Featured Collections
MPR Archive staff maintains curated collections to highlight diverse, historically relevant, and special interest content. New collections are routinely created for a fresh perspective upon return visits to the MPR Archive portal.
About the MPR Archive
Welcome to the MPR Archive Portal, an informational site designed to provide public access of historical audio materials that highlight the thoughts, stories, and sounds that represent the many aspects of our region and community. Click on “About the MPR Archive” for further details.
Asian Heritage in Minnesota
In celebration of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, MPR Archive presents a collection of stories from the numerous Asian and Pacific Islander communities that reside in Minnesota. It is a fascinating glimpse into tradition, family, and culture that enrich our state.
Women in the 1970s
MPR Archive presents Women in the 1970s, a collection of memorable Minnesota moments that were a part of the momentous social changes. From the swearing in of the state’s first female Supreme Court justice, to the “Willmar 8,” a breadth of stories on how women influenced this decade of change.
Paul Wellstone
On this anniversary of the tragic plane crash outside Eveleth, Minnesota on October 25th, 2002, that took the lives of Paul Wellstone; his wife, Sheila; one of his three children, Marcia; the two pilots; and campaign staffers Mary McEvoy, Tom Lapic and Will McLaughlin, MPR Archive reflects on an important and impactful figure in Minnesota political history with a curated collection of audio from Wellstone’s career.
Healthcare
MPR news and documentary programming highlighting medical and political commentary on the changing landscape of American healthcare. Minnesota is not only home to Mayo Clinic, UCare, and Hazelden, it has been at the forefront of the health discussion, from the state’s historic tobacco settlement case to the idea of prepaid health plans (later known as HMOs).
Minnesota Books and Authors
For decades, MPR has been an important space for regional authors to connect with their readers. This collection includes Sigurd Olson, Tim O'Brien, Robert Bly, Louise Erdich, August Wilson, and other Minnesota authors reading and discussing their works. Numerous visiting non-Minnesotans author’s speeches and interviews also make up this collection as part of our greater literary experience.
Cultural Legacy Digitization Project
This initial MPR archive digitization project contains an assortment of news reports spanning from 1972 to 2004 and was made possible via the State of Minnesota Legacy Amendment’s Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.
Minnesota Politicians
From controversial to influential, Minnesota politics has never been dull. The state is home to numerous “political firsts”, half a dozen presidential candidates, and important social and fiscal discourse. Minnesota politicians Walter Mondale, Hubert Humphrey, Paul Wellstone, Amy Klobuchar, Tim Pawlenty, Jesse Ventura, Keith Ellison, Michele Bachmann, R.T. Rybak, Eugene McCarthy, and Arne Carlson are just a handful of the political figures highlighted in this political audio collection presenting issues addressed and debated in years past.
Classical Interviews
MPR studios host an array of interviews and broadcasts with the world's master musicians, composers, and conductors. A guitar lesson from Sharon Isbin or advice from Van Cliburn are just a few of the musical gems to be found within this collection.
Mainstreet Radio
An MPR rural-news project, with the mission of reporting from rural Minnesota to all of Minnesota. For decades, this series has provided insight into Minnesota’s small towns, land use, and farming communities.
Midday
An MPR news program, broadcasting a variety of public affairs programming covering politics, education, business, world affairs, and sports. Shows were a mix of call-in discussions, interviews, speeches, debates, special presentations, live coverage, and documentaries. Longtime home of the popular hosts Bob Potter and Gary Eichten.
Spectrum
An MPR regional public affairs program, which hosted discussions on Twin Cities politics, education, health, and arts & culture. An interesting time-capsule on the local subject matter of the day for Minnesotans in the 1970s.
Voices of Minnesota
An MPR interview series with the prominent and historically relevant voices in Minnesota politics, business, and the arts. Series provides intimate conversations with figures such as Miles Lord, Ann Bancroft, and Lou Bellamy, among many others.
Minnesota Musicians
The MPR Archives invites you to jump into the deep end of the music pool. Of course, this collection includes stories on Minnesota luminaries such as Bob Dylan, Prince, and Replacements; but there is an incredible amount of talent and sounds coming out of the land of 10,000 Lakes. This sampling tries to play homage to those many artists. Test your musical knowledge on the likes of the Hmong group Asian Invasion; transgender artist Venus; North Woods rappers Crew Jones; all-girl garage band The Continental Co-ets; Native American rock musician Jake Reum; throat singer Steve Sklar; or jazz vocalist Roberta Davis. Have fun taking a dip and exploring!
The many faces, voices, and cultures of a Minnesota holiday season
The MPR Archive team has gathered some Minnesota winter gifts of seasons past for all to collectively enjoy. Get something warm to drink, sit back, and let the tales commence.
The sound of Wounded Knee from the inside
A presentation of audio and a first-hand account of a significant moment in contemporary Native American history - the Wounded Knee Occupation in 1973.
Black life in Minnesota
The Black Life in Minnesota collection is an auditory sampling of the millions of stories on the black experience in the North Star state; one of warmth, joy, anger, sadness, and strength. Within the collection you will hear Josie Johnson’s social activism, Alan Page’s legal/philanthropic mind, Lou Bellamy’s artistic force, and innumerable others that give voice to their own story and community.
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.
Clyde Bellecourt
An audio snapshot from the MPR Archives of activist Clyde Bellecourt, who passed away this month. As a civil rights organizer noted for his work in Native American issues and as co-founder of the American Indian Movement, Bellecourt left an indelible mark.
Notable Contemporary Native Americans in Minnesota
A portion of Governor Walz’s proclamation on October 11th, 2019, reads “…recognize the second Monday of October as Indigenous Peoples Day, in order to promote appreciation, tolerance, reconciliation, understanding, friendship, and continued partnerships among all of its people and the Indigenous Peoples of this land.” With those words in mind, MPR presents archived audio of five distinct contemporary Native American voices from this land: Winona LaDuke, Jim Northrup, Clyde Bellecourt, Louise Erdrich, and Peggy Flanagan. Their efforts in activism, literary work, environmentalism, social work, rights issues, and politics have made an indelible impact on Minnesota and beyond.
Not Just Art for Art's Sake
What do the arts mean for you? Do they play a role in your life? Whether they do or not, in this short collection, you will hear the stories and experiences behind the works of real people—visual artists, poets, writers, performers, artistic directors—mostly Minnesotan and some from out of state. The diverse array of voices and stories in this collection are personal and unique, yet they are simultaneously universal in that they come from a place of pain, struggle, longing, connection, and hope. Writer Ann Lamott has once said, “Everything that happens to you is yours and you get to tell it… your truth, your version of things, in your own voice—that’s all you have to offer.”