Gale Family Library at the Minnesota Historical Society

Gale Family Library at the Minnesota Historical Society Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from Gale Family Library at the Minnesota Historical Society, Nonprofit Organization, 345 Kellogg Boulevard W, Saint Paul, MN.

The reference librarians at the Gale Family Library are maintaining this page as a space to engage with our community of researchers in Minnesota and around the world. On this page, we:
* Share how-to’s, tips, and tricks for researching with our collections

* Highlight helpful resources

* Update people on library news and opportunities

* Answer your research questions

* Invite you to share your research experiences and stories

🗞️Extra! Extra! Senaste nytt! 🗞️ In an ongoing effort to increase access to historic newspapers, we are thrilled to anno...
08/21/2026

🗞️Extra! Extra! Senaste nytt! 🗞️

In an ongoing effort to increase access to historic newspapers, we are thrilled to announce that 1.3 million pages of Swedish American newspapers digitized by the National Library of Sweden are now publicly available online! The newly digitized papers, from over 300 newspaper titles published across the United States and Canada between 1851 and 2007, are available online in the Swedish American Newspapers website hosted by the Minnesota Historical Society.

This expansive project has been years in the making and allows the opportunity for deep research into Swedish American history. We’re so excited to see what you find in these papers– leave us a comment letting us know what you uncover! Happy researching.

Image sources:

Vestkusten. 6 October 1986, p. 1.
https://mnhs.info/4wERYPi

Texas Posten. 16 January 1913, p. 1.
https://mnhs.info/3UM387y

Stridsropet. 22 December 1917, p. 1.
https://mnhs.info/3ULefxz

Svenska Amerikanska Posten. 21 July 1903, p. 1.
https://mnhs.info/4wDJ4li

On the evening of August 20, 1904, a tornado recording winds of up to 110 miles per hour ripped through the Twin Cities ...
08/20/2026

On the evening of August 20, 1904, a tornado recording winds of up to 110 miles per hour ripped through the Twin Cities and Stillwater, killing 14, knocking down spans of the High Bridge, and destroying the Tivoli Concert Hall in St. Paul.

The storm caused havoc across the Twin Cities area. The tornado that destroyed the High Bridge formed near Uptown in Minneapolis, ripped up hundreds of trees and tore roofs off homes. It crossed the Mississippi River near the Tenth Avenue Bridge, skipped over southeast Minneapolis, and raced through the St. Anthony Park area before running through St. Paul.

The same storm produced a tornado in Waconia which killed 5 people and destroyed the city hall. Check out the MNopedia article on the Waconia Cyclone for more information: https://mnhs.info/3UGGb5I

News articles from the event can be found in our digital newspaper hub: https://mnhs.info/3SIC3BJ

Images:

High Bridge after cyclone, St. Paul, 1904. MNHS locator QC2.51b p67

Ruins of the High Bridge, St. Paul, 1904. MNHS locator QC2.51b p66

High Bridge after cyclone, St. Paul, 1904. MNHS locator QC2.51b p68

High Bridge after cyclone, St. Paul, 1904. MR2.9 SP4.2 p146

A rear view of the Tivoli Concert Hall following cyclone, St. Paul, 1904. MNHS locator QC2.51b p56

August 19th is World Photography Day, and we thought it would be fun to share some of our favorite photographs in our co...
08/19/2026

August 19th is World Photography Day, and we thought it would be fun to share some of our favorite photographs in our collections. If you would like to explore our photograph collection, check out Collections Online! https://mnhs.info/4qnkLq8

Images:
Dog with pipe in mouth, approximately 1875. MNHS locator number SF3.1 r14

Cat in doll bed, approximately 1915. MNHS locator number SF3.2 p9

Children eating cotton candy, approximately 1935. MNHS locator number GV1.2 p14

Man sleeping in a chair before a fireplace, a "spirit" at left, approximately 1915. MNHS locator number GV1.4 p6

Picnic. approximately 1910. MNHS locator number GV4.11 r36

Steam locomotive, 1910. MNHS locator number HE6.1 r13

Teenager Mitzi Holter on the telephone, 1947. MNHS locator number HC5.3 p11

Three boys at a food booth at the Minnesota State Fair, 1947. MNHS locator number FM6.55C p13

08/18/2026

This week back in 1858, two steamboats raced up the Mississippi to determine the fastest boat on the river. Both the Grey Eagle & the Itasca sought to deliver a telegram to St. Paul announcing the completion of the transatlantic cable, with the journey for both being over 200 miles.

This 1975 Minnesota Memories segment from KSTP-TV re-enacts the drama and features some special guest actors (with some extra special costume facial hair)!

The Twin Cities have been an exciting hub for music in the United States, especially during the 1980s and 1990s. The alt...
08/17/2026

The Twin Cities have been an exciting hub for music in the United States, especially during the 1980s and 1990s. The alternative music scene has been able to find its home in the Twin Cities in the past and in the present! The library display case for this month highlights some of the bands that were a part of the greater alternative/rock American canon that are from Minnesota. Are there more that you can add to the list?

Images:
Hüsker Dü and Soul Asylum Concert Poster, 1986. Soul Asylum Band Records Collection, MNHS locator: Box 147.J.17.1B

Handbill for Hüsker Dü show at the 7th Street Entry, 9/9/1980. MNHS locator: Accession number 2003.86.17

Têtes Noire Concert Poster, October 9, 1985. First Avenue & 7th Street Entry Band Files Collection. MNHS locator: Box 147.H.12.5B

Twin/Tone Records Fall 1984 Catalog, Soul Asylum Band Records Collection, MNHS Locator: Box 147.J.17.1B

Twin/Tone Records Fall 1984 Catalog, Soul Asylum Band Records Collection, MNHS Locator: Box 147.J.17.1B

Twin/Tone Tidbits Edition about Babes in Toyland, Soul Asylum Band Records Collection, pages 1 and 2. MNHS Locator Box 147.J.17.1B

See more Soul Asylum records at https://mnhs.info/4gkJKWE) and First Avenue & 7th Street Entry records at (https://mnhs.info/4wCpshb)

As we hit the last of the summer months, it seems a good time to take a deep dive into some summer photos from our Colle...
08/12/2026

As we hit the last of the summer months, it seems a good time to take a deep dive into some summer photos from our Collections Online search portal. Some of us can’t stand the heat, some revel in the sun. Either way, here’s a selection of summertime photos so we can pause our busy schedules and enjoy the carefree days of vacations, beaches, BBQs, and shorts!

Images:
8-year old Jane Dornfield using a fan in front of an open refrigerator to cool off (Supplied title), 1955. Minneapolis Tribune Photograph Collection. MNHS locator number: QC1.3 p14

A set of twins in downtown Minneapolis on a hot July 9, 1951. (Supplied title), 1951, Forms part of Minneapolis and St. Paul Newspaper Negative Collection. MNHS locator number M.15.H.2 Packet 9

Wayne Estes (left) and R.M. Gibbs, tunnel crew workers, are able to escape the summer heat (Supplied title), 1936, St. Paul Daily News. MNHS locator number QC1.3 p15

Children cool off in a home-made wading pool, St. Paul. (Supplied title), 1930, St. Paul Daily News (Firm : Saint Paul, Minn.). MNHS locator number QC1.3 p2

Frank Smith cools off his truck motor with cakes of ice, Minneapolis. (Supplied title), 1936, St. Paul Daily News (Firm : Saint Paul, Minn.)
A couple clowns trying to throw a woman into the water on a hot July 27, 1952. (Supplied title), 1952, Minneapolis Star and Tribune Company. MNHS locator number QC1.3 p7

A couple clowns trying to throw a woman into the water on a hot July 27, 1952. (Supplied title), 1952, Minneapolis Star and Tribune Company. MNHS locator number M.14.E.1 Packet 84

Minneapolis Mayor Hubert H. Humphrey throwing out the first pitch for the Minneapolis Millers at Nicollet Park on April 27, 1948. (Supplied title), 1948, Forms part of Minneapolis and St. Paul Newspaper Negative Collection. Additional views may be available at the Library. MNHS locator number M.16.E.1 Packet 47

Burnsville baseball team. (Supplied title), 1939, Minnesota Historical Society Collections. MNHS locator number GV3.11 p68

Happy birthday to the Mall of America which opened 34 years ago today!For those who may not know, the Mall of America is...
08/11/2026

Happy birthday to the Mall of America which opened 34 years ago today!

For those who may not know, the Mall of America is located in the Twin Cities suburb of Bloomington at the intersection of Interstate 494 and State Highway 77/Cedar Avenue. The site was formerly occupied by Metropolitan Stadium, the home of the Minnesota Vikings and the Minnesota Twins before they moved to the Metrodome in 1982. A plaque marking the location of the home plate in Metropolitan Stadium can be found in Nickelodeon Universe (or Camp Snoopy, if you prefer) and one seat from Met Stadium is located above the amusement park commemorating a 520-foot homerun hit by Harmon Killebrew.

The mall is the largest mall in the western hemisphere and the ninth largest in the world, featuring over 500 stores and visited by 40 million people a year. Nickelodeon Universe (formerly Camp Snoopy) is the largest indoor amusement park in the United States spread across 7 acres in the center of the mall.

Interested in learning more about the Mall of America? Check out our research guide: https://mnhs.info/45QRgDB (https://mnhs.info/4bAWRl2)

Images
Mall of America grand opening button.
https://mnhs.info/45RN3zC

Mall of America shopping bag.
https://mnhs.info/4bFecJB

Camp Snoopy paper bag. https://mnhs.info/4bFecJB

Camp Snoopy volunteer badge.
https://mnhs.info/45jJdz2

In July, we added newspaper titles from Chisholm, Hibbing, and Stillwater to the Minnesota Digital Newspaper Hub. Happy ...
08/08/2026

In July, we added newspaper titles from Chisholm, Hibbing, and Stillwater to the Minnesota Digital Newspaper Hub. Happy researching! https://mnhs.info/4wcnKTy

Stillwater evening gazette (Stillwater, Minn.) 1956-1960 added.
https://mnhs.info/4fIRq5Z

Mesaba miner (Chisholm, Minn.) 1928-1943 added.
https://mnhs.info/4fIRenh

Hibbing tribune (Hibbing, Minn.) 1907-1910.
https://mnhs.info/4pYd8WU

Hibbing daily tribune (Hibbing, Minn.) 1910-1921.
https://mnhs.info/4z9EDBk

Image source:
Mesaba Miner. 4 July 1940, p. 1.
https://mnhs.info/45dJkw0

Do you know which Minnesota Civil War unit printed its own newspaper on wallpaper? How about which unit was stuck in a ...
08/07/2026

Do you know which Minnesota Civil War unit printed its own newspaper on wallpaper? How about which unit was stuck in a blizzard in the Dakota Territory? Which artillery unit was at Chickamauga? What guidelines were used to pick out a cavalry horse?

Learn more about the men and units that participated in the Civil War and the U.S.-Dakota War from Minnesota with four refreshed research guides to aid you in discovering new sources!

There is an overarching Civil War Era Military Units Guide (https://mnhs.info/4g2DzXb) with a glossary of commonly used terms (https://mnhs.info/4wS4ufy), and a guide to ranks and job descriptions (https://mnhs.info/4q4A9HN) during the Civil War that includes the commonly used abbreviations. (Did you know that “Brevet” was a designator of a temporary rank? Or that “Dragoons” were a special infantry unit that used horses for greater mobility, but usually fought on foot?)

A new guide to the Civil War Era Infantry units (https://mnhs.info/4wJYhSu) includes expanded summaries for each unit and links to MNopedia articles, as well as updated sources to reflect newly acquired collections and books. (The 4th Minnesota printed their own version of the Vicksburg Daily Citizen after capturing that city. The only paper they could find was wallpaper!)

The guide to Civil War Era Artillery Units (https://mnhs.info/3RUlJxq) gives information about the guns and ammunition used by this specialty troops, as well as photographs of artillery shells from MNHS collections and expanded unit summaries. (The 2nd Light Artillery was at Chickamauga, where a monument to them still stands today). The new guide to Civil War Era Cavalry units (https://mnhs.info/3RYsdeG) also has refreshed summaries and resources. (The 2nd Minnesota Cavalry were caught in that blizzard in 1866).

And, by the way, the ideal Union Cavalry horse was supposed to be at least 15 hands high and weigh an average of 950 pounds.

Image: Second Corps of the Army of the Potomac shamrock or trefoil-shaped corps badge made of stamped brass. The badge was worn during the Civil War by Captain Mahlon Black of the 2nd Company of Minnesota Sharpshooters. (Minnesota Historical Society 3D object collection, 7041.3.G)

Address

345 Kellogg Boulevard W
Saint Paul, MN
55102

Opening Hours

Thursday 10am - 4pm
Friday 10am - 4pm
Saturday 10am - 4pm

Telephone

(651) 259-3300

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