St Louis County Historical Society

TO DISCOVER, PRESERVE, AND DISSEMINATE THE HISTORICAL KNOWLEDGE OF ST. LOUIS COUNTY AND THE STATE OF MINNESOTA THROUGH ARCHIVAL AND MUSEUM SERVICES.

THE ST. LOUIS COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY SERVED PRIMARILY THE RESIDENTS OF ST. LOUIS COUNTY AND THE VISITING PUBLIC THROUGH MUSEUM, ARCHIVAL AND INTERNET-BASED SERVICES. THE SOCIETY'S ST. LOUIS COUNTY DEPOT BASED EXHIBITS WERE NOT FULLY OPEN TO THE PUBLIC UNTIL APRIL 1 DUE TO COVID. AS THE STATE DESIGNATED HISTORY SERVICE PROVIDER FOR THE COUNTY, THE SOCIETY SERVED AN ESTIMATED 113,000 DEPOT VISITORS IN GALLERIES AND AREAS ENHANCED WITH SOCIETY EXHIBITS. 62,832 OF THOSE VISITORS WERE TRACKED BY THE LAKE SUPERIOR RAILROAD MUSEUM AND VIEWED THE SOCIETY/LSRM DEPOT SQUARE EXHIBIT. THE SOCIETY AND THE RAILROAD MUSEUM CONTINUED THEIR RECIPROCAL MEMBERSHIP BENEFITS PROGRAM, ALLOWING SOCIETY MEMBERS FREE AND UNLIMITED YEARLY ACCESS TO THE RAILROAD MUSEUM.ANOTHER 99,000 VISITORS VIEWED THE SOCIETY OWNED PUBLIC MONUMENTS (TUSKEE AIRMAN JOE GOMER AND VIETNAM PRISONER OF WAR DAVID WHEAT) AND A SERIES OF WALL MOUNTED EXHIBITS AT THE DULUTH AIRPORT. A NEW FREE-STANDING 12 PANEL EXHIBIT ON DULUTHIAN JOE GOMER, A TUSKEGEE AIRMAN AND FOUNDER OF THE VETERANS MEMORIAL HALL PROGRAM WAS ADDED TO THE SOCIETY TRAVELING EXHIBITS PROGRAM (19 EXHIBITS TOTAL). THESE EXHIBITS WERE VIEWED BY OVER 200,000 INDIVIDUALS, INSIDE AND OUTSIDE OF THE DEPOT, INCLUDING INSTALLATIONS AT THE BONG HERITAGE CENTER (SUPERIOR, WI), AND THE CROSS RIVER HERITAGE CENTER.THE SOCIETY ARCHIVAL COLLECTIONS ARE HOUSED WITHIN THE NORTHEAST MINNESOTA HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA, DULUTH KATHRYN A. MARTIN LIBRARY. TEN PLUS LINEAR FEET OF ARCHIVAL MATERIALS WERE DONATED TO SOCIETY IN 2021 FOR PROCESSING AND TRANSFER TO THE UMD LIBRARY. SOCIETY OWNED COLLECTIONS ARE ON PERMANENT LOAN, ASSURING SAFE STORAGE, PROFESSIONAL CARE, PUBLIC ACCESS. THE SOCIETY VALUES THIS PARTNERSHIP, DATING BACK TO THE 1980'S, WHEN THE STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY CREATED A SYSTEM OF REGIONAL RESEARCH CENTERS. THE COLLABORATIVE STRUCTURE HAS EVOLVED OVER THE DECADES SINCE ITS INCEPTION, AND EXEMPLIFIES THE IMPORTANCE OF HISTORICAL RECORDS TO THE ACADEMIC COMMUNITY AND THE GENERAL PUBLIC SERVED THROUGH THE COLLECTIONS. HERITAGE CENTER (MN) AND THE B'NAI ABRAHAM SYNAGOGUE CULTURAL CENTER (VIRGINIA, MN)AWARDS: THE SOCIETY PRESIDENT AND THE SOCIETY ERIE MINING HISTORY PROJECT TEAM WERE RECOGNIZED FOR EXCELLENCE IN RESEARCHING, WRITING AND PUBLISHING A BOOK AND PRODUCING A TRAVELING EXHIBIT DOCUMENTING THE HISTORY OF A TACONITE MINE. THE TEAM WAS AWARDED THE 2021 MINNESOTA HISTORY AWARD BY THE MINNESOTA ALLIANCE OF LOCAL HISTORY MUSEUMS, THE MINING HISTORY ASSOCIATION'S MARY LEE SPENCE DOCUMENTARY BOOK AWARD, AND THE BESELME-ORRELL MINING HERITAGE AWARD. THE SOCIETY'S EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT, AS AN INDEPENDENT AUTHOR, WAS AWARDED THE 2021 MINNESOTA HISTORY AWARD BY THE MINNESOTA ALLIANCE OF LOCAL HISTORY MUSEUMS FOR A HISTORY/GENEALOGY BOOK. PROCEEDS FROM BOOK SALES ARE DONATED TO THE SOCIETY. THE SOCIETY'S EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR WAS AWARDED THE 2021 VERMILION COMMUNITY COLLEGE LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD GRANT HIGHLIGHTS: ON FEBRUARY 1, 2021 WORK STARTED ON A $149,943 LEGACY GRANT FUNDED PROJECT TO PURCHASE SUPPLIES, DOCUMENT/INVENTORY, ASSESS, PHOTOGRAPH AND RE-PACKAGE AN ESTIMATED 17,000 3D OBJECTS. THE GRANT FUNDS 8,000 HOURS OF WORK BY TEMPORARY COLLECTIONS ASSISTANTS AND IS EXPECTED TO BE COMPLETE IN 2022. NOVEMBER GRANT FOR $42,475 FROM THE DEPOT FOUNDATION WILL PURCHASE CUSTOM EXHIBIT CASES FOR DELIVERY IN 2022, EXPANDING THE ABILITY TO SAFELY AND PROFESSIONALLY DISPLAY ARTIFACTS INSIDE AND OUTSIDE OF DEDICATED GALLERY SPACES. AN $3,000 LLOYD K. JOHNSON GRANT WAS AWARDED IN JUNE TO FUND THE TRANSCRIPTION OF VETERAN'S ORAL HISTORIES. A $12,000 GRANT FROM THE SAME FOUNDATION, AND OVER $6,000 OF DESIGNATED PRIVATE GIFTS, MADE POSSIBLE THE PUBLICATION OF A BOOK CELEBRATING THE SOCIETY'S COLLECTIONS. THE PUBLICATION, RESEARCHED AND WRITTEN BY SOCIETY STAFF, WILL BE PUBLISHED FOR THE SOCIETY'S CENTENNIAL IN FALL, 2022. EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS: SEVEN HISTORICALLY ACCURATE AND CULTURALLY SENSITIVE LEARNING GUIDES WERE RESEARCHED BY FORMER SOCIETY PRESIDENT MICHELE HAKALA BEEKSMA AND OTHER MEMBERS OF THE SOCIETY'S AMERICAN INDIAN ADVISORY COMMITTEE. THE GUIDES, PRODUCED BY THE SOCIETY, ARE AVAILABLE ON-LINE AND TO MUSEUM VISITORS, ASSURING A CREDIBLE SOURCE OF INFORMATION AVAILABLE TO RESEARCHERS.- LEARNING GUIDES DOWNLOADED 553 TIMES- 900 PRINT COPIES DISTRIBUTED ERIE MINING HISTORY PROJECT TEAM DEVELOPED DIGITAL RESOURCES (TEACHER AND STUDENT LEARNING GUIDES) TO COMPLEMENT THE 2019 AWARD WINNING PUBLICATION TACONITE: NEW LIFE FOR MINNESOTA'S IRON RANGE . . . THE HISTORY OF THE ERIE MINING COMPANY- DIGITAL RESOURCES ACCESSED BY 423 EDUCATORS & STUDENTSSCHOLARSHIPS: MIKE COLALILLO SCHOLARSHIP AWARDED AT THE 2021 VETERANS REMEMBRANCE DINNER ($1,500) ERIE MINING COMPANY SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATION PROCESS INITIATED IN 2021 ($1,500) JAMES JOSEPH HUBERT SCHOLARSHIP ADMINISTRATION/FUNDING/FUNDRAISING AGREEMENT INITIATED BY HUBER FAMILY. ALL SCHOLARSHIPS ARE ADMINISTERED THROUGH THE DULUTH SUPERIOR AREA COMMUNITY FOUNDATION (DSACF). SCHOLARSHIPS RECIPIENTS ARE RECOGNIZED BY THE SOCIETYAFFILIATED HISTORICAL ORGANIZATIONS:THE SOCIETY RE-GRANTED $85,116 OF OPERATIONAL FUNDING TO SIX AFFILIATED HISTORICAL ORGANIZATIONS: ELY-WINTON HISTORICAL SOCIETY; TOWER-SOUDAN HISTORICAL SOCIETY; VIRGINIA AREA HISTORICAL SOCIETY; HIBBING HISTORICAL SOCIETY; MINNESOTA MUSEUM OF MINING IN CHISHOLM; SISU HERITAGE, INC. IN EMBARRASS. THE OPERATIONS OF THE SIX AFFILIATES ARE MONITORED, PER THE SOCIETY BY-LAWS, TO ASSURE COMPLIANCE WITH THE FUNDER'S (ST. LOUIS COUNTY) STIPULATIONS FOR AFFILIATION. THE AFFILIATES ENHANCE THE HISTORICAL SERVICES AVAILABLE TO COUNTY RESIDENTS AND VISITORS BY PROVIDING A UNIQUE EXPERIENCE RELATED TO THE GEOGRAPHICAL AREA THEY SERVE OR THE SUBJECT MATTER THEY COVER. SISU HERITAGE FOCUSES ON BUILDING PRESERVATION AND THE MINNESOTA MUSEUM OF MINING COVERS THE CHISHOLM AREA AS WELL AS COLLECTING MINING ARTIFACTS AND ARCHIVAL MATERIALS. AFFILIATED ORGANIZATIONS SERVED ABOUT 13,500 INDIVIDUALS THROUGH THEIR MUSEUMS, PROGRAMS AND EVENTS. SUMMARY:THE YEARLY WORK OF THE SOCIETY, LIKE MOST HISTORICAL ORGANIZATIONS, IS DIFFICULT TO QUANTIFY AND QUALIFY. THE SOCIETY HAS BEEN COLLECTING SINCE 1922.THE UNIQUE ARTIFACTS AND ARCHIVAL MATERIALS HELD IN PUBLIC TRUST REACH HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF INDIVIDUALS, YEARLY, WHEN INCLUDED IN MASS COMMUNICATIONS (BROADCASTING, PUBLISHING AND THE INTERNET). SOCIETY PRESIDENT ROBERT S. MARS JR. (1916 2016) CAPTURED THE IMPORTANCE OF COLLECTIONS BY REMINDING US "THE OBJECTS WE COLLECT AND PRESERVE NOT ONLY TOUCHED THE HANDS OF THEIR FORMER OWNERS, BUT TOUCHED THEIR HEARTS." HE BELIEVED COLLECTIONS CAN TOUCH HEARTS AND OPEN MINDS. HE REMINDED STAFF THAT THEY THEIRS WAS A SACRED RESPONSIBILITY - - TO HONOR THE PAST BY PRESERVING TOUCH POINTS FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS.