What's New

This month we are highlighting the 95 interviews of the recently cataloged Vietnam Era Oral History Project. The interviews were conducted around Minnesota by five interviewers over the course of almost two years. Interviewers included Doug Bekke, former curator of the Military Museum of Minnesota, oral historian, and veteran; Dr. Kim Heikkila, an oral historian and scholar with expertise in the Vietnam War; Mica Lee Anders, an artist, genealogist, and oral historian; Trần Thị Minh Phước, Vietnam War refugee, librarian, storyteller, award-winning author, and oral historian; and Brother Simon-Hòa Phan, art teacher, documentary filmmaker, video artist, Vietnamese refugee, and Catholic monk.

In an effort to better document a wide range of voices and stories from one of the most divisive periods in modern United States history, project narrators, or interviewees, are diverse in terms of race, gender, class, and political affiliation.

Vietnam Era Oral History Project

Vietnam Era Oral History Project


The different perspectives represented include Minnesotan veterans who served during the Vietnam War; relatives of service members; Southeast Asian refugees and veterans who came to Minnesota after the war; as well as those involved in anti-war protests and related social movements. Nine of the interviews were conducted in Vietnamese and include both Vietnamese transcripts and English translations.

Topics include military service experiences and the draft, conscientious objector applications, protest organization and draft card burning, losing loved ones, life in Vietnam, concentration camps, immigration, family histories, life after the war, and other personal reflections. Audio and transcripts are available online along with brief biographical information and summaries for each interview.

To find more materials held at the Minnesota Historical Society on the subjects of the Vietnam War and anti-war movement start with the Library's research guide on Vietnam War & Minnesota.


New and Updated Finding Aids - September 2019

Name/Abstract File No.
13th Minnesota Volunteer Infantry Philippine Islands: An Inventory of the Album sv000367
13th Minnesota Volunteer Infantry, Philippine Islands, -1898Views of the Philippine Islands and activities of the 13th Minnesota Volunteer Infantry, mainly Company D, during the Spanish-American War.

Includes digital content.
Ampersand Club: An Inventory of Its Records 00526
Correspondence, membership lists, publications, and printed material collected by a Twin Cities bibliophile group, organized in 1930 for the purpose of bringing together people interested in all phases of the book and the book arts.
Carolen Bailey: An Inventory of Her Papers 00011
Biographical informationCorrespondence, minutes, training materials (1967-1990), speeches (1962-1991), scrapbook (1967-1991), newsletters, audio cassettes (1974), and photographs relating to a woman who was a St. Paul (Minn.) police officer from 1961 to 1991. She became a leader in training law enforcement personnel to recognize child and wife abuse. Bailey also served as a consultant to, and a member of, several state and national law enforcement organizations.

Includes digital content.
Harry I. Belden Family: An Inventory of the Album sv000360
Harry I. Belden family photograph album, 1890-1910Views of Belden family members, a home at 306 Oak Grove, Minneapolis, men and women playing tennis, and scenic views of Minnehaha Falls, Fort Snelling, the University of Minnesota, Como Park, and the St. Croix River.

Includes digital content.
Adolph W. Bowman: An Inventory of His Collection of Early Steamboats That Traveled the Red River of the North sv000366
Adolph W. Bowman's collection of early steamboats that traveled the Red River of the North, approximately 1859-192013th Minnesota Volunteer Infantry, Philippine Islands, -1898

Includes digital content.
Brimson Telephone Association (Brimson, Minn.): An Inventory of Its Records 01328
Minutes, amendments to articles of incorporation, annual reports, stock certificates, a map of service lines, and financial records of a rural cooperative telephone company in St. Louis County, Minnesota. Some of the records are in Finnish.
Cascade State Park Fifth Period CCC Company 2702: An Inventory of the Album sv000361
Cascade State Park, fifth period, C.C.C. Company #2702, 1938Views of work projects, including road work, constructing Cascade Trail, bridges and a log building.

Includes digital content.
James C. Christie and family: An Inventory of Their Papers P1281
William G. Christie to his brother, January 19, 1862 Correspondence, diaries, writings, clippings, printed matter, and other papers documenting in rich detail several generations of the James Christie family of Dodge County, Wisconsin; Rapidan Township, Blue Earth County, Minnesota; and Stevens County, Washington.

Includes digital content.
Conservation Department: An Inventory of Its Biennial Reports gr01639
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 Pine Island Settler Relocation and Development Project Records gr01640
Records of this resettlement and development project, including annual reports (1940-1944), project files documenting the overall organization and operation of the project and the individual types of jobs involved (1936-1940), miscellaneous files, mainly dealing with inventory (1940-1950), and camp plot and site plans (1936-1941). The project included work on farmstead obliteration, tree planting and timber harvest, fire fighting and fire hazard reduction, truck and foot trail and dam construction and maintenance, lake, pond and stream development, and road, firebreak, telephone line, fire tower, airfield, and forestry building maintenance.
Construction of Minnesota State Fairgrounds Grandstand: An Inventory of the Album sv000381
Construction of Minnesota State Fairgrounds grandstand, 1909Views of the construction and completed grandstand; construction work done by George J. Grant Construction Company of St. Paul.

Includes digital content.
David Durenberger: An Inventory of His Papers at the Minnesota Historical Society 00257
HeadphonesPapers of a three-term Republican U.S. Senator from Minnesota who served from 1978 to 1995.

Includes digital content.
Family Photograph Album: An Inventory of the Album sv000380
Family photograph album, approximately 1890-1899Views of family activities and children playing, possibly in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Includes digital content.
Family Portrait Album: An Inventory of the Album sv000378
Family portrait album, approximately 1890Portraits of men, women and children, including a graduation portrait and wedding portraits.

Includes digital content.
Faribault and the School for Feeble-Minded: An Inventory of the Album sv000372
Faribault and the School for Feeble-Minded, approximately 1885-1910Views compiled by assistant superintendent of the School for the Feeble-Minded, Dr. David McBroom, including the city of Faribault, exterior and interior views of the School for Feeble-Minded, and the School's staff and residents. Many portraits are identified.

Includes digital content.
Friendship Album: An Inventory of the Album sv000370
Friendship album, 1898-1899Album was a Christmas gift, possibly between friends (bears inscription "L.T.C. from L.T.C."). Views of Lake Minnetonka (including the steamboat Tonka), the Round Tower at Fort Snelling, Minnehaha Creek and Falls, Lake Calhoun and many views of female friends or family members.

Includes digital content.
Stephen Harris Harrington: An Inventory of His Papers 01329
Includes papers of printing and publishing executive and Democratic National Convention organizer Stephen Harris Harrington. Papers consist of address books (undated); biographical information and reminiscences (1955-2016); correspondence (approximately 1943-1992); articles, clippings, photographs, and ephemera (undated and 1933-1968); subject files (1921-1986); and materials (1941-1961) reflecting Harrington's involvement with the Printing and Publishing Division of the War Production Board during WWII, first as an employee of the Gilman Fanfold Corporation and later while working as assistant to Charles "Charlie" Ward, president of the St. Paul printing company Brown & Bigelow, Incorporated (B&B). Also included are materials (1946-1958) related to Harrington's political involvement with the Democratic National Committee (DNC) that particularly reflect his activities surrounding the 1948 election of President Harry S. Truman and Vice-President Alben W. Barkley. The papers also consist
Health Department: An Inventory of Its Published Records and Reports gr01397
Reports, newsletters, and miscellaneous print and near-print items of or about the department.
Health Department: An Inventory of Its Reports and Miscellaneous Records gr01251
Records and reports documenting the activities and duties of the department. The records include field investigation and inspection reports concerning communicable diseases (particularly smallpox), water supply and sewage systems, and slaughterhouses; delinquent birth and death reports; mortality and morbidity statistics; various weekly, monthly, and quarterly reports of divisions; University of Minnesota housing (1916) survey; reports to legislative committees (1923, 1944); correspondence and other papers of Charles N. Hewitt, Henry M. Bracken, and A. J. Chesley; minutes of and other records relating to the Minnesota State Sanitary Conference (re-established in 1947 as the Minnesota Public Health Conference); materials relating to the Conference of State and Provincial Health Authorities, American Medical Association, American Heart Association, Association of State and Territorial Health Officers, and International Health Board; budgets; quarantine posters; circulars and reporting fo
Home Sweet Home: An Inventory of the Album sv000379
Home sweet home, 1910Exterior and interior views of the Swen Berglund home, 1860 Feronia Avenue, St. Paul with additional views of family members.

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.
Hutchinson Family Portrait Album: An Inventory of the Album sv000371
Hutchinson family portrait album, approximately 1860-1872Views of Asa B. and Lizzie Hutchinson and family members.

Includes digital content.
T. W. Ingersoll: An Inventory of His Views of St Paul Minneapolis St Croix and White Bear Lake Album sv000363
Views of St. Paul, Minneapolis, St. Croix, and White Bear Lake, 1888-1895Views of St. Paul and Minneapolis including general views, street scenes, business buildings, residences, public buildings, the Mississippi River, and the 1888 St. Paul Winter Carnival; Fort Snelling; Minnehaha Falls; White Bear Lake with scenes at Dellwood; and St. Croix including log drives on the river. Also includes Native American camp at unknown location.

Includes digital content.
Meridel Le Sueur: An Inventory of Her Papers 00323
Meridel Le SueurCorrespondence, literary journals, audio tapes, published writings, published and unpublished manuscripts and fragments, publicity, radical publications, clippings, photographs, and other miscellaneous materials documenting the life and career of Le Sueur, a writer, journalist, actress, feminist, and radical political activist, and her family.

Includes digital content.
Lowertown Redevelopment Corporation: An Inventory of Its Records 00673
Records of a St. Paul-based non-profit corporation that, working in partnership with the City and the private sector, developed and worked to bring to fruition a development strategy for Lowertown, a run-down 18-block historic warehouse district located at the eastern end of downtown St. Paul, with the goal of preserving and renovating historic structures, ensuring that new construction was compatible with existing historic buildings, attracting new business ventures and investment, and creating housing and entertainment venues in the area.
George E. Mackinnon: An Inventory of His Papers 00108
Subject files (1927-1995), judicial files (1969-1995), and personal papers (1938-1995) of a legislator, naval officer, congressman, Republican Party campaigner, U.S. district attorney for Minnesota, gubernatorial candidate, special assistant to the U. S. attorney general, corporate attorney for Investors Diversified Services, and U.S. Court of Appeals judge for the District of Columbia circuit. The papers include correspondence and memoranda, bills, committee files, investigative materials, legal case files and opinions, press releases, reports, speeches, printed items, clippings, and other material related to MacKinnon's political, prosecutorial, and judicial careers.
Macy's (Firm): An Inventory of Its Dayton's Downtown Minneapolis Department Store Event Files 01269
The Grinch Dinner Event records, posters, photographs, image files, and video files of holiday shows and flower shows held for many years in the 8th floor auditorium of the Dayton's department store in downtown Minneapolis. Includes videos of fashion shows, menus and photographs of the store's Candy Kitchen, and files and a video documentary about the history of the company.

Includes digital content.
McLeod County: Glencoe: An Inventory of Its Birth and Death Certificate Records gr01634
Birth and death certificate record, 1916-1940 (4 volumes) and birth and death certificate records, 1950-1957 (15 folders and 1 volume).
McLeod County: Glencoe Township: An Inventory of Its Birth and Death Records gr01635
Birth and death register, 1895-1931 (1 volume); birth and death certificate record, 1914-1949 (2 volumes); and birth and death certificates, 1937-1952 (2 folders).
McLeod County: Hutchinson: An Inventory of Its Birth and Death Records gr01636
Birth and death register, 1900-1907, and birth and death certificate records, 1907-1955. Also Birth and death register, 1900-1907, and birth and death certificate records, 1907-1955. Also includes delayed births, 1887-1891, 1893-1894, 1896.
McLeod County: Stewart: An Inventory of Its Birth and Death Records gr01637
Birth and death register, 1894-1900 (1 volume) and birth and death certificate records, 1910-1953 (3 volumes and 3 folders).
McLeod County: Sumter Township: An Inventory of Its Birth and Death Records gr01638
Birth and death registers (1871-1908), and certificate records (1902-1952).
Minneapolis-Moline Company: An Inventory of Its Records 00063
Video iconRecords related to a Minneapolis-based manufacturer of farm tractors and implements and to several predecessor, related, and successor companies, including the Minneapolis Threshing Machine Company, the Minneapolis Steel and Machinery Company, B.F. Avery & Sons Co., the Moline Plow Company, and the White Motor Corporation.

Includes digital content.
Minnesota Experimental City Authority: An Inventory of Its Records gr01633
HeadphonesRecords documenting the unsuccessful attempt to build a planned city in northeastern Minnesota in the early 1970s.

Includes digital content.
Natural Resources Department: Parks and Recreation Division: An Inventory of Its Environmental Assessment Files Regarding State Parks gr01516
Resource management, 1979Files documenting environmental assessments for select state parks, trails, routes, rivers, and management/recreational areas. The assessments were done to provide information to the Department of Natural Resources as to whether or not a land acquisition project required a full environmental impact statement. The records may include correspondence, surveys, articles, maps, fact sheets, inspection reports, appraisals, management plans, master plans, contracts, and permits.

Includes digital content.
Photograph Album of Scenic Views: An Inventory of the Album sv000376
Photograph album of scenic views, approximately 1870-1900Views of various sites in the United States, including views of railroad bridges and equipment (many identified as Northern Pacific). Minnesota views include catching young grasshoppers in Perham, Grand Army of the Republic gathering in Minneapolis, lumbering views on the St. Croix River, and a Native American family at Leech Lake.

Includes digital content.
Photographic History 13th Regiment: An Inventory of the Album sv000368
Photographic history, 13th Reg., 1898-1899Views of the 13th Regiment enroute to the Philippines and in the Philippines during the Spanish American War and Philippine insurrection.

Includes digital content.
Portrait Album: An Inventory of the Album sv000373
Portrait album, approximately 1865Portraits of men and women, includes many men in Civil War uniforms.

Includes digital content.
Prohibition State Committee (Minnesota): An Inventory of Its Records 00524
Correspondence and miscellaneous items,  1876-1916Financial reports (1888-1919); minutes and memoranda of meetings and conventions (1895-1918), including instructions for block captains, information on persons who contributed to the party, and the amounts contributed; letters soliciting support and donations; and other records of the Prohibition Party's administrative organization in Minnesota.

Includes digital content.
Ramsey County: St. Paul: Housing and Redevelopment Authority An Inventory of Its Redevelopment Project Files gr00386
Correspondence regarding housing and relocation, July 1968-September 1969Correspondence, reports, maps and site plans, photographs, legal documents, public hearing materials, and appraisal records documenting the redevelopment activities of the St. Paul Housing and Redevelopment Authority (HRA) during the 1950s and 1960s.

Includes digital content.
Robertson Family: An Inventory of the Album sv000374
Robertson family album, approximately 1865-1900Views of Robinson family, including cabinet cards, cartes-de-visite, and tintypes.

Includes digital content.
John Runk: An Inventory of His Postal Souvenirs sv000362
Postal souvenirs, 1920-approximately 1931Views of the Dalles of the St. Croix and Stillwater, including buildings, street scenes, parks, boats at the levee, and the dedication of the Interstate Bridge on June 8, 1931.

Includes digital content.
Marguerite Schwyzer Photograph Album: An Inventory of the Album sv000375
Marguerite Schwyzer photograph album, approximately 1895Views of people camping, eating outdoors, boating, hunting, and taking part in other outdoor activities.

Includes digital content.
Alma Scott: An Inventory of Her Papers 01327
Letters, literary manuscripts, diary entries, clippings, photographs, and printed materials concerning Scott's family life and her successive careers as executive secretary of the women's division of the St. Paul Association of Public and Business Affairs (1919-1926), editor of Minnesota Parent Bulletin (1926-1928), undercover investigator of employee working conditions in New York City (1928), secretary of the business division of the Trenton (N.J.) YWCA (1929-1930), a secretary of the United Parents' Association of Greater New York (1930-1931), a New Ulm (Minn.) librarian (1936-1947), University of Minnesota librarian (1947-1960), and author.
Steamboat Album: An Inventory of the Album sv000369
Steamboat album, approximately 1860-1869Views of steamboats compiled by Edward A. Bromley.

Includes digital content.
Support Our Military. Chapter 4 (South Saint Paul, Minn.): An Inventory of Its Chapter Records 00439
Records of a local chapter of a Minnesota-based non-profit, non-political support group for families and friends of military personnel, particularly personnel from the southeastern suburbs of Saint Paul serving (1990-1991) in Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm.
E.W. Tallmon Steamboat Albums: An Inventory of the Albums sv000364
E. W. Tallmon steamboat albums, approximately 1860-1905Exterior and interior views compiled by E.W. Tallmon of Davenport, Iowa, of steamboats operating on the Mississippi River from Minnesota to Louisiana, including cargo handling and views of river towns. Also views of raft boats, barges, houseboats and launches and views on the Missouri and Yukon Rivers.

Includes digital content.
Emily Anne Staples Tuttle: An Inventory of Her Papers 01048
Biographical materials, undated and 1978Campaign and legislative activities files documenting Tuttle's political activities, especially as a member of the Minnesota State Senate (1977-1980), and a candidate for the nomination for lieutenant governor with Mike Hatch (1990). Also includes correspondence and reports of numerous boards, committees, and organizations on which Tuttle served. Tuttle was involved in, among others, issues concerning education, arts, gender equality, a United Way adoption bill.

Includes digital content.
Vietnam Era Oral History Project: An Inventory of Its Oral History Interviews oh179
Headphones iconNinety-five interviews document the experiences of Minnesotans during the Vietnam War era (1960-1975). Interviews take a life history approach, with a focus on the years of the United States war in Vietnam and Southeast Asia. Interviewees include Minnesota veterans who served during the Vietnam War; relatives of service members; Southeast Asian refugees and veterans who came to Minnesota after the war; and those involved in anti-war protests and related social movements in Minnesota.

Includes digital content.
Nell Worthington Postcard Album: An Inventory of the Album sv000377
Nell Worthington postcard album, approximately 1910Mainly views of Minneapolis, St. Paul and the Twin Cities metropolitan area, including the University of Minnesota, Minnehaha Falls, and Lake Minnetonka. Also includes views of Waconia, Center City, Brainerd, Rochester, Buffalo, Chisago City and Prior Lake.

Includes digital content.

New and Updated Catalog Records

Campbell, Nehemiah Woodward, 1823-1865. Nehemiah Campbell Civil War papers, 1864-1865.
Letters (1864-1865) to Elizabeth Joanna Campbell (formerly Robbins) written by her husband Nehemiah Woodward Campbell, while serving in the 1st Regiment of the Minnesota Heavy Artillery, Company C. There are also two letters (1865) written to Elizabeth following the death of Nehemiah from her sister and a Robbins family cousin.
First Avenue & 7th St Entry (Minneapolis, Minn.). Prince memorials from First Avenue & 7th St. Entry, 2016.
Memorial tributes left by fans at the First Avenue & 7th St. Entry nightclub in Minneapolis following the April 21, 2016 death of rock and funk musician Prince Rogers Nelson.
Jerome, Elizabeth Katharyn, 1922-2016. Elizabeth Katharyn Jerome papers, 1967-1999.
Biographical information (1990-1996); photographs (approximately 1975, 1998); activities surrounding Minnesota abortion bills and related materials (1967-1970); Rally for Freedom of Choice at the Minnesota State Capitol flier, clippings, and photographs (1989); publications (1974-1993) by and about Elizabeth "Betty" K. Jerome and Teen Age Medical Services (TAMS), one of the first clinics to specialize in teenagers when it opened in Minneapolis in 1968. Also includes speeches by Jerome, historical information, internal documents of Teen Age Medical Services (TAMS), and other miscellaneous related materials regarding Teen Age Medical Services (TAMS) (1968-1999).
Johnson, Signe Helene. Signe Helene Johnson and family papers, 1899-1938.
School record (1899-1904), letters received from family and friends (especially sisters Vega and Tora) (1906-1914), Signe's alien registration card (1918?), draft registration papers and alien registration card (1917-1918) for Signe's husband, Benjamin Johnson, and an assortment of family snapshots (1915-1938), including vacation views from Lake Ada, summer at Camp Pillsbury, a chicken farm in Minnetonka, and Lake Nokomis. All of the letters are in Swedish and concern family matters, social activities, Signe's emigration, and life in Minneapolis.
Kajer, Andrea. 41st Ryder Cup Merchandise Committee volunteer papers, 2016.
41st Ryder Cup guides and program, as well as the volunteer packet of Andrea Kajer, who served on the Merchandise Committee of the Ryder Cup golf tournament held at Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska (Minn.) from September 27 to October 2, 2016.
Older Women's League (U.S.), Minnesota Chapter (Saint Paul, Minn.). Older Women's League of Minnesota records, 1983-2011.
Consists of records documenting the activities of the Older Women's League of Minnesota (OWL), a women's rights advocacy group focused on issues of income, housing, health, and quality of life for older women. Includes a Board policy manual (1987), Board rosters (1990-2009), newsletters (1983-2011), administrative documents (1983-2007), and press clippings (approximately 1990-2003).
Richards (Family : Richards, Robert , 1844-1912). Robert and Ellen Richards and family papers, 1867-1990.
Reminiscences and family history of Captain Robert and Ellen Richards and autobiographical notes, both compiled by Clara (Ferguson) Richards; assorted family letters (1867-1915) from Kate (Richards) Mansell of Cornwall (England), and from Lizzie Barker (Ellen's cousin in New York); and family photographs (undated). The papers describe life in the town of Kragnes and Clay County (Minn.) in the 1880s through the early part of the 20th century. Captain Robert Richards was born in Cornwall (England : County); his wife Ellen Griffin was born in Antrim (Ireland).
Thomes, Maris, 1916-1997. Maris Thomes papers, 1945-1947.
Correspondence with prospective publishers of A Letter from New Guinea to a Little Boy, a small children's book written by William M. Balfour of Rochester, Minnesota and illustrated by Maris Thomes, a Minneapolis artist, writer, community activist, and sister-in-law of Balfour.
United Nations Association of Minnesota. Minnesota United Nations government collection, 1945-2019.
The resources accumulated in this collection were done as part of grant project to document the Minnesota United Nations Movement. The collection includes Minnesota World Federalist Organization's membership directories, newsletters, annual meeting minutes, transcriptions from convention talks and presentations, annual reports and yearly newsletters of the United Nations Association of Minnesota, and miscellaneous papers from various humanitarian advocacy groups, including the University of Minnesota Human Rights Center, American Refugee Committee, Minnesota Foreign Policy Association, Workable World Trust, Global Minnesota, and Citizens for Global Solutions.

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