Aitkin County Historical Society, Depot Museum, and Log Museum Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 01/08/2008 - 13:26
Description

The Society operates a museum complex, complete with research resources, special exhibits, and a museum gift shop. The Depot Museum is housed in the historic 1916 Northern Pacific Depot. The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The museum features a rotating schedule of exhibits regarding the heritage of Aitkin County. Riverboating on the upper Mississippi, native culture, and unique artifacts are explored and displayed in the exhibit halls. The Log Museum was the first home of the Society and was constructed in 1950 with native cedar logs. It was originally located on the court house lawn and moved to its present location in the mid-70s. Exhibits relate to the county's logging heritage, agricultural implements, and tools from the building trades.

The society offers occasional living history events, research library access, and educational and recreational events; the museums offer exhibits and tours.

Duluth Lynchings Online Resource: The Tragic Events of June 15, 1920

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Photo, Interior of cellhouse, Minnesota State Prison, Stillwater
Annotation

On June 15, 1920, a white mob broke into a jail in Duluth, Minnesota, and lynched three black men—Elias Clayton, Elmer Jackson, and Isaac McGhie—accused of raping a white woman. This website tells the story of that attack and its aftermath through more than 700 primary source documents and photographs relating to the lynchings, legal proceedings against members of the lynch mob and several other black men accused of rape, and the incarceration of three white mob members for rioting and one black man for rape. It ends with the aftermath of the incident, including a drop in the black population of Duluth by 16 percent, the formation of an active NAACP chapter in the city, and a campaign for anti-lynching legislation. A Background section sets the scene in 1920s Duluth alongside information on rising racial tensions across the country and lynchings in northern states. An interactive timeline of events surrounding the lynchings, accompanied by an audio narrative, is a good place to begin. All documents are keyword searchable and browseable by document type (government document, newspaper, correspondence) and by date.

Grand Portage National Monument [MN]

Description

For over 400 years Ojibwe families of Grand Portage have tapped maples every spring on a ridge located just off Lake Superior. During the summer, Ojibwe fishermen harvest in the same areas their forefathers have. Before the United States and Canada existed, the trading of furs, ideas, and genes between the Ojibwe and French and English fur traders flourished. From 1778 until 1802, welcomed by the Grand Portage Ojibwe, the North West Company located their headquarters and western supply depot here for business and a summer rendezvous. Today, Grand Portage National Monument and Indian Reservation form a bridge between people, time and culture.

The site offers short films; tours; exhibits; educational programs; demonstrations; and educational and recreational events, including living history events.

Pipestone National Monument [MN]

Description

The Pipestone National Monument was established by Congress in 1937 in order to protect historic pipestone quarries, considered sacred by many American Indians. Today, visitors can tour the quarries, where American Indians continue to quarry stone for sacred pipes today.

The park offers tours and interpretive events during the spring, summer, and fall months. The website offers a history of the site as well as visitor information.

Bill and Bonnie Daniels Firefighters Hall & Museum [MN]

Description

The Firefighters Hall & Museum is dedicated to preserving and showcasing the history of firefighting in Minneapolis, as well as working to educate local children on fire safety and firefighting in general. The museum boasts an impressive collection of firefighting memorabilia and equipment.

The museum offers exhibits and tours. The website offers very basic visitor information.

Hennepin History Museum [MN]

Description

The Hennepin History Museum offers exhibits, an historic mansion setting, and archival collections. Its exhibition and education programs have grown from a focus on original Hennepin County settlers to documenting the wide range of people who make up the county today.

The museum offers exhibits, tours, educational programs, research library access, lectures, and occasional recreational and educational events.

Hinckley Fire Museum

Description

On September 1, 1894, an incredible fire raged in East Central Minnesota. In only four hours, over 300,000 acres -- 480 square miles -- of Minnesota lay in smoldering ruins.

Come visit the Hinckley Fire Museum to find out what happened, who lived, and who died.

The St. Paul & Duluth Railroad Depot, rebuilt immediately after the fire, houses a range of exhibits and features a dramatic mural of the fire, painted by artist Cliff Letty.

Please note that the museum is open May through mid-October

Sibley County Historical Society and Museum [MN]

Description

The Society's Museum is housed in the 1885 Poehler home. In the back yard of the house stands a log cabin built by another German immigrant, Christian Didra, about 1858. This log cabin is a dramatic reminder of the harsh living conditions under which the earliest of the Sibley County pioneers existed.

The society offers occasional recreational and education events; the museum offers exhibits.