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.
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!
Recipe Box
Time to get out those recipe boxes, cooks!
This plastic recipe box with laminated paper recipe cards was used at New Riverside Cafe in Minneapolis around 1980-1997.
Hope yours are as well loved!
World Toliet Day
Today, November 19, is World Toilet Day as designated by the United Nations. The day is to raise awareness about the need for all human beings to have access to sanitation.
This photo show a three-story outhouse on State Street, in the West Side Neighborhood of St. Paul in 1940. It is from the St. Paul Daily News.
Native American Heritage Month: Dream of Wild Health
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 food. To that end, we will look at the Dream of Wild Health, whose mission is: “...to restore health and well-being in the Native community by recovering knowledge of and access to healthy Indigenous foods, medicines and lifeways.”
From their web site: “Dream of Wild Health was created in 1998 to recover and preserve the traditional Native American relationship between people and plants, especially traditional plants that offer spiritual and physical sustenance to our ancestors.” Dream of Wild Health owns its 30-acre farm in Hugo and serves the Minneapolis-St. Paul Twin Cities Native community.
The MNHS Library holds a few pieces of ephemera created by them as well as a book containing recipes, health, and nutrition information.
Learn more about them here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMN9cgXSuWk
Hmong Rooster Hat
This is a traditional Hmong hat shaped like a rooster cockscomb. It is made by combining two panels of identical design and has multiple layers of geometric appliqués in pink, white, green, and yellow on red and tan background.
It was made between 1975-95.
Nervousness?
If you saw the "Fun" brochure from yesterday's Item of the Day, it not only contained game ideas for parties but "helpful" ads such as this one.
This little pocket or bag-sized brochure declares "Fun at Parties: for Big and Little Folks". It describes many different games that can be played at parties of all sizes and for all ages.
This brochure was published in the 1930s, largely as an advertisement vehicle for products created by its publisher, the Dr. Miles Medical Co., such as this.
Do you think it worked?
Fun!
This little pocket or bag-sized brochure declares "Fun at Parties: for Big and Little Folks". It describes many different games that can be played at parties of all sizes and for all ages.
This brochure was published in the 1930s, largely as an advertisement vehicle for products created by its publisher, the Dr. Miles Medical Co.