We at MDC LOVE and THANK Volunteers!

The only way a place like the Minnesota Discovery Center can exist, is through the hard work of the dedicated volunteers. The work that volunteers do in the community is mind blowing because they contribute so much. They not only contribute time, but also spirit and energy, which is what makes a community a better place to live. My new volunteer is assisting me in organizing past exhibit data by creating scrap books! It's great because now we can keep this part of Iron Range history alive and documented. So, Thank You, to all of the volunteers here and in our community!

There are so many different projects to fit the needs and wants of a volunteer here. Just ask us!

See below for volunteering facts from Volunteering In America.

Mystery Solved

By Mai Vang, Curator

Backlogs of unsolved mysteries sits down in collection for years and years, to no one's fault. As any museum curator/administrator/collections manager knows, that is the nature of the beast.

When I first came on staff, one of the first emails I received was from the St. Louis County Historical Society's collections manager.When the Minnesota Discovery Center, formerly Iron Range Interpretative Center, first started we borrowed some Stuntz items from them... 28 years ago. George Stuntz was a government surveyor who discovered the Vermilion Range iron ore deposits and helped develop Duluth and St. Louis County.

“I came in 1852. I saw the advantage of (Minnesota Point) as clearly then as I do now. On finishing the survey for the government, I went away to make a report, and then returned the next spring and came for good. I saw surely knew then as I do now that this was the heart of the continent commercially, and so I drove my stakes.” -George Stuntz

A couple of weeks ago, I met with staff members from the St. Louis Historical Society and finally returned the items. This is a collection manager and curator's dream. Paperwork and artifacts are back to where they belong and we can continue our jobs in solving more collections mysteries.

Finding Mystery Boxes

By Mai Vang, Curator

 

I envy my inventory assistants. They get to handle each and every mysterious object in the collection. In my rush to leave my office to some meeting or other, I glanced at a box and rushed straight back to photograph it.

What treasures are inside of it? Where did it come from? How old is it? Although I believe Jason has learned its secret, the answers allude me, for now.

What mysterious boxes have you found in your attic? Tell us your stories.

On the left is the mystery box that Jason is inventorying.

On the right is a piece of textile that Mary has finished up and started wrapping.

Inventory: Wall to Wall

By Mai Vang, Curator

Minnesota Discovery Center received a grant through the Arts and cultural Heritage Fund in October 2010 to conduct a wall-to-wall inventory of the object collection. We have an estimated 10,000 + number of objects in the collection that includes everything from the mundane household item to large equipment to artworks.

Our goal: To inventory 10,000 objects by 2013.

Next step: Identify preservation and storage needs to properly care for these historical objects.

By April 27, 2011, Mary Erickson and Jason Scorich have inventoried 3,000 objects! Great job!