SAMUEL H. MORGAN:

Samuel H. Morgan was born in Duluth, Minnesota, on February 21st, 1911. He graduated from Harvard Law in 1936 and was admitted to the Minnesota Bar in the same year. He was a partner at the firm Briggs and Morgan, where he practiced law, focusing on conservation.

Morgan served as chairman of the Minnesota Council of State Parks from 1966-1970 and in 1967 he helped organize the Minnesota Parks Foundation. Morgan was instrumental in the establishment of Afton State Park, the formation of Lilydale Park and the formation of Fort Snelling State Park. He was also influential in a major addition to William O'Brien State Park, an addition to Lake Bemidji State Park, and the acquisition of the Fredrick Manfred house at Blue Mounds State Park. He died on October 17, 2000, in St Paul.

The Minnesota Council of State Parks (MCSP) was formed in 1954 by Minnesota State Supreme Court Justice Clarence Magney, who had a key role in establishing a number of parks along the north shore of Lake Superior. When formed, the Council consisted of 16 members, all people who had been "active in assisting in the establishment of a state park in the area in which they lived." The Council was incorporated in 1983 as the Minnesota Council of Parks.

The Minnesota Parks Foundation (MPF) was organized as the land acquisition and fund raising arm of the MCSP in 1967. The function of the Foundation was "to give interim financial assistance to the state in acquiring land for new paths and essential additions." Morgan was one of the seven founders, and is often credited with the formation of the MPF.

The Afton Land Company was formed by Morgan to solicit and manage loans for the purchase of lands that would become Afton State Park. The Company successfully purchased 827 acres valued at $869,000 when the bill to create the park went to the Legislature in 1969.

The Metropolitan Park Reserve Board was created in 1969 pursuant to Laws 1969 chapter 1124. It was charged with coordinating and operating a metropolitan park and open space system and with assisting the Metropolitan Council to prepare long range plans for preservation, acquisition, and the development of such places. The law that formed the board was nullified on the last day of the legislative session, but the Metropolitan Council reappointed the board as a non-statutory advisory body. Activities were largely directed toward completion of parks and open space plans and preparation of recommendations for metropolitan parks legislation.

The Minnesota Council of State Parks and the Minnesota Parks Foundation merged together in 1987 to form the Minnesota Parks and Trails Council. In 2000 the Minnesota Parks and Trails Council became the Parks and Trails Council of Minnesota.

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These records document the history of the Minnesota Parks Foundation and other related organizations that were dedicated to expanding, supporting, and improving state parks in Minnesota. The records were collected and kept by Samuel H. Morgan, one of the founders of the Minnesota Parks Foundation. The collection includes correspondence, financial records, legislative and legal material, meeting files, minutes, maps, land purchase records, and park project files.

Of note are a number of legal documents detailing the Minnesota and U.S. Supreme Court Soo Line Court Case, newsletters from the Rails to Trails Conservancy, articles of incorporation and bylaws for the Afton Land Company and the Minnesota Parks Foundation, and park maps. Park project files document the purchase of park lands and the expansion and development of numerous state parks.

Organizations represented in the collection include the Minnesota Parks Foundation, the Minnesota Council of State Parks, the Metropolitan Park Reserve Board, and the Afton Land Company. Relationships between the organizations, their activities, and the Minnesota Department of Resources is well documented.

State Parks and trails represented in the collection include Afton State Park, Little Falls, Flandreau, Helmer Myre, Kelley Farm, Lilydale, Big Marine Park Reserve, Blue Mounds, Cannon Valley Trail, Banning, Bemidji, Luce Line trail, Marine Mill, O'Brien, various abandoned railroad trails, Rice Park, Sibley, Split Rock, Sunrise, Tanglewood Nature Preserve, Tettegouche, Voyageur's, Washington County, Wild River State Park, and others.

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This collection is arranged into six series. Each series is organized alphabetically by subject and/or place.

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Availability:

The collection is open for research use.

Preferred Citation:

[Indicate the cited item and/or series here]. Minnesota Parks Foundation Records. Minnesota Historical Society.

See the Chicago Manual of Style for additional examples.

Accession Information:

Accession number: 15,645.

Processing Information:

Processed by: Alex Kent and Richard Arpi, October 2008.

Catalog ID number: 9989748139704294

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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:

Land use -- Registration and transfer -- Minnesota.

Parks -- Minnesota.

Parks -- Law and legislation -- Minnesota.

Public lands -- Minnesota.

Organizations:

Metropolitan Park Reserve Board.

Minnesota. Department of Natural Resources.

Minnesota Council of Parks.

Minnesota Parks and Trails Council & Foundation.

Minnesota Parks Foundation.

Places:

Afton State Park (Minn.)

Cannon Valley Trail (Minn.)

Lilydale Park (Minn.).

William O'Brien State Park (Minn.).

Little Falls State Park (Minn.).

Flandreau State Park (Minn.).

Helmer Myre State Park (Minn.).

Big Marine Park Reserve (Minn.).

Blue Mounds (Minn.).

Bemidji (Minn.).

Split Rock (Minn.).

Tanglewood Nature Preserve (Minn.).

Tettegouche (Minn.).

Sunrise (Minn.).

Luce Line (Minn.).

Soo Line (Minn.).

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