This collection consists of field notebooks created by the personnel of the Minnesota Geological Survey (MGS) and its predecessor, the Minnesota Geological and Natural History Survey (MGNHS). The notes include basic data used to compile annual reports and bulletins on geological matters. For a description of the extent of geological work performed during the eras of the MGNHS and MGS, consult George M. Schwartz, “History of the Minnesota Geological Survey,” which identifies the individual studies made by officers of the survey between 1872 and 1963. The MGS was a major source of funding for faculty research, which focused on field petrology, mineralogy and economic geology and aligned to the individual professional interests and academic [...]
Summary
This collection consists of field notebooks created by the personnel of the Minnesota Geological Survey (MGS) and its predecessor, the Minnesota Geological and Natural History Survey (MGNHS). The notes include basic data used to compile annual reports and bulletins on geological matters. For a description of the extent of geological work performed during the eras of the MGNHS and MGS, consult George M. Schwartz, “History of the Minnesota Geological Survey,” which identifies the individual studies made by officers of the survey between 1872 and 1963.
The MGS was a major source of funding for faculty research, which focused on field petrology, mineralogy and economic geology and aligned to the individual professional interests and academic pursuits of the faculty of the Department of Geology. Of special note are the field notes kept by Ulysses S. Grant, who did most of his work in Northern Minnesota on the North Shore of Lake Superior. His notes are among the most complete and include a study of the gold mining along Rainy Lake (Box 1, folders 6-7; Box 2, folders 8-9). Others notebooks, while less detailed than Grant's, contain a great deal of information about Minnesota geology and natural history. Some of the volumes are in poor condition and have broken bindings and loose pages.
Field notebooks belonging to MGS geologists Mark Jirsa, Terry Boerboom, and Dave Southwick were scanned as part of a NGGDPP 2021-2022 project, but are currently stored internally. Related metadata from this project is available below and materials can be requested.
For materials currently hosted in the University of Minnesota Library system, please contact University of Minnesota Archives at uar@umn.edu.
For NGGDPP 2021-2022 internally-stored scanned materials, please contact MGS geologist Amy Radakovich Block at rada0042@d.umn.edu.
Purpose
Field notebooks host valuable, historical insights from MGS geologists.
