Portions of this collection have been digitized and are available online through our digital collections.
To learn more about this collection please see the finding aid link found above, and/or visit the College and Lutheran Church Archives to use these primary sources.
Minnesota College. Collection of Minnesota College, 1904 – 1996. CAMC Collection 10. 13 Records Center Cartons, 12 ½ Hollinger boxes, 15 large card boxes, 10 small card boxes, 19 flat boxes, and 1 oversize drawer.
ABSTRACT:
The Minnesota College collection contains alumni materials, bulletins and catalogs, correspondence, faculty minutes, instructor gradebooks, financial records, photographs, programs, student records and transcripts, student papers, newspapers and yearbooks, brochures and advertisements, scrapbooks, and other memorabilia. Minnesota College was located at the corner of Delaware and Harvard streets in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The school mainly acted as a high school though it included other programs such as music, business, nursing, art, and special courses to help Swedish immigrants assimilate into American society. The school existed from 1904 – 1931 and was owned and controlled by the Minnesota Conference of the Augustana Lutheran Church.
Minnesota College was founded and organized on 4 October 1904 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The school had no capital and no endowment. There were 166 students enrolled during the first year. Acting presidents, Rev. E.O. Stone, Dr. P.M. Magnusson, and Dr. Joshua Larson oversaw the institution during the first three years. Frank Nelson was hired as the permanent president in 1907 and remained leader until the school’s 1931 closure. In April 1930 the Minnesota Conference decided to discontinue Minnesota College as a conference school as of 1 August 1930. In July 1930, the Lutheran Education Association was formed and it leased the school property from the conference. The body intended to keep the school running, but their efforts fizzled, and Minnesota College closed permanently in 1931.
Minnesota College was attended by students of high school age needing skills but not planning to attend college and older students age 22 to 30 with no high school education. It was open to “all denominations and creeds and races,” this “included whites, negroes, Chinese, Japanese, [and] Philippinos [sic].” Students were mostly from Minneapolis and greater Minnesota, but some were from Canada and China.
During its existence Minnesota College had ten different educational programs for students to take.
There was also Summer School and Evening School available where Academic, Commercial, and Music classes were taught.
The Minnesota College collection is organized into twelve series.
Alumni, 1908 – 1996 consists of a register, address lists, reunion information, and minutes from the Alumni Association. This series is organized alphabetically.
Bulletins and Catalogs, 1905 – 1930 holds quarterly and monthly bulletins about campus happenings, as well as course catalogs for the college and the School of Music. This series is divided into two subseries: Bulletins and Catalogs, each section is organized chronologically.
Correspondence, 1911 – 1931 has general correspondence, both incoming and outgoing, from the college. There are two subseries in this series, one contains correspondence to and from Dr. Joshua Larson, mostly concerning transcripts of former students, and the other has incoming and outgoing correspondence from President Frank Nelson. All sections are organized chronologically.
Faculty, 1906 – 1929 includes faculty minutes and gradebooks organized alphabetically by faculty member.
Financial Records, 1904 – 1937 contains account ledgers, cash books, expense ledgers, receipts, student accounts, treasurer’s files, and materials about subscription and fundraising campaigns. This series is organized alphabetically.
Photographs, 1904 – 1941 consists of group photos of different classes and programs, athletics, student organizations, and buildings. Many of the photographs are oversize. This series is arranged thematically.
Programs, 1907 – 1931 is composed of programs for all different types of events happening at Minnesota College. This includes athletic events and musical performances. This series is arranged chronologically.
Registrar and Student Records, 1905 – 1931 encompasses student addresses, enrollment cards, student grades, transcript cards, and annual records. These records are for undergraduates (students who enrolled and took classes but did not graduate) as well as graduates (students who graduated from a specific program). Students in any of the programs at Minnesota College, including the School of Music and the School of Commerce, are included. This series is arranged alphabetically.
Student Organizations and Related Materials, 1905 – 1928 involves materials related to the Ampion Male Chorus, Band, Board of Athletic Control, Commercial Class Club, Girls Club, Literary Society, Missionary Society, Nightingale Club, Olympian Assembly, Oratorio Society, Students Council, and Tegnér Förbunet. This series is arranged alphabetically.
Student Papers, 1917 holds eight papers written by students in 1917. This series is arranged alphabetically by author.
Yearbooks and Newspapers, 1909-1931 contains two subseries: Newspapers and Yearbooks. The Newspapers subseries consists of The Picayune, The Minnesota College Messenger, Minnesota College Messenger, Commencement Times, and Achievement. The Yearbooks subseries holds Moccasin, the Minnesota College yearbook. Both subseries are arranged chronologically.
Miscellaneous, 1904 – 1943 includes Board of Directors minutes, brochures and advertisements for Minnesota College and its different programs, library accession lists, a list of Minnesota College alumni who served in World War II, rules and regulations, and a scrapbook of newspaper clippings. This series is organized alphabetically.
