Featured Content
Below you will find ever evolving curated collections highlighting diverse, historically relevant, and special interest content. Each collection contains audio stories of a particular subject, represented in chronological order. Explore our state and its people!
Click on "About" to find a detailed informational guide on further utilizing this site.
Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness: A Chronology
The Boundary Waters Canoe Area, or the BWCA, is one of the most loved and visited wilderness areas in the country. But the BWCA is not only a place of nature and beauty; its history demonstrates the conflicts surrounding environment, law, community, economy, recreation, and nature in our state. Over the many decades, lines have been drawn far beyond its actual borders. This audio collection follows the timeline of this Minnesota treasure.
Black Art in the Twin Cities: Cultural Expression and Creative Connection
This collection brings together stories where theater, music, visual arts, and literature are utilized as creative tools for cultural expression and connection across Minnesota’s Black communities.
Mainstreet Radio
Created in 1987, Mainstreet Radio held a mission of reporting specifically from rural Minnesota to all of Minnesota. With an introductory staff of Rachel Reabe, Leif Enger, and John Biewen, the group developed both long and short form news features as part of MPR Journal and Morning Edition broadcasts. As the years progressed, Mainstreet Radio expanded both in reporter contributions and programming, with memorable work from the likes of Mark Steil and Catherine Winter, amongst others. Beginning in the 1990s, Mainstreet Radio presented a monthly two-hour special, focusing on issues outside the Twin Cities metro. The varied Mainstreet Radio programming ran into the mid-2000s.
Pagami Creek Fire hits BWCA and Superior National Forest
MPR’s Dan Kraker reports on the Pagami Creek Fire in the BWCA and National Superior Forest. Segment includes comments from forestry official and local residents impacted by the the fire.
Award Collection
Since our beginning, the stations and programs affiliated with Minnesota Public Radio and later American Public Media, have endeavored to create quality programming for the community and audiences we serve, in keeping with our mission of public service. We have been honored that so many of the talented individuals and teams and their programs have won prestigious industry and audience awards; the MPR Archive is proud to highlight and present these winners in a way that celebrate the award recipient along with the subjects, stories, and communities that demonstrate public media's meaning and impact.
Minnesota Orchestra
While Minnesota Public Radio has broadcast Minnesota Orchestra performances for listeners for decades, it has also broadcast numerous stories on the many aspects of the renowned classical music organization. This collection highlights a number of memorable moments.
Stage Right, Stage Left
Theater arts has been at the center of the creative atmosphere within Minnesota for decades. The varied array of local venues have both fostered talent through the years and brought world-renowned individuals to present their artistic approaches to our Minnesota stages. The theater scene has also been integral in social dynamics within our communities…from social issues, race, to gender.
