Minnesota Historical Society facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Minnesota Historical Society

'M' of the Minnesota Historical Society's Logo
Formation	1849; 176 years ago (1849)
Headquarters	Saint Paul, Minnesota, U.S.

The Minnesota Historical Society (MNHS) is a group that helps people learn about the past. It is a nonprofit organization. This means it uses its money to help people, not to make a profit. MNHS works to save and share the history of the U.S. state of Minnesota.

This society was started in 1849. This was almost ten years before Minnesota became a state! The group is even mentioned in the Minnesota Constitution. Its main office is at the Minnesota History Center in downtown Saint Paul.

Even though MNHS focuses on Minnesota history, its work is known beyond the state. For example, their studies on the North American fur trade are recognized in Canada too.

MNHS has a huge collection of historical items. They have almost 550,000 books and 37,000 maps. There are also 250,000 photos and 225,000 historical objects. Plus, they have 950,000 items found from old digging sites. They also keep many old papers, government records, paintings, and videos.

Since 2011, MNHS has run MNopedia: The Minnesota Encyclopedia. This is an online place for facts about Minnesota history. It covers important people, places, and events. The Minnesota Historical Society Press (MNHS Press) also prints books. These books are about Minnesota's history and culture. MNHS Press is the oldest publishing company in Minnesota. It is also the biggest historical society press in the country. They have over 500 books available. MNHS Press also publishes a magazine called Minnesota History (journal).

How the Minnesota Historical Society Started

Sketch of Charles K. Smith, who helped start the Minnesota Historical Society.

The Minnesota Historical Society began on October 20, 1849. It was one of the first laws passed by the Minnesota Territorial Legislature. This was the group that made laws for Minnesota when it was still a territory. It was unusual for a historical society to start so early.

The governor at the time, Alexander Ramsey, thought it was important to save everything. He suggested keeping every newspaper printed in the Minnesota Territory. Ramsey believed that saving history materials early on would make it easier to write about the past later.

Charles K. Smith, the first Secretary of the Minnesota Territory, wrote the law to create the society. On November 15, 1849, Smith and 18 other people officially started the group.

Finding a Home for History

When it first started, the Society did not have its own building. They used different places like the Territorial Secretary's office. They also used hotel rooms and spaces above stores. In 1855, they got a room in the Minnesota State Capitol building.

In 1856, a new law allowed the Society to own as much property as it needed. So, the Society started to raise money to build its own home.

Daniel A. Robertson led the committee to build the new home. He raised $1,500 by selling 62 lifetime memberships. This money helped buy two pieces of land for the building. They hoped to raise more money and planned to build the new home in two years.

On June 24, 1856, the Society held a big party. They invited important scientists and writers from all over the country. This party was to celebrate laying the first stone of the new building. Newspapers called it the "grandest gala day" in the city's history.

However, just two weeks later, the building committee ran out of money. They asked members to pay five dollars each. This money was to protect the building's foundation from winter frost. Work on the building stopped after that. Many rich Minnesotans lost their money during the Panic of 1857.

The former Historical Society building, seen from the State Capitol roof.

The Society continued to work from the Capitol building for many years. In 1913, the Minnesota State Legislature gave $500,000 to build a new, fireproof historical building. This building was finished in 1917. The Society moved all its collections there by March 1, 1918.

This old building is now called the Minnesota Judicial Center. The Minnesota Historical Society moved to its current home, the Minnesota History Center, in 1992.

Places to Visit: Minnesota's Historic Sites

The Minnesota Historical Society takes care of 31 historic sites and museums. Twenty-six of these places are open for people to visit. MNHS directly manages 16 sites. It also works with partners to manage 7 others. Six sites are kept for preservation but are not open to the public. Five sites are self-guided, meaning you can explore them on your own with signs to help you.

Seven of these sites are National Historic Landmarks. This means they are very important places in the nation's history. Sixteen other sites are on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). Seven sites are inside Minnesota state parks. Three are part of the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area.

Site Name	Image	Location	Time Period	Year Added to MNHS	How it's Managed	What it Is
Alexander Ramsey House		St. Paul	1872–1964	1964	Direct	The home of Minnesota governor and U.S. Congressman Alexander Ramsey. It still has its original furniture. NRHP
Birch Coulee Battlefield		Morton	September 2, 1862	1976	Self-guided	This is where the Battle of Birch Coulee happened. It was the deadliest battle for U.S. troops in the Dakota War of 1862. NRHP.
Charles Lindbergh House and Museum		Charles A. Lindbergh State Park	1906–1920	1969	Direct	The house of U.S. Congressman Charles August Lindbergh and his famous pilot son, Charles Lindbergh. National Historic Landmark
Comstock House		Moorhead	1882	1964	Partnership	The restored home of U.S. Congressman and businessman Solomon Comstock. It has its original furniture. NRHP
Folsom House		Taylors Falls	1854–1968	1968	Partnership	The restored home of businessman, politician, and historian W.H.C. Folsom. It has its original furniture. NRHP
Forest History Center		Grand Rapids	1900–1934	1975	Direct	A recreated logging camp. It shows how people used Minnesota's forests.
Fort Renville		Lac qui Parle State Park	1822–1846	1973	Preservation	The place where a fur trading post was set up by Joseph Renville.
Fort Ridgely		Fort Ridgely State Park	1853–1867	1969	Self-guided	A fort built to keep peace near a Dakota reservation. It was attacked twice during the Dakota War of 1862. NRHP
Grand Mound		International Falls	200 BCE–1400	1970	Preservation	Five burial mounds. One is the largest old structure in the Upper Midwest. It is 25 feet high and 100 feet wide. National Historic Landmark
Harkin Store		New Ulm	1870–1901	1973	Direct	A General store from the 1870s. Much of the original items are still on display. NRHP
Historic Forestville		Forestville Mystery Cave State Park	1853–1899	1978	Direct	What's left of a busy 19th-century town. It became a ghost town when the railroad did not pass through it. NRHP
Historic Fort Snelling		Fort Snelling State Park	1820–1946	1969	Direct	Parts of this fort have been rebuilt to look like they did long ago. Later parts were used for soldiers during World War II. It is a National Historic Landmark and part of the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area.
James J. Hill House		St. Paul	1891–1921	1978	Direct	The large home of railroad leader James J. Hill. National Historic Landmark
Jeffers Petroglyphs		Jeffers	3000 BCE–1750	1966	Direct	Rocks with ancient Native American petroglyphs (rock carvings). NRHP
Lac qui Parle Mission		Montevideo	1835–1854	1973	Partnership	A rebuilt wooden church where missionaries worked with the Dakota people. NRHP
Lower Sioux Agency		Lower Sioux Indian Reservation	1853–	1967	Partnership	A museum showing the lives of Dakota people before and after the Dakota War of 1862. NRHP
Marine Mill		Marine on St. Croix	1839–1895	1972	Self Guided	The remains of Minnesota's first commercial sawmill. NRHP
Mill City Museum		Minneapolis	1874–1965	2002	Direct	A museum about the flour milling industry. This industry helped build Minneapolis. It is inside the ruins of the Washburn "A" Mill, a National Historic Landmark. It is part of the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area.
Mille Lacs Indian Museum		Mille Lacs Indian Reservation	Prehistory–present	1959	Direct	A museum about the history and culture of the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe people.
Minnehaha Depot		Minneapolis	1875–1963	1964	Partnership	An old train station near Minnehaha Falls. It has fancy Victorian architecture. The Minnesota Transportation Museum runs it.
Minnesota History Center		St. Paul	Prehistory–present		Direct	The main office of the Minnesota Historical Society. It has exhibits about Minnesota and other history. It also has a library.
Minnesota State Capitol		St. Paul	1905–present	1969	Direct	You can take tours and see exhibits about the state's government building. NRHP
Morrison Mounds		Battle Lake	690 BCE	1968	Preservation	This site has the oldest burial mound in Minnesota. NRHP
Oliver Kelley Farm		Elk River	1850–1901	1961	Direct	The old farm of Oliver Hudson Kelley. He was one of the people who started the National Grange of the Order of Patrons of Husbandry. National Historic Landmark
Sibley Historic Site		Mendota	1838–1910	1996	Partnership	The homes of Henry Hastings Sibley, Minnesota's first state governor, and fur trader Jean-Baptiste Faribault. NRHP and part of the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area.
Snake River Fur Post		Pine City	1804	1965	Direct	A rebuilt North West Company trading post and Ojibwe camp. NRHP
Split Rock Lighthouse		Split Rock Lighthouse State Park	1910–1969	1976	Direct	A lighthouse on a cliff by Lake Superior. It looks like it did in the 1920s. National Historic Landmark
Stumne Mounds		Pine City		1968	Preservation	A group of long burial mounds near the Snake River. NRHP
Traverse des Sioux		St. Peter	Prehistory–1869	1981	Self Guided	The site of a river crossing, where the Treaty of Traverse des Sioux was signed. It was also once a town. NRHP
Upper Sioux Agency		Upper Sioux Agency State Park	1854–1862	1969	Preservation	The location of a federal agency. It was set up to teach Dakotas a Euro-American farming lifestyle. It was destroyed in the Dakota War of 1862. NRHP
W.W. Mayo House		Le Sueur	1859–	1970	Partnership	The home built by William Worrall Mayo. He started the Mayo Clinic. Later, Carson Nesbit Cosgrove, who started the Green Giant food company, lived here. NRHP