Helen Parker Mudgett papers
Scope and Content
This collection correspondence, research notes, maps, and the complete manuscript of Helen Mudgett's book on the history of the Chippewa Indians entitled, The Ojibway: Chronicle and Commentary, with Special Reference to the Minnesota Chippewa. It remained unpublished at the time of her death in 1962.
Much of the remainder of this collection consists of handwritten notes which could not be identified, although it is likely they were used for her book research. The original order has been preserved as much as possible.
Professional and personal correspondence documents Professor Mudgett's interest in civil and human rights issues of the 1940s and 1950s as well as family history. Transcripts of interviews by Professor Mudgett of the Red Lake Chippewa are also contained in the collection, as are a set of notes written on 3" X 5" cards, which contain information on Ojibwa tribes, places, persons. Some of the notes written in Ojibwa, some with citations and other without.
Nine maps of Indians and Indian reservations in Minnesota and the United States created and collected by Helen Mudgett were transferred to the Borchert Map Library at the University of Minnesota on November 5, 2008.
Dates
- 1945-1964
Creator
- Mudgett, Helen Parker, 1900-1962 (Person)
Language of Materials
Collection materials in English
Use of Materials
Items in this collection do not circulate and may be used in-house only.
Copyright
Researchers may quote from the collection under the fair use provision of the copyright law (Title 17, U.S. Code). Requests to publish should be arranged with the University of Minnesota Archives.
Biographical Sketch of Helen Parker Mudgett (1900-1962)
Helen Parker Mudgett, B.A. (1921) Wellesley College, M.A. (1923) University of Minnesota. Associate professor of history in the general extension division at the University of Minnesota (1928-1962). Known for her study of the Ojibwa Indians.
Helen Parker Mudgett was born in Lisbon, New Hampshire on March 15, 1900. She received a BA from Wellesley College in 1921 and a Master's degree in history from the University of Minnesota in 1923. She also studied at the University of London and the London School of Economics, afterward returning to the University of Minnesota where she taught in the history department. She also taught at the Summit School for Girls and at Luther College, both in St. Paul. In 1928 she became an instructor in economic history, European civilization and current events in the University's General Extension Division. During World War II, she became editor of the University's widely distributed Reading for the Wartimebulletins. She was also one of the founders of the St. Paul Council of Human Relations, and subsequently served as a board member.
In 1944 she wrote Democracy for All, a study guide on racial and cultural groups and our concepts, laws, and policies for human rights. In 1950-1953 she broadcast a series of talks in this field over the University radio station KUOM, called America Bound. Mudgett's interest in American Indians led her to a long and intense study of the Ojibway and to a history which she had almost completed at the time of her death. She served as the chief coordinator of the series of conferences or seminars on Indian affairs conducted at the Center for Continuation Study from 1953-1955.
She was prominent in the educational movement proceeding the adoption of fair employment legislation in the state. She also served for a time as the educational consultant in economics and human relations for the Montana Farmers' Union and the National Farmers' Union. Among her literary accomplishments was a historical novel, The Seas Stand Watch, portraying the great era of New England's trade and the shift to manufacturing. Helen Mudgett died on September 11, 1962, at the age of 62.
Extent
2.0 Cubic Feet (2)
Abstract
This collection contains the papers of Helen Parker Mudgett, associate professor of history in the general extension division at the University of Minnesota.
Source of acquisition
The bulk of the collection was given to University Archives by Hillis G. Kay on August 16, 1971. A small accretion of miscellaneous correspondence was transferred from the Minnesota Historical Society in August 2008.
- Indians of North America -- Minnesota. Subject Source: Unspecified ingested source
- Ojibwa Indians. Subject Source: Unspecified ingested source
- Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians, Minnesota
- Title
- Helen Parker Mudgett Papers, 1945-1964
- Author
- Carol O'Brien
- Date
- 1990
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- Finding aid written in English
Collecting Area Details
Contact The University Archives Collecting Area
