What's New
Our latest list highlights oral history, photograph, and manuscript collections that focus on women's history, public affairs, and the Vietnam War.
Women's History and Public Affairs
Interviews of the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) in Minnesota Oral History Project have been recently digitized. For this project eight members of the Minnesota branch of the WILPF were interviewed in 1972 to discuss their individual backgrounds; the creation and growth of the WILPF; and the various ways that WILPF advocated for peace, disarmament and social justice. The interviews complement the related manuscripts collection of the Minnesota Branch Records of the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom.
Additionally, the Public Affairs Center Collection Oral History Project was digitized with the generous support of external funding. The collection includes interviews with both Eugenie M. Anderson, the first woman appointed ambassador status for the United States, and Sue M. Dickey Hough, one of the first four women to serve as a Minnesota state representative.
A much more contemporary collection, History is Now! Women's March 2017 Photograph and Moving Image Collection, was created through contributions from the community this past winter. The collection includes images of participants in the Women's March held on January 21, 2017 and their hand-made signs as well as a video showing clips of crowd scenes, a hand-carried float, and speakers on the steps of the State Capitol.
Vietnam War
The recent addition of the Dan Conlon Papers to the manuscripts collection greatly enriches our growing body of Vietnam War-era materials. The papers include digitized correspondence and audio letters relating to Dr. Conlon's service in Vietnam (1967-1968) as a member of the Medical Civic Action Program, which provided medical care to South Vietnamese civilians.
Conlon for many years practiced at a clinic in the Powderhorn Neighborhood of Minneapolis. He was drafted into the Air Force as part of the doctor draft program and was sent to Vietnam, where he was stationed at the Pleiku Air Base from January 1967 to January 1968, serving the local civilian population's medical needs. While there he formed a particular bond with the Montagnards, the indigenous people of the Central Highlands, and was inducted as father and brother in several of their villages.
The collection is particularly interesting for the letters Conlon sent home to his wife Kay, which have been scanned and are available to researchers in PDF form, and audio letters, which are available as MP3s. In these letters Conlon describes his life and work in Vietnam as the war raged. The audio letters are especially interesting because researchers can hear Conlon's remarks in his own voice. In addition to the letters dating from Conlon's military service, the papers also include later letters, research materials, and drafts related to Conlon's work on a privately published autobiography about his war experiences.
New and Updated Finding Aids - August 2017
| Name/Abstract | File No. |
|---|---|
| Abbott-Northwestern Hospital An Inventory of Its Photograph Collection | sv000247 |
| Photographs of exterior and interior views of hospital buildings and annexes, administrative and medical staff and their work in the hospital, adult, child and infant patient care, and nurses' training programs. Northwestern Hospital (founded 1882), Abbott Hospital (founded 1902) and Sister Kenny Institute (founded 1942) merged in the 1970s to form the Abbott-Northwestern Hospital Corporation, Minneapolis, Minn. | |
| Ellen Louise Adams: An Inventory of Her Family Portrait and Photograph Collection | sv000246 |
 Images of Ellen Louise Adams, her mother, aunts, father, grandfather, and sister including studio portraits and views from family farm, hiking and graduation. Includes digital content. |
|
| American Refugee Committee: An Inventory of Its Records | 01042 |
 Domestic and international program records, organizational files, correspondence, subject files, publications, printed material, and newspaper clippings from the American Refugee Committee (ARC), a humanitarian relief non-governmental organization (NGO), with headquarters in Minneapolis, Minnesota. ARC conducts activities across the world in many regions including Africa, Asia, the Middle East, South America, and the Balkans. ARC
was founded in 1978 by Neal Ball initially to handle the resettlement of refugees, mainly Cambodians, following the Vietnam War. |
|
| Big Stone County: Independent School District No. 59, Correll: An Inventory of Its Records | gr01361 |
| Records documenting the administration and activities of this school district, including school censuses, family census cards, meeting minutes, Correll school building closing records, school attendance registers, clerk's books, and treasurer's books. | |
| Big Stone County: School District No. 13/132, Artichoke Township: An Inventory of Its Records | gr01359 |
| Records documenting the administration and activities of this school district, including attendance registers, ballot on consolidation with Independent School District No. 784, Octagon Herald Newspaper, Octagon school layout, school censuses, teacher's reports, class records for ungraded schools, school library records, records of textbooks and equipment, report of the school survey committee, clerk's books, and treasurer's books. | |
| Big Stone County: School District No. 53/143, Akron Township: An Inventory of Its Records | gr01360 |
| Records documenting the administration and activities of this school district, including clerk's books, school censuses, and treasurer's books. | |
| Dan Conlon: An Inventory of His Papers | 00094 |
 Correspondence, photographs, and digital recordings relating to the Vietnam War service of Minneapolis medical doctor Dan Conlon, who was drafted into the Air Force in 1966 as part of the doctor draft. Much of the material relates to Conlon's interest in and work with the Montagnard people of Vietnam. Also includes scrapbooks of correspondence, medical
reports, daily notes, and other materials documenting his wife Kay's battle with terminal cancer some years later. Includes digital content. |
|
| Faribault School for the Blind: An Inventory of Its Store Records | gr01350 |
| Ledger accounts for receipts and disbursements of food, clothing, and other supplies. Information recorded includes date, invoice or voucher number, number and/or measure of commodity involved, explanation, price, cost, and requisition number. | |
| Faribault School for the Blind: An Inventory of Its Student Records | gr01351 |
| Individual student files which may contain optical and physical examination reports, interview notes, psychological reports, academic progress sheets, photographs, public school records, and correspondence with parents, school districts, and county and state welfare bodies. | |
| Faribault School for the Blind: An Inventory of Its Student Records and Miscellaneous | gr01352 |
| Records documenting various aspects of the students' lives at the school. | |
| Faribault School for the Blind: An Inventory of Its Subject Files | gr01353 |
| Files documenting a wide variety of the activities and administration of the school, including campus buildings, clubs, fire safety, lighting, supplies, repair and maintenance, and teachers. | |
| Faribault School for the Blind: An Inventory of Its Superintendents Records | gr01354 |
| Correspondence and reports kept by the school's superintendents. | |
| Orville L. Freeman: An Inventory of His Papers | 00372 |
 Correspondence and other papers of a Minneapolis attorney who served as a Democratic-Farmer-Labor Governor of Minnesota (1955-1961) and U.S. Secretary of Agriculture (1961-1969), worked for a research and counseling company specializing in economic, social, and political issues (1970-1984), and was a member of a Washington, D.C. law firm specializing in international law
(1985-1995). Includes digital content. |
|
| Goodhue County, Minnesota: An Inventory of Telephone Directories | lb00125 |
| A collection of telephone directories for cities in Goodhue County, Minnesota. Telephone directories are published by telephone companies and include alphabetical listings of residential and business phone numbers and street addresses in the white pages, and a listing of businesses arranged by subject in the yellow pages. Each entry on the inventory lists the city name, year of coverage, and the shelf number of the printed volume or microfiche set which includes that city. | |
| Great Northern Railway Company. Comptroller: An Inventory of Its Records | 00943 |
 Correspondence and subject files, annual reports to regulatory agencies, accounting records, operating statistical data, construction records, and miscellaneous records created or compiled by the Great Northern administrative department responsible for the accounting, auditing, and statistical analysis functions of the railway company, and which also served as the corporation's principal record keeper. |
|
| Great Northern Railway Company. Operating Department: An Inventory of Its Record | 00650 |
 Correspondence and subject files, and a few miscellaneous records, created or compiled by the Great Northern administrative department responsible for operating the physical properties of the Great Northern railway system. |
|
| Kittson County, Minnesota : An Inventory of Telephone Directories | lb00047 |
| A collection of telephone directories for cities in Kittson County, Minnesota. Telephone directories are published by telephone companies and include alphabetical listings of residential and business phone numbers and street addresses in the white pages, and a listing of businesses arranged by subject in the yellow pages. Each entry on the inventory lists the city name, year of coverage, and the shelf number of the printed volume or microfiche set which includes that city. | |
| Martin County: An Inventory of Its Birth Records | SAM193 |
| Registers and records of births, with indexes. They cover the entire county. | |
| Meeker County: District Court: An Inventory of Its Default Judgment Records | gr01358 |
| Meeker County: District Court: An Inventory of Its Judgment Records | gr01357 |
| Minnesota Historical Society. History is Now! Women's March 2017 Project: An Inventory of Its Photograph and Moving Image Collection | sv000248 |
 Digital images acquired as part of a project to document the Women's March on January 21, 2017 in Minnesota as well as in Washington, D.C. Images include crowds of marchers; participants posed with their handmade signs or wearing their hand-knitted "pussy hats," groups of friends or mothers and daughters who marched together, and group-coordinated bus
transportation. Also included is a video with clips of a ride on public light-rail to the march, speeches given on the steps of the State Capitol, marchers chanting, and close-ups of signs and participants. Photographers included notes that described their experiences and gave their reasons for participating in the march. The reasons they stated went beyond supporting women's rights and included standing against sexism, racism, fascism, and police brutality; supporting immigrant and LGBTQ rights; advocating universal healthcare; and making their
voices heard. Includes digital content. |
|
| National Association of Letter Carriers (U.S.), Branch 28 (Saint Paul, Minn.: An Inventory of Its Portrait Collection | sv000245 |
 Portraits of members of the Retired Letter Carriers Social Club, NACL Branch 28 in Saint Paul. Includes digital content. |
|
| Natural Resources Department: Forestry Division: An Inventory of Its Circular Letters | gr01356 |
| Circular letters are also known as divisional policies. This set of policies has been rescinded by the Forestry Division. This set includes circular letters that originated from the Department of Natural Resources and its predecessor, the Department of Conservation. | |
| Public Affairs Center Collection Oral History Project: An Inventory of Its Oral History Interviews | oh170 |
 Oral history interviews conducted through the Minnesota Historical Society's Public Affairs Center documenting the political careers and experiences of those who held positions of national and international importance, were involved at local and state levels, and were in both major and minor political parties. Includes digital content. |
|
| Ramsey County: Rose Township: An Inventory of Its Miscellaneous Records | gr01355 |
 Justice of the peace docket (1869-1893); poll tax list, prepared by town clerk Heman R. Gibbs (1880); reports of citizens' committees studying whether the township should incorporate as a village or join the city of St. Paul (1946, 1949); and audit reports following the detachments of Roseville and Lauderdale (1948, 1949). Includes digital content. |
|
| Ramsey County: St. Paul: School Records: Central High School: An Inventory of Its Central High School Records | gr00134 |
 Records including historical data; programs, invitations, and handbooks; pupil lists; class of 1928 records; subject files; scrapbooks; and photographs, documenting a wide variety of school activities and events. Also includes correspondence and newspaper clippings about former pupil Amelia Earhart. Includes digital content. |
|
| Rondo Oral History Project: An Inventory of Its Oral History Interviews | oh110 |
 Collection of interviews, created by Hand in Hand Productions, capturing the lives and experiences of long time residents of St. Paul, Minnesota's Rondo community, an urban neighborhood situated near the city's downtown commercial district. A mixed neighborhood with respect to ethnicity and income, it has been home to a significant African American population since the early
1900s and was a particularly vibrant community in the 1930s. The neighborhood was essentially devastated by the construction of Interstate Highway 94 through its center in the 1960s. Many of its African American inhabitants, businesses, churches, fraternal orders, and social clubs were displaced into more segregated locales where they faced discrimination in housing and other areas. Includes digital content. |
|
| Wabasha County, Minnesota : An Inventory of Telephone Directories | lb00061 |
| A collection of telephone directories for cities in Wabasha County, Minnesota. Telephone directories are published by telephone companies and include alphabetical listings of residential and business phone numbers and street addresses in the white pages, and a listing of businesses arranged by subject in the yellow pages. Each entry on the inventory lists the city name, year of coverage, and the shelf number of the printed volume or microfiche set which includes that city. | |
| Stanley Washburn: An Inventory of Stanley Washburn Papers | 01250 |
 Scrapbooks, book manuscripts, newspaper clippings, and correspondence relating primarily to Washburn's career as a war correspondent for the Chicago Daily News in the Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905) and on the Russian front during World War I in various capacities and his experiences as an explorer in Canada; correspondence (mainly 1920s-1950) regarding personal matters, business
interests, and U.S. foreign policy; and information on his political campaigns and on "home front" activities during World War II. Also included is a scrapbook of clippings (1893-1894) relating to William D. Washburn, Republican senator from Minnesota and father of Stanley Washburn; information on the Republican Party, including material on the Republican national conventions of 1900 and 1912; scrapbooks with information on the North Dakota Lignite Coal Operators Association (circa 1914-1924), and the 1926 visit to the U.S. of Queen Marie of Romania;
and files (1931, 1941-1942) on Japan and Japanese espionage |
|
| Women's Art Registry of Minnesota: An Inventory of Its Records | 00101 |
| Records documenting the members, activities, and philosophy of a women's art collective in Minneapolis. | |
| Women's International League for Peace and Freedom in Minnesota Oral History Project: An Inventory of Its Oral History Interviews | oh169 |
 Gloria Thompson, a Moorhead State College student, conducted oral history interviews for the Minnesota Historical Society in 1972 with 8 members of the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF). The women interviewed describe their backgrounds; discuss the Minnesota branch of the WILPF from its founding in 1922 by Maud C. Stockwell through the 1970s; comment
on the organization's founding principles of peace; support for the United Nations; disarmament; opposition to the Korean and Vietnam Wars; advocacy of peace candidates; lobbying for legislation reflecting the human rights principles of the WILPF; a Federal Bureau of Investigation's scrutiny of the WILPF in the 1940s; and the WILPF's resolution criticizing Wisconsin Senator Joseph McCarthy in the 1950s. Includes digital content. |
|
New and Updated Catalog Records
| Big Stone County. Common School District No. 144 (Artichoke : Township). Records, 1960-1963. |
| Clerk's book (1960-1963) and school censuses (1960-1962). |
| Big Stone County. Independent School District No. 62 (Ortonville). Employment agreement, 1983-1985. |
| Board of Education agreement with the Ortonville Education Association. |
| Gram Johnson Stanley, Inc. Gram Johnson Stanley, Inc. photograph collection. |
| Images from two photograph albums which highlight the work of design firm Gram Johnson Stanley, Inc., showing interiors and exteriors of local and regional stores during the 1960s. A list of clients and some magazine images also included. |
| Hassman, Skip, photographer. Minnesota Twins World Series victory parade photograph collection. |
| Images of the parade celebrating Minnesota Twins baseball team winning the MLB World Series in October 1987. Collection views are from near 5th Street and Marquette Avenue in Minneapolis, as the parade started in downtown Minneapolis and ended at the State Capitol building in St. Paul. |
