| Provenance/Processing
| Biographical Sketch | Scope and Content
| Preliminary Container List
The Central Cooperative Wholesale (hereafter CCW) was established in July, 1917 in Superior, Wisconsin as the Central Cooperative Exchange (CCE).2 Nineteen delegates representing nine Finnish American cooperatives from Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan met to create a central purchasing organization to serve the member cooperative societies. The corporate headquarters and warehouse operations were situated in Superior, Wisconsin. During the early 1920s CCE gradually grew in membership and sales. By 1928 there were 84 member societies whose sales totaled well over one million dollars.
Although the Finnish American consumers' cooperative movement embraced all segments of the Finnish community, it had been started largely by and had received considerable impetus from Socialists, who viewed cooperativism as an economic adjunct to the working class movement. In fact, during the split within the Socialist Party of the United States in the early 1920s, key members of the CCE staff supported the left-wing faction, which favored recognition of the Third International and which was to become the Workers' (Communist) Party of America. Among the early leaders of the CCE who belonged to the Party were General Manager Eskel Ronn, Education Department Head George Halonen and Executive Board members Matt Tenhunen and Oscar Corgan.
However, when the Communist Party in New York sought to bring the CCW and the larger Finnish American cooperative movement under tight Party control in the late 1920s, an intense conflict developed not only in the CCW's leadership, but also in the membership at large. In the struggle over the direction the Finnish cooperative movement was to take, both Tenhunen and Corgan aligned themselves with Party loyalists who supported a militant, working class cooperativism, while Halonen and Ronn led those who promoted a neutral, non-political direction based on Rochdale principles.3 After supporters for the two sides waged a year long, often bitter campaign in Finnish communities not only in the midwest, but throughout the United States, the issue came to a vote at the CCE's 1930 annual meeting in Superior where those favoring a neutral course formed a decisive majority.
As the CCW began pursuing a non-political course from 1930 onward, it strengthened its position with non-radical Finns and the larger Finnish American community. The organization prospered and flourished during the 1930s as it turned its attention to the creation of new consumers' cooperatives, the expansion of existing stores, and cooperative educational and social activities. In 1933 it established its own publishing house, the Cooperative Publishing Association. By 1940 the CCW had over 100 member societies with combined sales of over 14 million dollars. The majority of these were dominated by the Finns.
The successful growth of the organization can be attributed in large part to effective leadership and management as the CCW sought to combine business operations with the ideological aims of consumers' cooperativism. Over the years its general organizational structure changed very little. Direction and supervision in policy-making came from the Board of Directors, which was responsible to and acted in behalf of the general membership. A General Manager, the organization's chief executive officer, managed affairs in accordance with the directives of the Board. The number of departments under the General Manager varied over time, but chief among them Education, Finance, Distribution, and Plant Operations. Department heads made up an Executive Committee which assisted the General Manager. Reflecting the emphasis that the cooperative ideology placed on educational work, the real work-horse of the CCW's various sub-divisions was the Educational Department, which had oversight of leadership training, public relations, publications, women's guilds and clubs, and organizational fieldwork. A good share of the educational work was carried on by the Northern States Womens' Cooperative Guild which was organized in 1930.4 The Guild organized summer youth camps, had charge of the youth program in general, promoted the cooperative movement with fair booths and other projects, and served as a contact between homemakers and the CCW's commodity program.
The success of the CCW can also be attributed to the time and energy that the Education Department devoted to educational efforts and training courses for member societies. These courses not only taught practical applications of the Rochdale principles, but they also provided a thorough foundation in areas such as sound business management, marketing, advertising, and employee training. The Education Department's outreach activity is perhaps best exemplified by the scholarship contests it sponsored for high school seniors in the late 1950s and early 1960s. These essay contests, which revolved around cooperative themes, drew applicants from Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan, and North and South Dakota and played a major role in the organization's youth program. They were clearly aimed at building favorable attitudes toward the cooperative movement by acquainting young people with its goals, values, and benefits. Contest themes like "How Can Cooperatives Strengthen American Democracy" conveyed the message that cooperatives are an integral part of the free enterprise system.
For many members of the Finnish American first generation the local co-op store was much more than merely a retail business that they considered their own. The cooperative movement represented a way of life, providing not only for their material, but social and cultural needs as well. This was particularly true of rural areas where Co-op halls were the sites of dances, concerts, evening socials, lectures, and plays. With changing times and conditions, and with the passing of the immigrant generation, the social and cultural functions of the co-ops decreased in importance. Control of the organization gradually passed into the hands of the American born and the CCW began to shed its Finnish image. The organization had already employed its first non-Finnish speaking fieldmen in 1930. In the late 1930s the CCW hired its first non-Finnish editor (Oscar Cooley) for the Co-operative Pyramid Builder. Its last bilingual annual meeting was held in 1948.5
Changing social patterns and economic trends in the United States during the post World War II period also had an effect on consumer cooperatives. The traditional, close-knit nature of the rural community began to change as the population became more mobile. Younger people not only moved to urban areas in search of work, but rural shoppers were also willing to travel longer distances by car in search of bargains. With the growth of mass merchandising, many of the small cooperative stores established by immigrants found it increasingly difficult to compete, particularly in larger towns. Yet, despite increasing numbers of store closures in rural regions in the 1950s and increased competition in urban areas from supermarkets and shopping centers, the CCW continued to hold its own and even experience monetary growth. By 1952 it had 207 member societies of which 156 reported combined sales of $58 million. Although the CCW also experienced its first net operating loses in history in 1952, it soon stabilized its financial position with numerous belt-tightening measures, among them a "Reverse the Trend" drive to encourage cash policies and discourage credit sales.
As competition steadily increased, as consumers' shopping habits changed, and as profit margins gradually declined, the management of the CCW found the idea of merger an increasingly attractive option. Ever since the 1940s the organization had explored the possibility from time to time with Minneapolis-based Midland Cooperatives, but it was not until the 1950s that both organizations became increasingly aware of the high cost of offering similar services in overlapping trading regions. In the early 1960s a joint committee from the two cooperatives concluded that there were attractive benefits to merging and no compelling reasons against it. On November 30, 1963 CCW merged with Midland Cooperatives, Inc.
During its 45 year existence
the Central Cooperative Wholesale became one of the most successful Finnish
sponsored economic ventures in the United States. In the final analysis,
the CCW and the consumers' cooperative movement that it represented played
several important roles in Finnish American history. Its political
neutrality allowed it to serve a significant integrative role in bringing
together the various factions of the Finnish American community.
It was also the one economic and social area in which interaction between
the immigrant generation and the American born was the greatest.
In addition, the consumers' cooperative movement was the one Finnish institution
that attracted not only the American boom Finns, but non-Finns as well.
2 The corporate name of the organization was Central Cooperative Exchange until 1939, when the name was changed to Central Cooperative Wholesale. In 1956 the CCW became Central Cooperatives, Inc., the name it carried until its merger with Midland Cooperatives, Inc. in 1963. CCE and CCW usually used the spelling "co-operative" (hyphenated) in their records, while CCI and Midland used "cooperative" (solid). The solid version of the word (the first dictionary spelling) is used throughout this inventory.
3 Foremost among the Rochdale Principles of Cooperation, attributed to the founders of the first cooperative in Rochdale, England in 1844, are 1) open voluntary membership; 2) democratic control: each member has one vote; 3) limited return on investment: not more than the current legal rate of interest; 4) distribution of surplus profits to members; 5) allocation of funds for continuing cooperative education.
4 See also Records of Northern States Women's Cooperative Guild and the Torma-Silvola Papers in the IHRC's Finnish Collection.
5 For an interesting demographic analysis of the Finnish element in northern Minnesota coops in 1948, see V. S. Alanen, "Report on Survey of Range Cooperative Federation and Its Member Societies," box 28, folder 5.
The Central Cooperative Wholesale collection is organized into the following series and subseries:
SERIES I: Minutes, Reports, and Incorporation Records of Central Cooperative Exchange, Central Cooperative Wholesale, Central Cooperatives, Inc. and Midland Cooperatives, Inc. (boxes 1-9)
SUBSERIES:
1. Central Cooperative Exchange
2. Central Cooperative Wholesale
3. Central Cooperatives, Inc.
4. Midland Cooperatives, Inc.
SERIES II: Cooperative Publishing Association Records (box 9)
SERIES III: Finance Division Records (boxes 9-13)
SERIES IV: Education Division Records (boxes 13-29)
SUBSERIES:
1. Cooperative Schools
2. Management Training and Development
3. Scholarship Contests
4. Field Reports
5. Correspondence and Miscellaneous Records
SERIES V: People's Cooperative Society, Superior, WI, Records (boxes 29-31)
SERIES VI: Virginia Cooperative Society, Virginia, MN, Records (boxes 31-32)
SERIES VII: Photographs (boxes 32-47)
I. Minutes, Reports and Incorporation Records of Central Cooperative Exchange, Central Cooperative Wholesale, Central Cooperatives, Inc., and Midland Cooperatives, Inc.
CCE, CCW, and CCI corporate minutes and records are divided into five chronological subseries that reflect the corporate names under which the organization existed. The collection also includes records from the immediate, post-merger period with Midland, which have been collected under the heading "Midland Cooperatives, Inc."
Subseries 1 covers the period from 1916 to 1939 and contains minutes of the Board of Directors as well as the Management Committee, an executive committee made up of division managers. Included are minutes of annual and semi-annual meetings, articles of incorporation along with amendments, and correspondence regarding legal proceedings taken against a member cooperative in 1931. The minutes were kept in Finnish until February 1939, when the transition to English took place. Finnish minutes were kept in a separate bound volume until 1941. The documents provide the researcher with the clearest picture of the CCE's establishment and organizational evolution during a period that saw its greatest growth and development. The earlier part of this period saw the split within the CCE, but the Board of Directors minutes for that period take a "business only" position and contain very little of anything that even suggests the intense struggle that took place in the Upper Midwest for control of the movement.
Subseries 2 contains the minutes and records of the Central Cooperative Wholesale, which range from 1939 to 1958. These consist of minutes of the Board of Directors, the annual meetings, and the Management Committee, which changed its name to the Executive Committee in June 1947. Included are audit reports and analyses. Of particular interest are materials that reflect the organization's response to economic difficulties arising from the agricultural recession of the late 1940s and early 1950s. Among these are records dealing with the establishment of a Management Service Program in 1947 to provide financial advice and managerial assistance to financially troubled member cooperatives. This service directly relates to a campaign waged by the Finance and Education divisions to encourage cash sales and discourage the granting of credit to patrons. Also of interest in this subseries are internal management reports and analyses which clearly reflect the introduction of management techniques by the college-trained, American-born, second generation. Among these is a 1948 analysis of the comparative operations of Central States Cooperative, Midland Cooperatives, Inc., and Central Cooperative Wholesale that reflects a growing interest in the idea of merger in the interests of increasing efficiency and avoiding duplication of effort.
Subseries 3 contains minutes of the Board of Directors and annual meetings of the Central Cooperatives, Inc. These records document the various management decisions and actions that led up to the merger with Midland Cooperatives, Inc., in 1963.
Subseries 4 contains records that document the period immediately following the merger of Central Cooperatives, Inc., with Midland Cooperatives, Inc. Of particular interest among these is an in-depth analysis that Midland undertook to evaluate retail operations in the Consumer Goods Division. The organization hired a management consulting firm to evaluate five large food and/or retail stores, all of them outlets of the former CCI. The resulting report evaluated the supermarkets and stores on factors such as operating performance, marketing position, management methods, and merchandising techniques. The three-part report clearly highlights the numerous factors involved in the decline of cooperative retail stores in the changing, competitive market of the late 1950s and early 1960s.
II. Cooperative Publishing Association Records
The records consist of articles of incorporation and bylaws from 1933 as well as amendments to the articles. Also included are legal papers concerning the 1958 sale of the publishing company's assets to Central Cooperatives, Inc., and the articles of dissolution from 1961.
III. Finance Division Records
The bulk of these records document the economic difficulties that member cooperatives encountered in the post World War II period, partly because of changing shopping patterns and marketing strategies, and specifically as a result of granting easy credit to patrons. Consequently, many of these materials deal with the CCW's active encouragement of cash policies at member operatives. A year-end report for 1948 outlines the CCW's financial situation. There are reports on the cash vs. credit issue, a financial manual for member cooperatives, and correspondence with delinquent members relating to their overdue accounts receivable. Included is a finance plan the CCW worked out with these member cooperatives. Part of the records document the establishment of Central Finance, Inc., a finance company established by the CCW to extend time payment plans to customers for the purchase of large appliances and equipment.
IV. Education Division Records
Responsible for the promotion and dissemination of the cooperative philosophy, the Education Division had responsibility for a wide range of activities ranging from public relations to leadership training.
Subseries 1 contains study materials for the Cooperative Training School, which trained students and future managers in the fundamentals of cooperativism. The course outlines, student listings, and evaluation reports provide insight for the researcher into the nature and quality of the training. The subseries also consists of correspondence, enrollment ledgers, and cooperative correspondence course materials such as "Consumer Cooperation in Principle and Practice," a twelve lesson course administered by the Cooperative Correspondence School which operated from 1943 to 1951. Also included are materials from 1940 to 1945 relating to cooperative discussion groups, local education committees organized to spread the cooperative philosophy and support the local cooperative store. These records include discussion outlines in both English and Finnish, names of group leaders, and lists of communities where discussion groups existed in Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. The materials illustrate the ongoing transition in the 1940s from a predominantly Finnish-speaking to an English-speaking membership.
Subseries 2 vividly reflects an emphasis on the introduction and application of management techniques by a new generation of college-trained, second generation executives. The numerous management courses and training programs in this section, most of which date from 1951-1954, provide the researcher with an idea of how much attention the CCW paid to maximization of efficiency at all organizational levels in a period of spiraling inflation and increased competition.
Subseries 3 documents Cooperative Scholarship Contests (1958-1963) for high school seniors in the Midwest. Writers of essays were awarded $1000, $750, and $500 prizes, with district winners receiving merchandise awards. The top three overall winners presented their essays at CCW's annual meeting. This subseries includes over 500 student essays; application blanks from participants; evaluations of the contests; correspondence from schools, local co-ops, and individuals to the Education Division (the name had been changed to Member Services Division in 1959) regarding the contest as well as promotional materials sent out to high schools; cards listing all of the high school libraries receiving reference books; and cards listing the contestants from each high school. The 500 student essays in themselves are a significant collection documenting early 1960s economic and political perceptions as reflected in the writings of young people, many of whom were third generation Finnish Americans.
Subseries 4 deals with the activities of the CCW field representatives, who made the initial contacts with interested people to organize local support for the establishment of a community cooperative. The records consist of inquiries to CCW from individuals throughout the Midwest asking for information and instructions on forming a local consumers' cooperative. Of particular economic and demographic interest are memos and reports from the fieldmen to the home office documenting the progress of local organizational work in the largely rural areas. Numerous files contain name lists of prospective supporters in the individual communities. Others contain model articles of incorporation and bylaws for the prospective co-ops. Some of the files reflect competition with Midland Cooperatives, Inc.
Subseries 5 contains documentation on the public relations functions of the Education Division. Bi-weekly activity reports as well as job descriptions for personnel provide an idea of the division's key role within the organization and the wide range of activities over which it had oversight. Of special interest are the neighborhood discussion groups that the Education Division promoted during the 1940s. These groups were made up of neighbors within a community, who would meet regularly in each others homes and, with the aid of a study guide, discuss common problems or interests within the context of cooperative philosophy. The Education Division published monthly outlines and study guides for the groups in both Finnish and English. Also of interest in this subseries is a 1948 survey of member cooperatives compiled by V. S. Alanne that covers not only questions relating to the financial state of the cooperatives, but also deals with demographic data and statistics on the composition of cooperatives, Americanization of the cooperatives, the use of Finnish at membership meetings, and the participation of women in the cooperative activities. The Education Division's involvement in the cash vs. credit issue of the early 1950s is reflected in correspondence to and from member cooperatives. Also reflected in the correspondence, inter-office memos, and reports from this period is the attention devoted to increasing efficiency within the CCW's corporate structure.
V. People's Cooperative Society Records
The People's Cooperative Society of Superior, Wisconsin, one of the largest member cooperatives in the CCW, was established in 1916. It owned a large main store, two branch stores, and a service station with garage. The records consist of Board of Directors minutes for the period from 1925 to 1953 and annual/ semi-annual Reports for 1927 to 1940. The minutes, which also include occasional special meetings like the joint meeting of employees and directors, are in both Finnish and English up to 1935. The Annual/Semi-annual Reports are only in English. In January 1952 the People's Cooperative Society merged with the Superior Farmers' Union Cooperative to form the Superior Cooperative Association. The records are of particular value to any researcher documenting the life span of a large ethnic economic enterprise.
VI. Virginia Cooperative Society Records
The Virginia Cooperative Society was established in 1909 as the Virginia Work People's Trading Company. At the peak of its activity in the 1930s, it had about 1000 members, two stores, and a service station. The records consist of the Board of Directors minutes for 1960 to 1969, when the cooperative went out of business.6
VII. Photographs
The photographs come from the files of the Cooperative Publishing Association, where they were used as file photos for cooperative publications. The photos retain the original in-house order given to them by the CPA. They are organized into two groupings, the second of which consists largely of CCW personnel and individuals featured in cooperative newspapers. The subject matter covers a wide range: historically significant events and individuals, photos of annual meetings, youth camps, member cooperatives, cooperative activities, headquarters buildings, and staff. Included with photographs are silver plates and mattes.
In 2002 - 2003, selected photographs from the collection were digitized and made accessible online through the IHRC COLLAGE database of digital images by Erik Moore, COLLAGE Coordinator. Please view these images at the links below:
1) Central Cooperative Wholesale warehouse and office building
6) Red star coffee with the red star chorus
Note:
For additional images of items from the collection, please search
COLLAGE using "central cooperative" as
keywords.
Subseries 1 Central Cooperative
Exchange
| Box | Folder | Description | Dates |
| 1 | 1 | Board of Directors Minutes | May 1, 1916-Aug 24, 1928 |
| 2 | 1 | Board of Directors Minutes | Sept. 27, 1928-Jan. 12, 1939 |
| 3 | 1 | Management Committee Minutes | Apr. 2, 1919-Dec. 30, 1924 |
| 2 | Articles of Incorporation | 1917 | |
| 3 | Amendment to Articles of Incorporation | 1924 | |
| 4 | Amendment to Articles of Incorporation | 1928 | |
| 5 | United States trademark registration | 1931 | |
| 6 | Correspondence regarding legal proceedings against Eben, MI, member cooperative | 1931 | |
| 7 | General Manager's correspondence, reports, notices and news releases | 1919-1936 | |
| 8 | Food Department Sales Meetings Minutes | Dec. 28-30, 1933 |
Subseries 2 Central
Cooperative Wholesale
| 3 | 9 | Board of Directors Minutes | Feb. 2, 1939-Nov. 26, 1943 |
| 4 | 1 | Management Committee Minutes | Jan. 12, 1939-Mar. 28, 1941 |
| 2 | Dec. 1, 1943-Dec. 5, 1947 | ||
| 3 | Jan. 21, 1948-Apr. 9, 1952 | ||
| 5 | 1 | Board of Directors Minutes | May 7, 1952-Nov. 29, 1955 |
| 2 | Feb. 27-28, 1956-Nov. 10, 1958 | ||
| 3 | Coordinating Committee Minutes | Mar. 24, 1944-July 17, 1947 | |
| 4 | Board of Directors Meeting - Agenda and Reports | Feb. 23-24, 1949 | |
| 5 | May 23, 1949 | ||
| 6 | Dec. 7-8, 1949 | ||
| 7 | Nov. 26-27, 1951 | ||
| 8 | Mar. 3-4, 1952 | ||
| 9 | Amendment to Articles of Incorporation | 1931 | |
| 10 | 1939 | ||
| 11 | 1940 | ||
| 12 | 1942 | ||
| 13 | 1946 | ||
| 14 | 1947 | ||
| 15 | 1948 | ||
| 16 | 1949 | ||
| 6 | 1 | Amendment to Articles of Incorpoaration | 1950 |
| 2 | 1953 | ||
| 3 | 1957 | ||
| 4 | All Amendments to Articles of Incorporation | 1917-1949 | |
| 5 | Annual District #5 Meeting | 1950 | |
| 6 | Annual District Meetings | 1951 | |
| 7 | Annual District Meetings | 1952 | |
| 8 | Annual District Meetings Rating Sheets | 1949 | |
| 9 | Annual Meetings Planning Committee | 1952 | |
| 10 | Annual Meeting Resolutions | 1952 | |
| 11 | Reports of "Distressed Cooperatives" Committee | 1947-1948 | |
| 12 | Management Service for Patron Cooperatives | 1947-1949 | |
| 13 | Report on a Comparative Analysis of the Grocery Operations of the Central States Cooperatives, Midland Cooperative Wholesale, and Central Cooperative Wholesale | 1948 | |
| 14 | Organizational Manual and Chart | 1954 | |
| 15 | State of Wisconsin trademark registration | 1933 | |
| 16 | Canadian trademark registration | 1937 | |
| 17 | Application for renewal of trademark registration | 1956 | |
| 18 | Request to use new Co-op trademark design | 1957 | |
| 19 | Minnesota and Michigan legal documents regarding CCW name change | 1957 | |
| 20 | Trucking Department Driver's Manual | 1948 | |
| 21 | Visit of German Co-operators | 1952 | |
| 22 | Miscellaneous speech material | n.d. | |
| 7 | 1 | Installation instructions for various thermostats and pumps | 1936-1952 |
| 2 | Employees' Club, minutes, notices, reports | 1944-1949 | |
| 3 | 1950-1954 | ||
| 4 | 1955-1959 |
Subseries 3 Central
Cooperatives, Inc.
| 8 | 1 | Board of Directors Minutes | Feb. 23, 1959-Nov. 2, 1962 |
| 2 | Dec. 17, 1962-Dec. 5, 1963 | ||
| 3 | Amendment to Articles of Incorporation | 1959 | |
| 4 | 1960 | ||
| 5 | 1963 | ||
| 6 | Planning Manual for all CCI Divisions | 1959 | |
| 7 | Working Agreement Between CCI and General Drivers, Warehousemen, Helpers, and Inside Employees, Local Union No. 288 | 1963 | |
| 8 | Organizational Manual for Shippers and Dispatchers | 1964 |
Subseries 4 Midland
Cooperatives, Inc.
| 8 | 9 | Appraisal of the Consumer Goods Division--Part One: Store Operations | Dec. 1964 |
| 10 | Part Two: Retail-Wholesale Operations | Dec. 1964 | |
| 9 | 1 | Appraisal of the Consumer Goods Division--Part Three: Consumer Survey | Dec. 1964 |
| 2 | Superior, WI, warehouse financial ledger | 1965-1968 | |
| 3 | Trucking Department Policies and Procedures | 1966 |
SERIES II COOPERATIVE
PUBLISHING ASSOCIATION
| 9 | 4 | Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws | 1933 |
| 5 | Correspondence with Wisconson Department of State regarding Articles of Incorporation | 1933 | |
| 6 | Amendment to Articles of Incorporation | 1939 | |
| 7 | Certificates of Central Cooperatives, Inc. common stock | 1954-1959 | |
| 8 | Sale of assets to Central Cooperatives, Inc. | 1958 | |
| 9 | Articles of Dissolution | 1961 |
SERIES III FINANCE
DIVISION RECORDS
| 9 | 10 | Income and Expense Statement | Jan.-Dec. 1932 |
| 11 | Jan.-Dec. 1933 | ||
| 12 | Jan.-Dec. 1934 | ||
| 13 | Jan.-Dec. 1935 | ||
| 14 | Jan.-Dec. 1936 | ||
| 15 | Jan.-Dec. 1937 | ||
| 10 | 1 | Income and Expense Statement | Jan.-Dec. 1938 |
| 2 | Jan.-Dec. 1939 | ||
| 3 | Statement of Assets and Liabilities | Jan.-Dec. 1917 | |
| 4 | Jan.-Dec. 1922 | ||
| 5 | Jan.-Dec. 1923 | ||
| 6 | Jan.-Dec. 1924 | ||
| 7 | Jan.-Dec. 1925 | ||
| 8 | Jan.-Dec. 1926 | ||
| 9 | Jan.-Dec. 1927 | ||
| 10 | Jan.-Dec. 1928 | ||
| 11 | Jan.-Dec. 1929 | ||
| 12 | Jan.-Dec. 1930 | ||
| 13 | Jan.-Dec. 1930 | ||
| 14 | Jan.-Dec. 1931 | ||
| 15 | Jan.-Dec. 1932 | ||
| 11 | 1 | Statement of Assets and Liabilities | Jan.-Dec. 1933 |
| 2 | Jan.-Dec. 1934 | ||
| 3 | Jan.-Dec. 1935 | ||
| 4 | Jan.-Dec. 1936 | ||
| 5 | Jan.-Dec. 1937 | ||
| 6 | Sales Reports | Jan.-Dec. 1934 | |
| 7 | Jan.-Dec. 1935 | ||
| 8 | Jan.-Dec. 1936 | ||
| 9 | Jan.-Dec. 1937 | ||
| 10 | Annual Reports and Analyses | 1949 | |
| 11 | 1955 | ||
| 12 | 1 | Annual Reports and Analyses | 1960 |
| 2 | 1961 | ||
| 3 | Audit Report | 1932 | |
| 4 | 1936 | ||
| 5 | 1937 | ||
| 6 | 1939 | ||
| 7 | Audit Report | 1946 | |
| 8 | 1947 | ||
| 9 | 1948 | ||
| 10 | 1950 | ||
| 11 | 1951 | ||
| 12 | 1956 | ||
| 13 | 1958 | ||
| 14 | 1959 | ||
| 15 | 1960 | ||
| 16 | 1961 | ||
| 17 | Audit Report Summaries for Annual Meetings | 1927-1934,1939 | |
| 13 | 1 | Financial Stabilization Program for under-financed cooperatives | ca. 1948 |
| 2 | Overdue receivables from CCW member coops | 1949 | |
| 3 | Auditor's Office Report on Iron County Cooperative Services, Iron River, MI | 1948 | |
| 4 | Credit Policy Reports and Directives | 1948 | |
| 5 | Central Finance, Inc. | ca. 1948 | |
| 6 | Finance Manual for Cooperatives | 1950 | |
| 7 | Credit Sources for Farm Machinery Sales | 1950 | |
| 8 | Balance Sheet (combined) for Maple and Wentworth, WI, Cooperatives | 1948 | |
| 9 | List of Cooperative Receipt Book Holder | n.d. | |
| 10 | Numerical designators for patron cooperatives | 1962 |
SERIES IV EDUCATION DIVISION RECORDS
Subseries 1 Cooperative
Schools
| 13 | 11 | Cooperative Training Courses, Education Course outline | 1941 |
| 12 | Directors classes | 1951 | |
| 13 | Economics and Social Theory Course outline | 1942 | |
| 14 | Student listing | 1921-1946 | |
| 15 | Bookkeeping class rosters | 1949-1951 | |
| 16 | Farm machinery sales class | 1951 | |
| 17 | Meat handling class | 1950 | |
| 18 | Evaluation report | 1953 | |
| 19 | Cooperatives Correspondence School, "Administration of Cooperatives," a twelve-lesson home correspondence course | 1943 | |
| 20 | "The Cooperative Employee in Food and General Merchandise Stores," a fifteen-lesson correspondence course | 1944 | |
| 14 | 1 | "Consumer Cooperation in Principle and Practice," a twelve-lesson correspondence course | 1944 |
| 2 | "The Cooperative Milkman," a ten-lesson home correspondence course | n.d. | |
| 3 | Graded answers to Courses I, II, and III | n.d. | |
| 4 | Enrollment ledger | 1946-1951 | |
| 5 | Enrollments-Certificates-Terminations | 1945-1951 | |
| 6 | Financial ledgers | 1945-1948 | |
| 7 | Miscellaneous correspondence | 1955 |
Subseries 2 Management
Training and Development
| 14 | 8 | Cooperative Management Development Program, correspondence, memos, reports, Part I | 1959-1961 |
| 9 | Part II | 1957-1958 | |
| 15 | 1 | Cooperative Management Development Program, correspondence, memos, reports, Part III | 1950-1956 |
| 2 | A Guide to Modern Management for Cooperatives | 1953 | |
| 3 | Midland Managers School, Basic Course: An Introduction to the Principles for Operating a Successful Local Cooperative Supply Association--Sections I-III | 1953 | |
| 4 | Sections IV-VII | 1953 | |
| 5 | Personnel Training Program from National Association of Retail Grocers | 1952 | |
| 6 | Management Institute, Report on Goals and Organization | 1954 | |
| 7 | Cooperative Adult Summer Institutes | 1951-1954 | |
| 8 | Management Conference Handbook | 1954 | |
| 9 | Midwest Institute of Modern Management, "Management Development," | 1957 | |
| 16 | 1 | Consumer Goods Division, "Procedure, Service, and Sales," | 1964-1965 |
Subseries 3 Scholarship
Contests
| 16 | 2 | Proposal for a Cooperative Scholarship Program | 1957 |
| 3 | Information packet sent to all applicants | 1957 | |
| 4 | Correspondence and memos | 1957 | |
| 5 | Contest applications | 1958 | |
| 6 | Essays from District #1 | 1958 | |
| 7 | District #2 | 1958 | |
| 8 | District #3 | 1958 | |
| 9 | District #4 | 1958 | |
| 10 | District #5 | 1958 | |
| 11 | District #6 | 1958 | |
| 12 | District #7 | 1958 | |
| 17 | 1 | Winnings essays | 1958 |
| 2 | Correspondence and memos | 1958 | |
| 3 | Promotional materials for 1959 Contest | 1958 | |
| 4 | Applications Part I | 1959 | |
| 5 | Applications Part II | 1959 | |
| 6 | Essays from all districts Part I | 1959 | |
| 7 | Part II | 1959 | |
| 18 | 1 | Winning essays | 1959 |
| 2 | Third Annual Youth Conference, correspondence and reports | 1959 | |
| 3 | Registration forms | 1959 | |
| 4 | Correspondence and memos | 1959 | |
| 5 | Promotional materials for 1960 Contest | 1959 | |
| 6 | Applications, Nos. 1-35 | 1960 | |
| 7 | Nos. 36-70 | 1960 | |
| 8 | Nos. 71-120 | 1960 | |
| 9 | Nos. 121-168 | 1960 | |
| 10 | Essays from District #1 | 1960 | |
| 19 | 1 | Essys from District #2--Part I | 1960 |
| 2 | Part II | 1960 | |
| 3 | District #3 | 1960 | |
| 4 | District #4 | 1960 | |
| 5 | Winning essays | 1960 | |
| 6 | Correspondence and memos | 1960 | |
| 7 | Promotional materials for 1961 Contest | 1960 | |
| 20 | 1 | Applications, Nos. 1-45 | 1961 |
| 2 | Nos. 46-111 | 1961 | |
| 3 | Nos. 112-165 | 1961 | |
| 4 | Essays from Notheastern Minnesota | 1961 | |
| 5 | Western Minnesota and North Dakota | 1961 | |
| 6 | Michigan | 1961 | |
| 21 | 1 | Essays from Wisconson | 1961 |
| 2 | Wisconson (Eau Claire)--Part I | 1961 | |
| 3 | Part II | 1961 | |
| 4 | Winning Essays, all districts | 1961 | |
| 5 | Grand prize winning essays | 1961 | |
| 6 | Evaluation of Scholarship Contest | 1961 | |
| 7 | Promotional materials for 1962 Contest | 1961 | |
| 8 | Questionnaire to member cooperatives re Scholarship Contest | 1961 | |
| 9 | Correspondence and memos | Jan. 4-Mar. 9, 1961 | |
| 22 | 1 | Correspondence and memos | Mar. 24-Dec. 28, 1961 |
| 2 | Applications, Nos. 1-48 | 1962 | |
| 3 | Nos. 49-96 | 1962 | |
| 4 | Nos. 97-144 | 1962 | |
| 5 | Winning essays | 1962 | |
| 6 | Correspondence and Memos | Jan. 2-Mar. 30, 1962 | |
| 7 | Apr. 2, 1962-Feb. 28, 1963 | ||
| 8 | High school libraries receiving cooperative reference books for Scholarship Contest, Michigan, A-Z | 1958-1963 | |
| 23 | 1 | High school libraries receiving cooperative reference books for Scholarship Contest, Minnesota, A-Z | 1958-1963 |
| 2 | Wisconson, A-Z | 1958-1963 | |
| 3 | North and South Dakota, A-Z | 1958-1963 | |
| 4 | Transferred file cards, all states |
Subseries 4 Field
Reports
| 23 | 5 | Alpa, MI | 1946 |
| 6 | Barraga, MI | 1946 | |
| 7 | Bergland, MI | 1945-1946 | |
| 8 | Crystal Falls, MI | n.d. | |
| 9 | East Jordan, MI | 1949 | |
| 10 | Engadine, MI | 1946 | |
| 11 | Ensign, MI | 1946 | |
| 12 | Escanaba, MI | 1936-1947 | |
| 13 | Hermanville, MI | 1937 | |
| 14 | Iron Mountain-Kingsford, MI | 1934 | |
| 15 | Iron River, MI | 1947-1956 | |
| 16 | Manistique, MI | n.d. | |
| 17 | Marengo, MI | n.d. | |
| 18 | Menominee, MI | 1941 | |
| 19 | Rapid River, MI | 1937 | |
| 20 | St. Ignace, MI | 1940 | |
| 21 | Ada, MN | 1946-1947 | |
| 22 | Anthony, MN | 1950 | |
| 23 | Badger, MN | 1945-1947 | |
| 24 | Bemidji, MN | 1935-1945 | |
| 24 | 1 | Bertha, MN | n.d. |
| 2 | Blackduck, MN | 1938-1946 | |
| 3 | Brainerd, MN | 1934-1948 | |
| 4 | Bronson Lake, MN | 1945-1946 | |
| 5 | Carlton, MN | 1946 | |
| 6 | Cass Lake, MN | 1946-1947 | |
| 7 | Cotton, MN | 1946 | |
| 8 | Crookston, MN | 1936-1946 | |
| 9 | Deer Creek, MN | 1935-1945 | |
| 10 | Fosston, MN | 1939-1945 | |
| 11 | Greenbush, MN | 1946 | |
| 12 | Glyndon, MN | 1948 | |
| 13 | Gully, MN | 1947 | |
| 14 | Hibbing, MN | 1946 | |
| 15 | Hill City, MN | 1938-1946 | |
| 16 | Hill River, MN | 1942 | |
| 17 | Hovland, MN | 1945 | |
| 18 | Keetwatin, MN | 1936-1946 | |
| 19 | Kingsdale, MN | 1943 | |
| 20 | Kelly Lake, MN | 1946 | |
| 21 | Longville, MN | 1946 | |
| 22 | McGrath, MN | 1946 | |
| 23 | McGregor, MN | 1946 | |
| 24 | Mahnomen, MN | 1944 | |
| 25 | Mizpah, MN | 1943-1946 | |
| 26 | Moorhead, MN | 1938-1939 | |
| 27 | North Shore Cooperative Federation | 1946 | |
| 28 | Pengilly, MN | 1936-1946 | |
| 29 | Pequot Lakes, MN | 1940 | |
| 30 | Remer, MN | 1946 | |
| 31 | Staples, MN | 1936-1946 | |
| 32 | Stephan, MN | 1941 | |
| 33 | Twig, MN | 1946 | |
| 34 | Walker, MN | 1946 | |
| 35 | Warren, MN | 1939 | |
| 36 | Winger, MN | 1948 | |
| 25 | 1 | Almena, WI | 1940-1946 |
| 2 | Boulder Junction, WI | 1947 | |
| 3 | Cable, WI | 1939-1946 | |
| 4 | Glidden, WI | 1946 | |
| 5 | Goodman, WI | 1946 | |
| 6 | Gordon, WI | 1939-1945 | |
| 7 | Hurley, WI | 1946 | |
| 8 | Kennen, WI | 1940-1945 | |
| 9 | Laona, WI | 1941-1944 | |
| 10 | Marinette, WI | 1944-1946 | |
| 11 | Mellen, WI | 1937-1946 | |
| 12 | Moquah, WI | n.d. | |
| 13 | Minong, WI | 1937-1947 | |
| 14 | Park Falls, WI | 1941-1949 | |
| 15 | Radisson, WI | 1944 | |
| 16 | Rhinelander, WI | 1936-1945 | |
| 17 | Spirit, WI | 1936 | |
| 18 | Springbrook, WI | 1937-1944 | |
| 19 | Solon Springs, WI | 1938 | |
| 20 | South Superior, WI | 1937-1947 | |
| 21 | Washburn, WI | 1934-1941 | |
| 22 | Correspondence relating to fieldwork | 1937-1946 | |
| 23 | Reports on organizational fieldwork | 1936-1946 | |
| 24 | Field Supervisors' reports | 1947-1948 |
Subseries 4 Miscellaneous
Records and Correspondence in Education Division Files
| 25 | 25 | Organizational Charts and Job Descriptions | 1938-1950 |
| 26 | Financial analyses of new member cooperatives | 1940-1949 | |
| 26 | 1 | Cooperative Discussion Groups, Outlines, Newsletters, Group Rosters--Part I | 1941-1947 |
| 2 | Part II | 1941-1947 | |
| 3 | Advertising and Publicity | 1946-1948 | |
| 4 | Correspondence and reports regarding the establishment of local credit unions | 1946-1950 | |
| 5 | Budgets and Expence Reports | 1946-1951 | |
| 6 | Merger plans, correspondence, reports, articles | 1947-1949 | |
| 27 | 1 | Minutes and correspondence regarding formation of Arrowhead Cooperative Federation | 1946-1948 |
| 2 | Correspondence, reports, and directives regarding cash vs. credit issue | 1948-1950 | |
| 3 | Correspondence with patron cooperatives regarding cash vs. credit issue | 1948-1950 | |
| 4 | Programs and projects | 1947-1952 | |
| 5 | Patronage Records Survey | ca. 1949 | |
| 6 | Credit Union Information Survey | 1950 | |
| 7 | Biweekly Activity Reports | 1950-1952 | |
| 8 | Grand Rapids Project | 1951 | |
| 9 | Membership and Trade Drive | 1952 | |
| 10 | Correspondence | 1955-1961 | |
| 11 | Cooperative League of the U.S.A., Report on National Structures and Staffs | 1945-1946 | |
| 28 | 1 | Cooperative League of the U.S.A., Workbook for Educational Committees | 1945 |
| 2 | Brief Statistical Historical Analyses of Calumet, Duluth, and Virgina MN, Local Cooperatives | 1947 | |
| 3 | Northern States Cooperative Guilds and Clubs Program and Activities | 1949-1952 | |
| 4 | Bylaws of the Western Minnesota Cooperative Federation | n.d. | |
| 5 | Report on Survey of Range Cooperative Federation and its Member Societies | 1948 | |
| 6 | Miscellaneous articles, pamphlets, leaflets and newspaper clippings on co-operativism | 1939-1949 | |
| 7 | Consolidation Plan for District 15 Cooperatives | 1951-1952 | |
| 8 | Informational file on Racine, WI, Consumers Cooperative | 1947 | |
| 9 | Informational file on Chicago, IL, area cooperatives | 1946-1947 | |
| 10 | Informational file on Lake Country, WI, Copperative Council | 1947 | |
| 11 | Informational file on Cooperative service stations | 1947 | |
| 12 | Finland's Kulutusosuuskuntien Keskusliitto (Central League of Consumer Cooperatives) | 1950 | |
| 13 | < |