gr00003 DRAINAGE COMMISSION An Inventory of Its Financial Records 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. Financial records. 1901-1935. Voucher registers, expense records for work on drainage surveys and ditch construction, and records of miscellaneous expenses. Some continue after the Drainage Commission became the Department of Drainage and Waters. 1.75 cu. ft. (1 box; 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: Ditches--Minnesota. Drainage--Minnesota. Places: Minnesota--Surveys--Costs. 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. Financial Records. 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); 1710414.

 DETAILED DESCRIPTION 118.H.13.8F-2 Expenditure record, 1901-1910. 1 volume. 118.H.14.1B-1 Voucher registers, 1919-1935. 3 volumes. Commissioner of Drainage and Waters, 1919-1925. Commission/Department of Drainage and Waters, 1919-1925.

Expenses for ditch maintenance, stream gaging, and river and lake surveys. This volume largely, but not entirely, duplicates the previous volume.

 Drainage Department, 1925-1935. 103.H.8.2F Salaries and contingent fund journal, 1908-1923. 1 volume. Salaries and contingent fund journal, 1922-1934. 1 volume.

Contains:

 Salaries and contingent expenses, general, July 1922 - March 1927. Stream gauging, pages 73-74, 80-81, 88-98, 1925-1934. Drain tile testing, pages 83, 86, 1925-1927. Equipment, page 85, 1925-1926. Water resources [survey] expense journal, 1909-1927. 1 volume. Topographic survey expense journal, 1909-1919. 1 volume. Ditch records, 1907-[1918]. 2 volumes. Special Record: Cooperative State Ditches Nos. 1-27, 1907-1910.

Summary of survey work and contracts, and itemization of survey and construction payments, for each ditch.

 Field crew expenses for judicial ditch work and water resources survey, 1909-[1918].

Expense ledger for work on various judicial ditches; on Minnesota River, Mille Lacs Lake, Wild Rice River, and Big Falls surveys (1909-1910); miscellaneous engineering expenses; and expenses connected with the National Drainage Conference (pages 140-145, undated).

 Financial reports, 1914, 1916. 1 folder.