What's New -- December 2021

This month we are excited to announce a major addition to the personal papers of Minnesota governor, businessman, newspaper publisher, and elder statesman Elmer L. Andersen.

Andersen, a moderate Republican, was the 30th governor of Minnesota, and served a single term from January 1961 to March 1963. A long career with Saint Paul-based H.B. Fuller Company that began in 1934 saw him rise from salesman to President and CEO of this Fortune 500 company. Other endeavors included a large dairy farm near Saint Croix Falls, Wisconsin, and a regional newspaper chain based in Princeton, Minnesota. He also served on the University of Minnesota Board of Regents for many years.

The papers document Andersen's business activities, political campaigns, educational and environmental interests and endeavors, and his interest in libraries and collecting rare books.

As often happens, the materials arrived at MHNS in some disarray, and it took months to organize, re-box, and describe them before they could be added to the existing 110-box collection and made ready for research use.

Andersen was a veritable Renaissance Man: he was into just about everything, and corresponded with everyone. His files contain a lot of information on election campaigns and party politics, small-town and suburban newspaper publishing, the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, philanthropy, the Taconite Amendment, the Hill Monastic Manuscript Library, the University of Minnesota libraries, Voyageurs National Park, and his activities as a Lutheran layman.

In an era of extreme political partisanship it is refreshing to see such a figure, who remained a force in Minnesota politics until his death in 2004.

Elmer L. Andersen

Andersen_Smashed_Box_Red_Suitcase

Andersen_unprocessed Pallets of the unprocessed collection

New and Updated Finding Aids - December 2021

Name/Abstract	File No.
Elmer L. Andersen: An Inventory of His Papers	00436
Personal papers of a Republican state senator and governor of Minnesota, H.B. Fuller Company president, newspaper publisher, and philanthropist, focusing on his business and political career, service on corporate boards and the University of Minnesota Board of Regents, and involvement in several foundations.
James Ford Bell and Family: An Inventory of Their Papers	00749
Business and personal correspondence, newspaper clippings, print materials, scrapbooks, diaries, personal reminiscences on a variety of topics and individuals, and other papers of a Minneapolis flour-milling executive who was an active participant in public affairs. Includes diaries, correspondence, postcards, and memory books of James Ford Bell's father, James Stroud Bell, and papers of other Bell family members. Includes digital content.
Carver County: Probate Court: An Inventory of Its Probate Case Files and Index	SAM455
Case file numbers 1-7094 (microfilm) and index covering circa 1857-1891 (unfilmed original). Includes digital content.
Conservation Department: An Inventory of Its Published Records and Reports	gr00878
Reports and miscellaneous print and near-print items of or about the Conservation Department.
Conservation Department: Forestry Division: An Inventory of Its Forestry Area and District Records	gr02144
Daily reports, maps, photographs, fire plans, subject files, correspondence, and related records of various area and district regions including: Aitkin, Cloquet, Brainerd, Deer River, Little Fork, Cloquet Valley State Forest, Effie, and Duluth.
Conservation Department: Forestry Division: An Inventory of Its Photographs, Negatives, and Lantern Slides	gr00245
Collection of photographs, negatives, and lantern slides documents Forestry Division activities and facilities, as well as life in northern Minnesota as it relates to natural resources and disasters.
David Durenberger: An Inventory of His Papers	00257
Papers of a three-term Republican U.S. Senator from Minnesota who served from 1978 to 1995. Includes digital content.
Arvonne S. Fraser: An Inventory of Her Papers	00034
Correspondence, schedules, speech files, draft and published writings, extensive background and conference files, audio and video recordings, and administrative and programmatic files related to Arvonne Fraser's involvement with women's organizations, Democratic party politics, government agencies, and educational institutions, both in Minnesota and nationally. Includes digital content.
Game and Fish Commission: An Inventory of Its Game Laws Violation Records	gr02139
Records of prosecutions for violations of state game and fish laws; registers of items (game, fish, firearms, and/or equipment) confiscated in the field from people caught violating the laws); and a few sample violation affidavits.
Goodhue County: Welch Township: An Inventory of Its Records	gr02136
Chattel mortgage documents, clerk's books, meeting minutes, a receipts and disbursement register, reports of the board of auditors, and treasurer's books.
Highway Department: Commissioner's Office: An Inventory of Its Records	gr02138
The records comprise an alphabetical set of subject files, materials relating to a wheelage tax lawsuit, and reports and correspondence sent to the Legislature's Highway Interim Commission/Joint Highway Executive Committee.
Minnesota Educational Computing Consortium: An Inventory of Its Records	gr02137
Preliminary planning records, board of directors correspondence and meeting files, committee files, disbanded task force files, member systems files, region correspondence, legislation files, budgets, and publications.
Minnesota Music Teachers Association: An Inventory of Its Records	00619
Records of the Minnesota Music Teachers Association, a professional society of music instructors formed to promote music education in Minnesota. Contains the constitution, bylaws, minutes, convention proceedings, correspondence, examinations, directories, calendars, festival programs, newsletters, scrapbooks, newspaper clippings, and other materials.
Minnesota Territorial Archives: An Inventory of Its Constitution	gr02121
Handwritten copies of the Democratic and Republican versions of the state constitution. The two parties held separate conventions, which each produced a version of the constitution signed on August 29, 1857. Includes digital content.
Natural Resources Department: An Inventory of Its Published Records and Reports	gr00515
Reports, newsletters, and miscellaneous print and near-print items of or about the Natural Resources Department.
Natural Resources Department: Forestry Division: An Inventory of Its Maps	gr02145
Maps showing administrative boundaries, area truck trails, fire statistics, land status, tower visibility, campgrounds, commercial site surveys, and summer home site surveys.
Natural Resources Department: Forestry Division: An Inventory of Its Photographs and Miscellaneous Records	gr02146
A collection of photographs, scrapbooks, proclamations and resolutions that documents Forestry Division activities and facilities, as well as life in northern Minnesota as it relates to natural resources and disasters.
Natural Resources Department: Forestry Division: An Inventory of Its Subject Files	gr02147
Subject files consisting of correspondence, memos, notes, reports, newspaper clippings, and other miscellaneous materials originating from or received by members of the forestry division office of the Natural Resources Department and it's predecessor in the Conservation Department.
Pope County: Western Pope County Hospital District: An Inventory of Its Records	gr00025
Records of this hospital district formed in 1973 to construct a hospital and maintain hospital services for the area..
Ramsey County: St. Paul-Ramsey County Public Health Department: An Inventory of Its Records	gr02019
Records documenting the administration and activities of the St. Paul-Ramsey County Public Health Department. Includes scrapbooks, subject files of Medical Director Dr. Neal R. Holtan, and photographs. Also included are published records and reports of the department's predecessors the St. Paul Community Services Department, Public Health Division, and the St. Paul Public Safety Department, Health Bureau. Includes digital content.
Reviving the Islamic Sisterhood for Empowerment: An Inventory of Their Muslim Sheroes of Minnesota Digital Shorts	sv000591
Twelve digital shorts of Sheroes chosen and filmed by the Reviving the Islamic Sisterhood for Empowerment (RISE). The shorts, which serve as a storytelling series, document women trailblazers in the Minnesota Muslim community in areas including but not limited to business, faith, science, health, and community. Some shorts were created in conjunction with TPT and others were created exclusively by RISE. Includes digital content.
Steele County: An Inventory of Its Birth Records	gr02122
Registers of births (1870-1924) and records of delayed and supplemental births (1860-1930). They cover the entire county.
Steele County: An Inventory of Its Death Records	gr02123
Death record books (1870-1945) and death certificates (1946-1993). They cover the entire county.
Steele County: Berlin Township: An Inventory of Its Birth and Death Records	gr02129
Birth and death registers (1871-1953) and birth (1908-1914) and death (1908-1916) certificates.
Steele County: District Court: An Inventory of Its Case File Transcripts	gr02124
Typed transcripts of testimony, primarily in civil cases, although a few criminal cases are included. No case file numbers were found on the transcripts.
Steele County: District Court: An Inventory of Its Civil Case Files (Miscellaneous)	gr02125
Case files that largely pre-date the main numbered set that begins in 1892.
Steele County: District Court: An Inventory of Its Criminal Case Files	gr02126
Case file nos. 47-891, and various unnumbered files.
Steele County: Havana Township: An Inventory of Its Birth and Death Records	gr02130
Birth (1879-1899, 1904-1953) and death (1879-1899, 1904-1910, 1915-1953) registers. Some records are indexed.
Steele County: Havana Township: An Inventory of Its Records	gr02131
Road record book (board of supervisors minutes and road orders, (1894-1905), and a miscellaneous record book containing minutes and poll list of township annual meeting (1879), birth and death returns (1878, 1881, 1885), and personal accounts of an unidentified individual or store (April-June 1876 and May 1877).
Steele County: Independent School District No. 761, Owatonna: An Inventory of Its Financial Records	gr02133
Clerk's (1915-1931) registers of receipts and disbursements; treasurer's reports to school board (1960-1967); expense ledger (1869-1877), journals (1877-1920), and accounts (1913-1919); cash book (1926-1930); tuition record (1931-1983); audit reports (1931-1983); and budget reports (1968-1969).
Steele County: Independent School District No. 761, Owatonna: An Inventory of Its Minutes, Agenda Packets, and Resolutions	gr02135
Minutes (1865-1983) and agenda packets (1951-1970) and combined meeting minutes and agenda packets (1958-2019) of the school board. The agenda packets (1951-1970) include lists of bills, treasurer's reports, and special reports. Also included are meet and confer minutes (1973-1982) and resolutions (1965-1990).
Steele County: Independent School District No. 761, Owatonna: An Inventory of Its Miscellaneous Records	gr02134
Historical booklets, with data on the school charter, rules, regulations, buildings, and curriculum (1894, 1901, circa 1970), high school record book (1896-1911) and commencement program (1905), attendance registers for grades 7-9 (1957-1960), student census (1959-1960), teacher contract negotiation records (1972), list of qualified electors (1969-1976), scrapbook of newspaper clippings (1905, 1914-1916), consolidation plats (1958-1962) and letter (1977), and superintendent's diary (1900-1909).
Steele County: Medford Township: An Inventory of Its Birth and Death Records	gr02132
Birth and death registers of Medford Township. Some records are indexed.
Steele County: Probate Court: An Inventory of Its Probate Case Files	gr02127
Probate case files of Steele County.
Steele County: Probate Court: An Inventory of Its Probate Registers	gr02128
Probate registers of actions. They also serve as an index to the separately cataloged probate court case files.
Washington County: Marine: An Inventory of Its Cemetery Records	gr02140
Minutes (April 1950) and proposed bylaws (1919) of the Marine Cemetery Association; deeds for lots in Oakland Cemetery, which was owned by the village (1876-1952); and Oakland Cemetery lot owner record books (1951-1953).
Washington County: Marine: An Inventory of Its Records	gr02142
Clerk's record book (1875-1912); financial records of the village and its fire department and firemen's relief association; a chattel mortgage record (1896-1913); road tax records; election records; and assorted miscellany.
Washington County: Marine: Justice of the Peace: An Inventory of Its Dockets	gr02141
Civil and criminal dockets for justices of the peace of Marine, with some for Marine Township, especially justices P. E. Walker (1862-1881), Charles Westergren (1881-1891), John W. Gray (1893-1896, 1912-1917), Charles H. Burris (1897-1900), Bert Lord (1901-1903), Paul VanderEike (1905-1906), Percy Empson (1907-1915), C. L. Strand (1964-1966), and Howard A. Paul (1967).
Wright County: District Court: An Inventory of Its Judgment Books	gr02143
Transcripts of judgments issued by the court.