Repository description: With over 1,300 interviews, the Minnesota Historical Society has one of the most extensive oral history collections among repositories that are not universities. Generally focused on Minnesota people and issues, these oral histories typically were conducted by professionally trained oral historians and stretch back to the late 1940s. A high proportion center on business and development.
Regulatory significance: As many of the historical society’s projects have focused on particular industries or development projects, this repository has an unusually rich collection of oral histories involving business regulation, including labor, product safety, and agriculture. It also features oral histories that address land use regulation and environmental issues.
Relevant projects:
Minnesota Powerline Oral History Project
Minnesota Farm Economy Oral History Project
Minnesota Environmental Issues Oral History Project
Red River Valley Sugarbeet Industry Oral History Project
Mississippi Headwaters Board Oral History Project
Pioneers of the Medical Device Industry In Minnesota
Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis
Minnesota Psychiatry
Location: St. Paul, Minnesota
Dates: 1948 – present
Digital access: Almost all interviews, including audio and transcripts, are available online. Some interviews include video that is currently only accessible at the historical society’s library.
