The collection is divided into two series: the papers of HJALMAR RUED HOLAND, 1926-1962; and the papers of HAROLD HOLAND, 1927-1968. The HJALMAR RUED HOLAND PAPERS reflect his lifelong attempt to prove that the Norse settled North America long before Columbus and his efforts to establish the validity of the Kensington Rune Stone. Little is found about his family life, farming, political and community activities. The Hjalmar Holand series is subdivided as follows: genealogy, correspondence, subject files, photographs, clipping file, and manuscripts.
The Genealogy of the Rued Family consists only of a genealogical chart. The Correspondence spans the years 1926-1963 and deals almost entirely with Norse settlement of North America, the rune stone and topics generally related to his work on that subject. Some of the areas covered by the letters are the locations of “mooring stones” found throughout Minnesota and Canada, the much disputed Kensington Rune Stone, speculation that the Mandan Indians were light skinned due to Norse/Indian interbreeding, finds of the tools in Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota and Canada which were alleged to be of Norse origin, the Newport Tower as a pre-Columbian Norse church and speculation that Nicholas of Lynn accompanied the Norsemen to North America. The reverse side of much of Holand's correspondence was used in writing his articles and monographs. An attempt has been made to photocopy this correspondence but because it is scattered throughout the manuscript copies of his articles and monographs, some letters may have been missed. The only correspondence Holand kept in a separate file was that of Philip Ainsworth Means regarding the Newport Tower. All correspondence, including that of Means, is alphabetical by correspondent and chronological thereunder. Some of the correspondence is in Norwegian. A few letters reveal Holand's activities in local government, the park board, State Historical Society of Wisconsin, the airport committee, Door County Historical Society and Museum, and the growing of cherries.
It is difficult to establish dates for the Subject File due to the disorder of the papers when received and because the file deals with Norse discovery of America, a subject Holand pursued all of his adult life. The papers are arranged alphabetically by subject. Some are in Norwegian.
The Photographs have been retained with the collection because they form a part of the research files. Many of the photographs are unidentified, but when a connection could be established between a particular letter and the photograph, a cross-reference has been made to the letter, which it accompanied. All other photographs are separated by subject and deal with the Norse research.
The Scrapbooks, with the exception of one concerning early Wisconsin history, also deal with Norse research and include many undated clippings (some in Norwegian). It is difficult to determine their inclusive dates, but they evidently were compiled during the years Holand was writing his books and articles. Because of their physical conditions, the scrapbooks have been photocopied. The copies are arranged in the same groups and sequence as the original scrapbooks.
The Clipping File (again, dates are difficult to determine) has been photocopied from loose newspaper clippings of reviews, letters to the editor, newspapers in Norway, the United States and Canada. Like other materials, this file is concerned with the Norse discovery of North America and the Kensington Rune Stone.
The Manuscripts of Hjalmar Holand, which appear to be complete, are divided into those which are book length, articles, and miscellaneous portions of identified and unidentified manuscripts. They are in alphabetical order by title and where there are two manuscripts with the same title, the folders are marked “version A or B” which is a designation imposed by the processor and in no way reflects the order in which they were written, but is merely an attempt to differentiate between the two. Numerous portions of manuscripts were clipped together when the collection was received. These segments have been retained by inserting a blank sheet of paper between the various divisions, but no attempt to change the order has been made. There are a number of articles dealing with Door County and Wisconsin. Holand wrote a number of articles on the Mooring Stones, Kensington Rune Stone, Newport Tower and Nicholas of Lynn. All articles on a particular subject have been foldered together and each folder contains a list of articles included. On the reverse side of some of the monographs are charts of the weather in Door County for a two or three year period. There is no evidence to show why he kept this account. These weather charts have not been copied or segregated.
Harold Holand's penciled comments are found throughout the collection. At times he gave titles to some material where no other identification existed. His titles have been used in these instances.
The HAROLD HOLAND PAPERS consist of letters from his mother, Theresa (Evie) Holand, and his father, Hjalmar. The letters from each parent, and a folder of letters from miscellaneous correspondents to Harold following his father's death are in separate chronological files. Harold Holand's papers also include two of his unpublished manuscripts, “The Grapes of Ephraim” and “Young Man in the North” as well as several other of his manuscripts ranging in topic from the history of Wisconsin to personal accounts of early Wisconsin settlers. Most of the writings, however, relate in some way to his personal fight against tuberculosis and his involvement in the Wisconsin Anti-Tuberculosis Association.
