Inventory of the University of Minnesota Department of Forest Resources Records, 1875 – 2006
Descriptive Summary
Abstract: The University of Minnesota’s College of Food, Agriculture and Natural Resource Sciences has a highly respected curriculum in Forestry. The program has cooperated with local authorities and residents since the late 19th century to protect the environment while maximizing harvest yields. The University maintains experimental stations and forests to study agriculture, forestry, and the management of renewable resources.
The collection contains journals, logs, summaries of college programs, reports, biographies, articles, personal correspondence, photographs, and programs of events. All materials in this collection are photocopies. Originals can most likely be found in the College of Forestry Records at the University of Minnesota, Archives and Special Collections.
Title: University of Minnesota Department of Forest Resources Records, 1875 – 2006
Creator: University of Minnesota
Repository: Forest History Society Library and Archives
Call Number: 7926
Language of Material: Material in English
Extent: 0.5 linear ft. (1 archival box)
Historical Note
The University of Minnesota’s College of Food, Agriculture and Natural Resource Sciences has a highly respected curriculum in Forestry. The program has cooperated with local authorities and residents since the late 19th century to protect the environment while maximizing harvest yields. The University maintains experimental stations and forests to study agriculture, forestry, and the management of renewable resources.
The University of Minnesota’s School of Forestry was originally conceived by the University’s first president, William Watts Folwell, who proposed its establishment in January of 1881. Professor Samuel B. Green laid the foundation for the University’s School of Forestry in 1889 when he introduced a high-school level course in the School of Agriculture. By 1903 the college catalog listed a Bachelor of Science degree with a specialization in forestry.
Led by Green, the university established a training site at the Itasca State Park, and acquired 3400 acres for an experimental forest near Cloquet, Minnesota to allow students to apply practical solutions to real-world situations. The university moved instruction to the Itasca State Park Site in 1909.
The burgeoning School of Forestry became a Division in the University’s Agricultural College in 1917. The Division of Forestry was accredited by the Society of American Foresters in 1934, and offered its first master’s program in 1940. The University renamed its Division of Forestry the School of Forestry in 1949, and again renamed it the College of Forestry in 1970. In 1988 the University rechristened the College of Forestry yet again, this time as the College of Natural Resources. The College of Natural Resources continued unchanged until 2005, when the University integrated its programs with those of the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences and the Department of the Food Science and Nutrition Colleges. The result was ultimately named the College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences at the University of Minnesota.
Collection Overview
Materials include photocopies of journals, logs, summaries of college programs, reports, biographies, articles, personal correspondence, photographs, and programs of events. All materials in this collection are photocopies. Originals can most likely be found in the College of Forestry Records at the University of Minnesota, Archives and Special Collections.
Subject Headings
- Allison, J. H. (John Howard)
- Cloquet Forest Experiment Station
- Green, Samuel B. (Samuel Bowdlear), 1859-1910
- Itasca State Park (Minn.)
- Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station
- University of Minnesota
- University of Minnesota. Division of Forestry
Detailed Description of the Collection
1. University of Minnesota’s Department of Forestry, 1844 – 2006.
Box 1
- Folder 1: 1844 – 1950.
Folder 1 contains materials from the earliest days of the University of Minnesota’s College of Forestry. Materials include birthday cards, reprints of articles, essays, excerpts of University catalogs, histories, obituaries, logs, journals, and programs from events. - Folder 2: 1950 – 1980.
Folder 2 contains reports regarding pine growth and fire damage in Minnesota, statistics comparing schools of forestry, biographies, and a list of recipients of the T. Schantz-Hansen Memorial Fellowship (with their proposals). Several communiques and articles discuss the St. Paul Water Department’s man-made forest, ultimately named after the man who established and managed it, J. H. Allison. Folder 2 also contains summaries of the Forestry Research Program from 1966, and tributes to David W. French, Samuel Green, and J. H. Allison. - Folder 3: 1980-2004.
Folder 3 contains materials related to the Lake Itasca Forestry and Biological Station, including photographs, memos, articles, and reports. One article notes the summer session’s move from Itasca to Cloquet Forestry Center. Folder 3 also contains State of the College addresses, overviews of college departments, histories of Minnesota forestry and the University, an original outline of the University’s Course in Forestry from 1902, and personal histories of Samuel Green and Egolfs Bakuzis. - Folder 4: History File – Notes on Strategic Positioning from 2004-2006.
Folder 4 contains documents regarding the strategic repositioning of several colleges at the University of Minnesota. These documents include announcements, proposals, articles, and minutes of meetings. Folder 4 also includes information on the Cloquet Forestry Center, including maps, printouts, event announcements, calendars, and pamphlets. - Folder 5: Comprehensive History Files.
Folder 5 contains articles, timelines, chronologies, correspondence, and essays which provide overviews of the University of Minnesota’s College of Natural Resources, Department of Forest Resources, and North Central Experiment Station.
Administrative Information
Access Restrictions
No restrictions.
Copyright Notice
The nature of the Forest History Society’s archival holdings means that copyright or other information about restrictions may be difficult or even impossible to determine despite reasonable efforts. The Forest History Society claims only physical ownership of most archival materials.
The materials from our collections are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study, pursuant to U.S. Copyright law. The user must assume full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials. Any materials used for academic research or otherwise should be fully credited with the source.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], University of Minnesota Department of Forest Resources Records, Library and Archives, Forest History Society, Durham, NC, USA.
Processing Information
Processed by Wes Collins, January 2012
Encoded by Wes Collins, January 2012
Support for digitization and outreach provided by the Alvin J. Huss Endowment.
