Materials relating to Banta's military service in France during World War I as a clerk (Troop B, Headquarters Battalion, First Army, American Expeditionary Forces).
The collection includes his pay record book; French ration coupons; WWI postcards with Banta's notes; military orders; items concerning courses taken at the American E.F. University in Beaune, France including a photograph of the lumber class; and miscellaneous papers. Correspondence consists of two letters from Army buddies, and a letter sent by a class at Marcy Avenue Baptist Church (New York?) concerning Armistice celebrations. Also included are papers concerning the Armistice including notice of cease fire, conditions of Armistice, and general orders from General John Pershing commending the troops for their valor. Identified photographs pertain to Company L, 163rd Infantry while it was stationed in Shelby, Montana and an oversized map color codes troop advances by day for the Battle of Chateau-Thierry (France).

Two studies by Banta of the living standards in Rock Elm Center, an unincorporated village in Pierce County, Wis. The first study was done for the Sociology Department at the University of Minnesota and the second study was completed as part of Banta's work toward a master's degree in economics at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls.

Genealogy of the "Wisconsin branch" of the Proper family, 1709-1972, compiled by George E. Proper of Lake Villa, Illinois.

Typewritten diary, 1864, of George Edwin Pratt, Sixty-fourth Regiment Illinois Volunteers, who was with the Union army in Georgia; and five Pratt family photographs. Also included are eight pages of photocopied obituaries and similar information on the Pratt family.

Excerpts from the diary of George H. Bates of Star Prairie township, St. Croix County, Wisconsin, containing genealogical information on several of Bates' neighbors.

George "Buster" H. Brown (1888-1973) was born to Jane (nee Doyle) and Charles H. Brown in the Town of Warren, Wisconsin (St. Croix County) in June of 1888. He had one older brother, Charles Edward Brown (1885-1960). George's mother died in 1905 and George appears to have lived with his uncle, George D. Brown in Hudson for a short time around the time of her death.
By 1910, Brown was working as a clerk at the railroad office in Hudson, while living with his father. The 1940 census lists Brown's work as farmer, living in the Town of Richmond (St. Croix County), WI with his wife, Grace, and three children, Bernice, Edmund, and Elaine.

Typed transcriptions of diaries, 1867-1881, kept by George Henry Elliott, a farmer near River Falls, Wisconsin; plus later entries, 1881-1883, by his brother, William Nelson Elliott.
The diaries describe farming, schooling, social life, and other events.

On March 14, 1967, George Lincoln Rockwell, the leader of the American Nazi party visited the Wisconsin State University – River Falls. The event was sponsored by the Free Spirit Forum committee. The Forums were sponsored by the Legislative Action Committee, a sub-committee of the Student Senate. The daylong event began with a morning convocation. Rockwell was introduced by Dr. Raymond Anderson a political science professor. Rockwell spoke to about 2500 attendees in the Karges Gym. In the afternoon, a debate was held between Rockwell and Dr. Edward Peterson of the History Department. Followed by a question-and-answer portion.
This collection includes audio recordings of Rockwell’s speech and debate with Dr. Peterson.

A typescript copy of papers of Wilkie, a carpenter, consisting of his journal, accounts, and letters, describing his daily activities and economic conditions in Prescott and Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, and in McGregor, Iowa.

Ledgers kept by George Smith & Co., a general merchandise store at Diamond Bluff, Pierce County, Wisconsin, showing prices charged for commodities and credit allowed for products brought to the store in trade.

Diaries of Thomas, 30th Regiment Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry, and later a farmer in Kinnickinnic, St. Croix County, Wisconsin, giving details of camp life at Fort Tully[?] during the Civil War and of farm life after the war.

Diaries, 1876, 1882-83, 1893, 1899-1900, of Jennie P. Andrews and diaries, 1906-1909, of her daughter, Edna J. Gerrish, wives of Orlando J. Andrews and Samuel J. Gerrish, both farmers in the Ono area (Union township, Pierce County, Wis.), providing details on domestic and farm chores and family affairs; plus miscellaneous family documents including the baptismal certificate of Edna's son, Carrol Orlando Gerrish.

Family papers of Cairns, a resident of Ellsworth, Wisconsin. The bulk of the collection comprises Miss Cairns' diaries complete from 1903 through 1936, with fragments of a few earlier volumes; her precise records of weather conditions and her observations of birds, wild flowers, and garden plants; and the records, 1915-1956, of the Ellsworth Pioneer School Girls' Club, of which she served as secretary-treasurer and unofficial historian for many years. Her diaries chronicle not only her personal activities but also social and cultural life in Pierce County, Wis. Also present are notes taken by Cairns while a University of Wisconsin student enrolled in Frederick Jackson Turner's courses.
Papers of other members of the Cairns family are also in the collection. From 1845 to 1890 the correspondence is largely that of Miss Cairns' father, George W. Cairns, who came to Dane County, Wis., from New York State in 1849 and moved to Pierce County in 1853. Cairns had a variety of business and civic interests, serving at times as schoolteacher, clerk of the River Falls Academy, hotel keeper, and land agent. In county government he served as town clerk of Middleton in Dane County, and as justice of the peace, deputy clerk of the district court, and register of deeds in Pierce County. These activities are reflected in his correspondence, in fragmentary legal and governmental records relating to Middleton, 1852, and to Pierce County, 1855-1873, and in minutes of meetings he kept for the Middleton Lyceum in 1847, the River Falls Lyceum in 1855-56, and the River Falls Academy in 1858.
Among the family letters are several, 1850-52, written by George W.'s brother, A.W. Cairns, describing experiences in Panama and California as a participant in the California gold rush. From the mid-1880's to 1891 there are numerous letters to and from the Cairns children, William, Rollo, and Gertrude, while they attended high school at River Falls and the University at Madison. Diaries, 1855-1861, appear to have been written by Abbie S. Leavitt, who married George W. Cairns in 1866. A native of Maine, she came to Wisconsin in 1857, and in her diary she described her journey from New England, across northern Illinois, and up the Mississippi River to Prescott, where she resumed her teaching career begun in the East.

Photocopied pages bearing genealogical information from three family Bibles documenting the ancestry of Glen and Win Gillihan. Recorded are birth, marriage, and death dates for descendants of Thomas and Olive (Blodgett) Williams, Aron(?) and Irena Carpenter, and Freeman and Salinda (Carpenter) Emerson. Also included are birth dates for the descendants of Jack H. and Catharine Gillihan.

Records of the Gilman Relief Workers, a women's charitable organization based in Spring Valley (Wis.), consisting of minute books documenting the group's membership and activities, and a scrapbook containing notes of thanks from beneficiaries of the group's work.

Assessor's field book recording property owner's name, address, school district number, property description, total acreage, acreage by category (residential, mercantile, agricultural, forest), and total value of the land as fixed by the assessor.

Record of town elections including poll lists, 1948-1952, and the official statements of the Boards of Canvassers, 1949-1952.

Records concerning girl scouting in River Falls, Wisconsin, including scrapbooks, printed materials, individual members' records, and materials documenting merit badge projects and other activities.

Records concerning activities of the club, an extension homemakers group in Pierce County (Wis.) as well as the personal activities of Dorothy Killian, club historian. Included are Secretary's minute books, 1938-1939, 1950-1952, 1963-1995; scrapbooks containing clippings, letters, programs, photographs, and other documents, 1952-1988; home demonstration project leader books, 1936-1938; and miscellany.

[1] Clerk's District Record Books (1905-1948) containing minutes of annual and board meetings, record of treasurer's orders drawn, teacher's contracts, school censuses, and annual reports; [2] Teachers' Registers (1867-1951) showing teachers' and pupils' names, attendance record, remarks concerning the promotion and progress of students, and a register of visitors; and [3] Treasurer's Records (1931-1952) showing receipts and disbursements, balance statements, and reports from the district.

Cards compiled by the assessor for appraisal of residential plats showing land descriptions and addresses, names and addresses of owners and tenants, and the following data: land value factors, listing dimensions, streets and alleys, table of building value factors, type of construction and material, heating, lighting, plumbing, condition of building, and remarks.

Box 1 contains clerk's correspondence, 1898-1949, alphabetically arranged; and records of city resolutions and bond issues, 2 vols., 1928-1940. Box 2 contains chattel mortgage records, 1893-1901; 2 volumes listing city ordinances, 1895-1949; and the record of city licensing decisions, 1896-1905, in which the names of applicants, dates, license amounts, location, and expiration dates are recorded.

Notebook kept by Ordemann, St. Paul, Minnesota, member of a company formed to mine gold at Knapp, Wisconsin; containing notes and sketches on techniques of mining and refining gold and silver.

Prospectus of a cooperative established in 1979 to produce alcohol fuel from agricultural products, including technical information about alcohol production, business strategy, a brief history, and biographies of the board of directors.

Two collections of letters transcribed and compiled by Fouks. The first collection, "Chester B. Thatcher, 1866-1953: Memories" includes letters, 1928-1949, written by Thatcher, an early settler in the Town of Forest, St. Croix County, Wisconsin. Included also is some genealogical information. The second collection, "Fuchs letters from Germany," includes letters, 1947-1986, from members of the Fuchs families of Dortendorf, East Germany, to relatives in the United States; in English.

Photocopies of letters written by Sergeant Gordon Penman to his parents, Mr. and Mrs. James R. Penman of Hudson, Wisconsin. Sergeant Penman was stationed at Fort Hood, Texas and at Camp Atterbury, Indiana.

Papers from the Governor's Task Force on Educational Financing and Property Tax Reform on which Professor Richard K. Darr, University of Wisconsin-River Falls, served.

This series contains various graduate department course syllabi (1966-1972); graduate faculty circular letters and bulletins; graduate faculty nominations (1960's-70's); Graduate School catalogs and class schedules (1960/62-); accreditation materials (1962-1967); studies and surveys of the department (1965-1974); and miscellany including Graduate School releases, course proposals, summaries of theses, and promotional materials.

The Graduate School at River Falls offered its first program in the summer of 1963. Dr. Walker Wyman was the first Graduate Dean followed by Dr. Phillip S. Anderson.

Records consisting of membership rolls, minutes, financial records, records of the local Woman's Relief Corps and Sons of Veterans groups, and a record of examinations by the pension surgeon.
The processed portion is summarized above and is described in the finding aid linked below.

Membership and treasurer's book, 1887-1900; pages for the minutes book, 1917-1924; and miscellaneous reports of Post 238.

Records of a cheese factory, including a letter book, 1889-1892; records of milk deliveries, cheese production, and payments, 1887-1890, 1900-1901, 1910; and a list of notes held by the company, 1886-1891.
Some records pertain to a general merchandise store also owned by the firm.

The Grants Office was established in 1976. It grew out of a faculty committee. This collection contains several different types of grants, denials, lists of sabbatical leave recipients, and includes materials from the early 1970?s, before the Grants Office was a stand-alone entity on campus.

The Grants Office was established in 1976. It grew out of a faculty committee. This collection contains several different types of grants, denials, lists of sabbatical leave recipients, and includes materials from the early 1970?s, before the Grants Office was a stand-alone entity on campus.

Town record book, including minutes of annual (1878-1889) and board (1878) meetings, registers of town (1878-1879) and school (1882) officers, oaths (1878-1881), order register (1878-1882), chattel mortgage record (1878-1884), school fund apportionment (1878-1884), board financial report (1879-1881), and treasurer's bonds (1878-1881).

Papers of Granville Hurd, Town of Richmond, St. Croix County, Wisconsin, including deeds, tax receipts, and similar legal and financial records.

The Grassroots Political Conference, aimed to generate interest in political affairs, was held at Wisconsin State University River Falls from 1958 to 1976. The Department of Social Sciences organized and sponsored the program, which featured two days of lectures and debates on current political topics. The event drew politicians, business leaders, and industry experts from across the country, and it was open to the public for attendance.

This collection contains correspondence to potential speakers, brochures, programs, newspaper clippings, photographs, and other materials relating to the conference.

This collection is comprised of records relating to Greek societies on the River Falls campus. This collection mostly contains records of Fraternities and Sororities, at local and national levels. Also included are some academic and honor societies. Most of the Greek organizations were focused on civic involvement, leadership, and life-long friendships, others also focused on specific subject areas such as Agriculture. The records in this series include but are not limited to, constitutions and by-laws, meeting minutes, events and activities, member lists, and correspondence.

The botany and horticulture greenhouse was begun in 1971. This series includes one bound volume containing the project specifications and contract for the construction of the building, the blueprints of the greenhouse, and a rolled diagram of the ventilation system. Also included are materials regarding the greenhouse expansion in the 1980’s.

Teacher's Registers (1944-1961) indicating the names of teachers and pupils, attendance record, remarks concerning the promotion and progress of students, books read by students, and in some cases, a visitor's register.

Records of a cemetery on River Falls' north side including minute books (1876-1955), financial records, indexed records of burials and grave owners, burial permits, and plat maps.

Records of the association including a plat map, lists of lot owners and of perpetual care lots, burial permits, legal documents such as an 1863 property deed, and financial records.
The cemetery, also known as the Glass Valley Cemetery, is located in Pierce County, Wisconsin, Town of River Falls, which assumed responsibility for the cemetery ca. 1946.

Genealogy of the Guest family, 1796-1979, compiled by John Henry Guest, ca. 1979.

Photocopy of a letter, February 14, 1922, from Fiedler, former superintendent of the furnace of the Spring Valley Iron and Ore Company, written to this son and recounting the formation of the company in 1892 and its operation and ownership changes through 1907.

Papers of a River Falls, Wisconsin, Superintendent of Schools documenting the attempt to establish a county nurse program in Pierce County with the aid of the Wisconsin Anti-Tuberculosis Association and state health officials; including correspondence, public health reports, WATA press releases, miscellaneous near-print material concerning public health law and public health nursing in Wisconsin, and an essay and poem about the county nurse.