An article in the 2019 Summer issue of the Overlook (a twice-a-year newsletter for History Museum members) announced the Cook County Historical Society’s acquisition of the Taraldson Collection, which consists of nearly 1,000 historic and prehistoric artifacts spanning 150 years of fur trade history. The Taraldson Collection is one of the largest and best-preserved collections of fur trade era artifacts from the Border Lakes region outside of federal repositories at the Grand Portage National Monument, the Duluth Headquarters Superior National Forest (SNF), and the Koochiching County Museum in International Falls. It contains many artifacts extracted from numerous locations along the “Voyageurs Highway” between Grand Portage and Rainy River.  It was assembled by Minneapolis resident Robert Taraldson (1928-2018) who owned a cabin in Hovland and spent much time exploring the Border Lakes region.

Potential Collection Issues 

The Overlook article foreshadowed some possible issues with the collection, noting that the removal of items of historical significance from federal, tribal, and provincial lands is a violation of laws protecting these archaeological resources (although most of the materials were removed in the 1960s and 1970s when policies around such removals were less stringent and often ignored).

 According to the late archaeologist Douglas Birk, with whom Taraldson had been in contact, Taraldson “amassed his collection from the 1960s through the 1970s, and . . . used a metal detector to locate buried artifacts on portages and campsites on federal and provincial lands along the historic Border Route between Minnesota and Ontario.”  

Since receiving the collection, CCHS has consulted several experts and gathered valuable input regarding legal and ethical issues, as well as the long-term curation needs of the artifacts. Margaret Hedstrom, CCHS board member, and Professor Emerita and past Director of the Museum Studies Program at the University of Michigan, recently wrote a preliminary assessment of the collection based on concerns about its assembly and ownership status, as well as the expectations of care required for such a collection. 

The CCHS Board of Directors voted unanimously to deaccession the Taraldson Collection at its regular meeting in June. Given the value of this collection for exhibition, research, and teaching, and the interest expressed by Historical Society members and the public, the reasons for this decision merit discussion. 

Collections Management Policy 

There have been several developments since the collection was donated in 2018 that informed the Board’s decision. In June 2022, the Society adopted a formal Collections Management Policy that defines the scope its collections as objects that fulfill one of the following criteria:

1. Objects that are of clear and recognizable relevance to the social, religious, cultural, natural, political, or economic history of Cook County. 

2. Objects produced by a past or present resident of the Cook County area, such as a local artisan, inventor, author, etc. 

3. Objects of historical significance that are of local manufacture or that were used by a local business or establishment. 

CCHS has also worked with Lee Johnson, SNF Archaeologist, based in Duluth. Johnson provided CCHS with an initial summary report on the collection in January 2019 and arranged for storage at the SNF curation facility in Duluth. Johnson and his staff completed an itemized inventory and created a database with information about each item, including its original location (provenience), object type, material, etc.  

For the 999 artifacts documented, the breakdown of the land ownership or management from which they are taken is as follows: 

• Superior National Forest (28%)
• Quetico Provincial Park (15%)
• Grand Portage (10%)
• LaVerendryre Provincial Park (6%)
• Voyageurs National Park (3%)
• Canada/private land (1%)
• Unknown (37%)

Now that the itemized inventory is complete, we have learned that most of the artifacts were collected from lands outside of Cook County, and that at least six different entities currently govern these lands in the United States and Canada.

The CCHS Collections Management Policy sets out criteria for deaccessioning an object from the permanent collection if it falls outside of the scope of the CCHS mission, has high preservation and storage costs, lacks authenticity or complete documentation, or is encumbered with legal issues.  Deaccessioning is appropriate when an object is shown to be held in violation of a federal, state, or county law, such as NAGPRA (Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act) or the Endangered Species Act. 

Deaccessioning items

The core of a museum’s public trust responsibilities is that when an institution accepts an object, it makes a commitment to hold and preserve that object for the foreseeable future. A museum has an obligation to its accessioned objects, and this obligation should be seen as a long-term and enduring commitment. Consequently, the deaccessioning and disposal of objects from the Permanent Collection should always be treated as a process of last resort. 

Nevertheless, deaccessioning is both a legal and ethical practice that is recognized by the museum community as a practical and sometimes necessary measure with which an institution can regain control over its collections and better utilize its limited resources.

In determining whether an object should be deaccessioned, it is important to remember that CCHS will always operate within the confines of finite resources. Consequently, funds, staff time, and lack of exhibition space that are needed for the care of objects inappropriate for our collection represent a diversion of resources from the maintenance of the objects that do fulfill our mission. 

Additionally, the artifacts in the collection were removed illegally from U.S. federal lands, tribal lands, provincial lands in Ontario and Manitoba, and First Nations lands in Canada, creating a complicated web of ownership and responsibility for its care.  U.S. federal agencies have entered into agreements with repositories to provide curation services for archaeological resources taken from federal lands.

Next steps

So, what is next for the Taraldson Collection? Since the difficult decision was made to deaccession the Taraldson Collection, the Historical Society continues to work with Lee Johnson, SNF Archaeologist, and representatives of other entities that manage the lands from which the artifacts were removed. The ultimate goal is to find an appropriate organization (or organizations) with the capacity and the mission to interpret, display and preserve this valuable resource.