The MNHS Indian Advisory Committee (IAC) is made up of tribally appointed representatives of the 11 Minnesota tribes, as well as representatives of key groups, such as educators. IAC advises on planning, developing, and evaluating MNHS activities and initiatives including exhibitions, publications, public programs, and curatorial policy as they relate to the research, collection, preservation, and interpretation of Minnesota and American Indian history in Minnesota.
The Minnesota Historical Society has launched and is expanding MNopedia, the first online encyclopedia about Minnesota. MNopedia is a growing digital resource that provides reliable, multimedia entries related to the state and its history. MNopedia will be tested, refined and broadened with additional content and tools, giving students, teachers, researchers and the general public greater access to information, images, documents and other historical resources relating to Minnesota.
MNopedia and MinnPost, an online news organization, are working together to share content and make Minnesota history more accessible. MNopedia is the first digital encyclopedia about Minnesota. All MNopedia articles are prepared by historians, consulting experts, professional writers, and others vetted by the Minnesota Historical Society. Once a week, MinnPost will publish a MNopedia article on its website. In addition, twice a month for the next ten months, MinnPost will create and publish news articles that relate to historical events in Minnesota.
MNopedia is an award-winning online encyclopedia of Minnesota created by MNHS, designed for use by a general audience, teachers and students. In 2016, MNopedia added many new essays covering everything from the history of Northwest Airlines to American Indian boarding schools. MNopedia also surpassed 500 articles and 1.5 million page views on its website this year. Since the project launched in 2011, the website has had 408,123 unique visitors.
MNopedia is an award-winning online encyclopedia of Minnesota created by MNHS, designed for use by a general audience, teachers, and students. In 2015, the MNopedia library grew to include essays on Hmong, African American, and Jewish history, and articles on topics as diverse as Minnesota in World War I, immigration to the Iron Range, Dayton's department store, and the Grange in Minnesota. A new feature, This Day in Minnesota History, a Minnesota book of days, was added.
Multimedia support enriches the Minnesota Historical Society's programs, exhibitions and websites with innovative, high-quality multimedia productions. Through audio, video, interactive and immersive productions, the program allows the Society to capture and present the stories of Minnesotans and document the impact of Legacy history projects. Rich media content enhances students"" and teachers"" experiences with the Society's curricular resources, engages visitors of all ages at the Society's museums and historic sites and reaches audiences everywhere through web and mobile delivery.
Legacy funds support 2.5 full-time multimedia positions, along with materials and services to produce video, audio and other multimedia content for education, interpretive and exhibit programs across MNHS. This content is also used to inform the public about these MNHS programs.
A multimedia group has been created to support the development of educational and informational video productions including online curriculum for 6th grade history, the commemoration of the Civil War, WWI, and more.
To re-install the historic steam-powered log carrier to the J.Neil's/Red Lake Indian Sawmill, a historically significant industrial artifact in northern Minnesota
New State Trail development to complete key missing trail segments or to fulfill funding gaps in trail development projects. Potetial development to include multi-use trail, trail parking areas, trail waysides, or trail bridges. New trail development includes all associated engineering, design and construction, and is to incorporate current Best Management Practices.
DNR regional clean water specialists and area hydrologists work with local partners to provide technical assistance on implementation projects and related outreach, resulting in cleaner water through healthier watersheds, shorelands and floodplains. We help partners identify, develop, target, design and/or implement on-the-ground projects that improve water quality, enhance habitat and protect infrastructure. We help design restorations that provide lasting benefits by mimicking features of healthy ecosystems.
The Oliver H. Kelley farm in Elk River is a National Historic Landmark where visitors experience mid-19th-century Minnesota farm life. This historic structures report provides the foundation for future maintenance and preservation of the farmhouse while continuing to provide an important level of programming and public service. The Jeffris Family Foundation has awarded a matching grant of $25,000 to the minnesota historical society to fund half of the estimated costs of a consultant to prepare the report.
With the help of Arts and Cultural Heritage funds, the Minnesota Historical Society is the first institution of its kind to fully digitize its entire oral history collection. This project promotes the discovery and use of the Minnesota Historical Society's oral history collection by digitizing 2,000 hours of recorded audio and making more existing oral histories available to the public on the "Becoming Minnesotan" website, education.mnhs.org/immigration. This collection represents a rich and unique source of history through the experiences of Minnesotans in their own words.
This project will establish a web-based permitting system to capture essential water appropriation information. The system will include an online permit application process for water use and other permits. The online system will streamline the permitting process for applicants and significantly reduce staff time correcting and managing permit applications and water use reports that are incomplete or have incorrectly calculated permit fees. The use of technology in the application and reporting process will also eliminate staff time needed to enter data and scan and route documents.
The Oral History office worked with the Department of Inclusion and Community Engagement on an oral history project related to the History Center's 2015 exhibit Inspiring Beauty: 50 Years of Ebony Fashion Fair. Interviewer Mica Anders-Turner completed 10 interviews to complement the exhibit. Plans for FY17 include seven interviews focused on African American cabin- and resort-owners at Lake Adney (Crow Wing County), and working with the nonprofit Oromo Community of Minnesota to document the stories of Oromo immigrants, an Ethiopian ethnic group.
The Oral History office worked with MNHS's Inclusion and Community Engagement staff on an oral history project related to the History Center's 2015 exhibit Inspiring Beauty: 50 Years of Ebony Fashion Fair. Interviewer Mica Anders-Turner completed 10 interviews to complement the Inspiring Beauty exhibit.
The Duluth Children’s Museum continues to grow dramatically, in large part from the investments of the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Legacy funding support over the last three years.
MNHS Press will publish a book on the 120-year history of the Minnesota State Capitol and its role as the heart of civic life in the state, a place for celebrations, demonstrations, arguments and accomplishments. The book will include stories of its construction and restoration, fine art and furnishings, laborers and craftspeople, and politics and lifestyles within our "house of democracy."
The Conservation Partners Legacy Grant Program is managed by the Department of Natural Resources to provide competitive matching grants to local, regional, state, and national non-profit organizations, including governments.
The Division of Parks and Trails is engaged in critical work to connect people to the outdoors. As part of the work in this project area, the new touch-screen kiosk project will increase awareness about outdoor recreation opportunities at Minnesota state parks and trails among underrepresented groups by creating and installing accessible, touch-screen kiosks with information in multiple languages, in high-traffic, family-oriented locations. Connection plans deliver Minnesota State Parks and Trails' messages to new audiences.
PAM Education is a training series developed for homeowners, realtors, community members and professionals in fields that frequently interact with historic buildings and districts. This year the program had a significant focus on reaching new audiences.
The 17 member Park and Trail Legacy Advisory Committee is appointed by the Commissioner of the Department of Natural Resources, the Chair of the Metropolitan Council and the Chair of the Greater Minnesota Regional Parks and Trails Commission. The mission of the committee is to champion the 25 year "Parks and Trails Legacy Plan" by providing recommendations to enhance promotion, coordination, and accountability throughout implementation of the plan.
To provide grants to local units of government to support parks and trails of regional or statewide significance outside of the seven county metropolitan area. Funding for this grant program is from the Parks and Trails Fund created by the Minnesota Legislature from the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment passed by the voters in 2008.
To provide grants to local units of government to support parks and trails of regional or statewide significance outside of the seven county metropolitan area. Funding for this grant program is from the Parks and Trails Fund created by the Minnesota Legislature from the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment passed by the voters in 2008. Beginning July 1, 2015 (fiscal year 2016), the Greater Minnesota Regional Parks and Trails Commission (GMRPTC) assumed management of reviewing and awarding these grants.
