Research Guides: University of Minnesota Duluth History: UMD Land History

Land Acknowledgement

We collectively acknowledge that the University of Minnesota Duluth is located on the traditional, ancestral, and contemporary lands of Indigenous people. The University resides on land that was cared for and called home by the Ojibwe people, before them the Dakota and Northern Cheyenne people, and other Native peoples from time immemorial. Ceded by the Ojibwe in an 1854 treaty, this land holds great historical, spiritual, and personal significance for its original stewards, the Native nations and peoples of this region. We recognize and continually support and advocate for the sovereignty of the Native nations in this territory and beyond. By offering this land acknowledgment, we affirm tribal sovereignty and will work to hold the University of Minnesota Duluth accountable to American Indian peoples and nations.

Find out more about UMD's Land Acknowledgement.

Campus History

Formerly the Duluth State Normal School and the Duluth State Teachers College, this institution became part of the University of Minnesota in 1947. One of the stipulations was that land be acquired for a larger campus. To this end, Regent Richard L. Griggs and other prominent Duluthians acquired the Nortondale Tract. The Nortondale Tract was nearly 140 acres of land from what was called the “Nortondale Development,” conceived by Norton brothers of Paducah, Kentucky in 1871. The Nortondale Tract now comprises a majority of the area of the main campus of UMD.

Included on this page are resources available for researching the history of the current UMD campus, including the Nortondale Tract and the Bagley Nature Area.

Sources on UMD Land History (Available online)

The University of Minnesota Digital Conservancy (UDC) also contains records and publications related to the land on which UMD sits. The UDC includes documents that can be downloaded and viewed online.

A Brief History of the Nortondale Tract by Seanna R. Stinnett (TRUTH Project Report Supporting Document)
Issue Date: 2023
Available Online
The Hidden History of Bagley Nature Area by Virginia Temple (UROP Report)
Issue Date: 1996
Available online

Archival Sources on UMD Land History (Available in hard copy)

The UMD Archives includes other resources on the history of the UMD campus. To find these, search the ArchivesSpace database and contact the archives staff.

Nortondale Tract (File)
This file contains mostly newspaper clippings with regards to the Nortondale Tract, as well as a land survey conducted for the Nortondale Development Second Division from 1924.
Nortondale Tract, 1947-1950 (File)
The Nortondale Tract file in the Darland Papers contains correspondence regarding the Nortondale Tract and UMD Campus, including letters from UMD Provost Raymond C. Gibson and University of Minnesota President James L. Morrill.
UMD Real Estate Photographs
Photographs in the file include images which “presumably represents some of the 140 acres of land donated by 'public-spirited' citizens in Duluth.”
Richard L. Griggs Papers
University of Minnesota Regent Richard L. Griggs was a principal agent in the acquisition of the Nortondale Tract for the University of Minnesota Duluth and his papers, dated 1913 to 1973, contains newspaper clippings, documents, and letters regarding the acquisition of the Nortondale Tract.
Bagley Nature Area, Bagley Nature Center (File)
The file contains mostly newspaper clippings with regards to the Bagley Nature Area, and may contain other materials.

Land-grant and Sea-grant Status

As part of the University of Minnesota, UMD shares in the land-grant university mission of the University of Minnesota System. As such, UMD has benefited from the grant of ceded Indigenous land to the University, provided via the Morrill Act and earlier federal land grants, and the profits of land sales and resource leases gained from those lands.

Additionally, under the National Sea Grant Program, UMD is a sea-grant institution.

TRUTH Project Report
The TRUTH Project was formed in response to the Minnesota Indian Affairs Council (MIAC)’s 2020 resolutions to examine the origins of the University of Minnesota as a land-grant, or land-grab, university.
Land Grab Universities
High Country News conducted an investigation into "how the United States funded land-grant universities with expropriated Indigenous land." This link describes the researchers' findings for the University of Minnesota, including the 94,631 acres of Indigenous land that benefits UMN to this day, which Indigenous Nations that land was taken from, and more.
Minnesota Sea Grant
With nearly 12,000 lakes and a coast on the world's largest body of freshwater, Minnesota possesses a bounty of aquatic and coastal resources. Through scientific research and public education programs, Minnesota Sea Grant works to enhance Minnesota’s coastal environment and economy.

External Resources

PLSS Map Viewer
The Public Land Survey System (PLSS) GIS tool overlays the survey units on a satellite imagery map. This allows users to identify sections and aliquots. This link will take you to a map centered on the UMD Campus.
BLM General Land Office Records
This tool allows you to search for land patents in the GLO records for a specified area, To see the GLO records relevant for UMD, use the following search criteria:
State: Minnesota
County: St. Louis
Township: 050N
Range: 014W
Meridian: 4th PM - 1831 MN/WI
Section: 14, 15, 10, or 111
Invasion of America
This GIS tool overlays maps of cessions and reservations established by treaties with Tribal Nations over a map of the United States of America. Each cession or reservation can be clicked on and links to the related treat and a tract description can be found. This is an important tool for visualizing cessions and reservations negotiated by Tribal Nations.

Kathryn A. Martin Library