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.
Jessie Diggins!
Last week, Afton native and Olympic gold medalist Jessie Diggins won cross-country skiing’s world cup. No American woman has ever won this before!
Thinking of her amazing achievement and given that it’s Women’s History Month, we are sharing three ski bibs she donated to our collection.
One is from the 2014 Olympics, the other two are from World Cup competitions in Lillehammer 2017 and Falun 2018.
Pi(e) Day!
Happy Pi(e) Day!
3.14 is our annual excuse to talk about pie-related materials in the collection, so here we are, a day late.
Today it is this photograph of an apple pie display at Chain Store Age. It forms part of Norton & Peel photograph collection and was taken in 1949.
Twenty cents for a slice of pie and ice cream? What a deal!
Cake Mix
This Softasilk Cake Flour packaging was made by General Mills, Incorporated in Minneapolis, circa 1943.
Cakes of Ice
This stereograph is titled "Cakes of Ice" and was taken by photographer Charles Zimmerman in 1870. On the edge it notes "Minnesota Ice Harvest."
Stereographs are made with two nearly identical photographs, side by side. They are meant to be viewed with a stereoscope, where the image will appear to be three-dimensional.
Streets in March
This painting is called "Streets in March."
It was created as part of the Works Progress Administration in 1937 by Stanford Fenelle.
Shorts!
With the gift of the expected warm weather today, we feel compelled to share some shorts, as no doubt many people will be wearing them.
These are a pair of plaid wool Bermuda shorts, circa 1968.
International Women's Day
Happy International Women's Day!
This poster commemorating International Women's Day is from 1977.
This day was first officially observed in 1911!
National Frozen Food Day!
This Saturday, March 6, is National Frozen Foods. If you are surprised by this or that we are celebrating, don’t be! The world’s first refrigerated transportation system was patented in 1939 by Frederick McKinley Jones when he was working for U.S. Thermo Control in Minneapolis. Jones would eventually patent more than sixty inventions, making him one of the most prolific African American inventors ever. We are lucky enough to have his paper in our manuscript collection, accessible through the Gale Family Library. This photo shows Jones with one of the trucks, circa 1950.
Spring?
This painting is named "Spring Thaw." It is an oil on board by Fred Anderson, from 2009.
Let the roller coaster of March begin!
Moccasin Book
This book, "Nookomis Obagijigan (Grandmother's Gift)," brings together the knowledge of moccasin makers from Minnesota and Wisconsin. This pattern and book of stories is beautifully illustrated and written completely in Ojibwe and English.
Former MNHS Native American Artist in Residence Sarah Agaton Howes worked with apprentice Michelle Defoe and translator Maajiigwaneyaash to create this book, bringing together their knowledge and that of their teachers. It was recently added to the Gale Family Library collection at MNHS.