Acquiring Land and Creating Opportunities - A Parks and Trails Strategic Objective is a program area representing DNR's commitment to one of the four pillars identified in the 25 year Legacy plan. The Legacy plan identifies its purpose to create new and expanded park and trail opportunities to satisfy current customers as well as to reach out to new ones. The purpose of this program is to call attention to the pillar, but also to centralize and streamline reporting on other related programs within the pillar.
126 rolls of microfilmed church records, WPA files, and newspapers were added to the HCSCC collections to broaden public accessibility to primary records.
133 microfilmed copies of seven newspapers from the general area were purchased by the Freeborn county Historical society for its research library. The newspapers span the years from 1870 to 2008 and provide a resource for researching family histories, businesses, government agencies, news media and general public infomation.
114 rolls of microfilmed newspapers were acquired from the Minnesota Historical Society of seven (7) local St. Cloud newspapers including the St. Cloud State Chronicle. The materials were checked in, cataloged and made available to St. Cloud State library patrons.
The final thirtyeight (38) rolls of microfilm of Aitkin county newspapers were purchased to complete the collection. The acquisition was noted on the Aitkin Independent Age and on the Aitkin County Historical Society web site.
The Goodhue County Historical Society purchased 61 rolls of microfilm covering recent editions of Cannon Falls, Kenyon and Zumbrota newspapers as well as early editions of the Red Wing newspapers.
With the grant the Kanabec County Historical Society purchased sixteen rolls of microfilm to make current their collection of Kanabec County Times newspaper through 2007 and fill in the missing years of the Grasston Advance for 1920 and 1922.
Blue Earth County Historical Society added of 126 microfilm reels of the local newspapers: The Free Press, Lake Crystal Tribune, Lake Region Times, Maple River Messenger and The Land magazine. These additions complete the collection with what is currently available through the Minnesota Historical Society's microfilm lab.
An Americans With Disabilities Act compliant access ramp was added to the front of the two-room Gosen School/Museum to provide access for all who want to enter. The building, built in 1888, was in operation until 1951. Sometime in the early 1990's it was moved to its present location in the city park. It serves as the museum and education center for the artifacts of the early settlers of Winger and the surrounding area. During the project the original entry door was salvaged, repaired and reinstalled instead of the proposed replica replacement.
In order to implement its Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund (ACHF) projects, the Minnesota Historical Society hired an ACHF Program Coordinator to oversee the program administration. The Society also made investments to support administration of the grants program and to fund expanded financial management and administrative functions. By carefully managing its costs, the Society has adhered to the legislative mandate that institutions not spend more than 2.5 percent on administrative expenses.
The MAAMCC created a pilot project that teaches students about the lives and times of noteworthy African American Minnesotans and their contributions to Minnesota and the Nation. The traveling exhibit, called Trunk-It (a museum without walls), presents an actor/docent with a trunk of history props, activities to perform and a story to tell of a Minnesota African American pioneer to elementary age students. Eight pioneers have been identified through research and have been chosen to be portrayed in a Trunk-It exhibit. Currently, two trunks have been completed: Emily O.
The AgBMP Loan Program provides needed funding for local implementation of clean water practices at an extremely low cost, is unique in its structure, and is not duplicated by any other source of funding. The AgBMP loan program provides 3% loans through local lenders to farmers, rural landowners, and agriculture supply businesses. Funds are used for proven practices that prevent non-point source water pollution or solve existing water quality problems.
A robot, powered by solar energy, will be developed to control weeds on agricultural lands. We envision significant reductions in fossil-fuel and herbicide use while increasing local energy production.
This project is a model for future drainage projects across the state and represents a fundamental shift in the way rural drainage systems interact with the landscape. This is a community-based water quality and treatment demonstration project in which landowners, local government, and state agencies have developed a watershed approach to improving water quality and replacing outdated drainage systems. The project will improve water quality, improve wildlife habitat, and develop a process for future projects by constructing water quality features within the 6,000 acre watershed.
The Alexander Ramsey House is an 11,000-square-foot mansion that was home to Minnesota's first territorial governor. The mansion contains approximately 14,000 original furnishings and has one of the most intact collections of Victorian-era artifacts in the Midwest.
Despite these assets and a sound public educational program, the site has experienced a steady decline in attendance. Arts and Cultural Heritage funding is supporting a project to understand the reasons for this decline.
Recognizing the importance of hands-on learning, the Minnesota Historical Society developed new curriculum with a particular emphasis on American Indian history in Minnesota.
One activity from this curriculum allows students to create an Ojibwe shoulder bag. In another activity, students create a winter count, a tool used by the Dakota to record key historical events.
A series of eight oral histories were collected from landscape architects. These interviews document the story of landscape design in 20th Century Minnesota. The participants were asked to reflect on what personal experiences influenced their professions and how Minnesota spaces have been enhanced by landscape architecture over the past century.
As preparation for nomination to the National Register of Historic Places, MHM gathered data (drawings, photographs and measurements) of the dry nautical portion (approximately 25%) of the sternwheel steamer, The Andy Gibson. A trench was dug alongside of the steamer to expose the condition of the portion of the steamer covered by 3-4 feet of soil. Triangulation and measured drawings were used to document the ships construction attributes. A NR nomination was prepared incorporating this new information with older information that was gathered from previ
