The historic Northern Pacific Railroad Shops and the significant role they played in the development of Brainerd are the subject of this video produced by Central Lakes College student, Tyler Mumm.





All floors of the museum are now open to the public, including the newly-expanded exhibit area on the third floor.




Announcement from Executive Director Pam Nelson: "The Crow Wing County Fair Association in collab­oration with the Historical Society has recently been awarded a County Fair Arts Access and Cultural Heritage Grant that will be used to restore the historic Carbine house at the fairgrounds. Once again fair goers will have the opportunity to see one of the area's first log structures. The building was first used as a trading post and later became a dwelling."

More information can be found on our Carbine House Restoration web page.




The Annual meeting was held at Yesterday's Gone with about 60 people in attendance for the meeting and delicious dinner. For the program, Jeremy Jackson, railroad historian from the Brainerd area and co-author of the upcoming book: Lost Railroads of Gull and Spider Lakes in Cass and Crow Wing Counties spoke about his discoveries while doing research for his book. In the business meeting, by acclamation, Ron Crocker and Shirley Jensen were re-elected to serve new three-year terms. For the complete list of board members, see the Contact Us page.




The 2012 Brainerd Lakes Railroad Roundhouse Symposium on Saturday, September 15, 2012 at the Northern Pacific Industrial Center was attended by over 180 people. As part of the program, the original NP Shops Steam Whistle on display at the museum blew once again for the first time in 29 years.


Lakeland Public TV did a nice Community Spotlight report on the Symposium and the NP Railroad's connection with the founding of Brainerd.







Exciting news for genealogists and researchers! Thanks to a state grant and generous donors, the Crow Wing County Historical Society has purchased a ScanPro 2000 Digital Microfilm Scanner for its research library. It attaches to a PC and digitally scans microfilm or microfiche. The digital scan can be printed, emailed, or saved to a flash drive.

We applied for and were awarded another state grant to restore a very large portrait of Lyman P. White (1810 - 1902), said by some to be the "Father of Brainerd" for all he did in the early days of Brainerd. The portrait used to be on display in the former museum located in the basement of the court house, but has been in storage due to its poor condition. When the restoration and frame repair is complete, it will once again be on prominent display in the museum.

The state grants for these projects were made possible by the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund through the vote of Minnesotans on November 4, 2008. Administered by the Minnesota Historical Society.




Through a collaboration of the Brainerd History Group, the Brainerd Public Library, the Crow Wing County Historical Society and a tremendous group of volunteers, you can now tour the history of Downtown Brainerd in a variety of formats.

• Read- The guidebooks are available for check out at the Brainerd Public Library and online as a downloadable PDF. The tour details 35 different locations and covers about 1.4 miles.
  
  
• Listen- An audio tour can be played on your computer or downloaded to any MP3 device to listen to as you walk. You can also checkout the audio version of the guidebook on CD from the library.
  
  
• Watch- The history of Brainerd can be seen through two short videos, “Brainerd Begins” and “The Historical Brainerd Water Tower”.
  

All items are available at the City of Brainerd's website: http://www.ci.brainerd.mn.us/history/historywalk.

This project was funded in part or in whole with money from Minnesota's Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund.



The Crow Wing County Historical Society has been keeping tabs on Crow Wing County's history since 1927. The museum has three floors of exhibits including displays on the lumber industry, the railroads, mining, and home life. You can also walk through a period home from the early 1900s, completely restored!

Venture into your own history using the museum's research library; look through hundreds of historical photographs, maps, and books. Page through historical copies of several area newspapers, some going back to the late 1800s.

The museum and library are open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 AM to 3 PM. We ask a donation of $3.00 per adult. Come take a look!




The March 4, 2010 episode of Lakeland Public TV's "Common Ground" program has a segment narrated by former Museum Director Marilyn Anderson that was taped in January showcasing the Sheriff's Residence and exhibits. Watch the segment online (00:08:40 long) by clicking on the image, below (will open a new window).