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.
Women's history button
Today is the first day of Women's History Month! Over the coming weeks we'll be sharing the stories and legacy of Minnesota women and groups of women, both well-known and less-well-known, reflecting a sentiment embodied in this button from 1991, which reads "Write Women Back Into History."
ID: 1991.275.1 (Accession Number)
Link: http://collections.mnhs.org/cms/display?irn=10073793
Charles Chamblis
As Black History Month draws to a close, we celebrate the work of Charles Chamblis, who documented Black culture and everyday life in the Twin Cities in the 1970s and 1980s. Thousands of his photos are housed in the MNHS collections.
The first photo is of Chamblis himself; the others are examples of his work. Clear your calendar and follow the link!
Washburn A Mill Fire, February 1991
Today's Item of the Day is a little bit self-referential: A photo of the fire that destroyed the Washburn A Mill in downtown Minneapolis on Feb. 26, 1991. Today, the Mill City Museum occupies the rehabilitated ruins.
ID: AV2005.68.1 (Accession Number)
Link: http://collections.mnhs.org/cms/display?irn=10786862
Boiling the cans, canning factory, Lyle, Minn.
Did you know February is National Canned Food Month? Preserving food for storage and transportation has a long tradition in Minnesota. This photo from 1911 shows workers boiling cans at a canning factory in Lyle, MN.
ID: HD7.2 r15 (Locator Number)
Link: https://collections.mnhs.org/cms/display?irn=10195159
Ojibwe embroidered moccasins
During February, National Embroidery Month, we've been highlighting examples of the art form in our collection from across cultures. Today we share a pair of Ojibwe leather-thread sewn moccasins from pre-1920. They are embroidered with silk thread and decorated with metal and glass beads in a floral motif.
ID: 8879.14.A,B (Accession Number)
Link: http://collections.mnhs.org/cms/display?irn=10248514
A youngster getting air while sledding in Minneapolis on February 22, 1950
On this day in history, Feb. 22, 1950, this kid caught some epic air sledding in Minneapolis. Hope you find an opportunity to have even half as much fun in the snow today!
ID: M.16.B.3 Packet 93 (Locator Number)
Link: http://collections.mnhs.org/cms/display?irn=11153131
Cars stuck in snow, Armistice Day blizzard
We hear there is some weather coming, but heavy snow is hardly novel in Minnesota. We hope you can arrange your plans to stay off the roads as much as possible and avoid being stranded like these drivers were in the Armistace Day Blizzard of 1940!
ID: QC2.61ca p15 (Locator Number)
Link: http://collections.mnhs.org/cms/display?irn=10750537
Button
Happy President's Day! No native Minnesotan has yet been elected president of the United States, but we are the home state to two vice-presidents, both of whom are featured on this button created to promote Mondale's 1984 presidential campaign. Like Humphry 16 years earlier, Mondale lost in the general election.
ID: 1987.216.2 (Accession Number)
Link: http://collections.mnhs.org/cms/display?irn=10389193
Minnesota Norway pine
This photo showing a stand of Minnesota's state tree, the Norway pine (aka red pine) was taken in about 1970. The Norway pine received this distinction on February 18, 1953. Further reading on the Minnesota Secretary of State website.
ID: FM6.63 r25 (Locator Number)
Link: http://collections.mnhs.org/cms/display?irn=10755868
Reid Ray Film Industries shooting a film on the purchasing power of the African American community
Today's item of the day is a still image showing the set of a Reid Ray Film Industries production on the purchasing power of the African American community. The film was being produced for client Johnson Publishing, the Black-owned media firm best known for its magazine Ebony.
ID: N2.3 p163 (Locator Number)
Link: http://collections.mnhs.org/cms/display?irn=10773960