Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1870-03-10
The State Historical society.


We have received copies Of the adj
dress Of Moses NJ Strong, delivered be.
fore .he State Historical Society at Mad.
ison, on the ath of February. Mr..
Strongs subject, Territorial Legislation
in Wisconsin, being one with which he
is familiar, he was peculiarly qualified
10 do it justice, AS historical sketch
of the doings Of the territory, from 1886
to 1913, the address is valuable, for the
information it contains, and is interests
ing and amusing for the style in which it
is composed Hon, II. s. Orion, before
introducing Mr.. Strong on the occasion,
made brief statement in relation to the
origin, progress and present coalition Of
the State Historical Society, the follows
ing extracts from which are Of interest
enough to be placed before our readers
TwentY-one years ago this Society
was first organized, and for the first FIVE
years, did little else than to keep up the
iormalitJ of an annual meeting; and, at
the time Of its reorganization, in Janua-
ry, 1854, it had ali told, but afty volumes,
bound and unbound in its collection -
Since that time, it has received the fost-
ering care Of the State, and the constant
and unremitting labors nf Mr.. Draper,
its Corresponding Secretary, and has
made for itself, and for the State, to
which it belongs, and whose organ it is,
name and reputation which elected
from the late distinguished historian
Jared Sparks, this high eulogium dur,
Ing the time since the State Historical
Society Of Wisconsin was founded, it
seems to have done more than any SINH
lar Society IN the country, and has set an
example Of enterprise and acti sity which
any Society in the world may be proud
to follow From the fifty volumes, six
teen years ago the library has rapidly
expanded to over $4,000 volumes and
documents embracing in the several de-
partlnents of its collection, some of the
rarest and most valuable works in our
own and other languages, some Of which
it would be difficult If not i'm possible, to
duplicate anywhere But the mere gath
ering of a noble library, which is of it,
self, living evidence and perpetual
record of the cultivated taste and unAag-
ging deyotion of our people in fostering
snch collection, is not the only object
of great public utility accomplished by
this Society 1t has gathered, with un
firing enengy, the early incidents con-
nected with the foundation and growth
of WiscOnsin-many of its most interest
ins historical details of century and
quarter ago, and copies of manuscript
documents OF even an earlier date. 1t has
gathered together one of the largest and
most valuable collections Of b. I'd news
paper files to he found anywhere in the
country, numbering over fifteen hundred
volumes, including papers pub ished by
Franklin himself, giving the youthful be-
ginnngs of the world-renowned career
of the immortal Washington, and Of the
entire period Of the Revolutionary War,
and covering every year thence down to
the present time. The mere pre.erva.
ton of our own Wisconsin files Of news
papers is vastly important; they contain
thousands OF published legal notices most
necessary to be preserved, and frequent~
y Indispensable in cases Of litigation be-
fore our courts.