What's New

In advance of the bicentennial of Fort Snelling (2020) a new inventory to the Lawrence Taliaferro Papers with some selected digital material is now available. Appointed an Indian agent by President James Monroe, Taliaferro was ordered to establish an agency among the Dakota and Ojibwa at the confluence of the St. Peters and Mississippi rivers. Upon his arrival in July 1820, Taliaferro established his first office within the walls of Fort Snelling until he could establish an agency headquarters just 1/4 mile west of the fort.

Located on top of the bluff overlooking the junction of the Mississippi and Minnesota (St. Peters) rivers, Fort Snelling served the U.S. military for more than 120 years. This area was the crossroads of two major river highways of the fur trade, one of the most lucrative businesses during the 19th century.

After the War of 1812, the U.S. government established its strategic presence at the river junction with the arrival of military forces and Taliaferro, whose goals were to promote and protect the interests of the United States in the region's fur trade and to gain the friendship and cooperation of American Indian communities. The establishment of the fort and the St. Peters Agency became a foothold in the expanding Western frontier.

Learn more about Lawrence Taliaferro in articles published by Minnesota History magazine.

New and Updated Finding Aids - May 2016

Name/Abstract	File No.
Anoka State Hospital: An Inventory of Its Admission Registers	gr01177
Registers date back to the opening of the hospital. All volumes organized chronologically by admission date. Patients who were readmitted were given their original case file number, which appeared in red. No name index is included.
Anoka State Hospital: An Inventory of Its Obituary/Cemetery Records	gr01178
Obituary records include chronological record of deaths at the hospital. Information recorded may include: chronological number, date of death, name of patient, sex, age, civil condition, occupation, nativity, from what county sent, form of disease on admission, number of attacks, number of admissions, case number, date of admission, period of residence, total duration of illness, cause of death, disposal of remains. Also includes cemetery index for burials (1901-1965), and cemetery plat (undated).
Anoka State Hospital: An Inventory of Its Population Records	gr01076
Daily (1900-1954) and monthly (1940-1972) population reports, giving summary statistics on population changes, and names of patients who were admitted, discharged, transferred, died, or who were away from the facility for other reasons. Also includes admission/discharge, census, and other population information for the general population and specific units of the hospital; list of institutional deaths (1928-1959), permits for burial or removal (1937-1965), a cemetery index for burials (circa 1901-1965), and a cemetery plat.
Anoka State Hospital: An Inventory of Its Subject Files	gr01079
Admission lists, population statistics, files of miscellaneous financial matters, appraisal reports of hospital property (1970s), a report of a staffing standards committee (1969), and aerial photographs (undated).
Christ Child Community Center: An Inventory of Its Photographs	sv000226
Views of activities at the Christ Child Community Center in St. Paul, including children playing, costumes, nativity and Christmas scenes. The Christ Child Community Center opened in 1908 as the Christ Child Society as a community center and was re-built in 1961 as The Merrick Community Center. Includes digital content.
Governor: Andersen, Elmer L.: An Inventory of His General Files	gr01179
State department and agency files, subject files on public policy matters, and files on Minnesota organizations. Also includes correspondence from Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy concerning the presence of United States Deputy Marshals sent to preserve law and order in Alabama. Includes digital content.
Hennepin County, Minnesota : An Inventory of Telephone Directories.	lb00086
A collection of telephone directories for cities in Hennepin 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.
Hudson's Bay Company: An Inventory of Selected Records.	00823
Microfilm, photocopies, and transcripts of miscellaneous documents relating to the Hudson's Bay Company, collected at various times by the Minnesota Historical Society. Includes digital content.
Human Services Department: State Operated Services: An Inventory of Its Administrative Records	gr00556
Records documenting the activities and organization of State Operated Services [SOS], the area of the Human Services Department that provides direct services to people with disabilities.
Legislative Auditor: Financial Audits Division: An Inventory of Its Audit Reports	gr00705
Audit reports conducted annually by the Financial Audit Division to assess the state's major financial operations and determine whether the state's financial statements comply with generally accepted accounting principles.
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.
Beneta Mchie and Family: An Inventory of Their Papers	00057
Family papers, files, and photographs documenting the social activities and community involvement of Beneta (Edwards) Mchie, a Twin Cities African American woman involved in issues surrounding the education of women and minorities and social justice, and the activities of her husband John Mchie, Jr., and members of their extended family.
Minneapolis Typothetae: An Inventory of Its Records	00070
Minutes (1885-1906, 1914-1939), some correspondence (1909-1937), advertising and publicity materials (1939-1956), and other miscellaneous records of a local trade association for members of the Minneapolis printing industry.
Minnesota Educational Relations Committee: An Inventory of Its Records	00086
Minutes, correspondence, testing and admission forms, newsletters, membership lists, and printed material documenting a Minnesota organization responsible for statewide college aptitude testing of high school seniors.
Minnesota Society of Internal Medicine: An Inventory of Its Records	00060
Minutes, annual meeting files, membership records, and miscellaneous correspondence files of a professional association for Minnesota physicians specializing in internal medicine. In 1985 the society merged into the Minnesota chapter of the American College of Physicians.
MUNICIPAL BOARD: An Inventory of Its Annexation Files	gr00124
Files on requests for annexations of additional land to cities and villages. They include annexation petitions, city ordinances for annexation, plats, correspondence with the Municipal Commission, and commission orders. Some files, particularly for contested annexations, also contain hearing transcripts, legal briefs, court case file documents, municipal planning reports, and other background materials.
MUNICIPAL BOARD: An Inventory of Its Detachments Files	gr00122
Files covering two distinct kinds of detachments: simple detachments of municipal property being rural in character for which no development plans exist; or simultaneous detachment and annexation of incorporated land in which property of one municipality abuts another and is detached and annexed in a single concurrent action.
MUNICIPAL BOARD: An Inventory of Its Incorporation Files	gr00123
Files regarding petitions for incorporation, sometimes including annexations, of various Minnesota cities and towns, primarily in the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area. They contain petitions, briefs and other legal papers, correspondence, transactional documents, and exhibits. Among the exhibits are transcripts of hearings and proceedings, planning and zoning documents, maps, and sometimes election registers and poll lists for incorporation elections. There is an especially lengthy file on Burnsville and adjacent communities.
Secretary of State: An Inventory of Its 2008 United States Senate Election Recount Records	gr01176
Includes State Supreme Court documents, State Canvassing Board files, Minnesota Majority lawsuit files, correspondence, ballots, and press coverage files.
Secretary of State: Election Division: An Inventory of Its Miscellaneous Election Materials	gr01174
Miscellaneous State Canvassing Board materials (elections 1932-1960), including certificates of election, abstracts of votes, correspondence, memoranda, and reports; 1962 recount (Karl F. Rolvaag vs. Elmer L. Andersen gubernatorial election) files and abstracts; miscellaneous materials, including forms, ballots (one sample ballot features the 1896 Clough-Lind gubernatorial race), circulars, petitions, attorney general's opinions, state supreme court rulings, and miscellany (1932-1996); and special elections ballots, forms, circulars, certifications, and abstracts (1923-1984). Includes digital content.
Lawrence Taliaferro: An Inventory of His Papers	01236
Correspondence, journals and typed transcripts of the journals, order books, financial records, an autobiography, data sheets, and research note cards, the bulk of which document Taliaferro's career as U.S. Indian agent to the Ojibwe and Dakota at the St. Peters Agency near Fort Snelling in present-day Minnesota (1820-1839). Includes digital content.
Elisabeth J. Trach: An Inventory of Her Minnesota Vikings 2015 Playoff Game Photograph Collection	sv000224
Photographs from the January 10, 2016 Minnesota Vikings 2015 season playoff football game against the Seattle Seahawks at TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. Collection includes images of players, outdoor gameplay, scoreboard, and on-field entertainment. Includes digital content.
Waseca County: District Court: An Inventory of Its Coroner's Records	gr01050
Coroner's inquest files (1873, 1886-1997), transcripts (1937-1955), and register (1887-1955). Also an index to coroner's certificates (1955-circa 1990).
WCA Foundation: An Inventory of Its Records	00112
Minutes, correspondence, financial records, annual reports, newspaper clippings, newsletters, directories, and other printed matter of a women's organization begun in 1866 to create and support a safe residence for unmarried working women. Several residences for both women and men were eventually established. Other projects included the Phyllis Wheatley Community Center, the Jones-Harrison House for older women, and the Janette Merrill Park, which provided a country place for vacations. The records document the women's financial involvement in and operation of the various residences. The organization was known for many years as the Woman's Christian Association of Minneapolis.

New and Updated Catalog Records

Brown, Willard H., 1903-1993. Willard H. Brown papers, 1943-1945.

Correspondence, an identity card, maps of British Columbia, a photograph album, and miscellaneous papers relating to Brown's work on the construction of the Alaska Highway, principally in northern British Columbia.

Katynski-Johnson, Mary, 1942- . Letters received, 1958-1969.

Personal letters received by Mary Katynski-Johnson, a young Saint Paul woman, from Thomas Hamilton, veteran and an inmate at the Minnesota State Reformatory for Men (1958-1964); from George Johnson, veteran and aviation structural engineer (1968-1969); and a few letters from an individual named Rick, a member of the United States Coast Guard (1968-1969).

Luverne Automobile Company (Luverne, Minn.). Company records, 1906-1917.

Correspondence, job sheets, a production summary list, and a contract associated with a Luverne (Minn.) automobile manufacturer that manufactured automobiles and some fire trucks from 1904 to 1917.

McIntyre, John C., 1858-1934. John C. McIntyre and family papers, 1902-1935 (bulk 1909-1934).

Correspondence and miscellaneous papers of John C. McIntyre and family, mainly concerning speculative mining ventures, especially with the Minnesota Mines Company, an Arizona firm operating near Deadwood, South Dakota, with offices in Hudson, Wisconsin.

Secretary of State. Election Division. Instructions to voters broadsides, 1928-1936.

Issued in English (Form No. 58), German (No. 59), Swedish (No. 60), Norwegian (No. 61), Polish (No. 62), Bohemian [Czech] (No. 63), French (No. 64), and Finnish (No. 65). Includes duplicates.

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