MINNESOTA SOCIETY OF PROFESSIONAL SURVEYORS:

The Minnesota Land Surveyors Association was organized on April 11, 1953 with the dual purpose of advancing and uniting the profession and improving the quality of land surveys through licensure and standardization. Membership originally was open to any registered land surveyors who were actively engaged in land surveying as a commercial business. Early accomplishments included the appointment of a licensed surveyor on the State Board of Registration for Architects, Engineers, and Land Surveyors in 1956 and the development of ethical standards for professional conduct in 1972. The organization is affiliated with the American Congress of Surveying and Mapping. In 1989 the association changed its name to the Minnesota Society of Professional Surveyors.

Return to top

The records reflect the organization's mission to seek professional recognition for its members, to raise the standards of professional service, and to promote beneficial legislation. It published papers and small monographs on all aspects of surveying. Membership included county, city, and state surveyors, as well as private surveying firms.

The minutes (1954-1980) of the association's annual meetings and board of directors meetings were loaned to the Minnesota Historical Society for microfilming in 1985 and 1986. These minutes document the activities and concerns of the organization, including organizational structure and membership; conventions; professional issues such as educational requirements; continuing education; professional standards and status; professional affiliations and relationships; relations with the Minnesota Highway Department and other state and local government agencies; the status and updating of survey records; standards for property boundary surveys in Minnesota; and legislation relating to such issues as monumentation, lien laws, registration of county surveyors, professional liability insurance, and statute of limitations. The minutes also contain financial reports, various committee reports, and letters. The quantity of the original minutes consisted of 1.25 cubic feet including 1 volume.

Administrative files contain minutes, correspondence, financial information, president's reports and newsletters, committee reports, workshop and convention announcements, printed material, annual meeting information, and related material. Materials pertaining to the activities of Chapter 1, located in the southwest portion of the state, are also included within the administrative files.

The collection includes a very small set of papers presented at annual meetings. These papers cover a variety of topics and include historical information concerning surveys of Minnesota public and Indian lands and contemporary information concerning professional training and licensure, legal aspects, surveying methods, ethics, and technical standards. A booklet prepared for the Association's 25th annual meeting includes a brief history of the Association as well as papers from presentations given between 1958 and 1975.

Reports from the Association's historian Harley R. Schneider provide information regarding his search for documentation related to the original public land survey of Minnesota and its boundaries. Additional materials regarding this research is available in Schneider's Research File on Minnesota Surveys available in the Minnesota Historical Society manuscript collections.

Printed matter includes a variety of research reports sponsored by the Minnesota Land Surveyors Association and published by the University of Minnesota Civil Engineering Department as well as manuals outlining the minimum guidelines for the preparation of plats. Also included is a manual of standard procedures concerning the location and remonumentation of public land survey corners.

Return to top

Availability:

The collection is open for research use.

Preferred Citation:

[Indicate the cited item here]. Minnesota Society of Professional Surveyors Records. Minnesota Historical Society.

See the Chicago Manual of Style for additional examples.

Microfilm Production:

Minutes, 1954-1980: St. Paul, Minn. : ǂc Minnesota Historical Society, 1985-1987. 2 microfilm reels, 16 mm.

Microfilm of Minutes, 1954-1980, available for sale or interlibrary loan from the Minnesota Historical Society.

Originals of minutes loaned for microfilming by Harley R. Schneider, New Ulm, Minnesota and the Minnesota Associatiio nof Land Surveyors, Burnsville, Minnesota.

Accession Information:

Accession numbers: 13,569; 13,774; 13,929; 14,436; 14,855; 15,474; 16,045

Processing Information:

Processed by: Deborah Kahn, October 1985, February 1987; Bonnie Beatson Palmquist, November 1985, January 1987, January 1988, June 1991, December 1993, June 1994; Monica Manny Ralston, January 2002.

Catalog ID number: 990017145250104294

Return to top

The Society's quarterly publication, Minnesota Surveyor, and its earlier publication, Dis-closures, are available in the Minnesota Historical Society serials collection.

Return to top

This collection is indexed under the following headings in the catalog of the Minnesota Historical Society. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons or places should search the catalog using these headings.

Topics:

Surveyors -- Minnesota -- Societies, etc.

Professional associations -- Minnesota.

Boundary stones -- Minnesota.

Surveying -- Public lands -- Minnesota.

Persons:

Schneider, Harley R., 1909-2008.

Organizations:

American Congress on Surveying and Mapping.

Minnesota Land Surveyors Association.

Occupations:

Surveyors.

Return to top