Institute for Minnesota Archaeology

The Institute for Minnesota Archaeology (IMA) was founded in May 1982 to conduct archaeological investigations, to promote archaeological awareness especially at the local community level, and to acquire archaeological sites for preservation. It was funded principally through grants by public and private entities and earned income from contracts to conduct archaeological investigations. Although the organization’s primary focus remained Minnesota, it participated in projects in surrounding states, principally Wisconsin, North Dakota, and Illinois. Major work included numerous investigations around Red Wing, Minnesota (Goodhue County) and in adjacent Pierce County, Wisconsin, in Morrison County (Little Falls, Camp Ripley), and at the Bridgehead Site in downtown Minneapolis. It owned the Little Elk Heritage Preserve in rural Morrison County, eventually transferring this site to the Trust for Public Land (successor to the Minnesota Parks Foundation).

The IMA conducted many archaeological field schools, especially in cooperation with the Goodhue and Morrison county historical societies and teacher workshops (for which it developed detailed curriculum materials). It sponsored numerous formal conferences (Historical Archaeology Conference of the Upper Midwest), public awareness activities (Archaeology Days, Archaeology Week, Hamline Digs), and public tours. Through a grant from the Legislative Commission on Minnesota Resources, it produced a website entitled “Great River/Great Peoples,” centering on archaeology along the Mississippi River.

In 1994 the IMA organized IMA Consulting, Inc. (IMAC) as a business venture to perform contract archaeological work. IMAC contracted with Natural Resources Group (NRG) of Minneapolis to provide cultural resource management to a number of gas pipeline transmission firms (especially Lakehead Pipeline), primarily in Wisconsin and Illinois. This wholly-owned subsidiary of IMA failed to produce the anticipated profits and eventually resulted in litigation between the two organizations. In 1998, IMAC assets were sold to Hemisphere Field Services, Inc. (HFS) and its offshoot, HEM Group, Inc. (HGI). All three of these entities eventually were liquidated. Financial difficulties continued to plague the organization. In January 2003 it voted to dissolve after disposing of its remaining assets.