What's New

NHPRC Grant

A Basic Project grant awarded by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) is significantly supporting the cataloging of our unprocessed government records and manuscripts collections.

This month we completed several items from Floyd Risvold's private collection, including six letters added to Pierre Chouteau's papers and three early maps of the military reservation at Fort Snelling.

Other completed collections include Carver County court records and school censuses, Forestry Board photographs and negatives, records of the Minnesota Hearing Society, the Thomas Lowe Hughes and Family Papers, the papers of David H. Backus containing a large set of photographs from World War I and II, and an addition of James Lloyd Breck's correspondence to the correspondence and related records of the Episcopal Church of Minnesota.

NHPRC Documenting Democracy

A map of a proposed reservation at Fort Snelling

A map of a proposed reservation at Fort Snelling by E. K. Smith. Revised May 2, 1839.


New and Revised Finding Aids - March 2011

David Backus and Family: An Inventory of Their Papers 00859
Biographical materials, photographs, diaries, and World War I and World War II correspondence and papers of Saint Paul native David H. Backus and his family, including some photographs and papers related to Oak Hall School and its predecessor, Baldwin Seminary.
Carver County: District Court: An Inventory of Its Civil and Criminal Registers of Actions gr00220
Registers of actions for civil (1861-1953) and criminal (1910-1971) cases. Each entry may include the calendar (case file) number, names of the parties in the case, papers filed, names of persons subpoenaed, date files, fees, and remarks.
Carver County: District Court: An Inventory of Its Real Estate Tax Judgment Books gr00232
Record of real estate found to be tax delinquent; includes names of owners, description of the property, year or years for which taxes are delinquent, total tax and penalty, costs, and total amount of judgment.
Carver County: District Court: An Inventory of Its Plaintiff's and Defendant's Indexes gr00228
Plaintiffs and defendants indexes to District Court civil and criminal case files.
Carver County: District Court: An Inventory of Its Land Title Records gr00227
Land title registration dockets (1911-1991) and decree/torrens system records (1911-1983).
Carver County: District Court: An Inventory of Its Minutes gr00234
Record of documents filed, proceedings held, and actions taken at each day’s session of the court.
Carver County: District Court: An Inventory of Its Civil and Criminal Case Files and Index SAM453
Civil and criminal cases, filed as a single integrated set; case file numbers 1-4378 (microfilm) and 4739-9457 (unfilmed originals). There is also an index for the 1860s-1890s records.
Carver County: Superintendent of Schools: An Inventory of Its School Censuses SAM454
Censuses for 1957 and earlier are arranged according to the "old" [pre-statewide] number. Censuses from 1958 and later are arranged according to the "new" [statewide] district number.
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).
Carver County: Probate Court: An Inventory of Its Probate Registers gr00229
Registers of each probate judge’s actions, particularly estates, guardianships, and marriages (1856-1893) and registers of probate case file numbers 501-7101A (1889-1951), with a few cases pre-dating 1889.
Carver County: Probate Court: An Inventory of Its Order Books gr00230
Orders, petitions, oaths and applications, and final decrees of distribution for cases handled by the court.
Carver County: County Court: An Inventory of Its Records gr00233
Judgment books (1972-1981), Family Court Division registers of actions (1979-1983), and Municipal Court [Division] civil action registers and judgment book (1969-1980).
Carver County: Sheriff: An Inventory of Its Jail Registers gr00231
Registers of persons incarcerated in the county jail, giving a variety of identifying and personal information, and data on offense and sentence.
Cedar-Riverside Project Area Committee: An Inventory of its Records 00854
Bylaws, correspondence, minutes, reports, projects, financial statements and other records of the Cedar-Riverside Project Area Committee (PAC), which was created out of community need in 1971 and became the official citizen review organization authorized to approve all development activities taking place within the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood of Minneapolis and send them to the Minneapolis City Council.
Pierre Chouteau and Family: An Inventory of Their Papers 00850
Original, photostatic copies, and typed transcripts of letters between Pierre Chouteau, Henry Chouteau, Ramsay Crooks, George Davenport, Hercules L. Dousman, Kenneth McKenzie, Henry M. Rice, Joseph Rolette, Henry H. Sibley, Joseph M. Street and others as well as contracts, accounts, and other related documents concerning the fur trade, fur companies, the Dakota, Sauk, and Fox Indians, and similar matters.
Conservation Department: An Inventory of Its Contour Lake Maps on Aperture Cards gr00238
Aperture cards containing contour maps of the state's lakes, drawn to provide basic information for scientific fish and wildlife management when used with biological, physical and chemical survey data.
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.
Council on Asian-Pacific Minnesotans: An Inventory of Its Records. gr00236
Records of this council created in 1985 to ensure that Asians in Minnesota are more fully incorporated into the governmental and policy-making process; that they have better access to state government services; that the talents and resources of the Asian-Pacific community are used and promoted where appropriate; and to assist others in their contact with Asians.
Education and Housing Equity Project (Minneapolis, Minn.): An Inventory of its Project Records 00857
Minutes, financial statements, correspondence, discussion guides, news clippings, sound and visual materials and other records of an organization formed in 1995 to advance public understanding of the growing economic disparities and racial segregation in the Twin Cities metropolitan area and to develop constructive community responses to these challenges.
Episcopal Church. Diocese of Minnesota: An Inventory of its Diocesan Records P1035
The records of the Episcopal Church, Diocese of Minnesota, cover the period from the arrival of the first Episcopal missionaries into the area in the 1820s through the bishopric of Robert M. Anderson, which ended in 1993.
Episcopal Church. Diocese of Minnesota: An Inventory of its Correspondence and Related Records P1035a
Letters of diocesan officials, clergy, laymen, and church historians, as well as related printed materials, sermons, reports, and financial documents.
Forestry Board: An Inventory of Photographs and Negatives Compiled by C. C. Andrews gr00241
Compiled by Christopher C. Andrews during his career as the state’s Chief Fire Warden, 1895-1905, and State Forestry Commissioner, 1905-1911, the photographs document forests and timber stands, lakes, rivers, and logging and lumbering activities throughout Minnesota.
Governor: Pawlenty, Tim: An Inventory of His Sound and Video Recordings gr00226
Sound recordings documenting a wide variety of issues dealt with during the Pawlenty administration. The majority of the cassettes are recordings of Governor Pawlenty's weekly morning talk show, Good Morning Minnesota, on WCCO. There are also recordings of his appearances on Minnesota Public Radio's Midday Show; on KSTP, KFAN, and KQRS; and of several press conferences and speeches. Digital sound files include conference calls, podcasts, and miscellaneous files, some of which duplicate other sound recordings. One video is also included.
Governor: Pawlenty, Tim: An Inventory of His Legislative Actions Logs and Letters gr00246
Logs (2003-2007, 2009-2010) of bills acted upon by Governor Pawlenty and letters (2005, 2007, 2009-2010) to the Speaker of the House and President of the Senate explaining his full or partial (line-item) veto of individual legislation.
Hearing Society of Minnesota: An Inventory of its Records 00856
Bylaws, minutes, financial statements, correspondence, manuals, news clippings, newsletters, photographs, scrapbooks, and related records of the Hearing Society of Minnesota, a non-profit corporation dedicated to providing direct services to hearing impaired individuals, their families, and concerned persons.
Historic American Buildings Survey: An Inventory of its Records Relating to Minnesota Structures 00251
Project files documenting historically significant districts, buildings, bridges, and other structures in Minnesota through the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) and the Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) programs of the U.S. National Park Service.
Thomas Lowe Hughes: An Inventory of the Thomas Hughes and Family Papers 00853
Correspondence, diaries, notes, photographs, manuscripts, maps, documents, scrapbooks, genealogical records and related ephemera of Thomas Hughes, a Mankato, Minnesota lawyer, civic leader and early southern Minnesota historian. Some of the material is in the Welsh language.
INTER-RACE Institute: An Inventory of Its Records 00852
Administrative files, training/curricula materials, client files, and other records of the International Institute for Interracial Interaction, Inc. (INTER-RACE), an Augsburg College-based think tank, consulting, and diversity training firm founded in 1988 and dedicated to promoting positive relations among businesses, health-care organizations, the public sector, educational institutions, policy-makers, the media, community groups, police departments, and religious institutions. Jenkins Nelsen was a co-founder and president and CEO of the organization
Investment Board: An Inventory of Its Minutes and Agenda Packets gr00242
The minutes record authorizations for the purchase, sale, or transfer of the state's investments in state and municipal bonds, U.S. treasury notes and bonds, and other instruments of indebtedness; itemize loans made to municipalities, school districts, and other local units of government; discuss other procedures and policies regarding these transactions; and in general document the details of the state's management of its investments and trust funds.
Investment Board: An Inventory of Its Miscellaneous Files and Published Records gr00243
Assorted records documenting the duties and activities of the Investment Board, particularly in relation to certificates of indebtedness, state bond sales and transfers, state trust funds, 1918-1919 purchase of liberty bonds owned by forest fire sufferers, school fund, Department of Rural Credit bond sales, state auditor reports, investment performance, and budget.
Legislative Auditor: Program Evaluation Division: An Inventory of Its Program Evaluation Reports gr00239
Published reports that describe state programs or the operations of state agencies, analyze management problems, evaluate outcomes, and recommend alternative means of reaching program goals.
Legislature: Joint House-Senate Subcommittee on Claims: An Inventory of Its Records gr00235
Records of this subcommittee created to hear claims against the state by various persons who cannot proceed against the state under the state tort claims act (Minnesota Statutes, section 3.732).
Iantha LeVander: An Inventory of Her Papers 00146
Biographical information, correspondence, newspaper clippings, printed materials, speech files, scrapbooks, desk diaries, and other papers documenting LeVander's activities in local and national Republican politics and as Minnesota's First Lady (1967-1971).
Munsingwear: An Inventory of Its Records 00206
Articles of incorporation and minutes (1887-1971), correspondence, financial records (1936-1964), legal agreements, patent and trademark information, product catalogs, and scrapbooks ([193-]-1990) documenting a Minneapolis-based clothing manufacturer, its predecessor, Northwestern Knitting Company, and several clothing subsidiaries.
North Country Co-op: An Inventory of Its Records 00074
Financial records, collective log books and meeting minutes, correspondence, flyers, store operations files, histories and reminiscences, and newspaper clippings of the longest running food cooperative in the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area. Also included are records of several affiliated worker and service cooperatives that the North Country co-cop engendered: North Country Hardware Store, North Country General Store, North Country Bookstore, North Country Co-op Library, and the North Country Development Fund. There is also material pertaining to the co-op wars and the dissolution of the People's Warehouse (Minneapolis, Minn.).
Powderhorn Food Community Co-op: An Inventory of Its Reords 00858
Articles of incorporation, bylaws, board of directors, collective, and annual member meeting minutes, correspondence, flyers, newspaper clippings, and financial records of a food cooperative in the Powderhorn Park neighborhood of Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Ramsey County: St. Paul: School Records: Independent School District No. 625: An Inventory of Its Miscellanous Records. gr00019
Records documenting the history, administration, and activities of this school district
Ramsey County. Mounds View (Minn.): An Inventory of Its City Council Minutes gr00090
Typed minutes of regular and special City Council meetings.
Regional Transit Board: An Inventory of Its Records gr00247
Records of the Regional Transit Board (RTB), the body legislated to administer the transit needs of the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area. The materials document the organization, administration, operation, and dissolution of the board, including its relationship to the Metropolitan Transit Commission (MTC), its role in trying to bring light rail transit to the area, and its various programs involving short-range transit planning, particularly those involving the handicapped and elderly.
Secretary of State: An Inventory of Its Kiffmeyer (Mary) Records gr00237
Files documenting the activities of Mary Kiffmeyer as Minnesota Secretary of State (1999-2007).
Secretary of State: An Inventory of Its Files of Joan Growe gr00248
Files documenting the activities of Joan Anderson Growe as Minnesota Secretary of State (1975-1998).
Secretary of State: An Inventory of Its Official Documents (Selected) gr0024
"Selected materials from the Secretary of State's set of official documents."
Thursday Club: An Inventory of Its Records 00408
Constitutions, minutes, an early membership list, yearbooks containing the club's annual programs, membership rosters, and secretary's report, treasurer's books and reports, scrapbooks; and miscellaneous papers (including a few manuscripts written by club members) documenting the activities of a Saint Paul women's literary and intellectual society organized on May 14, 1894.
West Bank Community Development Corporation: An Inventory of its Records 00855
Bylaws, minutes, correspondence, project reports, newsletters and other records of the West Bank Community Development Corporation, an organization formed in 1975 to promote neighborhood control through resident-based redevelopment of the Cedar Riverside neighborhood of Minneapolis, and that worked with the Cedar Riverside Project Area Committee (PAC), the New Riverside Cafe, and other organizations in the area.

New and Updated Catalog Records

George F. Fuller. A plan of the military reserve at Fort Snelling
Plan of the military reserve at Fort Snelling.
Arno Geothel. Minnesota Twins baseball score books
Twenty-six score books kept by longtime Saint Paul Pioneer Press - Dispatch writer and editor Arno Goethel, who covered the Minnesota Twins baseball team for the newspaper. The score books detail each game, player, and play, and mention certain events Goethel considered significant. Goethel used a 1965 scorebook to document the October 24, 1981 World Series game between the New York Yankees and the Los Angeles Dodgers. A few loose papers are scattered among the scorebooks.
Wm. A. Gordon. A map of military reserve of Fort Snelling as defined by Act of Congress
Map of military reserve of Fort Snelling as defined by Act of Congress.
Janice Saunier Helland. Janice Saunier Papers.
Correspondence and miscellaneous papers, photographs, and newspaper clippings of Janice Saunier Helland related to her work with Sister Elizabeth Kenny and the treatment of poliomyelitis.
E. Kirby Smith. A map of a proposed reservation at Fort Snelling
Map of a proposed reservation at Fort Snelling.
SouthWest Transit Commission. SouthWest Transit Commission Records.
SouthWest Transit Commission records.

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