Library of the Donnelly home in Nininger City, 1870
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No. By 1858, Nininger City had shops, churches, a dance hall, a poorhouse, a school, and a population of 1,000. But Donnelly's land-speculation efforts were thwarted by a national financial depression in the late 1850s. By 1869, only the Donnelly home remained in Nininger City. The town disappeared.
Donnelly turned to politics. He was lieutenant governor (1860-63), a U.S. Congressman (1863-69), and a member of the Minnesota Legislature (1874-78, 1887, 1891-93, and 1897.) He also lectured and wrote books. His collection of papers, which fill 167 reels of microfilm, are located at the Minnesota Historical Society.
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