State Archives Collection
The Minnesota State Archives’ collection dates from the territorial period to the present, and while most of the collection is in paper form (over 70,000 cubic feet), the collection also includes photographs, microfilm, moving images, recorded audio, and terabytes of digital content.
Minnesota state and local government records are added frequently to the State Archives collection, which is available through the Gale Family Library. This page highlights recent acquisitions by the month they were added to the State Archives collection. Although the records were recently acquired, they may not be available yet in the MNHS Library and Archives Catalog. For assistance finding and accessing these records, please contact the staff of the Gale Family Library.
Recent acquisitions:
Records of Minnesota government operated institutions, such as state and municipal hospitals, tuberculosis sanatoria, veterans homes, nursing homes, prisons and reformatories are a collecting strength of the State Archives collection. This month the records added to the collection greatly enhance that strength and will be useful to document the governance, policies and procedures of the institutions, and are valuable for local and family history research. The Gale Family Library website has a particularly useful research guide concerning institutional records https://libguides.mnhs.org/institutions.
Staff at the Anoka Metro Regional Treatment Center had gathered a large quantity and variety of records for several years from other regional treatment centers (formerly known as state hospitals), and contacted State Archives staff for assistance. Records, dated 1880-2013, of several state hospitals (Anoka, Brainerd, Cambridge, Fergus Falls, Rochester, St. Peter) were transferred which complement and continue existing sets of records preserved in the collection. The records include patient index cards, patient photos and selected patient records (incomplete), subject files and published records. Since the 1980s all of the state hospitals have either closed or significantly downsized but, fortunately, they are well-documented in the State Archives.
Minneapolis Veterans Home staff transferred meeting minutes (dated 1987-2000) of the admission, care planning, infection control, interfacility and intrafacility forms, quality improvement, registered nurse supervisor, and tardive dyskinesia committees. The records complement records dating from 1887 when the Minnesota Soldiers Home, as it was previously known as, was established.
Staff of the Hastings Veterans Home transferred meeting minutes (dated 2016-2019) of the admissions and utilization review committees. The Hastings Veterans Home opened on May 4, 1978 after the Hastings State Hospital, in the same location, closed in early 1978. The hospital opened in 1900 and is well documented in the State Archives.
June 2024 Acquisitions
- Human Services Department. Records of state hospitals (Anoka, Brainerd, Cambridge, Fergus Falls, Rochester, St. Peter), dated 1880-2013. 14 boxes.
- Minnesota Soldiers Home (now known as the Minneapolis Veterans Home). Committees’ meeting minutes dated 1987-2000. 1 box.
- Veterans Affairs Department. Hastings Veterans Home. Committees’ meeting minutes dated 2016-2019. 5 folders.
State and local government records added this month to the State Archives collection document a variety of functions and activities, and will be valuable for a wide range of research topics.
Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board staff transferred records that continue existing sets of records preserved in the State Archives collection. Included are campaign finance files (dated 2018-2020) for terminated principal campaign committees, political committees, political funds and party units; economic interest statements (dated 2018-2020) for terminated public officials and agencies. Also, campaign finance files for terminated political action committees (dated 2012-2013) that inter-file with an existing record series; annual reports (dated 2018-2019); lobbyist summaries (dated 2018-2019); and campaign finance summaries (dated 2017-2018). The Board https://cfb.mn.gov/, previously known as the Ethical Practices Board, established in 1974, was the first of its kind in the country.
A donor, and former student in the Edina school district, donated a variety of records that document student life and activities in the Edina schools. The records complement Edina school district governance records (dated 1869-2000) preserved in the State Archives. Included are directories, school newsletters and newspapers, programs, poetry booklets, memory books and yearbooks (dated 1976-1989), for the Creek Valley and Highlands elementary schools, Valley View Junior High School, and Edina High School. http://www2.mnhs.org/library/findaids/gr02713.xml
The Mille Lacs County Historical Society transferred from its collections the Princeton (village/city) birth and death register dated 1900-1907. The bound volume pre-dates the village’s birth and death records preserved in the State Archives http://www2.mnhs.org/library/findaids/gr01657.xml.
The Grey Cloud Island Township clerk transferred records (dated circa 1910s-2018), including township newsletters, petitions, and planning commission meeting minutes. The records complement the township’s records, dating from 1899, preserved in the State Archives: http://www2.mnhs.org/library/findaids/gr01170.xml
- Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board. Records dated 2012-2013 and 2018-2020. 29 boxes.
- Hennepin County. Independent School District No. 273 (Edina). Records dated 1976-1989. 2 boxes.
- Mille Lacs County. Princeton (village/city). Birth and death register dated 1900-1907. 1 bound volume.
- Washington County. Grey Cloud Island Township. Records dated circa 1910s-2018. 5 folders.
Government records added this month to the State Archives will be useful for a variety of research topics, and document key functions and activities at the state and local level.
Minnesota State Fair staff transferred Century Farm applications, dated 2024, that continue an existing set dating from 1976 which has been digitized http://www2.mnhs.org/library/findaids/gr00094.xml; this new acquisition will also be digitized. The application forms are from residents who wished to have their farms declared century farms, signifying that the farm had been in the same family for 100 or more years. For the 2024 year there were 97 honorees. The applications provide biographical and genealogical information and ownership history of the farm, and some include additional supporting documentation and/or reminiscences. This was begun as a joint project between the State Fair and Farmer magazine; later the Minnesota Farm Bureau Federation became the co-sponsor. Beginning in 2009, sesquicentennial (150 years) farms’ applications are included in the set.
Received from the Health Department/Environmental Health Division are Well Program Management records concerning the department’s regulation of well drillers and pump installers. Include meeting minutes, reports, correspondence and memoranda. As part of the program some cities and counties (local delegation) had a delegation agreement with the department to issue permits and rules, collect fees, and provide well code enforcement. In 1995 the department placed a moratorium on any new well program delegations, and local delegation workgroups evaluated the local programs and recommended changes to the program.
Meeker County staff transferred agenda packets, dated 1987-2023, of the Board of County Commissioners. The records are valuable to document the governance of the county, particularly its key functions, major activities, policies and decisions.
- Agricultural Society. Century farm applications dated 2024. 4 folders.
- Health Department. Environmental Health Division. Well Management Program. Records dated 1990-2018. 1 box.
- Meeker County. Board of Commissioners. Agenda packets dated 1987-2023.
Records added this month to the State Archives collection will be valuable for a variety of research topics particularly to document key functions of the state government, and for family and local history research.
A former legislative staff member transferred records, dated 1993-1996, of the House Regulated Industries and Energy Committee concerning nuclear waste storage at the Prairie Island nuclear generating plant. Also, Senate Governmental Operations Committee records, dated 1987-1990, regarding a bill (Senate File No. 722) calling for the State of Minnesota not to invest in any corporation doing business in Northern Ireland that does not adopt the MacBride Principles, designed to require fair employment practices in business and industry. The records include committee proceedings and testimony, correspondence, reports, statements, bill drafts, background information and handwritten notes
Annual reports, dated 2021-2022, of the Minnesota Statewide Independent Living Council were added to the collection, and these are the first records of the Council received by the State Archives. The Council is composed of Minnesota citizens recruited from around the state and representing various ethnicity groups, ages, disabilities and backgrounds. Members are appointed by the Governor to serve a one-, two- or three-years term. The main responsibilities of the Council are to develop, monitor, review and evaluate a State Plan for Independent Living.
For many years the Winona County Historical Society has collaborated with the State Archives to transfer any school district records it receives to the State Archives. The county historical society transferred records, dated 1895-1970, of seven (now defunct) rural school districts: nos. 4/2545, 17/2558, 39/2573, 65/2591, 72/2596, 79/2603 and 86/2609 located in Dresbach, Homer, New Hartford, Rollingstone, Warren, and Wilson Townships. The school districts consolidated with the Winona and Lewiston independent school districts in the 1960s. Useful for family and local history research, the records include governance and student related information, and complement existing school district records preserved in the State Archives.
- Legislature. House Regulated Industries and Energy Committee records dated 1993-1996; Senate Governmental Operations Committee records dated 1987-1990. 1 box.
- Minnesota Statewide Independent Living Council annual reports dated 2021-2022. 1 folder.
- Winona County. Records, dated 1895-1970, of school district nos. 4/2545, 17/2558, 39/2573, 65/2591, 72/2596, 79/2603 and 86/2609. 3 boxes.
Local government records are a collecting strength of the State Archives and records added this month complement existing sets of records preserved in the collection, and are useful to document key functions and activities at the local government level.
Transferred from a manuscripts collection is a student handbook, dated 1960, for Independent School District No. 411 (Balaton) in Lyon County. During a State Archives volunteer project to re-house Ramsey County District Court criminal case files preserved in the State Archives, our volunteers discovered several district court land registration files that had been misfiled prior to transfer many years ago. The land registration case files, dated 1907-1908, include applications, judgments and decrees, findings and decisions, affidavits, certificates, abstracts of title, and related legal documents concerning real property in the City of St. Paul. The City of Madelia transferred resolutions (dated 1920-1959) and a village record book (dated 1898-1949) including deeds (copies), liquor license applications and bonds, building permits, agreements, election summary statements and village election minutes, ordinances and financial statements. The records complement other city records dating from 1873 preserved in the collection.
County state aid apportionment reports, dated 2007-2008, 2013-2020, issued by the Transportation Department were transferred from the MNHS serials unit, and complement the department’s published records and reports preserved in the State Archives. Minnesota counties receive formula-based state assistance for construction and maintenance of county highways within the state-aid system. The county state-aid highway system is a collection of key highways under county jurisdiction. It covers roughly 30,700 centerline miles throughout all Minnesota counties, composing over two-thirds of county highway miles.
- Lyon County. Independent School District No. 411 (Balaton). Student handbook dated 1960. 1 folder.
- Ramsey County. District Court. Land registration case files dated 1907-1908. 4 folders.
- Transportation Department. County state aid apportionment reports dated 2007-2008, 2013-2020. 1 box.
- Watonwan County. Madelia (village/city). Records dated 1898-1959. 1 box.
Background:
Records added this month primarily document important activities of state
government, such as the care of Minnesotans with developmental disabilities,
regulation of key healthcare industries, and oversight of important state
government functions. A member of the legal team that represented Patty Welsch
in the Welsch v. Noot lawsuit, donated seven photographs depicting the types of
restraint used with four persons at the Moose Lake and Brainerd State Hospitals.
Included with the photographs are extracts of the hearing transcripts (copies)
relating to the photographs. The photographs also contain information concerning
what happened to the people depicted in the photographs after the case was
dismissed in 1989. The Welsch Consent Decree was a landmark court case (dated
1972-1989) which led to major changes in the treatment of Minnesota’s
institutionalized citizens with developmental disabilities. The consent decree
lawsuit is well documented in the State Archives, and these exhibits are a valuable
complement.
The Human Services Department transferred records of the Faribault State
Hospital which closed in 1998. The records were held in storage by the
department, and only recently eligible for transfer to the State Archives. Included
are administrative files (committees and boards meeting minutes, subject files)
dated 1970-1998 of the chief executive officer; governing board minutes and
meeting files dated 1987-1998; hospital regulations dated circa 1976-1997;
published records and reports dated 1987-1997; and Human Services Department
published records and reports dated 1954-1998. The records complement existing
records of the state hospital dating from 1879.
Health Department staff transferred minutes and meeting files (dated 1983-2019)
of the Hearing Instrument Dispenser Advisory Council, the Olmstead Plan
Specialty Committee, the Mortuary Science Advisory Council, and the Speech
Language Pathology and Audiology Advisory Council. Received from the
Legislative Auditor are audit reports, dated 2023, of the Financial Audits Division;
program evaluation reports, dated 2023, of the Program Evaluation Division; and
investigation reports and reviews dated 2023-2024. The reports continue existing
sets of reports dating from 1972 preserved in the State Archives.
Hennepin County school districts are fairly well documented in the State Archives,
but there is little documentation for the Bloomington Ferry school district. The
school was established in 1862, and consolidated with Independent School District
No. 271 (Bloomington) in 1917. An individual donated a Bloomington Ferry
School Old Timers Association minute book dated 1974-1991 which includes
meeting minutes, lists of school pupils and teachers, and written reminisces. This
little gem is valuable for family and local history research.
- Attorney General. Public Welfare Division. Litigation file: Welsch v. Noot. Photo exhibits with hearing transcript excerpts dated May 1980. 1 folder.
- Faribault State Hospital. Records dated 1954-1998 (bulk dated 1983-1998). 15 boxes.
- Health Department. Various committees. Records dated 1983-2019. 1 box.
- Hennepin County. School District No. 14 (Bloomington Township). Bloomington Ferry School Old Timers Association minute book dated 1974-1991. 1 volume in folder.
- Legislative Auditor. Reports dated 2023-2024. 3 folders.
Background:
Key functions of Minnesota state and local government are documented in records added this month to the State Archives collection. Minnesota Management & Budget staff transferred position descriptions (dated 1976-1980) for former governors Rudy Perpich and Albert H. Quie. Information includes position purpose, reportability and dimensions; principal responsibilities, tasks and performance indicators; relationships, knowledges, skills, abilities, problem solving, and freedom to act. Minnesota Management & Budget (MMB). The documents help illustrate the sweeping statutory and constitutional authority and responsibilities the Minnesota governor holds.
Helena Township (Scott County) transferred clerk’s and treasurer’s books and registers of receipts and disbursements (dated 1873-2006), road records (undated, 1859-1942), and birth and death records (dated 1871-1953). These records are valuable to document township governance and finances, and the birth and death records are very useful for family history research.
Staff of the Secretary of State’s Office transferred Session Laws, dated 2023, that continue an existing set preserved in the State Archives dating from 1858. The Acts of the Minnesota Legislature, as passed in each year’s legislative session, include resolutions and concurrent resolutions of the Minnesota House of Representatives and the Minnesota Senate. Laws of a permanent nature are subsequently incorporated in the Minnesota Statutes that are coded laws. The Laws of Minnesota also include uncoded laws, including appropriations, proposed constitutional amendments, local laws, and effective date sections. While the statutes and laws are published and widely available, these are the true “archival” records and include the signatures of the House and Senate leadership, the Secretary of State, and the Governor.
November 2023 Acquisitions
- Personnel Department. Position description (dated 1976-1980) for former governors Rudy Perpich and Albert H. Quie. 1 folder.
- Scott County. Helena Township. Clerk’s and treasurer’s books and registers of receipts and disbursements (dated 1873-2006), road records (undated, 1859-1942), and birth and death records (dated 1871-1953). 6 boxes.
- Secretary of State. Session Laws dated 2023. 7 boxes.
Background:
Continuing a collecting strength of the State Archives, many local government records were added this month to the collection and will be valuable for local and family history research and to document the governance, policies and major activities of the local government entities.
Received from the Edina school district are superintendent’s reports to faculty (dated 1934-1947), board minutes and superintendent’s reports (dated 1936-2000), school district newsletters (dated 1989-1995), and enrollment statistics (dated 1950s-1970s). The minutes and superintendent’s reports continue existing records in the State Archives dating from 1917. Also, a school district record book (dated 1869-1897) for School District No. 17 which was the predecessor of the Edina independent school district. The St. Louis Park Historical Society donated records that complement other records donated by the historical society several months ago. Included in the donation are annual reports of the supervisor of elementary instruction (dated 1942-1948); include photographs and color illustrations by unnamed students. Also, high school graduate follow-up surveys (dated 1953, 1960-1973, 1976).
The Steele County Auditor transferred a school district plat book dated 1880-1971. For each school district, includes a plat depicting the school district’s boundaries, plus each school district’s date of establishment, along with attachment, dissolving, reorganization and consolidation dates and related information. Wright County transferred board of commissioners’ records including board agenda packets (dated 1977-2011), board committees’ minutes (dated 1980-2011), resolutions (dated 1975-2009), and annual reports of several county departments (dated 1977-2010). Also, minister ordination credentials (dated 1957-1992) of the District Court which continue an existing set of records dating from 1881.
Finally, the state Human Services Department transferred bulletins dated 2017-2019. The bulletins continue an existing set, dating from 1937, concerning such topics as statutes, regulations, and operating procedures that affected services and programs administered by the department and the counties, particularly those involving administrative services, finances, personnel, information systems, and various aid programs, especially those dealing with children, disabled, aged, mentally ill, and chemically dependent. Digital copies were transferred and have been posted online via the Library catalog.
Acquisitions:
- Hennepin County. Independent School District No. 273 (Edina). Records dated 1869-2000. 29 boxes.
- Hennepin County. Independent School District No. 283 (St. Louis Park). Records dated 1942-1976. 3 folders.
- Human Services Department. Bulletins dated 2017-2019. 1 box and digital copies.
- Steele County. Auditor. School district plat book dated 1880-1971. 1 bound volume.
- Wright County. Board of Commissioners. Records dated 1957-2011. 40 boxes.
Background:
Local government records are a collecting strength of the State Archives
collection, and records added this month will be valuable for local and family
history research. Many of the records added to the collection are the result of the
ongoing and positive relationships State Archives staff have cultivated with
Minnesota government agencies over the years.
Beltrami County transferred assessment rolls (dated 2000) and tax lists (dated
2010) of the Auditor; extension committee meeting minutes (dated 2010-2020),
and minutes and agenda packets (dated 2012-2016) of the Board of
Commissioners. The records continue existing records series, dating from 1876,
preserved in the State Archives. Received from the Nicollet County Assessor are
assessment rolls for the sample years 1950-1951, 1960-1961, 1970, 1980-1981,
1990-1991, and 2000-2001; the 1971 year is not included. This is the first transfer
of the county’s assessment rolls to the State Archives. The Kerrick Township
Clerk (Pine County) transferred birth and death records dated 1913-1953 of the
township, and School District No. 125 (Kerrick) clerk’s register of receipts and
disbursements dated 1947-1953. Neither the township nor the school district are
represented in the State Archives collection.
The Public Safety Department commissioner’s office transferred legislative
mandate reports dated 2016-2017 that continue an existing series dating from
2009. The reports, mandated by the Minnesota Legislature, concern such topics as
auto theft prevention, emergency assistance to victims, fire safety, Minnesota
crime information, motor vehicle insurance coverage, permit to carry, pupil
transportation, response to accidents related to the transportation of high level
radioactive waste, and much more.
Acquisitions:
- Beltrami County. Assessment rolls (dated 2000) and tax lists (dated 2010) of the Auditor; extension committee meeting minutes (dated 2010-2020), and minutes and agenda packets (dated 2012-2016) of the Board of Commissioners. 17 boxes.
- Nicollet County. Assessor. Assessment rolls for the sample years 1950-1951, 1960-1961, 1970, 1980-1981, 1990-1991, and 2000-2001; the 1971 year is not included. 32 boxes and 38 loose oversize volumes.
- Pine County. Kerrick Township. Birth and death records dated 1913-1953 of the township, and School District No. 125 (Kerrick) clerk’s register of receipts and disbursements dated 1947-1953. 2 boxes.
- Public Safety Department. Commissioner’s Office. Legislative mandate reports dated 2016-2017. 4 expansion folders.
Background:
A variety of functions and topics are reflected in the records added this month to the State Archives. Additional records of the state Geographic Board were added to the existing set of Board records preserved in the State Archives. Included are index cards, dated circa 1920-1960s, regarding geographic place names for villages, townships, post offices, lakes, streams, resorts, islands, peninsulas and other geographic locations. Each index card may include the geographic name in use, approved geographic name, other names, type of feature, location, and comments. Also, index cards (dated circa 1930s) of the Minnesota Gazetteer project concerning village and post office names. The Board was established by the legislature in 1937 and consisted of the commissioner of conservation, the commissioner of state highways, and the director of the Minnesota Historical Society. Prior to the board's establishment, geographic names were changed by petitioning county boards. The functions of the Board were to determine the correct and most appropriate names of the lakes, streams, places, and other geographic features in the state and the spelling thereof; to pass upon and give names to unnamed geographic features in the state; and to cooperate with county boards in changing geographic names to eliminate duplication of names as far as possible. The Board also sponsored the Minnesota Gazetteer project which was designed to compile and publish a gazetteer of Minnesota place names and was carried out with WPA funds. It was never completed. The board was abolished by the legislature in 1971 and its functions transferred to the Natural Resources Department.
Senate staff transferred Senate bills dated 2019-2020 that continue an existing set dating from 1957. Documenting the Minnesota Legislature is a State Archives collecting priority, and these records continue our commitment to fulfilling that priority.
The State Demographer Office transferred records (dated 1972-2006) of former State Demographer Tom Gillaspy including correspondence, subject files and reports. Mr. Gillaspy was the Minnesota State Demographer for 32 years and retired in 2012. The records are a valuable addition to the State Archives, since the office is not well documented in the State Archives. The Office, established in 1974, is the main provider of demographic data and analysis for the state, provides yearly population estimates and long-term projections each decade, and analyzes and distributes data from the federal government and other sources to monitor key trends. For most of its existence, the Office was part of the state Planning Agency (now defunct), and is now located in the state Administration Department.
St. Paul public schools were operated by the City of St. Paul from 1856 to 1965 when the state legislature converted the St. Paul special school district into the present day Independent School District No. 625 (St. Paul). School district staff transferred a City of St. Paul Board of Education school building data volume dated 1950s-1960s, and a record of real estate abstracts compiled in the 1880s. Also, a City Planning Board school property book dated 1958 with 1960s updates, school property plats of existing properties and proposed expansion dated 1965, and a City Comptroller real estate record dated 1938-1939. The records complement other records of the city documenting the ownership, construction, renovation, and demolition of school properties in the city.
Acquisitions:
- Geographic Board. Index cards, dated circa 1920-1960s, regarding geographic place names for villages, townships, post offices, lakes, streams, resorts, islands, peninsulas and other geographic locations. Also includes index cards (dated circa 1930s) of the Minnesota Gazetteer project concerning village and post office names. 24 boxes.
- Legislature. Senate. Senate bills dated 2019-2020. 20 boxes.
- Planning Agency. State Demographer Office. Files of Tom Gillaspy, dated 1972-2006, including correspondence, subject files and reports. 1 box.
- Ramsey County. St. Paul (City). Various Offices. Records dated 1880s-1960s. 3 boxes.
Background:
A collecting strength of the State Archives are local government records, and records added to the collection this month are a welcome addition useful for family and local history research.
Over a year ago Mower County transferred their Board of Commissioners’ minute books, dated 1856-2021, but upon receipt State Archives staff noted a volume was not included in the transfer. After several inquiries to county staff, and over a year later, the missing volume of minutes (dated 1870-1879) was located and transferred to the State Archives.
With the assistance of Allison Broughton, MNHS Development & Membership Department, records of the Horace Mann Elementary School PTA (St. Paul) were donated to the State Archives. Included are scrapbooks that contain photographs, newspaper clippings, art work, certificates, awards, lists of students and teachers, correspondence, meeting minutes (scattered), and annual and periodic reports (scattered). Also, group photographs of the school’s classes, and of student and teacher activities. The records, dated 1931-2002 (bulk dated 1931-1960s), complement a set of the school’s records preserved in the archives.
MNHS Honorary Council member, Dennis Dvorak, donated a record book (dated May 1858-1870) for Cedar Lake Township in Scott County. Included in the record book are township meeting minutes, road establishment information (including petitions), lists of voters, township officer annual election results, state and county officer election results, and registers of dog licenses. The bound volume pre-dates a set of the township’s records preserved in the archives.
The City of St. James (Watonwan County) recently moved into a new city hall, and transferred a number of records (dated 1871-2022) including board of trustees and city council minutes, agenda packets, resolutions and ordinances. The board of trustees’ minute book begins in 1871 when the city was incorporated.
State government records are also included in this month’s acquisitions. Records concerning a unique topic, genetic engineering, were transferred by the Biotechnology Program of the Agriculture Department/Plant Protection Division. The records, dated 1989-2015, document setting up genetic engineering statutes and administrative rules, specifically Minnesota Statutes 18F and Minnesota Rules Chapter 4420. The statute and rules concern the establishment of permits for the release of certain genetically engineered agriculturally related organisms to protect humans and the environment from the potential for significant adverse effects of those releases. Included are correspondence, internal memoranda, reports, meeting minutes, and copies of proposed and final legislation.
Acquisitions:
- Agriculture Department. Plant Protection Division. Biotechnology Program. Establishment of genetic engineering statutes and administrative rules records dated 1989-2015. 3 folders.
- Mower County. Board of County Commissioners. Minute book dated 1870-1879. 1 bound volume.
- Ramsey County. Independent School District No. 625 (St. Paul). Horace Mann Elementary School PTA records dated 1931-2002 (bulk dated 1931-1960s). 4 boxes.
- Scott County. Cedar Lake Township. Record book dated May 1858-1870. 1 bound volume.
- Watonwan County. City of St. James. Records dated 1871-2022. 24 boxes.
Background:
A variety of Minnesota government functions and activities are documented in state and local government records added this month to the State Archives collection, and will be valuable for state, community and family history research. Received from the Minnesota Health Department are meeting minutes and agenda packets (dated June 2012-December 2018) of the State Trauma Advisory Council; speech files (dated July-December 2017) and subject files (dated 2011-2016) of Dr. Edward Ehlinger; and speech files (dated February 2018-March 2020) of Jan Malcolm. Dr. Ehlinger and Ms. Malcom were Health Department Commissioners, and some of Ms. Malcom’s 2020 speeches concern the department’s preparations in anticipation of the COVID-19 pandemic. The records continue existing records series preserved in the State Archives.
The St. Louis Park Historical Society donated records of Independent School District No. 283 (St. Louis Park) dated 1888-1965 and 2015. Included are board meeting minutes (dated 1888-1925), clerk’s and treasurer’s receipt and disbursement registers (dated 1900-1954), payroll registers (dated 1949-1965), selected student records (dated 1900-1933), and a poster (dated 2015) commemorating the 125th anniversary of the school district’s establishment. The school district is not well-documented in the collection, so the records are a valuable addition useful for community and family history research.
Received from the Transportation Department are bridge plans, dated 1926, for the Arrowhead Bridge, including the lift bridge or draw bridge located in the central span of the bridge. The Arrowhead Bridge connected the twin port cities of Duluth, Minnesota, and Superior, Wisconsin, and was named after the Arrowhead region of Minnesota. It opened in July 1927 and was built to offer a second harbor crossing at a time when the Interstate Bridge was reaching its capacity due to the advent of the automobile. It opened as a toll bridge, but the tolls were removed in 1963. The Arrowhead Bridge was built mostly as a wooden trestle, with wooden support piers driven into the muddy bottom of the Saint Louis Bay. The trestles started very near water level, and rose up to about 25 feet above water level to align with the central span. The central span consisted of a draw bridge (Scherzer Rolling Lift Bridge) with two steel spans that would tip up into the air, allowing room for ships to pass through the opening. The draw bridge was very simple in design, consisting of a truss that held the roadway, a pivot point, and a large weight. A small motor and several gears were enough to open and close the spans. The bridge also had an earthen causeway on the Duluth side, which was also the location of the toll booth. The bridge closed in 1984, and was replaced by the Richard I. Bong Memorial Bridge. The bridge plans complement an existing set of bridge plans, dated circa 1895-1973, preserved in the State Archives.
Added to Municipal Board records preserved in the State Archives are dockets, dated 1959-2008, concerning municipal annexations, consolidations, detachments, dissolutions, incorporations and Section 5 (incorporation or annexation of townships according to population) documents filed by cities and townships with the Board. The Sherburne County Recorder transferred birth and death returns (dated 1870-1909), and birth and death certificates (dated 1891-1934; bulk dated 1907-1910) submitted to the District Court; burial or removal permits (dated 1953-1981) issued by the District Court; burial or removal permits, dated 1911-1938, of Clear Lake Township; burial or removal permits, dated 1911-1922, of Lake Fremont (village); burial or removal permits, dated 1928-1939, of Palmer Township; maternity registers, dated 1942-1950, of the Brown Maternity Hospital located in Elk River. The Sherburne County Recorder is responsible for vital statistics records (birth, deaths, and marriages) but, previously, the Sherburne County District Court performed that function.
Acquisitions:
- Health Department. Meeting minutes and agenda packets (dated June 2012-December 2018) of the State Trauma Advisory Council; speech files (dated July-December 2017) and subject files (dated 2011-2016) of Dr. Edward Ehlinger; and speech files (dated February 2018-March 2020) of Jan Malcolm. 2 boxes.
- Hennepin County. Independent School District No. 283 (St. Louis Park). Records dated 1888-1965 and 2015. 11 boxes.
- Highway Department. Bridge Division. Bridge plans, dated 1926, for the Arrowhead Bridge, including the lift bridge or draw bridge located in the central span of the bridge. 2 rolls of plans.
- Municipal Board. Dockets dated 1959-2008. 1 box.
- Sherburne County. Records dated 1870-1981. 5 boxes.
Missing Item List
Since its founding in 1849, the Minnesota Historical Society has been collecting materials to document and tell the story of Minnesota’s history and culture. The scope of our Government Records collection is vast, spanning from the Territorial era to modern digital records. With a collection this old and this large, and especially with a collection that is accessible to the public, occasionally items go missing. Most of these turn out to be misplaced and are recovered through standard collections management practices. Some, however, are not so easily located and apparently have left the collection completely. Some of these were most likely stolen while others have been missing so long that we believe they are unlikely to be recovered in our own collections.
Government records in particular are subject to several state statutes regarding their security, safety, and obligation to be returned to the State Archives:
- 138.225 Prohibition Against Unauthorized Disposal of Records; Penalty
- 138.163 Preservation and Disposal of Public Records
- 138.226 Replevin Authority
- 138.17 Government Records; Administration
The Minnesota State Archives asks for your help to locate and recover Minnesota’s missing heritage. The items listed on this website are those that we believe are no longer within our facilities and that can be positively identified as being from our holdings. If you have seen any of these records, or if you know of any items belonging to MNHS that might be for sale or up for auction, please contact the State Archives Team:
Email: statearchives@mnhs.org
Telephone: 651-259-3260
- Saint Paul. Miscellaneous Records. St. Paul and Ramsey County Miscellany, 1858-1873 (1 folder).
- Education Department. Annual Reports of the High School Board, 1883-1887 (2 volumes).
- State Auditor. Land Department. Land Examiners Records. Land Examination Reports, 1909 (1 bundle).
- Saint Paul. Human Rights Department, Subject Files (1955-1982). American Indian Movement (1 folder).
- Highway Department. Engineering Division. Urban Facilities and Projects Files. Rept: Proposed East-West Interstate through St. Paul, circa 1950 (1 folder). Contains content regarding Rondo neighborhood.
- Roseau County. ISD No. 690, Warroad. Clerk's and Treasurer's Receipt and Disbursement Register, 1928-1932 (1 volume).