when you are actually in the city of Stillwater when you use your mobile device to sense your location and provide photos, text and sounds of the Stillwater Streetcars of what that same location was like in the early days of the streetcars.

This APP can be used on any mobile device.

Take a tour of Stillwater as it was when it was serviced by the early Streetcars. Use the map of the Stillwater Streetcars that ran between Stillwater and Bayport. There are stories about the streetcars, the fares and the people who used them. Walk, pedal or ride as a passenger in a car and enjoy what it was like in the early 1900’s to ride on a streetcar. This APP can provide a Virtual Reality Tour from your armchair anywhere in the world. The APP works best when you are actually in the city of Stillwater when you use your mobile device to sense your location and provide photos, text and sounds of the Stillwater Streetcars of what that same location was like in the early days of the streetcars.

 
Stillwater Interurban Streetcar to Wildwood This APP is for all mobile devicesTake a tour of the places where the Stillwater Interurban Streetcar crossed as it came and went to Wildwood Amusement Park. View the path of the early tracks and hear about Elliott Crossing and the family that lived along the streetcar tracks. Listen to and read about the “News Flashes” sourced from the newspapers that described the progress and problems of building the streetcar line in 1899. Learn about how these powerful Interurban Streetcars crossed busy railroad tracks between Stillwater and Mahtomedi. This APP can provide a “Virtual Reality” tour from your armchair anywhere in the world. The APP provides the best experience when you are nearby any of these locations. Your mobile device knows your location and when it senses your nearness to any of the historic locations, it provides you with historical images, text and audio that are relevant to that location.

Stillwater Interurban Streetcar to Wildwood

This APP can be used on any mobile device.

Take a tour of the places where the Stillwater Interurban Streetcar crossed as it came and went to Wildwood Amusement Park. View the path of the early tracks and hear about Elliott Crossing and the family that lived along the streetcar tracks. Listen to and read about the “News Flashes” sourced from the newspapers that described the progress and problems of building the streetcar line in 1899. Learn about how these powerful Interurban Streetcars crossed busy railroad tracks between Stillwater and Mahtomedi. This APP can provide a “Virtual Reality” tour from your armchair anywhere in the world. The APP provides the best experience when you are nearby any of these locations. Your mobile device knows your location and when it senses your nearness to any of the historic locations, it provides you with historical images, text and audio that are relevant to that location.

 

FREE APP History on The Loop Trail

This APP can be used on any mobile device. Enjoy and Learn about the History of Locations near the St.Croix Crossing Loop Trail. Figure out how many sawmills were here and explore the difference between Mr. Hersey and Mr. Hershey. The APP provides a good map and a “Virtual Reality Tour” of these important locations along the trail in Wisconsin and Minnesota. The best Experience is to be nearby any of these locations and have your mobile device sense your location. Your mobile device will then tell you about what it was like in the early years at the same location. It will show you historical photographs, text and audio about the nearby historical or fun location.

 
 

Free APP Fire Run Tour of Stillwater

 

This APP can be used on any mobile device. Have you ever wanted to be a Firefighter? The Year 2022 is the 150th Anniversary of the Stillwater Fire Department. This tour takes you to all of the Fire Stations in Stillwater and some historic fires that were part of the historic past of Stillwater, Minnesota. There are sounds of the past that will let you know when you have arrived at one of the active locations. There are linked videos and stories of how important horses were to the early firefighters.

 
 

Click on the Image above to Go to The Stillwater Riverfront Boat Tour. This tour features the photographs of Frederick Holcombe taken in the time period of 1895-1900. The photos were taken with glass plate negatives that gave the images high resolution so that you can see the background of his original images in considerable detail. The Tour path is taken from a boat path up the center of the St. Croix River. The tour shows what the riverfront looked like in 1895-1900 as seen from the lens of Frederick Holcomb’s camera. The tour takes you from the south of Stillwater to the Stillwater Boom Site.

 
 

Click on the image above to go to the Stillwater Land-based Tour of the Riverfront. This tour features the photographs of Frederick Holcombe, who was a photographer in 1895-1900. His photo was taken on a coated Glass Plate that provided a high resolution image. This allowed the background in his photograph to provide another story about the riverfront of Stillwater at that time. The tour will take you from the south of Stillwater (Oak Park Heights) to the St. Croix Boomsite and some of the scenes you might have seen along the way. It represents some of the very few images we have of the Stillwater waterfront at that time.