Minnesota Historical Society

The Minnesota Historical Society (MNHS) is a private, nonprofit educational and cultural institution dedicated to preserving the history of the U.S. state of Minnesota. It was founded by the territorial legislature in 1849, almost a decade before statehood. The Society is named in the Minnesota Constitution. It is headquartered in the Minnesota History Center in downtown St. Paul.

MNHS currently holds a collection of nearly 550,000 books, 37,000 maps, 250,000 photographs, 225,000 historical artifacts,[1] 950,000 archaeological items,[2] 38,000 cubic feet (1,100 m3) of manuscripts,[3] 45,000 cubic feet (1,300 m3) of government records, 5,500 paintings, prints and drawings; and 1,300 moving image items.

State Historic Sites

The Minnesota Historical Society operates 31 historic sites and museums, 26 of which are open to the public. MNHS manages 14 sites directly and 10 in partnerships where the society maintains the resources and provides funding. Five sites are being held for preservation but are closed to public access, and two are self-guided sites with interpretive signage.[2] Seven of the sites are National Historic Landmarks and 16 others are on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). Seven sites lie within Minnesota state parks, and three are elements of the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area.[4]

Site name Image Location Era of features Year added to MHS Management[2] Remarks
Alexander Ramsey House St. Paul 1872–1964 1964 Direct Home of Minnesota governor and U.S. Congressman Alexander Ramsey with original furnishings.[5] NRHP
Birch Coulee Battlefield Morton September 2, 1862 Self-guided Site of the Battle of Birch Coulee, the deadliest battle for U.S. troops in the Dakota War of 1862.[6] NRHP.
Charles A. Lindbergh Historic Site Charles A. Lindbergh State Park 1906–1920 Direct House of U.S. Congressman Charles August Lindbergh and his son, aviator Charles Lindbergh.[7] National Historic Landmark[8]
Comstock House Moorhead 1882 Partnership Restored home of U.S. Congressman and businessman Solomon Comstock with its original furnishings.[9] NRHP
Folsom House Taylors Falls 1854–1968 1968 Partnership Restored home of businessman, politician, and historian W.H.C. Folsom with its original furnishings.[10] NRHP contributing property
Forest History Center Grand Rapids 1900–1934 Direct Recreated logging camp and exhibits on humankind's relationship with Minnesota's forests.[11]
Fort Renville Lac qui Parle State Park 1822–1846 1973[12] Preservation Location of a fur trading post established by Joseph Renville.[13]
Fort Ridgely Fort Ridgely State Park 1853–1867 Partnership Fort built to keep the peace around a Dakota reservation, but attacked twice during the Dakota War of 1862.[14] NRHP
Grand Mound International Falls 200 BCE–1400 1971 Preservation Five burial mounds include the largest prehistoric structure remaining in the Upper Midwest, 25 feet (7.6 m) high and 100 feet (30 m) in diameter.[15] National Historic Landmark[16]
Harkin Store New Ulm 1870–1901 1973 Partnership General store with much of the original inventory still on display.[17] NRHP
Historic Forestville Forestville Mystery Cave State Park 1853–1899 1978 Direct Restored town with living history reenactors.[18] NRHP
Historic Fort Snelling Fort Snelling State Park 1820–1946 Direct Portions of the fort have been restored to their original frontier appearance, while later additions served as barracks for soldiers training during World War II.[19] A National Historic Landmark[20] and part of the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area.[4]
James J. Hill House St. Paul 1891–1921 1978 Direct Mansion of railroad magnate James J. Hill.[21] National Historic Landmark[22]
Jeffers Petroglyphs Jeffers 3000 BCE–1750 1966 Direct Exposed rocks bear ancient Native American petroglyphs.[23] NRHP
Lac qui Parle Mission Montevideo 1835–1854 1973[12] Partnership Reconstructed wooden church where missionaries worked to convert the Dakota.[24] NRHP
Lower Sioux Agency Lower Sioux Indian Reservation 1853– Partnership Museum depicting the lives of Dakota people before and after the Dakota War of 1862.[25] NRHP
Marine Mill Marine on St. Croix 1839–1895 Partnership Ruins of Minnesota's first commercial sawmill.[26] NRHP
Mill City Museum Minneapolis 1874–1965 Direct Museum of the flour milling industry that built Minneapolis, within the ruins of the Washburn "A" Mill,[27] a National Historic Landmark.[28] Part of the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area.[4]
Mille Lacs Indian Museum Mille Lacs Indian Reservation Prehistory–present Direct Museum of the history and culture of the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe.[29]
Minnehaha Depot Minneapolis 1875–1963 1964 Partnership Former train station near Minnehaha Falls with "gingerbread" Victorian architecture. Operated by the Minnesota Transportation Museum.[30]
Minnesota History Center St. Paul Prehistory–present Direct Minnesota Historical Society's headquarters, with permanent exhibits about Minnesota, changing exhibits about national history, and a library.[31]
Minnesota State Capitol St. Paul 1905–present 1969 Direct Tours and exhibits of the state's seat of government.[32] NRHP
Morrison Mounds Battle Lake 690 BCE[33] 1968[15] Preservation Includes the oldest burial mound in Minnesota.[34] NRHP
North West Company Post Pine City 1804 Direct Recreated North West Company trading post and Ojibwe encampment.[35] NRHP
Oliver H. Kelley Farm Elk River 1850–1901 1961 Direct Frontier farmstead of Oliver Hudson Kelley, one of the founders of the National Grange of the Order of Patrons of Husbandry.[36] National Historic Landmark[37]
Sibley Historic Site Mendota 1838–1910 Partnership Homes of Henry Hastings Sibley, Minnesota's first state governor, and fur trader Jean-Baptiste Faribault.[38] NRHP and part of the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area.[4]
Split Rock Lighthouse Split Rock Lighthouse State Park 1910–1969 1976 Direct Clifftop lighthouse on Lake Superior restored to its 1920s appearance.[39] National Historic Landmark[16]
Stumne Mounds Pine City 1968[15] Preservation Group of linear burial mounds near the Snake River.[33] NRHP
Traverse des Sioux St. Peter Prehistory–1869 1981 Self-guiding Site of a river ford, the signing of the Treaty of Traverse des Sioux, and a former town.[40] NRHP
Upper Sioux Agency Upper Sioux Agency State Park 1854–1862 1969[41] Preservation Location of a federal agency established to convert Dakotas to a Euro-American farming lifestyle, but destroyed in the Dakota War of 1862.[13] NRHP
W.W. Mayo House Le Sueur 1859– Partnership Home built by William Worrall Mayo, founder of the Mayo Clinic, and later home of Carson Nesbit Cosgrove, founder of the Green Giant food company.[42] NRHP

Publication Depositories

These publications & perhaps others are referenced with more descriptive detail & in an online format (without the downloadable document formats available above), at the MHC's own Digital History Books page (Retrieved November 24, 2012)

References

  1. ↑ "Artifact Collection". Minnesota Historical Society. Retrieved 2011-07-21.
  2. 1 2 3 "Historic sites and museums". Minnesota Historical Society. Retrieved 2011-07-21.
  3. ↑ "Manuscripts Collection". Minnesota Historical Society. Retrieved 2011-07-21.
  4. 1 2 3 4 National Park Service (2011-02-16). "Mississippi National River and Recreation Area: Plan Your Visit". U.S. Department of the Interior. Retrieved 2011-03-25.
  5. ↑ "Alexander Ramsey". Minnesota Historical Society. Retrieved 2007-08-16.
  6. ↑ "Birch Coulee Battlefield". Minnesota Historical Society. Retrieved 2007-08-16.
  7. ↑ "Charles A. Lindbergh House". Minnesota Historical Society. Retrieved 2007-08-16.
  8. ↑ "Lindbergh, Charles A., Sr., House". National Park Service. Retrieved 2011-07-21.
  9. ↑ "Comstock House". Minnesota Historical Society. Retrieved 2007-08-16.
  10. ↑ "Folsom House". Minnesota Historical Society. Retrieved 2007-08-16.
  11. ↑ "Forest History Center". Minnesota Historical Society. Retrieved 2007-08-16.
  12. 1 2 Meyer, Roy W. (1991). Everyone's Country Estate: A History of Minnesota's State Parks. St. Paul, Minn.: Minnesota Historical Society Press. ISBN 0-87351-266-9.
  13. 1 2 "Minnesota River Valley Scenic Byway: Discovery Sites". Minnesota River Valley Scenic Byway Alliance. Retrieved 2011-07-21.
  14. ↑ "Fort Ridgely". Minnesota Historical Society. Retrieved 2007-08-16.
  15. 1 2 3 "Report to the Minnesota Legislature on the Future of the Grand Mound State Historic Site, Koochiching County" (PDF). Minnesota Historical Society. 2007-01-31. Retrieved 2011-07-21.
  16. 1 2 "Listing of National Historic Landmarks by State: Minnesota" (PDF). National Historic Landmarks Survey. National Park Service. Retrieved 2011-07-21.
  17. ↑ "Harkin Store". Minnesota Historical Society. Retrieved 2007-08-16.
  18. ↑ "Historic Forestville". Minnesota Historical Society. Retrieved 2007-08-16.
  19. ↑ "Historic Fort Snelling". Minnesota Historical Society. Retrieved 2007-08-16.
  20. ↑ "Fort Snelling". National Park Service. Retrieved 2011-07-21.
  21. ↑ "James J. Hill House". Minnesota Historical Society. Retrieved 2007-08-16.
  22. ↑ "Hill, James J., House". National Park Service. Retrieved 2011-07-21.
  23. ↑ "Jeffers Petroglyphs". Minnesota Historical Society. Retrieved 2007-08-16.
  24. ↑ "Lac qui Parle Mission". Minnesota Historical Society. Retrieved 2007-08-16.
  25. ↑ "Lower Sioux Agency". Minnesota Historical Society. Retrieved 2007-08-16.
  26. ↑ "Marine Mill". Minnesota Historical Society. Retrieved 2007-08-16.
  27. ↑ "Mill City Museum". Minnesota Historical Society. Retrieved 2007-08-16.
  28. ↑ "Washburn A Mill Complex". National Park Service. Retrieved 2011-07-21.
  29. ↑ "Mille Lacs Indian Museum". Minnesota Historical Society. Retrieved 2007-08-16.
  30. ↑ "Minnehaha Depot". Minnesota Historical Society. Retrieved 2007-08-16.
  31. ↑ "Minnesota History Center". Minnesota Historical Society. Retrieved 2007-08-16.
  32. ↑ "Minnesota State Capitol". Minnesota Historical Society. Retrieved 2007-08-16.
  33. 1 2 Johnson, Elden (1988). Prehistoric Peoples of Minnesota. Minnesota Historical Society Press. ISBN 978-0-87351-223-7.
  34. ↑ "TimePieces: Mounds". Minnesota Historical Society. Retrieved 2011-07-21.
  35. ↑ "North West Company Post". Minnesota Historical Society. Retrieved 2007-08-16.
  36. ↑ "Oliver H. Kelley Farm". Minnesota Historical Society. Retrieved 2007-08-16.
  37. ↑ "Kelley, Oliver H., Homestead". National Park Service. Retrieved 2011-07-21.
  38. ↑ "Sibley House Historic Site". Minnesota Historical Society. Retrieved 2007-08-16.
  39. ↑ "Split Rock Lighthouse". Minnesota Historical Society. Retrieved 2007-08-16.
  40. ↑ "Traverse des Sioux". Minnesota Historical Society. Retrieved 2007-08-16.
  41. ↑ "Upper Sioux Agency State Park" (PDF). Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. June 2011. Retrieved 2011-07-21.
  42. ↑ "W.W. Mayo House". Minnesota Historical Society. Retrieved 2007-08-16.

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