Manuscripts Collection
The Tourist Club of Minneapolis was organized November 23, 1891 by Martha C. Howard Wells (Mrs. Cyrus W.), the first club president. Two other presidents and long-term members were Isabella Reid Buchanan (Mrs. John C.), and Mary Louise Burnquist (Mrs. Joseph A. A.).
The purpose of the club was to prepare its members for travel by studying the geography, history, art, literature, etc., of the countries of the world. The Tourist Club became a charter member of the Minnesota Federation of Women's Clubs (MFWC) in 1895, and a member of the General Federation of Women's Clubs in 1896. Many of the officers and members of the Tourist Club were also officers in the MFWC, 5th District.
The papers include written histories, constitutions and bylaws, minutes of meetings, annual reports, correspondence, membership lists, financial records, study notebooks and scrapbooks, newspaper clippings, and other items relating to club activities and/or to club members. Folders 5-8 consist largely of printed items and Xeroxed clippings from Minneapolis newspapers, all taken from a dismantled scrapbook on club members and activities.
A print version of this finding aid is available in the repository; filed as P1242.
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
Accession number: 2059; 2209; 4516; 5367; 5850; 11,601
Reprocessed by: Dennis Meissner, November 2005
Catalog ID number: 1716141
Handwritten and typed materials by club members and from The History of the Women's Clubs Movement in America by Jennie June Croly (Mrs. J. C.), and materials from the 40th, 50th, and 60th anniversaries of the club. (See also: volume 1 for other constitutions and histories.)
Prepared annually by the officers and committee chairpersons reporting on club activities. Many are in verse. Incomplete set. (See also: volumes 2-12 for other reports.)
Letters to and from philanthropic and other organizations, 50th anniversary greetings, pictures and letters concerning support of a French war orphan (ca. 1931), and miscellaneous communications and memorabilia.
Handwritten and typewritten notes and lists of members. (See also volumes 13-14 for similar lists.)
Printed materials and clippings.
Filed in subfolders alphabetically by surname.
Listings (1895-1896), council call (1933), and clippings and other items from its meeting held in Minneapolis in 1952.
Scrapbooks kept by Mrs. C. W. Wells containing newspaper clippings, periodical articles, handwritten notes, etc., pertaining to countries studied. (See: volumes 16-19 for study notes.)
A paper read before the Tourist Club.
Print or semi-print programs generally listing officers, committee members, program, and active and associate members. Incomplete set.
Original constitution and bylaws, membership lists, and notes on the founding of the club. (See also: folder 1 for other constitutions and histories.)
Volumes 2-12 contain handwritten minutes of regular, special, and annual meetings, annual reports by the officers and committee charipersons, executive board minutes, and meeting attendance lists. (See also: folder 2 for other annual reports.)
Lists of members, dues paid, and meetings attended. (See also folder 4 for other membership lists.)
Receipts and disbursements; financial miscellany.
Handwritten notes (probably by Mrs. C. W. Wells) pertaining to the countries studied. (See: folders 14-15 for study scrapbooks.)