Bob CollinsThe Minnesota Historical Society is announcing huge proposed budget cuts. According to a news release, more than 90 people would lose their jobs, fewer books would be published and three sites would close.
You know my penchant for aviation, so I’ll weep silently for the the Charles A. Lindbergh Historic Site in Little Falls. It, along with Historic Forestville in Preston, and North West Company Fur Post in Pine City would be closed to the public.
Lindbergh, for the record, was good enough for Gov. Pawlenty to invoke in his 2008 State of the State address. “When Charles Lindbergh emerged from the plane, he said just what you might expect a Minnesotan to say, ‘Well … I made it,'” It’s easier to fly solo to Paris than it is to keep history alive in Minnesota, however.
Historic Fort Snelling would close for two days each week.
The Oliver H. Kelley Farm in Elk River, Mille Lacs Indian Museum and Trading Post in Onamia, Forest History Center in Grand Rapids, and Jeffers Petroglyphs in Comfrey would only be open weekends.
Maybe nobody cares about these particular cuts, the governor’s spokesman suggests.
“If you weren’t able to go to the Historical Society Library when you thought you’ might be able to, some people might notice that. It doesn’t seem like the Historical Society is trying to go overboard. I think their attempt here is one that presents a realistic approach as they seems like they look at the budget situation,” said Brian McClung.
But wasn’t the “Legacy Amendment” — that’s when you voted for a sales tax increase last fall — supposed to be a boon to cultural programs in the state?
