Book excerpt: The postcard has always been a popular form of communication, but as we look back, it also serves as a valuable historical document. The views of our past offer us a unique insight into the people and places that came before us. Main Street, North Dakota offers us an intriguing look at that uniquely American street, where business was transacted, goods purchased, and information and stories shared. Some of the towns collected here have disappeared off the map, but the majority have survived and continue to grow and prosper.