The collection consists of industrial photographs taken by the donor during the duration of his studio's operation in Virginia, Minnesota which closed in 1956. Mr. Barclay continued shooting for industrial clients through 1963.

The collection consists of one volume of corporate minutes and two volumes of stock certificates.

The collection contains materials related to the Congdon family, including personal and business papers. The papers include: photographs; materials related to the Glensheen estate house, grounds, and staff; Chester Congdon's business, financial, and political papers; materials related to Chester Congdon's 1914 trip around the Pacific; personal correspondence; diaries; and publications and ephemera.

The photographs document the utility and power plants of a variety of Duluth, Minnesota and Iron Range (Virginia, Hibbing, Ely) city buildings and schools. Other Minnesota and South Dakota city buildings are also documented.  Some of the photographs are by professional Duluth photographer Hugh McKenzie.

All postcards donated to the archives are added to this collection. The cards are arranged by the subjects used in the general historical photograph collection; the subjects are filed alphabetically.

The collections contains research materials compiled to write Dr. Hudelson's book published by the University of Minnesota Press in 2006 titled By the Ore Docks: A Working People’s History of Duluth.

The collection contains personal and financial correspondence, letterpress books, scrapbooks, newspaper clippings, manuscripts written about local and family history, financial records, legal papers, maps, photographs, one audio cassette of an interview, and reference materials.

Contains information on the organization of the company, election of officers and directors, stock issues, options and leases on company lands, royalty arrangements, assessments on stocks, taxation on company lands, and the exploration of minerals.

The collection contains one 16mm, black and white, silent film (17 min.) of a 1936 mining inspection trip and tour conducted by U.S. Steel and Ford, Bacon, and Davis, Inc. The tour included Duluth, Minnesota and the surrounding area including the iron range.