Collecting pieces of Minnesota's past for the future
About
The Minnesota Historical Society preserves and makes available a wide range of materials chronicling Minnesota's history and culture. The goals of the Collections Department are to collect and preserve; provide access and interpretation; and engage in education and outreach. This blog is a tool to share these stories and let people know what is happening in the department.
Chicken Water Fountain
It is still September, so it is still National Chicken Month!
Red Wing Potteries made this stoneware 'Sanitary' chicken drinking fountain and sold it as early as the 1880s. These fountains preserved the health of old and young birds alike, by protecting the chicks from drowning and by keeping the water clean.
Who knew?
Larry Gets Lost
Today's Item of the Day is a children's book called "Larry Gets Lost in the Twin Cities."
The story is that Larry is chasing after a treat and gets separated from his family. While looking for them, Larry visited many of the most iconic location in the Cities, such as St. Anthony Falls, Mall of America, and Summit Avenue. And yes, they are reunited by the book's end. It was published in 2012.
Yearbook Search Service
Today's Item of the Day is one yearbook, which we are using to announce a new service available from the Gale Family Reference Library - our Yearbook Research Service!
Happy Hispanic Heritage Month!
Happy Hispanic Heritage Month!
Why does it run from September 15 to October 15? September 15 was chosen because it is the anniversary of independence of five Hispanic countries: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua, who all declared independence in 1821. In addition, Mexico, Chile, and Belize celebrate their independence days on September 16, September 18, and September 21 respectively.
Since today is Mexican Independence Day, we feature this photo from the Mexican Independence Day Parade in St. Paul 50 years ago. The parade itself was held on Friday, September 17, 1971.
Swede Hollow
This painting shows an autumn scene of Swede Hollow, simply titled "Swede Hollow." It is an oil on canvas by Bob Brown, circa 1945.
Sparse houses sit at the bottom of Swede Hollow at center, below a grove of trees. The Hamm's Brewery is visible in the distant background at left and a silhouette of the Hamm mansion is seen at right. A train passes through the scene at bottom left.
Swede Hollow
This painting shows an autumn scene of Swede Hollow, simply titled "Swede Hollow." It is an oil on canvas by Bob Brown, circa 1945.
Sparse houses sit at the bottom of Swede Hollow at center, below a grove of trees. The Hamm's Brewery is visible in the distant background at left and a silhouette of the Hamm mansion is seen at right. A train passes through the scene at bottom left.
Cardigan Weather
As the weather inches its way toward being more fall-like, our thoughts turn to cardigans.
Today we present this A-line polyester knit dress with a cardigan, worn by Barbara Grahn of Minneapolis in 1970. The sleeveless dress has a white top with dark blue collar, dark blue skirt, and the appearance of a red, yellow and blue belt. The sweater is edged in the same dark blue, with a red, white, yellow and blue design.
Minnesota's New Poet Laureate!
Congratulations to Gwen Westerman, last week named Minnesota’s Poet Laureate!
Today we feature her book “Follow the Blackbird” from 2013. A short description of this book reads: “An intricate balance between the singularity of personal experience and the unity of collective longing, Follow the Blackbirds speaks to the affection and appreciation a contemporary poet feels for her family, community, and environment.”
Back to School
This photo from the St. Paul Dispatch - Pioneer Press in 1951 shows a new bus for North St. Paul Public School kindergartners.
National School Picture Day
Today is National School Picture Day. Who knew?
In honor of this, we present this Micro-Z portrait camera and case, built and used by Lifetouch Inc., of Eden Prairie, Minnesota, circa 1981-2005.
Cameras of this type were brought to schools around the country for taking student portraits.
Do you remember it?