Minnesota Military & Veterans Museum facts for kids

Minnesota Military & Veterans Museum

Main building
Established	1977 (1977)
Location	Bldg. 1-86, 15000 Highway 115, Little Falls, Minnesota, 56345
Type	Military history museum
Owner	Military Historical Society of Minnesota

The Minnesota Military & Veterans Museum is a special place where you can learn all about Minnesota's military history. It's run by a group called the Military Historical Society of Minnesota (MHSM). This group is a non-profit organization. Their main goal is to save and share stories about Minnesota's military past.

The MHSM works with the Minnesota Historical Society and the Minnesota National Guard. Together, they run the museum, its library, and its archives. The museum is open to everyone all year round. You can find it inside Camp Ripley. This is a huge military training center. It's located near Little Falls in central Minnesota. The museum shares stories from all parts of the military. It also shows what life was like for people back home during wars.

What the Museum Does

The museum, library, and archive have an important job. They collect and show the stories of Minnesotans. These are people who served in any part of the military. This includes those who served at home during times of peace and war. Their stories go from Minnesota's early days to today.

The museum wants to help people understand. It shows how conflicts and military groups have shaped Minnesota. It also shows how they shaped the United States. Visitors can learn to appreciate the brave actions of those who served. They can also understand the sacrifices made.

What You Can See: Museum Collections

The museum has the biggest collection of military items and records in Minnesota. There are almost 35,000 items here. You can see things like:

• Uniforms
• Weapons
• Military technology|Equipment
• Insignia (like badges)
• War flag|Flags
• Training tools
• Personal items
• Tanks
• Aircraft (planes)
• Military vehicle|Vehicles
• Artillery|Artillery pieces (large guns)

Cool Museum Exhibits

• America at War: This exhibit looks at why America fought its major wars. It also shows how these wars were fought and what happened afterward. This covers wars since Minnesota became a state in 1858.
• State Forces: Learn about Minnesota's own armed forces. The most famous is the National Guard. Their story goes from before the Civil War to their missions around the world today.
• Forts on the Frontier: Discover how early forts in Minnesota helped keep peace. They also helped people from Europe settle on Native American lands. You'll learn about Fort Ripley. This was a U.S. Army outpost on the Mississippi River. It existed from 1849 to 1877. It was located where Camp Ripley is now.
• The Arms Room: See how military small arms changed over time. This includes pistols, revolvers, rifles, carbines, and machine guns. You can also see edged weapons and ammunition.
• Honors: This part of the museum honors Minnesotans who received the Medal of Honor. This is the highest military award. You can also see other military awards from the past and present.
• Story of the Jeep: Learn about the famous American military Jeep. Find out how Minnesota helped in its creation. Six different Jeep models are on display. They range from early World War II models to those used until the 1980s. This exhibit is open only in the summer.
• Outdoor Exhibits: Outside the museum, you can see vehicles, tanks, aircraft, and artillery. You can even step inside a special boxcar. This type of car was used to carry American troops and horses in France during World War I. You can also see a "tin hut" and latrine. These were common at Camp Ripley around 1965.
• Special Exhibits: The museum often has new, temporary exhibits. These cover different topics. Recent ones have included: Women in the Ranks, Remembering Pearl Harbor, and the History of the Minnesota-based 34th Infantry Division.

Museum Archive: Storing History

The museum's archive is like a huge storage place for old records. It's the biggest one in Minnesota for veterans and military groups. You can search through it to find:

• Photographs
• Personal letters and diaries
• Scrapbooks
• Maps
• Posters
• Music sheets
• Newspapers
• Official letters and orders

It also has audio and video materials. These include films, audio tapes, video tapes, DVDs, and CDs.

Museum Library: Books and More

The museum has a military history library. It holds about 15,000 books and pamphlets. This includes a very large collection of military field manuals. The library focuses on materials about Minnesotans' military experiences. It also has books about military groups with ties to Minnesota.

Museum Buildings

The main museum building was once a summer headquarters. It was used by the Minnesota National Guard at Camp Ripley. Its design was inspired by the old Fort Ripley buildings. That fort was a 19th-century army post. It was located a few miles upriver.

The building was made bigger and updated in 1986–1987. After that, it was used only by the museum. It still holds most of the exhibits, offices, and the gift shop. Since 1987, other nearby buildings have also been fixed up. These now provide space for work, storage, and more exhibits. The whole museum area now covers about 2 acres (0.81 ha; 0.00 sq mi). It includes nine buildings.

The museum started building a new, larger facility on September 17, 2023. This new building will be about 40,000 sq ft (3,700 m²).