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Records include primary and secondary source research material, mostly assembled in preparation for Birk's 1980 Sayer publication and expanded over the following years. Multiple draft copies of this publication are included, mostly in a disorganized state. This series includes very little fieldwork and is unrestricted as the site described, now called the Snake River Fur Post, is open to the public. The series' digital component includes drafts and sections of the more recent Sayer publications. See also: group 1, series 3: Writings (boxes 1-3) and record group 2, series 8: Fur trade sites (boxes 12-13).

This wide-ranging series includes fieldwork and research on a variety of fur trade-related sites in Minnesota. There is an emphasis on British-associated sites and individuals, but French activity is also represented. See also: group 2, series 5: French presence; and group 2, series 9: John Sayer.

This series contains photocopies, transcriptions, and translations of historical journals, diaries, and correspondence. There is a focus on individuals involved in the fur trade, but other historical figures are also included.

Never published, the Book of Brendan served as source material for Grand Opening (1987) and North of Hope (1990). The books follow the childhood of boy Brendan Foster and his family.

This series contains various studies of fur trade artifacts. Notable examples include Birk's multi-decade pursuit of information about the manufacture of trade knives bearing the maker's mark "+ / L," documentation of his work at Voyageurs National Park in the early 2000s leading to publication of the study "From Things Left Behind: A Study of Selected Fur Trade Sites and Artifacts," and studies of glass trade beads relating to 21MO20.