Browse Items (119 total)

Sigurd Olson addresses boys during a Voyageur trip at Camp Widjiwagan in 1960.

Camp Widjiwagan Records, Kautz Family YMCA Archives

Schoolcraft (1793-1864) was an explorer, Indian agent, and early ethnologist of Native American culture who joined an expedition to locate the Mississippi River's sources, to explore the Great Lakes region, and to describe its significant…

As the first woman to reach both the North and South Poles, Minnesota native Ann Bancroft demonstrates that GLBT people truly are everywhere.

Ann Bancroft Papers, Tretter Collection in GLBT Studies

Archie Givens, Jr. and Kenneth Keller, president of the University of Minnesota, at the opening ceremony for the Givens Collections in 1986. Givens and Keller were instrumental in recognizing the value of the collection and bringing it to…

Lovelace was born in Mankato in 1892. She sold her first story at the age of 18, and in 1940 the first Betsy-Tacy book was published. Although Lovelace did not intend to write any other books, readers were so insistent that she eventually worte 12…

Nobel laureate and University alumnus Norman Borlaug launched the green revolution, helping to prevent starvation in emerging nations. With receipt of the award, Dr. Borlaug became one of only five people in history to be awarded the Nobel Peace…

Protest against the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Lake Street, Minneapolis, ca. 1970.

Pillsbury Waite Neighborhood Services Records, Social Welfare History Archives

50th Anniversary gathering, 1957

The first Finns settled in Alango in 1902 and established the first Finnish Evangelical Lutheran Church in 1907. Adam Kattainen, a Finnish American temperance advocate, was part of the Finnish community that…

William C. Norris helped found Engineering Research Associates (ERA) in St. Paul, and in 1957 helped establish Control Data corporation (CDC). He served as President and CEO of the company until his retirement in 1986 and retained a position on the…

Cover image from Eyes, The Negroes' Own Picture Magazine and photos from a story on Neighborhood Cooperative Store Number 3. This integrated co-op was located at Rondo Avenue and St. Albans in St. Paul.

Givens Collection of African American…

Francesco and Donatella Yarusso of St. Paul, with children in 1927. The Yarusso family lived in the Swede Hollow neighborhood along Phalen Creek on St. Paul's East Side where many Italian immigrants had settled in the early 1900s.

Stella del Nord…

David Smith being held by his grandmother Daisy Mains at his bris (circumcision ceremony)

Upper Midwest Jewish Archives

Michelle Dolan and Armen Bulbulian dressed in traditional Armenian folk wedding costumes on load from the Kriko Balci family, 1982.

Armenian Cultural Organization of Minnesota Records, Immigration History Research Center Archives

Pictured is the Kutsi (Nestor) family homestead, one of the early Finnish pioneer families that came to settle in Alango. An example of what a Finnish family homestead looked like in the early 1900s.

Photograph Miscellany Collection, Immigration…

In 1953, James Ford Bell, founder of Minnesota's General Mils Corp., established at the University the first and only library in the world dedicated to the history and impact of trade. Among his first purchases for the new library: the 1424 nautical…

Original Narratives of the James Boys #1; originally published May 11, 1901, reprinted December 1938.

Minnesota was the last stop for the James-Younger Gang in 1876. Their target was the First National Bank of Northfield, located far outside of…

Gopher football player from 1927-29, Nagurski was the only player ever named All-American at two positions in the same year: fullback on offense and tackle on defense.

Photograph Collection, University of Minnesota Archives

In 2001 GLBT Pride/Twin Cities elected Beverly Little Thunder (Standing Rock, Lakota) as the first Two-Spirit native American Grand Marshal of a Pride Festival [pictured center].

GLBT Pride/TC Records, Tretter Collection in GLBT Studies

Gertrude Brown, first head resident of Phyllis Wheatley Settlement House is shown with a group of young settlement members. Phyllis Wheatley house has been active in north Minneapolis since 1924.

Pamphlet Collections, Social Welfare History…

Minneapolis, 1930s.

Pillsbury Settlement House and other community centers provided sports, clubs, activities, education programs, and health care for city residents. With origins dating to 1879, Pillsbury House is now part of Pillsbury United…

A group of young men hanging out on Plymouth Avenue in the 1950s.

Upper Midwest Jewish Archives

Minneapolis, 1914

Maria Procai was born in 1887 in the village of Dorichin, Sokal, Ukraine, and came to American in 1902 to join her brothers in Pennsylvania. A year later she arrived in Minneapolis. In the early 1950s she and her daughter…

Frederick Manfred (1912-1994) was born Feike Feikema in Doon, Iowa, and changed his name after becoming an established novelist and poet. He lived most of his life near Luverne, in southwestern Minnesota, and set all of his books in the area, which…

Lac Tracy (Lake Superior)

This map of Lake Superior, called Lac Tracy by the French military, was drawn in about 1670 by two Jesuit missionaries who were considered to be "of considerable intelligence, interested in research and very…

Father Hennepin's Map of the the Mississippi River Valley

Franciscan missionary Louis Hennepin was among the first Europeans to explore the Mississippi River basin, traveling as far north as Mille Lacs in about 1672.

James Ford Bell Library

Map of New France

Venetian cartographer Vincenzo Coroneli's map of new France emphasizes the territories of the various Native American peoples encountered by the French traders and missionaries; here the Mississippi River ends at St. Anthony…

Father Hennepin's St. Anthony Falls

Named by Father Hennepin after his patron saint, the falls also made an impression on Jonathan Carver, who traveled extensively throughout the region. Here, Father Hennepin's thoughts are paired with the image…

Jonathan Carver, a native of Massachusetts, was commissioned in 1766 to investigate the commercial viability of the Mississippi River valley. Carver eventually settled in Minnesota on the shores of Lake Pepin.

James Ford Bell Library

Weshcubb, a chief of Red Lake, north of the source of the Mississippi

Ojibway woman and child

Chatonwahtooamany (Little Crow), a chief of the Kapoja band of the Mdewakanton Sioux

These hand-colored lithograph portraits are based on paintings…

Duluth in May 1870

This engraving is taken from a pamphlet titled Duluth, of the type commonly produced for immigrants in the late 19th century, on the many benefits of settling in Duluth, establishing business there, or buying property.

Rare…

Excavating Lake of the Isles

This report discusses such things as the acquisition of land for Powder Horn Park and the completion of the Minnehaha Parkway. For Lake of the Isles, the report notes that the dredge was kept in operation from May 1st…

Advertisement for J.A. Christian & Co.

Milling, whether it was of grain or lumber, was an important enterprise in Minneapolis--taking advantage of the power supplied by the Mississippi--and of interest to the Board of Trade. The "A" mill depicted…

Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Minneapolis Railroad Depot, 1876

The Annual Report of the board of Trade of Minneapolis details the city's financial position, educational institutions, churches, transportation, and manufacturing, among other…

State of Minnesota Commission on Resettlement of Displaced Persons, ca. 1950.

Minnesota received many new emigres after WWII. The State of Minnesota Commission on Resettlement of Displaced Persons was formed to process these newcomers. Prof.…

Sandin's own background inspired the research that went into the Long Way to a New Land, The Long Way Westward, and At Home in a New Land, three self-illustrated early readers which tell the story of an immigrant family's journey from Sweden to the…

Henry Rowe Schoolcraft was an ethnologist who contributed significantly to the study of Native American populations. In 1820, he was a member of the Cass and Doty expedition to explore the Upper Great Lakes and to search for the source of the…

The School of Agriculture promoted modern scientific farming methods that would feed the world and benefit Minnesota.

Poster Collections, University of Minnesota Archives

The University Library's strong and distinctive collection of beekeeping books has been chosen to be digitized by Google. Learn more about the beekeeping archives at http://discover.lib.umn.edu

Before a highway along Lake Superior's North Shore was build, the SS Goldish sailed out of Duluth, picked up fresh fish from villages along the lake, packed them in ice, and rushed them to the Twin Cities.

Upper Midwest Jewish Archives

Agriculture isn't the only industry in Minnesota, we also house a number of independent presses. Lerner is just one of the publishing companies located in the area.

Kerlan Collection, Children's Literature Research Collections

One of the strongest Finnish business enterprises were the cooperatives. This undated photo shows one of many such cooperative stores that existed throughout Minnesota.

Photograph Miscellany Collection, Immigration History Research Center Archives

John Howe was Frank Lloyd Wright's chief draftsman for almost 30 years. he opened his own office in Minneapolis in 1967 and designed a number of beautiful residences in the Upper Midwest. "Sankaku" was Howe's own home from about 1971 to 1992. As was…

Buffington was awarded a patent for his structural design of the "cloudscrapper" in 1886. His invention called for a steel frame to carry the load of high rise buildings. Buffington claimed the right to receive royalties on every building that…

The Givens Ice Cream Bar opened in 1947 at the corner of Sixth Street and Lyndale Avenue. Givens would later become a prominent businessman and Minnesota's first African American millionaire.

Givens Foundation Photos, Givens Collection of African…

Headed by William C. Norris, Control Data produced high-speed scientific computers. Control Data became one of the top ten computer manufacturers in the world; it produced among the fastest computers of their day, including the CDC 6600, designed by…

Picture of Italian railway workers on the tracks, Frank Oliver and Mike Perzichilli are identified in the center, Dilworth, Minnesota.

Stella del Nord (local chapter of the American Italian Historical Association) Records, Immigration History…

Thermo King Corporation revolutionized the shipping of perishable foods in 1938 by creating transport refrigeration for trucks, trains, buses, ships, and planes. Fred Jones, a gifted African American engineer designed the units, and Joe Numero, owner…

Joseph Ullmann built an impressive international business trading furs with Indians. The firm was based in St. Paul.

Upper Midwest Jewish Archives

Factory views from a product catalog.

Bros was a prominent manufacturer of boilers and other heating equipment for many years. The factory, shown in this illustration, stood at the corner of east Hennepin Avenue and Johnson Street. The site is…

Engineering Research Associates (ERA) was founded in 1946 in St. Paul in an effort to continue the work of a classified war-time Navy cryptology unit. ERA was responsible for producing Minnesota's first digital computer, and became a division of…

in 1955 Seventeen magazine distributed a poster that used a familiar folklore character to illustrate many of the industries and products made in Minnesota.

Paul Bunyan Collection, Children's Literature Research Collections

Honeywell was one of the largest manufacturers of thermostats, dating back to the last years of the 19th century. Early thermostats were regulated by means of chains that ran through holes in the floor from the thermostat to the dampers in the…

A locomotive engine car on a sled pulls a load of lumber, New York Mills, 1900s. Large numbers of Finnish immigrants settled in New York Mills in the early 1900s.

Einar Saarela Papers, Immigration History Research Center Archives

A view of the assembly floor where large steam-driven tractors were being made at the company's plant in Minneapolis. For many years, the company marketed its tractors under the name "Minneapolis Moline."


Trade Catalog Collection, Northwest…

Contented cows graze against the backdrop of the St. Paul Campus.

Photograph Collections, University of Minnesota Archives

4-H has been engaging youth in Minnesota since its founding at the University in 1904.

Wilbur Utley of Preston and his Chester White won first prize in 1922.

Unidentified boy in 1924 with his prize sheep.

Photograph Collection, University of…

Used at the University's Agricultural Experiment Station to prepare the soil by breaking up crop residue, uproot weeds, and cover seeds to produce a firm seedbed.

Photograph Collections, University of Minnesota Archives

Drawings for scenic backdrops for theaters, depicting idealistic, mythical gardens.

Twin Cities Scenic Design Studios Collection, Performing Arts Archives, Manuscripts Division

Desmond Heeley, one of the leading costume and stage designers in the US, is noted for the impressionistic quality of his design sketches, perhaps best typified by these sketches for the Guthrie Theater's revival of Checkhov's famous play, "The…

Gag was born March 11, 1893, in New Ulm, Minnesota. In 1928 she published her first book for children, Millions of Cats. The book is considered by many to be her finest work and received a Newbery Honor citation in 1929. The four book cover studies…

Knutson (1959-2005) was an artist, storyteller, internationally renowned children's book illustrator and author, and employee of The Red Balloon Bookshop in St. Paul. Much of her work focused on the retelling and illustration of African and South…

Hillel, the Jewish Student Center on the U of M Twin Cities campus has an active Israeli dance group. This photo was taken in 1948.

Upper Midwest Jewish Archives

In 1967 and 1968, the Guthrie Theater staged "The House of Atreus," based on plays called "The Oresteia" by ancient Greek playwright, Aeschylus. The costume design shown here was prepared for three Furies, or "Eumenides," who appear in the play.…

Penumbra's artistic director, Lou Bellamy, starred in the theatre's first production of August Wilson's Fences, which later won Pulitzer and Tony awards. This poster was created by Seitu Ken Jones.

Penumbra Theatre Archives, Givens Collection of…

The Dnipro Chorus was founded in 1958 to promote Ukrainian culture through song. The photo of the group and its conductor Mykola Bryn was taken at the church hall of Sts. Volodymyr & Olga Ukrainian Orthodox Church of St. Paul. The Chorus performed…

Sir Neville Marriner was appointed the seventh conductor of the Minnesota Orchestra in 1979 and led it for the next seven years. he is best noted for being conductor of London's Academy of St. Martin's-in-the-Fields for many years. He took the…

This study of the mural located in the Forestry Department's Green Hall on the St. Paul Campus depicts Minnesota's timber era. Stoeckler was a College of Design professor from 1940-43 and 1961-81.

Hazel Stoeckler Papers, University of Minnesota…

The Centennial Showboat was purchased by the University Theatre to commemorate the state's centennial in 1958. The first summer production performed was Under the Gaslight.

Department of Theatre Arts Scrapbooks, University of Minnesota Archives

Finnish Socialis Opera House performers pictured on stage from the play "The Gypsy," in Virginia, Minnesota. Date unknown.

Photograph Miscellany Collection, Immigration History Research Center Archives

In 1935, Clement Haupers (1900-1982) became the state and regional director of the New Deal's Federal Art Project in Minnesota, which hired unemployed artists to decorate public buildings and parks. This untitled painting was done by Haupers of his…

Theater has always been fostered at the Community Center. Pictured here is a 1967 production of "Potpourri."

Upper Midwest Jewish Archives

Bowen is the author-illustrator of several books for children. Reviewers have described her distinctive woodcuts as bold, rich, and handsome. She has lived with her family on the rugged north shore of Lake Superior in Minnesota for more than thirty…

A Minneapolis student addresses the Youth in Government session at the Minnesota House of Representatives, Minnesota State Capitol, 1969.

YMCA of the USA Records, Kautz Family YMCA Archives

The first night school for boys, begun by the Minneapolis YMCA just prior to 1900.

Minneapolis YMCA Records, Kautz Family YMCA Archives

John A. Vannelli and sister Anne pose for his confirmation and her first communion, the St. Francis de Sales Parish, Saint Paul, 1924.

Stella del Nord (local chapter of the American Italian Historical Association) Records, Immigration History…

Mrs. John Kruse teaches a YMCA class on poultry in 1916.

Minneapolis YMCA Records, Kautz Family YMCA Archives.

During the 1940s and 1950s, the student population at John Hay grade school on Minneapolis' North Side was about 80 per cent Jewish. Shown here is a fourth grade class.

Upper Midwest Jewish Archives

Eight members of the Minneapolis YMCA's English class for Chinese speakers, seated on the steps of the YMCA around 1905.

Minneapolis YMCA Records, Kautz Family YMCA Archives

Harry Wilmer used the five degrees that he earned in eight years the the University of Minnesota to create a unique method for educating the public about a serious health problem. He created Corky as a representation of the corkscrew-shaped bacteria…

Henry Martyn Williamson and Warren Clark Eustis became the first graduates of the University of Minnesota in 1873. Eustis went on to become a practicing physician in Owatonna, Minnesota, and Williamson engaged in horticultural and editorial work in…

In 1978. Control Data opened its first Fair Break centers in Minneapolis and St. Paul, providing remediation, work readiness, occupational and vocational training through computer based education.

Control Data Corporation Records, Charles Babbage…

Control Data developed PLATO, a comprehensive computer-based educations system, as a way to provide cost-effective, individualized instruction to large numbers of employees, students, and others needing basic education and vocational training. CDC…

Nashwauk, Minnesota

Fred Torma was born in 1888 in Kihnio province, Finland, and came to Nashwauk in 1906. This is a photo from his collection of a classroom of students with their teacher.

Torma-Silvoia Family Papers, Immigration History…

The Minneapolis Talmud Torah, founded in 1894, teaches children to read and write Hebrew even today.

Upper Midwest Jewish Archives

Sholar (1st kneeling on the left) was a Slovenian immigrant priest who served in Illinois and Minnesota where many Slovenians had settled.

Wenceslau Sholar Papers, Immigration History Research Center Archives

Men and employed boys learn stenography at the Minneapolis YMCA around 1910.

Minneapolis YMCA Records, Kautz Family YMCA Archives

AIDS education is an important aspect of the work of many health related organizations. During its existence Minnesota Men of Color often used posters featuring men of several different races as an effective mans of reaching the multi-racial Gay…

St. Paul native Melvin Calvin obtained his PhD in chemistry from the U of M. He received a Nobel Prize in 1961 for his work describing aspects of photosynthesis.

Upper Midwest Jewish Archives

Talks, demonstrations, and films by University faculty at the State Fair represent the University's continued mission of outreach to the people of Minnesota.

Poster Collection, University of Minnesota Archives

This colorful and whimsical depiction of the University Campus features a White Castle and a Dayton's University Store.

Cartograph Collection, University of Minnesota Archives

Minneapolis Roosevelt High School Blued High-Y plays a game of Broom Hockey, January 26th 1961.

Minneapolis YMCA Records, Kautz Family YMCA Archives

The Minneapolis-Saint Paul Links presented these debutantes and escorts at the 1989 cotillion. The Links, Incorporated is a not-for-profit organization of more than 12,000 women of color, committed to enhancing the quality of life in African American…

Divers display their technical skills at Camp Ihduhapi near Loretto.

Minneapolis YMCA Records, Kautz Family YMCA Archives

Pageants, "stunts," and plays were popular camp activities. Campers at the Minneapolis YWCA's Elizabeth Lyman Lodge were advised to pack "stunt costumes" along with their other camp supplies.

Minneapolis YWCA Records, Social Welfare History…