What's New

The State Archives has recently added to the records of the Port Authority of the City of Saint Paul. The Port Authority of Saint Paul was created by an act of the city council in 1932 and began operations in 1933. It operated under a 1929 state law [Laws 1929 c61 s1] that authorized port authorities as quasi-governmental organizations. The "quasi" means that, although the authority is an agency of the city, it is governed by an independent Board of Commissioners. The St. Paul Port Authority Board consists of seven members, two of whom are members of the city council. They are all appointed by the mayor with the consent of the city council.

Of particular interest in this collection are the Riverview Industrial Park project records. The Riverview neighborhood of Saint Paul's West Side, also known as the West Side Flats, was declared an Industrial Development District by the city of Saint Paul in August 1960. The neighborhood had a significant Jewish and Latino population. Approximately 520 parcels of land, which contained family homes, businesses, and houses of worship, were assessed and acquired by the city for industrial redevelopment beginning in January 1963. The Saint Paul Housing and Redevelopment Authority completed a study of the area which showed that 436 families lived there, most of whom were eligible for public housing.

Each parcel number represents a building (house or business) and has its own report, which includes photographs of the building, and summary information such as the owner, when it was built, the assessors value, and a description of the rooms and the overall condition.

These images are from the file on 230 East Fairfield (Parcel 96). The file also includes photographs of the nearby street and buildings. If you are interested in the West Side Flats, architectural history, urban evolution, or even have relatives who may have lived in this neighborhood, as some of our coworkers do, then check out this article published by our own MNopedia on the West Side Flats.

New and Updated Finding Aids - December 2015

Name/Abstract	File No.
Auditor: An Inventory of Its Journals and Ledgers	gr01126

Luther S. Cushing and Family: An Inventory of Their Papers	01238
Correspondence, certificates and commissions, financial papers, biographical and genealogical materials, and news clippings of the family of Luther Cushing, a Massachusetts lawyer, political figure, and writer. The material includes colonial and early state seals and documents that bear the signatures of Joseph Warren, John Hancock, Samuel Adams, Charles Sumner, and others. Includes digital content.
Dayton's: An Inventory of It's Photograph Collection	sv000213
Interior views of Dayton's department store in Minneapolis. Included are store displays, interiors of the Sky Room and other locations. Also included are exterior views of the 1937 construction of a building addition. Includes digital content.
Dental Examiners Board: An Inventory of Its Records	gr01124
Records of this board to regulate the practice of dentistry in the state; includes annual reports (1895-1951; incomplete), biennial reports (1975-1998; incomplete), minutes (1914-1963), examination and licensure records, rosters of dentists and dental hygienists (1935-1976; incomplete), health department reports (1978, 1983-1984), and a cashbook (1892-1915).
GFWC-WEST SUBURBAN WOMEN'S CLUB: An Inventory of Its Club Records	00866
Constitution, bylaws, directories, minutes, handbooks, reports, newsletters and scrapbooks of a women's club organized in 1957 to pursue home and family study and to aid in philanthropic work in western Hennepin County, Minnesota.
Hastings State Hospital: An Inventory of Its Published Records and Reports	gr01111
Includes procedures manuals, policy manuals, and reports (1950s-1979); Tuesday Topics (monthly HSH newsletter, 1968-1978); monthly reports (1956-1978); farm reports (1921-1963); and miscellaneous publications dealing with the hospital's history, legislative building requests, dairy cattle, industrial department, finances, psychiatric care for discharged patients, and closure.
Hastings State Hospital: An Inventory of Its Store Records	gr01112
Ledger accounts for receipts and disbursements of food, clothing, dry goods, and other supplies.
Isanti County, Minnesota: An Inventory of Telephone Directories	lb00122
A collection of telephone directories for cities in Isanti 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.
Sinclair Lewis: An Inventory of His Papers	01001
Originals and photocopies of several unrelated letters, correspondence with Saturday Evening Post editors, primarily George H. Lorimer, some correspondence with Jack London concerning plot themes and scenarios developed by Lewis, and memoranda relating to the possibility of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer making Lewis' novel Gideon Planish into a motion picture. Includes digital content.
Charles A. Lindbergh: An Inventory of His Photograph Album	sv000214
Views of Lindbergh's travels by airplane, motorcycle and automobile to various states, including Indiana, Kentucky, Florida and California; also some family and childhood photographs, including photographs on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus and Lake Mendota in Madison, Wisconsin. Collection also includes handwritten descriptive notes to the images by Charles A. Lindbergh. Album cover is decorated with the University of Wisconsin seal. Includes digital content.
Charles A. Lindbergh Transcontinental Air Transport Photograph Collection: An Inventory of Photographs	sv000195
Collection documenting the first official passenger flight for Transcontinental Air Transport (TAT), for which Charles A. Lindbergh helped plan and serve as pilot. Images include inauguration celebrations at Grand Central Air Terminal in Glendale, California with plane christenings by actresses Gloria Swanson and Mary Pickford and group portraits including the first flight passengers. Also included are photographs of Lindbergh with the Spirit of St. Louis, portraits, and images of him and Anne Morrow Lindbergh unrelated to the TAT flight. Includes digital content.
NORMAN M. LORENTZSEN: An Inventory of His Papers	00579
Correspondence, speeches, expense accounts, clippings, photographs, and scrapbooks of Lorentzsen, a lifelong railroad employee and rail industry leader.
Metropolitan Council: An Inventory of Its Metropolitan 911 Program Records	gr00195
The Metropolitan 911 Program began as a technical assistance project funded through the Law Enforcement Assistance Administration (LEAA) to assist the then seven county metropolitan area in planning for a 911 emergency telephone service. Its records include minutes and meeting materials of several planning and advisory groups; correspondence with legislators, telephone companies, and the public; publicity materials; grant and consultant files; planning committee files for each of the seven counties; and scrapbooks. Includes digital content.
Minnesota State Fair: An Inventory of Photographs	sv000211
Snapshots of the Minnesota State Fair including buildings, visitors and exhibitors including pilots Bud Mars and Arch Hoxsey. Includes digital content.
Owatonna State Public School: An Inventory of Its Architectural Drawings	gr01113
Includes blueprints and specifications for two cottages, linen drawings of floor plans of the "old school building," and pencil drawings of a kitchen (plan) and toilet (elevation).
Owatonna State Public School: An Inventory of Its Buildings and Improvements Records	gr01114
Correspondence, bids, contracts, specifications, blueprints, bills for materials and labor, payment authorizations, and miscellaneous related material documenting the construction, furnishing, and equipping of buildings and of various additions and improvements thereto. There are substantial files for the babies' cottage; plumbing, heating, and mechanical equipment; electrical work; and the gymnasium and hospital.
Owatonna State Public School: An Inventory of Its Case Files	gr01117
Case file numbers 1-10635. File numbers 5877-10635 may contain a photograph of the student.
Owatonna State Public School: An Inventory of Its Correspondence with the State Board of Health	gr01115
Correspondence and incidence reports on communicable diseases, particularly diphtheria (bulk 1916-1925); tuberculosis report forms, on which the institution reported monthly on cases admitted, discharged, or died (1914-1945); instructions for the prevention and control of communicable diseases; letters expressing concern over the possible health effects of a packing plant proposed for construction near the school (1916); and reports on the school's water supply and sewerage (1916, 1924).
Owatonna State Public School: An Inventory of Its Photographs of Students	gr01118
Photographs of individual students from case files numbers 1-5866. Under each letter of the alphabet is listed the corresponding case file numbers for individuals for which there is a photograph. A few photographs are identified by name but have no case file number; those photographs are in the front of the folder for each corresponding letter of the alphabet and listed in the finding aid. The Index to Residents' Records, also housed at the Minnesota Historical Society, was consulted to try to identify these individuals, but without success, so it is questionable if these are actually photographs of students.
Owatonna State Public School: An Inventory of Its Photographs, Baptismal Certificates, Diplomas, and Diaries	gr01116
Photographs of certain Owatonna students and their families, including Thomas Allen, the John Funk family, [Ivan Gomers?], Elsie Wiltse, Sylvia Rockwell, Herman Krese, and Katharine Stark; photographs of the school buildings and grounds (ca. 1895-1900) and school library (1933); baptismal certificates, diplomas, and certificates of award for school attendance apparently kept as samples (1913-1933); and diaries (1890, 1907) identified as belonging to Walter Rhodes but probably not both of his own writing. Also a photograph of Clara and Mary Radintz taken when admitted, August 17, 1892, with accompanying note and poem.
Owatonna State Public School: An Inventory of Its Placement Record by County	gr01119
Registers, by county, of children indentured to homes in that county.
Owatonna State Public School: An Inventory of Its Statistical Record [History of Children]	gr01120
Information on children, their parents, their family situation, and a record of placements. Data provided includes case number, name, sex, color, date and place of birth, residence, admittance data, cause of dependency, physical and educational status when admitted; parents' names, residence, nativity, occupation, financial situation, religion, and conjugal relations; numbers of male and female siblings; other relatives; remarks, usually on the child's home situation when admitted; and a sequential record of homes placed in, returns to the school, and final discharge or adoption.
Owatonna State Public School: An Inventory of Its Superintendent's Correspondence	gr01121
The records include correspondence with parents, children, and foster and/or adopting homes; applications for employment; complaints by staff about working conditions and the children's behavior; a variety of circulars, reports, memoranda, and other miscellany; and information from vendors of office equipment, clothing, food, tools, and other merchandise, including advertising flyers and a number of illustrated corporate letterheads. There are letters about commitment of children, inquiries about resident children, reports on home visitations, and discussion of obtaining Christmas presents. Letters and circulars from the State Auditor and the State Board of Control deal with the amounts and status of appropriations of funds and with accounting policies and procedures. The correspondence of superintendent Galen A. Merrill and his clerk, Emily M. Oberlin, pertains to all aspects of school administration, including programs, personnel, supplies and equipment, placement and welfare of children, and contacts or affiliations with other social welfare groups and institutions.
Owatonna State Public School: An Inventory of Its Superintendent's Subject Files	gr01122
Correspondence, circular materials, reports, notes, statistics, and other items relating to a variety of aspects of the school's administration.
Owatonna State School: An Inventory of Its Superintendent's Correspondence	gr01123
Correspondence, circular letters and directives, reports, memos, and miscellany relating to school administration, programs, and personnel; affiliations with other social welfare groups; and activities of the American Association on Mental Deficiency.
Ramsey County: Saint Paul: Port Authority: An Inventory of Its Records	gr01125
Annual reports (1964-1994, incomplete); minutes (1964-1983, incomplete); financial statements (1969-1986) and budget materials (1976-1981); board minutes, meeting files, and agendas (1932-2010); committee minutes and agendas (1989-2012); resolutions (1963-1979); project files concerning Riverview Industrial Park (1893, 1961-1962); legal opinions (1947-1991); and published materials (1938-2005) documenting the work of this city agency that acts as a public economic development corporation for the city of St. Paul and the East Metro area.
Harrison Bruce Tordoff and Family: An Inventory of Their Papers	01168
Biographical and family materials, correspondence, field investigation journals and other professional materials, files relating to ruffed grouse, and grouse hunting diaries of Tordoff, an internationally-acclaimed ornithologist and director of the James Ford Bell Museum of Natural History. Includes writings of and family materials collected by Tordoff's son Jeffrey.
"Whoopee" John Wilfahrt: An Inventory of His Phonodiscs	sv000198
Recordings of the Whoopee John Wilfahrt band headed by New Ulm polka musician Whoopee John Wilfahrt. Form of name on labels varies: Whoopee John Wilfahrt and His Concertina Orchestra, "Whoopee" John Wilfahrt and His Band or "Whoopee" John and His Orchestra.
Winona County: School District No. 13/2554, Homer Township: An Inventory of Its Records	gr00838
Clerk's and treasurer's books, attendance registers, school census, teacher's annual report to county superintendent, textbook and library records, teacher's reports, state examination board lists, class record books, and pupil cards.

New and Updated Catalog Records

Fitzgerald, F. Scott. F. Scott Fitzgerald letter to Luce's Press Clipping Bureau, 1920 February 29.

Handwritten letter from F. Scott Fitzgerald written at Princeton University to Luce's Press Clipping Bureau, New York, explaining that he is a new author who is beginning to be published and requesting that Luce's provide him with news clippings about himself and his writings.

Gaut, Greg. Greg Gaut Social Justice Papers, 1971-1980.

Bylaws, meeting minutes, organizational newsletters, correspondence, and related miscellany reflecting Winona-based writer, historian, and Saint Mary's University of Minnesota professor Greg Gaut's involvement in the Twin Cities Chapter of the National Lawyers Guild (1974-1980), Minnesota Draft and Military Help (1971-1973), and Powderhorn Food Community Cooperative (1972-1976). Minnesota Draft and Military Help files include a draft counselor's manual and other printed material issued by Midwest CCCO, a coalition of peace and civil liberties groups founded in 1948 as the Central Committee for Conscientious Objectors.

Janney, Thomas B., 1838-1924. Thomas B. Janney papers, 1862-1955 (bulk 1862-1925).

Assorted financial records, Westminster Presbyterian Church Sabbath School miscellany, printed materials from Minneapolis wholesale hardware dealer Janney, Semple, Hill & Co., and an account book relating to the administration of the estate of Minneapolis businessman Thomas B. Janney. The collection also includes a disassembled scrapbook of Janney business associate Charles W. Case that contains a genealogy of the Daniel Deming family, and news clippings about members of the Case family and about railroading.

Johnson Institute (Minneapolis, Minn.). Johnson Institute Records, 1966-2012.

Board minutes, board packets, and membership materials (1966-2006), committee minutes and reports (1990-2006), and dissolution papers (2009-2010) of the Johnson Institute, an alcohol abuse treatment organization founded in 1966 by Episcopal priest Vernon Johnson and Irene and Wheelock Whitney.

Miller, Deborah L., 1948- . Historic Saint Paul Records, 1995-2001.

Files of Deborah L. Miller, a member of the board of directors of Historic Saint Paul, a nonprofit historic preservation and community development organization. Materials include minutes, meeting agendas, correspondence and memoranda, and director search materials.

Neff, Marsha. Marsha Neff papers, 1969-1980.

Newsletters, brochures, event flyers, speeches, and writings mainly from the Twin Cities Women's Union (1972-1980), but also from the Elizabeth Blackwell Women's Health Center (1974-1976), the New American Movement (1972-1975), the Native American Solidarity Committee (1975-1977), and Circle of the Witch theatre (1974-1977), as well as from several other feminist and socialist organizations (1969-1975) documenting Winona-based feminist writer and historian Marsha Neff's interests and organizational involvement.

Taylor (Family : Taylor, Isaac Lyman, 1837-1863). Taylor family Civil War letters, 1861-1865.

Five letters with two envelopes and two envelopes without associated letters written by five brothers, Isaac Lyman, Adoniram Judson, Danford, Jonathan, and Patrick Henry Taylor, all of whom served with the Union Army during the Civil War, to their sister Mary J. Taylor at Prairie City, Illinois, and to their mother. The letters primarily concern camp life, miltary drill, and other activities. One of Isaac's letters was written while he was stationed at Fort Snelling (1861) and relates his experiences there.

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