The Michigan Indian Boarding School Research Initiative is a collaboration between the Native American Institute (NAI) at MSU, the Michigan Department of Civil Rights, and MSU Libraries. The goal of the initiative is to provide tribal repatriation officers, tribal historians, tribal scholars, tribal educators, and tribal historians with database access to support their research and repatriation efforts involving, but not limited to, the state of Michigan’s Indian Boarding School Study.
The cost of licensure fees for many of these databases is prohibitive for tribes. The Michigan Indian Boarding School Research Initiative will provide access to thousands of databases, both nationally and internationally, that tribal affiliates would not otherwise have.
Sanborn Maps are a valuable historical resource for understanding cities and towns. The Sanborn Map Company was a publisher of detailed maps of U.S. cities and towns in the 19th and 20th centuries. The maps were originally created to allow fire insurance companies to assess their liability in cities of the United States and so give details about things such as building uses and construction methods.
Please see this libguide for more details about Sanborn map resources available at MSU.
More census resources can be found at this link.
Michigan State University subscribes to many historical newspaper databases.
A guide to large historical newspaper databases can be found at this link.
For a guide to specific newspapers in Michigan, please see this link.
Titles in the American Indian Newspaper Database
Alemanaka Keristiano
Ashigiamu
Bacone College Smoke Signals
Bacone Newsletter
Blackfeet Tribal News
The Caribou
Caribou News
Catholic Sioux Herald
Cherokee Voices
Haimanava no ta oihana Katolika ma Havaii nei
Hooiliili Havaii
The Indian
The Indian Champion
Ka Moolelo o ka Halawai Makahiki o ka Ahahui Euanelio Hawaii
The Leading Feather
Medicine Bag
The Medicine Bundle
Na Helu Kalavina
The Nez Percé Indian
O Ka Hae Kiritiano
On Indian Land
Sioux County Pioneer Arrow
The Youth’s Companion
