The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1920-08-20
MINNES0TA'S PART
IN THE WORLD WAR

Noteworthy progress in the collec-
ton of records of Minnesota's part in
the World war has been made bv the
Minnesota War Records Commission,
according to a report recently sub
rotary.
Detailed statements of the services
of about ninety thousand Minnesota
soldiers, sailors, and marines are now
on file in the Historical Building, st.
Paul, accompanied in many cases by
soldiers photographs, letters, cita-
lions, and other papers. These re-
cords have been arranged by counties
and every effort is being made, largely
records committees, to complete the
file of every county in the state.
A Gold Star Roll" consisting Of
detailed records of Minnesotans who
lost their lives in the service. is being
compiled by the commission in CO.
operation with the Public Safety
Commission. The services of Red
Cross nurses, Y. M. G. A. Workers,
Knights Of Columbus secretaries, and
corded IN the same manner.
A growing collection of military
histories, soldiers publications, and
reports of civilian war organizations
has been gotten together as the
nucleus of a state war library. In
the museum of the Historical Building
have been installed a number of in
teresting collections OF war relics.
Many important war agencies have
turned over to the commission for
permanent preservation their original
files Of official correspondence and
records-material with which the his
torian can construct moving pictures,
as it were, of events from day to day
during the war.
County war records committees, or
ganized throughout the state, have
been assisting the commission in the
collection Of records of interest to
the state as a whole and at the same
time have been builalns ny cuiIec-
tons of their own for local preserva-
ton.
These committees are financed 10
cally under authority of law au-
thorizing county boards and other
local governing bodies to appropriate
funds for this purpose. Committees
in the following counties hive re-
ceived support as indicated: Ramsey,
$4,000: Marshall, Murray, and Rice,
81 900 each; MOBILES. $3.50; Lake Mo
ollet, and Polk, $500 each; st. Louis,
$3.50: and a number Of .oo others
$500. Official county war histories
will be published by a number of the
local committees, including those of
Beltrami, Chisago, Kandiyohi, LIE
Sueur, Polk, Rice, and Ramsey coun-
ties.
These committees are rendering
valuable service, especially in COM
piling service records. To mention
but one example: the Rice County
War Records Committee has over a
thousand service records: photo
graphs, in triplicate, of over seventy
Ave per cent Of the local service men;
a complete Gold Star" roll; records
of all Red Cross nurses; photographs
and files Of records relating to all i'm
portant local war activities; and other
significant material.
Even in many counties where local
publishers have summarized and pre-
scented the main facts In book form,
these committees lave an important
work to do In the collection and pre-
servation of original records and Of
detailed information which under the
circumstances could not be incorpor-
ated In the printed books, but which
nevertheless ought by all means to
he preserved