In 1969, St. Cloud State celebrated the centennial of it's establishment by the state of Minnesota in 1869. Many activities were planned that surrounded this anniversary. These volumes document those activities as well as the residential community that encomposed the campus, which stood almost exclusively on the Mississippi River along 1st Avenue South between 6th and 9th Street South.
L. Ruth Cadwell, a faculty member at St. Cloud State between 1924 and 1966, was responsible for the gathering and organization of information and images of these volumes. She organized them into nine separate volumes. This collection contains two sets of these volumes, though volume 8 is not included here. According to the foreword that appears in volume 1, there are differences between the two sets, which are marked appropriately on the spine of each volume. The foreword reads, "Because of the difficulty of collecting materials it was necessary to have some variation between set one and set two. Therefore, should you desire to view the complete materials collected, you are urged to study both copies of the St. Cloud State College Centennial set."
Series 1: History
Ms. Cadwell organized the history into nine separate volumes, some that have two or more parts.
Volume 1 - Early Use of the Present Site: In three parts, volume 1 documents the early uses of the 1969 campus. Photographs of houses that stood on campus are organized by street.
Volume 2 - The Centennial Begins: This volume contains historic images and documents regarding the history of St. Cloud State.
Volume 3 - Brochures, Invitations, and Programs: This volume contains a wide variety of material related to the events and other activities related centennial and for the 1968/69 academic year.
Volume 4 - Centennial Events: This volume contains images and other related material regarding events for the centennial, including the Centennial Hall groundbreaking and Heritage Day.
Volume 5 - News Releases:This volume contains news releases for events, fundraisers, and other activities related to St. Cloud State's centennial.
Volume 6 - News reports: In three parts, this volume contains newspaper clippings about the centennial. Part 1 contains 1960 to October 1968; Part 2 contains November 1968 to March 1969; and Part 3 contains April 1969 to June 1969.
Volume 7 - Communication to Obtain Materials for History: Copies of letters written by Ms. Cadwell requesting photographs of the campus site and the responses received.
Volume 8 - The Chronicle, July 1968 to June 1969: Both copies are part of these records and bound in black with the title "The Centennial: 1869-1969, A Heritage of Excellence," as well as indicated as volume 8.
Volume 9 - The Reporter, July 1968 to June 1969: The volume contains copies of the alum newsletter, The Reporter, as well as men's basketball programs.
Series 2: Negatives and Slides
This series contains negatives of various homes, buildings, and other views of the campus area. It is not clear if the negatives were taken from the photographs, or if the photographs were created from the negatives.
