gr00002 DRAINAGE COMMISSION An Inventory of Its Engineers' Reports at the Minnesota Historical Society Finding aid prepared by Cheri Thies. Minnesota Historical Society
St. Paul MN.

Government Records

 Finding aid encoded by Cheri Thies, April 15, 2009.Finding aid written inEnglish OVERVIEW Minnesota Historical Society Minnesota. State Drainage Commission. Engineers' reports. 1901-1927. Reports, primarily by George A. Ralph, on inspection of proposed ditch sites and on the progress of and expenses for ditch construction (mainly 1901-1904); on the status of the state topographical and drainage survey (1905-1906); on the history of drainage as it affected state-owned lands (1917); and the commission's published report of the water resources investigation of Minnesota (1912). Legislation (Minnesota Laws 1897 chapter 318; Laws 1901 chapter 90) instructed the commission to provide for the annual inspection of all state drainage ditches and report their condition and recommended repairs to the pertinent boards of county commissioners. 0.45 cu. ft. (2 partial boxes). See Detailed Description 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.

 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: Drainage--Minnesota. Hydrographic surveying--Minnesota. Water-supply--Minnesota. Places: Minnesota--Surveys. Persons: Miller, Dalton G. (Dalton Giles), b. 1880. Ralph, George A. Organizations: Minnesota. Dept. of Drainage and Waters. ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION Preferred Citation:

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

See the Chicago Manual of Style for additional examples.

 Accession Information:

Accession number(s): 256

 Processing Information:

Catalog ID Nos.: 1703165 (history); 1710738.

 DETAILED DESCRIPTION 103.H.8.3B Engineers' reports, undated, 1901-1925. 2 folders.

Largely reports by the state drainage engineer on his inspection of proposed ditch sites, on the progress of ditches being constructed under state contract, and on expenditures for ditch construction, especially 1901-1904. Also reports on:

 A flood in the city of Marshall, undated. Summary of bids for ditch construction, undated. Reports of John Abercrombie, chief engineer of the state drainage topographical survey. 2 items. Report on the history of drainage and drainage legislation, especially as it affected state-owned lands in northern Minnesota and resulted in large assessments against these lands, October 29, 1917. Report on conditions affecting Lake Geneva as a result of the construction of County Ditch No. 30, Freeborn County, May 20, 1925. Report on Topographical and Drainage Survey of Swamp and Marshy Lands Owned by the State of Minnesota, 1906. 1 volume.

Reviews land characteristics and status of the drainage surveys in 12 Minnesota counties (Aitkin, Beltrami, Cass, Clearwater, Crow Wing, Hubbard, Itasca, Kittson, Marshall, Roseau, St. Louis, and Wadena), with numerous maps of the survey areas. Submitted to the commission by George A. Ralph, chief engineer.

103.H.8.2F Report of the Water Resources Investigation of Minnesota, 1909-1910, 1910. 1 volume.

Published report of George A. Ralph, chief engineer; issued by the Drainage Commission in cooperation with the U.S. Geological Survey.

 Report of the Water Resources Investigation of Minnesota, 1909-1912, 1912. 1 volume.

Published report of George A. Ralph, consulting engineer; issued by the Drainage Commission in cooperation with the USGS. Title page gives span dates as 1911-1912.

Atlas: Maps to accompany Report of the Water Resources Investigation of Minnesota, 1909-1912. 1 volume.

Plates 1-98, comprising hydrologic survey maps of Minnesota rivers and lakes. Accompanied by a list of plates.

 Review of Work of Cooperative Drain Tile Laboratory with Recommendations, Dalton G. Miller, Drainage Engineer, U. S. Dept. of Agriculture, January 1927.