Legacy Funds Support Statewide History-Based Partnerships in 2021

Eight Minnesota history-based partnerships received grants this year from the Heritage Partnership Program administered by the Minnesota Historical Society.

The Heritage Partnership Program’s goal is to preserve and enhance access to Minnesota’s history and cultural resources by supporting the creation and development of sustainable, history-based partnerships throughout the state.

This program is made possible by the Legacy Amendment's Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund through the vote of Minnesotans on Nov. 4, 2008.

The following partnerships received funding:

• City of Park Rapids, Park Rapids, $25,000

To develop an interpretive themes study as the first step to creating an integrated heritage tourism program for the Park Rapids History Trail.

Partner: Hubbard County Historical Society

• Mower County Historical Society, Austin, $41,400

To interpret the Grand Meadow Chert Quarry from a Dakota perspective for onsite signage, a video, and an online visitors guide for parents, teachers, and the public.

Partner: Prairie Island Indian Community

• East Side Freedom Library, St. Paul, $85,680

To plan and develop a cross-organizational strategy to preserve, digitize, and interpret African American Artists' work in Minnesota.

Partner: Museum of African American Heritage and Gallery, In Black Ink

• Renville County Historical Society, Morton, $53,686

To develop a cultural heritage tourism master plan for Minnesota communities located along the Yellowstone Trail.

Partner: Big Stone Historical Society & Museum, Chippewa County Historical Society, Renville County Historical Society & Museum, Carver County Historical Society, Washington County Historical Society

• Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness, St. Paul, $44,480

To enhance the use of contemporary Ojibwe material into the existing school programming with the support of an internship program.

Partner: The College of St. Scholastica

• Lake of the Woods County Historical Society, Baudette, $18,795

To hire a conservator to perform testing and analysis of heavy metal and organic pesticides on selected pieces of taxidermy in the collections of three Lake of the Woods area museums.

Partner: Roseau County Historical Society, Warroad Heritage Center

• City of Mendota Heights, Mendota Heights, $44,500

To develop an interpretive program plan for Oȟéyawahe/Pilot Knob, focusing on engaging Indigenous groups throughout the process.

Partner: Pilot Knob Preservation Association, Dakota County

• Ramsey County Historical Society, St. Paul, $88,055

To strengthen African American history research & community engagement with the Arthur C. McWatt Fellows in four metro counties while building a model for equitably engaging more communities in the future.

Partner: Hennepin History Museum, Anoka County Historical Society, Dakota County Historical Society

The next grant application deadline is Jan. 21, 2022. For more information on the Heritage Partnership Program visit http://www.mnhs.org/preservation/grants/partnership

About the Minnesota Historical Society

The Minnesota Historical Society is a nonprofit educational and cultural institution established in 1849. MNHS collects, preserves and tells the story of Minnesota’s past through museum exhibits, libraries and collections, historic sites, educational programs and book publishing. Using the power of history to transform lives, MNHS preserves our past, shares our state’s stories and connects people with history.