People

Sebulon Olson, Crane Operator, n.d.
Image courtesy of Elaine Ekstedt. Used with permission.

This section of the website contains information about the many people who helped build the Minnesota State Capitol building. 

African Americans  Learn about the men who were recruited, specifically for their level of craftsmanship, to work on the Capitol.

Contractors  This section deals with the contractors who supervised the work on the capitol. We have photographs from the Butler Family Foundation and members of the family who are the descendants of the five brother-partners of the Butler Brothers Construction firm.  The construction company, which began as the Butler-Ryan Company, (until the Butlers bought out partner Mike Ryan), served as the general contractor for the construction of the Minnesota Capitol Building.  The family has also shared a memoir of the youngest partner, Emmett Butler, an original transcription of Emmett's remarks and a second version edited by journalist Larry Fitzsimmons.

Emmett Butler Memoir  This memoir details life in the late 19th-early 20th century and the founding of the Butler Brothers Construction firm.

Individual Stories  Through the efforts of John Sielaff, one of the members of the research team, we have information on more than 600 workers. 

Women  Learn about some of the women who worked as grounds cleaners on the capitol and the meteorological circumstances that led them there.