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.
Cookies!
Tomorrow, December 4, is National Cookie Day!
This topic is almost too much for Item of the Day to handle - so many wonderful possibilities!
We settled on this handy and fun Foley Cookie Dropper. It is stapled to rectangular yellow product package card and was made by the Foley Mfg. Co. of Minneapolis, circa 1950-1964.
And for only $0.49, quite a bargain!
Snow
Will we eventually regret looking forward to snow? Maybe.
This photo shows a snow plow clearing snow. It was taken by Hibbard Studio in 1928.
December Morning
This oil on canvas is by Henry Holmstrom in 1939, and is titled "December Morning." It depicts a cluster of snow covered buildings and was created as part of the Minnesota Works Progress Administration.
The light looks familiar, even without the snow. Maybe we'll have some of that soon too?
Gordon Parks
Today is Gordon Parks's birthday. While he was not born in Minnesota, he spent many formative years in Saint Paul.
Gordon Parks was a world-renowned photographer, film director, author, and social justice activist.
This self-portrait was taken in 1979.
Learn more about him and his important work in MNopeida.
https://www.mnopedia.org/person/parks-gordon-1912-2006
Prisoner Letters
November is Native American Heritage Month. In honor of this, we will highlight contemporary creators weekly who are adding to the cultural landscape of Minnesota and beyond in a variety of fields.
This week’s focus is on language. The revitalization and study of Native languages is an important part of contemporary Native communities . Two people who are working at this are Clifford Canku and Michael Simon, who together translated fifty extraordinary letters written by Dakota men imprisoned after the U.S. Dakota War of 1862. These letters give direct witness to a harsh and painful history shared by Minnesotans today.
Dr. Clifford Canku is an assistant professor of Dakota studies at North Dakota State University. Michael Simon is an instructor of Dakota language for the Moorhead (Minnesota) Public Schools. Both are retired Presbyterian ministers and enrolled members of the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate.
Learn more about this project and subsequent book here: https://shop.mnhs.org/products/dakota-prisoner-war-letters
Prisoner Letters
November is Native American Heritage Month. In honor of this, we will highlight contemporary creators weekly who are adding to the cultural landscape of Minnesota and beyond in a variety of fields.
This week’s focus is on language. The revitalization and study of Native languages is an important part of contemporary Native communities . Two people who are working at this are Clifford Canku and Michael Simon, who together translated fifty extraordinary letters written by Dakota men imprisoned after the U.S. Dakota War of 1862. These letters give direct witness to a harsh and painful history shared by Minnesotans today.
Dr. Clifford Canku is an assistant professor of Dakota studies at North Dakota State University. Michael Simon is an instructor of Dakota language for the Moorhead (Minnesota) Public Schools. Both are retired Presbyterian ministers and enrolled members of the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate.
Learn more about this project and subsequent book here: https://shop.mnhs.org/products/dakota-prisoner-war-letters
Next?
This photo is of Charles Lindholm as Santa Claus, arriving in St. Paul on Thanksgiving Day in 1936. It is from the Saint Paul Daily News.
Too soon or right on time?
Happy Thanksgiving!
If anyone is cooking over an open fire today, please let us know!
This card is from 1908.
Enjoy the day; we are thankful for you!
Recent Acquisitions Newsletter
Talking Turkey
Lori Williamson and Jen Huebscher share some of their favorite turkey-related collections items, a couple of which are more beautiful than you likely expect!