Manuscripts Collection

Agriculture

Agriculture has played a major role in the settlement, growth and development of Minnesota. The vast, inexpensive and fertile land of the state drew immigrants to prairies; milling provided the economic basis for the establishment and boom of the Twin Cities and grain provided the main cargo for the railroads; new approaches to farm economy (such as cooperatives) bloomed here and so did new political movements and alliances (such as the Non-Partisan League and the Farmer-Labor Party). While the number of people engaged in agriculture has declined over the last century-in Minnesota and in every other state-farmers, farming, and agriculture-related business remain important elements of the economic, social and political landscape.

Agricultural documentation in the manuscript collections of the Society can be roughly broken down into Agri-business; Cooperatives; Granges, Political Parties, and Other Organizations; Family Farms and Farmers; Activists, Educators, Elected Officials and Others. Below are selected examples from each category.

Agri-Business

American Crystal Sugar Company. Records, 1883-1979.
Corporate records of the American Crystal Sugar Company, of its direct predecessor--the American Beet Sugar Company--and of other predecessors, subsidiaries and affiliates. They are supplemented by historical data and printed materials collected by the company or compiled by sugar industry historian Dan Gutleben.

James Ford Bell papers, 1916-1960.
Correspondence, clippings, speeches, printed materials and miscellany of Bell, a Minneapolis flour-milling executive and an active participant in public affairs. They document his career as salesman, vice-president, and president of the Washburn Crosby Company (1901-1928), and as president and board chairman of General Mills (1928-1947); transportation (particularly rail) and food-processing industries; agriculture and the grain trade in Canada, England, and France; economic conditions in various parts of the world; the Depression and Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal legislation and relief programs of the 1930s, especially in agriculture, transportation, and economic and monetary policy.

William H. Dunwoody and family papers, 1837-1915.
Correspondence, accounts, genealogical materials and other papers of Dunwoody, a Minneapolis businessman active in the wheat trade, grain elevators, flour mills and banking. There is also information on various branches of the family, including that of his wife, Catherine Patten Dunwoody.

Gerber Industries (Minneapolis, Minn.). Corporate records, 1901-1991 (bulk 1946-1984).
Minutes and related records (1946-1988) (including articles of incorporation, bylaws, deeds, agreements and stock certificates), sales catalogs, price lists, historical information (1901, 1930, 1991), and pamphlets of a manufacturer of conveyor and dust control equipment for grain elevators and mills.

International Multifoods Corporation. Corporate records, 1861-1992.
Materials within the collection provide historical, biographical, administrative, aural and pictorial information about the company's growth from the small New Prague Flouring Mill, founded in 1892, into a public conglomerate with international offices, operations and markets. Information covers the corporation's executive officers; its manufacturing, warehouse and distribution facilities; its subsidiaries and product lines; promotional programs; and advertising campaigns.

John D. McMillan papers, 1883-1970.
The bulk of the papers relate to the operation of a number of elevator companies owned by the Osborne-McMillan Elevator Company in Minneapolis. There is also a small group of personal papers consisting primarily of correspondence (1912-1933) from members of John D. McMillan's family and a few business acquaintances.

Minneapolis-Moline Company. Records, 1836-1982.
Records related to a Minneapolis-based manufacturer of farm tractors and implements and to several predecessor, related, and successor companies, including the Minneapolis Threshing Machine Company, the Minneapolis Steel and Machinery Company, B. F. Avery & Sons Co., the Moline Plow Company, and the White Motor Corporation.

Northland Milk and Ice Cream Company (Minneapolis, Minn.). Advertising and publicity materials, 1921-1979 (bulk 1921-1956).
Newspaper advertisements, clippings, photographs and other materials of a Minneapolis-based milk and ice cream manufacturer. The collection consists largely of photocopies of stories and advertisements clipped from newspapers, and newsprint advertising proofs. There is information about the 1922 merger that created Northland, and about its four predecessor firms; a milk price war with competitor Franklin Co-operative Creamery Association (1922); plant operations and improvements; product lines; marketing and promotion; and company president Leonard H. Heller.

Northrup King Company. Records, 1884-1980s.
Advertising materials, advertising department files, photographs, printed items, motion picture films and audio tapes related to Northrup King Co., a Minneapolis wholesaler of farm and garden seeds, livestock feed, and lawn products.

Albert J. Olund and family papers, 1867-1955.
The papers supply information on Olund's work as a collection agent for the Deere and Webber farm implement company in the Red River Valley and the Dakotas (1922) and his later work as a farm machinery salesman for various firms in the Worthington (Nobles County, Minn.) area.

Peavey Company. Records, 1870-1984.
Subject files, financial and accounting volumes, minutes, unpublished annual reports, correspondence, patent files, trademark files, company printeds, photographs, scrapbooks, and motion pictures and audio tapes relating to the Peavey Company, a family-held, Minneapolis-based grain merchandising and processing firm.

Frank H. Peavey papers, 1877-1924.
Personal papers and some materials related to the estate of this Minneapolis grain merchant and founder of F.H. Peavey & Company, a family-held, Minneapolis-based grain merchandising and processing firm that was an outgrowth of an agricultural implement business located at Sioux City, Iowa.

Rochester Silo. Records, 1968, 1973-1982.
Product brochures, training manuals, price lists, meeting agendas, flip charts, and films related to a family-owned company engaged in the manufacture and construction of farm storage systems. The records consist primarily of material describing the construction and operation of the company's silos and slurry-vat systems, and sales training manuals on selling skills and giving background information on dairy nutrition and liquid manure handling.

Agricultural Cooperatives

Cloquet Cooperative Society. Records, 1930-1978.
Articles of incorporation and bylaws, minutes and related records (1954-1974), financial records (1949-1977), correspondence (1957-1978), newspaper clippings, and printed materials documenting a rural merchandising cooperative organized in 1910 whose lines of business included dry goods, groceries, fuel, agricultural goods, garages and warehouses. It also operated the Cloquet Shopping Center and from 1963 until its 1977 dissolution, was managed by Midland Cooperatives.

Equity Cooperative Exchange. Papers, 1906-1929.
Papers kept by Minneapolis lawyer Benjamin B. Drake, documenting his service as attorney for the Equity Cooperative Exchange (ECE, 1906-1926), a cooperative agency established, owned, and operated by farmers to sell grain directly to consumers. Organized in 1907, the ECE was incorporated in North Dakota in 1911 and Minnesota in 1912. It moved to St. Paul in 1914 and, in 1923, due to financial and management problems, went into receivership. It was absorbed by the Farmers' Union in 1926.

Excelsior Fruit Growers Association (Excelsior, Minnesota). Association records, 1900-1969.
Correspondence, minute books, annual and financial reports, grower and customer lists, tax returns, legal documents, stock certificates, ledgers, journals, and records of fruit receipts and sales, primarily 1934-1969, of this fruit-marketing cooperative in Excelsior and Hopkins. The correspondence includes discussions of marketing problems, especially World War II sugar rationing and price controls.

Farmers Union Central Exchange (Saint Paul, Minn.). Organization records, 1894-1993 (bulk 1931-1981).
Subject files, news clippings and scrapbooks, printed materials, photographs, product catalogs, motion pictures, and phonograph records relating to a farmer-owned cooperative based in Inver Grove Heights, Minnesota that provides farm and home supplies to member coops in the North Central and Northwestern states. The Central Exchange (CENEX) was incorporated in 1931 and for most of its existence was headquartered in South St. Paul, Minnesota.

Furuby Community Club (Center City, Minn.). Minutes, 1948-1961.
Manuscript minutes (Nov. 1948-June 1960, Sept. 1961) of the Furuby Community Club, a member of the Chisago Lakes Cooperative Association. The club was founded as the Furuby Co-op Club (Nov. 1948) and changed its name when it reorganized and purchased the Furuby School as its permanent meeting place. (Oct. 1950).

Henning Farmers' Shipping Association (Henning, Minn.). Association records, 1913-1970 (bulk 1913-1960).
Records of a cooperative livestock shipping association documenting the sale, purchase and shipment of cattle, calves, sheep and hogs by association members to South St. Paul, Minn., where they were sold by the producer-owned Central Livestock Association. Includes minute book (1913-1970), ledger (1933-1948), annual reports, articles of incorporation and bylaws, and audit reports. There is also some material related to the Central Livestock Association, the Henning Farmers Supply Company, the Hoffman Shipping Association, and the Ottertail Co-Operative Creamery Association.

Lindstrom Creamery Association (Lindstrom, Minn.). Creamery records, 1895-1976.
Minutes (1895-1969), annual reports (1949-1964), stock records, and accounting records documenting a rural cooperative creamery located in Lindstrom and serving dairy farmers in the Chisago County area.

Midland Cooperative. Records, 1917-1982.
Articles of incorporation (1947), minutes, resolutions (1942-1980), financial information (1930-1936), programs (1949-1980), meeting files (1974-1982), theses regarding cooperation (1933-1954), audio tapes, printed material, and photographs of a farmers' oil-and-merchandise consumer cooperative organized in 1926 as the Minnesota Co-op Oil Company. The cooperative specialized in marketing light oil products, then added tires, auto accessories, paint and hardware, farm supplies, household appliances, groceries, fertilizer, feed and seed, and farm machinery to its merchandise stocks. The cooperative was merged into Land O'Lakes in 1982.

Hans R. Miller papers, 1930-1982.
Correspondence (1930s-1982), minutes, articles of incorporation (1930, 1932) and bylaws, architectural sketches, financial information, information on inventions, diaries and memorandum books, and account books of Hans R. Miller and of the American Trade Exchange, a cooperative farm colony in Cross Lake, Minnesota, which he co-founded.

Minnesota Association of Cooperatives. Association records, 1943-1993.
Correspondence, subject files, miscellaneous files, association records, and printed material reflecting the organization, membership, and activities of the Minnesota Association of Cooperatives. Its members and affiliates include electric, health, agricultural marketing, insurance, credit and consumer cooperatives.

Royal Cooperative Creamery Company (Braham, Minn.). Corporate records, 1901-1955.
Correspondence (1920-1955), minutes (1911-1949), stock certificates (1910-1950), annual statements (1923-1953), monthly (1933-1954) and annual (1920-1949) reports to the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, monthly reports to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (1943-1954), and miscellaneous records of a small cooperative creamery that later affiliated with Land O' Lakes Creameries. The creamery was founded by German and Swedish homesteaders in Royalton Township (Pine County), Minnesota.

Santiago Co-operative Creamery Association (Minn.). Association records, 1920-1966, 1983.
Minutes (1924-1945), annual reports (1950-1955, 1958), correspondence (1920-1922), records of payments to members (1942-1943, 1963-1964), and miscellaneous records of a cooperative creamery association in Sherburne County, Minnesota. The creamery was begun in 1900 as a private enterprise before becoming a cooperative in 1925. It ceased its operations in 1973.

Twin City Milk Producers Association (Saint Paul, Minn.). Association records, 1906-1988 (bulk 1917-1935).
Correspondence, newspaper clippings, magazine articles, historical information, agreements and contracts, bulletins, and similar files documenting the activities of a cooperative marketing association organized in 1915 to standardize practices in the marketing, pricing and grading of dairy products among producers and dairies in the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area.

Jay A. York and family papers, 1909-1993 (bulk 1962-1993).
Biographical and genealogical materials, reminiscences, correspondence, minutes, reports, speech files, articles of incorporation, bylaws, yearbooks, diaries, and photographs documenting the activities of farmer and rural electric cooperative leader Jay Andrew York (Lake Wilson, Minn.) and of other family members.

Granges, Political Parties, and Other Organizations

Bloomington Grange No. 482 (Bloomington, Minn.). Grange records, 1874, 1879-1917.
An organizational charter (1874), bylaws, minutes (1884-1904), committee reports, membership applications (1892-1899), a ledger (ca. 1888-1906), a secretary's account book (1879-1912), receipts (1896-1916), fair premium lists, library rules and book list, obituaries, a photograph of the grange hall (1912 or 1913), and an annual program (1896) documenting the structure and activities of a subordinate grange of the Patrons of Husbandry located in Bloomington (Minn.).

Farmer-Labor Association of Minnesota. Records, 1918-48.
Proceedings of conventions, minutes of meetings, speeches, and correspondence of this political association. There is information on patronage, tax reform, collective bargaining, strikes, the labor movement, political conventions and campaigns, and Minnesota political figures, including Victor E. Lawson, Ernest Lundeen, William Mahoney, Floyd B. Olson and Harold Stassen.

Groundswell, Inc. of Minnesota (Wanda, Minn.). Organization records, 1984-1993.
Minutes and agenda packets (1985-1989), correspondence (undated and 1985-1991), newsletters (1985-1989), brochures (undated and 1983-1988), a pamphlet (1985), and photocopied newspaper clippings (undated and 1984-1990) reflecting the activity of a nonpartisan organization of rural Minnesotans dedicated to ensuring the survival of the family farm.

Minnehaha Grange No. 398 (Edina, Minn.). Grange records, 1873-1985.
Minute books, subject and correspondence files, and scrapbooks documenting the social and political activities of a subordinate (local) grange lodge (1873-1991) located in a suburb of Minneapolis.

Minnesota Poultry Testing Association (Saint Paul, Minn.). Association records, 1959-1976.
Articles of incorporation, bylaws, correspondence and memoranda, minutes, financial information, and other records of a nonprofit organization formed to organize, develop and promote performance testing programs for poultry; to evaluate poultry stocks; and to engage in scientific research, testing and sampling for the benefit of the Minnesota poultry industry.

Minnesota Dairy Promotion Council. Council records, 1894, 1904-1983 (bulk 1935-1980).
Minutes (1894, 1904-1982), corporation documents, audit reports (1945-1980), some correspondence (1932-1965), photographs (1959-1967), newspaper clippings (1938-1956), and other printed matter largely documenting a number of predecessors of the Minnesota Dairy Promotion Council, a trade association serving the Minnesota dairy industry and closely affiliated with the American Dairy Association.

Minnesota State Grange. Grange records, 1868-[ca.1975] (bulk 1910-1966).
Correspondence, subject files, and some financial records of the state grange organization, as well as some miscellaneous records of several subordinate (local) grange lodges. The files include pamphlets, circular letters, constitutions, bylaws, minutes, rosters, some clippings, a charter certificate, quarterly reports submitted by secretaries of subordinate granges (1909-ca.1933), and a grange song book (1964). There is information about Minnesota pomona (county or district), subordinate, and juvenile grange lodges; about the National Grange organization; and about National Grange co-founder Oliver Hudson Kelley and the historic Kelley Farmstead near Elk River (Minn.). Correspondents include officials of the Minnesota State Grange, the National Grange, and of various subordinate granges.

National Nonpartisan League. Papers, 1915-27.
Correspondence and miscellany of Henry G. Teigan, the league's secretary from 1916 to 1923, and other league officials; correspondence, financial records, and other materials of the Northwestern Service Bureau, which assisted local newspapers that supported the league; subscription, financial, and other records of the league's newspaper, the Minnesota Leader; information on an anti-league exposé published by the St. Paul Dispatch in 1918; and other printed materials by or about the league.

Pokegama Grange No. 750 (Pine City, Minnesota). Grange records, 1941-1967.
Minute book (1941-1954), cash receipts and disbursements record (1941-1967), reports (1945-1965), scrapbooks (1941-1961), and miscellaneous materials (1939-1966) documenting the activities of a Grange chapter that was organized in 1941 but that disbanded around 1967.

Twin City Milk Producers Association (Saint Paul, Minn.). Association records, 1906-1988 (bulk 1917-1935).
Correspondence, newspaper clippings, magazine articles, historical information, agreements and contracts, bulletins, and similar files documenting the activities of a cooperative marketing association organized in 1915 to standardize practices in the marketing, pricing, and grading of dairy products among producers and dairies in the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area (Minn.).

Farmers and Family Farms

Edwin H. Atwood and family papers, 1800, 1838-1954 (bulk 1861-1899).
Correspondence (undated and 1861-1899), diaries (1868, 1874-1877, 1892), legal and financial documents (1938, 1856-1899), newspaper clippings (1800, 1886-1887), scrapbook (1950-1954), real estate records (1893-1899), and miscellaneous printed matter primarily related to the life and family of a Minnesota farmer and activist in the Farmers' Alliance.

Sarah G. and George W. Baird diaries and account books, 1862,1870-1918.
Diaries, account books, and memorabilia of an Edina (Hennepin County) farm couple. Sarah's 26 diaries (1883, 1886-1918) describe their farm life and social, political, and church activities, including their involvement in the Grange and attendance at its annual national meetings (1895-1902), and trips to the Chicago World's Columbian Exposition (1893), California (1892-1893, 1913), Pennsylvania (several times), and Florida (1914). George's two account books detail farm accounts (1870-1880) and the 1913 California trip.

David B. Christie and family correspondence, 1871-1933.
Correspondence of the David Christie family who farmed in Rapidan Township, Blue Earth County, Minn. (1868-1886) and later raised sheep near Bozeman, Montana (1886-1920).

Allen W. Dawley diaries, 1865-1925.
Diaries of this Minnesota farmer who lived in Highland Township, Wabasha County (1865-1898), and Waterford Township, Dakota County (1898-1925).

The Farmer collection of reminiscences, 1949, 1958.
Reminiscent letters written by farmers from Minnesota, Wisconsin, North Dakota, and South Dakota for the Minnesota Territorial Centennial and Statehood Centennial editions of The Farmer, a magazine published at St. Paul, Minnesota. The letters deal with agricultural methods and machinery, buildings, social life, education, homesteading, the 1862 Dakota Conflict, and grasshopper invasions.

Feeders, Inc. (Heron Lake, Minn.). Corporation records, 1883-1990 (bulk 1937-1980).
Financial records and subject files of a Jackson County family farm corporation owned by agribusiness executive Arthur D. Hyde. Feeders' major subsidiary, Wilder Farms, was located east of Heron Lake (Minn.) and was developed by Hyde into a large farming and cattle feeding operation and a showcase for Harvestore brand silos.

James Godward and family papers, 1951-1992.
Papers documenting Godward's development (1953-), in partnership with his brother Gerald, of paddy-grown wild rice production in Atkin County, Minnesota.

Thomas H. Griffin papers, 1878-1883, 1899-1909.
Account books kept by this farmer near Clinton Falls, Steele County (Minn.), listing receipts and expenditures for his farm and home; the prices of food, clothing, wood and livestock; wages paid to hired help; and the amount of milk furnished to a cheese factory. A diary (1878-1883) begins at the rear of the first volume and records the weather, dates for planting, and other aspects of his farming operations.

Anna M. Kurtz diaries, 1949-1981.
Diaries of an Eden Prairie (Minn.) farm wife, detailing daily life, social and church activities, raising and selling poultry and truck farm produce, family finances, canning and preserving food, automobile trips throughout the United States, current events and other aspects of rural life.

John H. Lawrence papers, 1889-1934 [microform].
An account book (1889-1934) kept by this farmer near Litchfield (Minn.), recording prices of farm machinery, dates of planting crops, yields per acre, income from farm produce, and wages paid to farm laborers; and a diary (1919-1929) mentioning farming activities and meetings of the local farm bureau and the cooperative livestock shipping association.

James P. Newell diaries, 1868-1916.
Manuscript diaries (March 3, 1868-Dec. 31, 1916) documenting the daily activities of a farmer who lived near Plainview in Wabasha County (Minn.) (1868-1909) and later (1909-1916) in Albert Lea (Minn.).

Irvin Washington Rollins papers, 1848-1895.
Diaries (1848, 1855-1895), two account books (1861-1893), and miscellaneous correspondence and memorabilia of Rollins, a farmer near Elgin, Wabasha County (Minn.). His diaries comment on farm and social life, agricultural products, prices, meetings of local organizations, local and national elections, land claims, attitudes toward the Dakota Conflict (1862) and the Civil War, local government, and other aspects of Wabasha County life.

Fred Shadduck diary, 1912 Jan. 1-1921 March 31.
A photocopied typed transcription of a diary kept by a farmer and resort owner near Annandale (Minn.). The entries are brief and cover only the winter months (Jan.-March) for each year (1912-1921), but do contain a substantial amount of information related to farming and rural life during the first part of the 20th century.

John D. Scofield and family papers, 1875-1968.
Includes correspondence (undated and 1882-1920, 1945); diaries (1881-1886); ledgers (1877, 1881-1956); minutes (1882-1887, 1895-1904); Sunday school lessons (1903); a property appraisal (1962); a land contract and deeds (1855, 1857, 1912); photographs; newspaper clippings (undated and 1898-1935, 1965-1968); family register; and miscellaneous papers (undated and 1875-1882, 1904, 1912-1918, 1966) related to John D. Scofield, an early settler of Bloomington (Minn.); his farm and family; the Bloomington Woman's Club; and the prominent role Scofield and his wife Caroline played in the Minnesota Grange and the founding of the University of Minnesota School of Agriculture.

George W. Smith letters, 1857-1858.
Letters from Smith, St. Paul and Minneapolis, to his parents in Maine, commenting on the purchase of land; growing and marketing agricultural products; the weather; grasshoppers; and impressions of life in Minnesota.

Magnus Wefald papers, 1852-1991 (bulk 1929-1991).
Personal correspondence, farm records, legal case files, personal and farm accounting records, personal and client tax returns, and legislative files of a country lawyer (1929-1983), farm owner (1938-1969), and state senator (1947-1958) from Hawley, Clay County (Minn.)

Activists, Educators, Elected Officials and Others

H. Carl Andersen papers, 1892-1974.
Congressional and personal papers of Andersen, a Republican who represented the seventh district of Minnesota in the U.S. House of Representatives (1939-1962). The papers are composed of correspondence, subject files, campaign files, speeches, newsletters, news releases, voting records, trip files, and business records. In addition to constituent correspondence, which focuses in particular on agricultural issues, subject files document the Soil Bank Act, flood control, Rural Electrification Administration, and Billie Sol Estes.

James M. Drew and family papers, 1848-1948.
Correspondence, diaries (1855-1893), articles, clippings, genealogies, accounts, reminiscences, and memorabilia relating chiefly to James Drew, a faculty member in the University of Minnesota School of Agriculture and Agricultural Extension Division (1893-1933), and to his father, Edward Bolivar Drew, a Winona County (Minn.) farmer and Minnesota legislator (1875-1876, 1879).

Clarence H. Eckles papers, 1911-1933.
Correspondence, articles, newspaper clippings, biographical sketches, and accounts of attendance (October 1923) at the International Dairy Congress. Eckles was an author, scientist, and teacher on the staff of the College of Agriculture of the University of Minnesota. The papers reflect his interest in the breeding and raising of cattle and his wide reputation as an author, scientist and teacher.

Orville L. Freeman papers, [ca. 1903]-1919, 1941-1976.
Correspondence, speeches, campaign literature, and other materials from Freeman's campaigns (Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party) for Minnesota attorney general (1950) and governor (1952-1960). Correspondence, reports, departmental communications, memorandums, and tour materials from his service as governor (1955-1961) and as U.S. Secretary of Agriculture (1961-1969). Newspaper clippings and scrapbooks kept by the Freeman family (27 volumes, 1948-1964) and as Secretary of Agriculture (25 volumes, 1960-1969). Also includes post cards (6 in., ca. 1903-1919) of the family of Freeman's uncle, Josiah Lothrop.

Arthur B. Gilbert papers, 1909-1967.
Correspondence and subject files of a Minneapolis-based farm activist, political gadfly, and self-described agitator for legislation to help the farmer, particularly for a protective tariff on agricultural imports. Gilbert was on the staff of the National Nonpartisan League from 1917 to 1924; after becoming disillusioned with that organization (particularly as it came increasingly under the influence of labor interests), he supported Republican candidates for state and national office as being most in sympathy with farming interests. From 1928 to 1930 he was an advocate of The Minnesota Plan of Farm Relief, a legislative agenda calling for various measures to make American farm products more competitive, to encourage domestic production and to discourage agricultural imports, and to improve farmers' profits while at the same time reducing costs to consumers. Gilbert was staunchly anti-communist, and viewed Minnesota's Farmer-Labor party and its leaders with grave suspicion.

Horace Goodhue and family papers, 1868-1950.
Diary and letters of Goodhue, a Carleton College (Minn.) professor, concerning agriculture and travel in Minnesota and North Dakota, with a description (1884) of the Oliver Dalrymple bonanza farm in the Red River Valley. Included also are speeches and other items of his son, Ralph B., relating to agriculture and dairying in west-central Minnesota.

Oren C. Gregg and family papers, 1904-1907, [1923].
Correspondence and miscellany of Gregg, founder (1886) of the Minnesota Farmers' Institutes. Letters from his wife Charlotte give news of family and friends, community activities, and events at their "Coteau Farm" near Lynd, Lyon County (Minn.). There are also legislative bills relating to the establishment of agricultural experiment stations, activities of Farmers' Institutes, and temperance; letters from Clarence H. Welch, who helped manage Coteau Farm; copies of letters (probably for use in advertising railroad lands for sale) to the land commissioner of the Duluth and Iron Range Railroad from farmers in St. Louis County (Minn.), attesting to their success in agriculture; and Gregg's autobiographical sketch (6 p., ca.1923).

Myron W. Thatcher papers, 1923-1977.
Biographical information; a selection of corporate records of the Farmers Union Grain Terminal Association (GTA); speech files; subject files; photographs; and audio materials documenting the career of M. W. (Myron William) Thatcher as general manager of the GTA (1938-1968), and including a few records of the GTA's predecessor, the Farmers Union Terminal Association (1932-1937). Thatcher, who was also associated with the Equity Cooperative, was a Washington, D.C., lobbyist for the Farmers National Grain Cooperative (1932-1938), and had close political and personal ties with many prominent Midwest political leaders and with presidents of the United States. Through his efforts the GTA became one of the largest grain cooperatives in the United States. The collection seems to have been compiled for a never-completed biography of Thatcher by Bruce Stoner.

Vin Weber. Congressional files and related papers, 1950-1995 (bulk 1990-1992).
Papers of a Republican congressman (1981-1992) from southwestern Minnesota's 2nd Congressional District. Weber was associated with a rising group of young neo-conservatives in the House that included Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.). The collection is perhaps strongest in its documentation of agricultural policy and farming issues during the "farm crisis" years of the 1980s.