Minnesota Reflections - Minnesota Digital Library Project

Many of us doing research in Washington have ancestors who came here from Minnesota. Are you looking for photographs to compliment that research? A fantastic website has been created by the Minnesota Digital Library Project called "Minnesota Reflections". The website displays more than 5,000 images shared by more than fifty cultural heritage organizations from across the state. The website offers a broad view of Minnesota's history for researchers, educators, students, and the public. Copyright information is contained in the results page for each individual photograph. An example of that information can be found here.

You can browse the collections by contributing institution, topic, or regions. The site also has a keyword search and an advanced search. I put a surname in the keyword search and found a cabinet photograph of a man matching that surname (unfortunately not my ancestor). It is a very well designed and easy to navigate website.

Each of the contributing cultural heritage organizations are profiled and contain links to their websites.

The following is the example for the American Swedish Institute:

American Swedish Institute
The American Swedish Institute, a historic museum dedicated to the celebration of Swedish culture, is home to collections on the history of Swedish immigration to the United States, particularly immigration to Minnesota, Swedish-American life and culture and the history and culture of Sweden as it has influenced Swedish America. The American Swedish Institute contributed to "Minnesota Reflections" images from, Svenska Amerikanska Posten, a Swedish-American newspaper, taken between
1898 and 1903.
homepage
view the collection

The Cultural Heritage Organizations Listed and Profiled Are:
American Swedish Institute
Becker County Historical Society
Beltrami County Historical Society
Big Stone County Historical Society Museum
Blue Earth County Historical Society
Carlton County Historical Society
Clearwater County Historical Society
Concordia University, St. Paul
Cottonwood County Historical Society
Dakota County Historical Society
Douglas County Historical Society
Fillmore County Historical Society
Freeborn County Historical Society
Goodhue County Historical Society
Gustavus Adolphus College
Hennepin History Museum
Iron Range Research Center
James J. Hill Library
Lake County Historical Society
Macalester College
Martin County Historical Society
Minneapolis Public Library
Minnesota State University, Mankato
Nicollet County Historical Society
Northeast Minnesota Historical Center
Olmsted County Historical Society
Otter Tail County Historical Society
Pennington County Historical Society
Pipestone County Historical Society
Pope County Historical Society
Renville County Historical Society
Roseau County Historical Society
Sacred Heart Area Historical Society
St. Benedict's Monastery
St. Cloud State University
Saint John's Abbey
Saint Olaf College
Scott County Historical Society
Sherburne County Historical Society
Stearns History Museum
Stevens County Historical Society
Stewartville Public Library
Stillwater Public Library
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
University of Minnesota, Duluth
University of Minnesota Libraries, Kautz Family YMCA Archives
University of Minnesota Libraries, Minnesota Orchestra Archives
University of Minnesota Libraries, Northwest Architectural Archives
University of Minnesota Libraries, University Archives
University of St. Thomas
Wanda Gag House
White Bear Lake Area Historical Society
Winona State University

Two excellent guides to viewing the images in "Minnesota Reflections" have been written by Bonnie G. Wilson photo curator, formerly with the Minnesota Historical Society.

It is an excellent resource to explore if your ancestors journeyed to Washington from Minnesota.

"Minnesota Refections Link"