Forest History Center Expanding to Preserve and Promote History in Grand Rapids

GRAND RAPIDS, Minn (July 30, 2024) – The Forest History Center is growing! The Minnesota Historical Society (MNHS) purchased 29.6 acres of land from the UPM Blandin Paper Company, which expands the Grand Rapids site’s footprint to nearly 200 acres.

The parcels of land are adjacent to the Forest History Center and will be utilized in a number of ways:

• Providing room for new site programming that teaches visitors about the environmental history of forests in Minnesota
• Creating additional grazing land for the site’s draft animals, a growing program that is engaging visitors
• Preserving the known archaeological remains of a 19th-century farmstead, as well as unknown archaeological resources yet to be discovered

The Forest History Center site is along the Mississippi river and features managed and unmanaged forests, wetlands, and grasslands that abound with wildlife. The Blandin Paper Company donated the original 170 acres to MNHS during the 1970s and 1980s. The Forest History Center was established by the Minnesota Historical Society in 1978. 

The sale was made possible through funding provided by the Minnesota Legacy Amendment Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund, through the vote of Minnesotans on Nov. 4, 2008. The Legacy Amendment supports efforts to preserve Minnesota land, water, and legacy, including Minnesota history and cultural heritage.

About the Minnesota Historical Society

The Minnesota Historical Society is a non-profit educational and cultural institution established in 1849. MNHS collects, preserves and tells the story of Minnesota’s past through museum exhibits, libraries and collections, historic sites, educational programs, and book publishing. Using the power of history to transform lives, MNHS preserves our past, shares our state’s stories, and connects people with history.