gr00001 DRAINAGE COMMISSION An Inventory of Its Annual and Biennial Reports at the Minnesota Historical Society Finding aid prepared by Cheri Thies. Minnesota Historical Society
St. Paul MN.
 Finding aid encoded by Cheri Thies, April 15, 2009.Finding aid written inEnglish OVERVIEW OF THE RECORDS Minnesota Historical Society Minnesota. State Drainage Commission. Annual and biennial reports. 1899-1926. Published reports of the drainage commissioners or of the drainage engineer on behalf of the commission. 0.25 cu. ft. (partial box) See Detailed Description section for box locations. HISTORICAL NOTE

The Board of Drainage Commissioners of the State of Minnesota succeeded the Red River Valley Drainage Commission in 1897, and consisted of three members appointed by the governor (Laws 1897 c318). The commission's composition was changed in 1901 to consist of the governor, the state auditor, and the secretary of state, and its formal name became the Drainage Commission of the State of Minnesota (Laws 1901 c90). The commission appointed a state drainage engineer, who performed or supervised work carried out under the commission's auspices.

The commission's function was to establish priorities for, and arrange for the construction of, ditches needed to drain wetlands belonging to the state so as to make them suitable for farming. It also supervised all of the state drainage ditches, inspected the ditches annually, and reported their condition to the counties in which they were located. Details of ditch survey, authorization, and construction procedures are specified in General Laws 1905 c230.

The Drainage Commission was abolished effective April 25, 1919, and all of its powers and authority were transferred to the newly created Department of Drainage and Waters (Laws 1919 c471).

State Drainage Engineers: George A. Ralph, 1901-1913; E. V. Willard (acting), 1914-1919.

 SCOPE AND CONTENTS

The reports focus on the construction and condition of state ditches, drainage benefits attained, and drainage and flood control needs. Most reports include a map or maps of the state drainage ditches. Also included in the reports are photos of ditches, swamplands, and dredging equipment. Includes two reports of its successor, the Department of Drainage and Waters.

 CATALOG HEADINGS

This collection is indexed under the following headings in the catalog of the Minnesota Historical Society. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons or places should search the catalog using these headings.

Topics: Ditches--Minnesota. Drainage--Minnesota. Flood control--Minnesota. Organizations: Minnesota. Board of State Drainage Commissioners. Minnesota. Dept. of Drainage and Waters. Types of Documents: Maps--Minnesota. ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION Preferred Citation:

[Indicate the cited volume and page or item and folder title here]. Minnesota. State Drainage Commission. Annual and Biennial Reports. Minnesota Historical Society. State Archives.

See the Chicago Manual of Style for additional examples.

 Accession Information:

Accession number(s): None

 Processing Information:

Catalog ID Nos.: 1703165 (history); 1710416.

 DETAILED DESCRIPTION 141.B.15.6F 1901. Report of the Board of Drainage Commissioners...on the Condition of the State Ditches Located in the Red River Valley. 1902. Annual report of the Board of Drainage Commissioners...on the Condition of the State Drainage ditches in the Red River Valley in Minnesota.

Mainly engineer's report by W. R. Hoag.

 1901-1904. Engineer's Report on State Drainage Work in Minnesota. 1901-1907. Engineer's Report on State Drainage Work in Minnesota.

Mainly the 1905-1906 report, with an historical sketch of previous work.

 1907-1909. Report of the State Drainage Commission on State Drainage Work in Minnesota.

Covers years 1907 and 1908; includes, as do subsequent reports, maps of several specific ditches and data on credits and expenditures for work on each ditch.

 1908-1910. Report of the State Drainage Commission on State Drainage Work in Minnesota.

Covers August 1908 - August 1910.

1913. Report of the State Drainage Commission on State Drainage Work in Minnesota. 1915. Report of the State Drainage Commission of Minnesota.

Covers 1913-1914.

 1918. Engineer's Biennial Report to the State Drainage Commission and the Legislature of Minnesota.

Covers July 1916 - June 1918.

 1921. First Biennial Report of the Commissioner of Drainage and Waters.

Covers 1919 (from creation of the Department of Drainage and Waters) to December 1, 1920.

 December 1926. 4th Biennial Report of the Department of Drainage and Waters.