So Minnesota: Minnesota Veterinary History Museum

There’s a small museum in Falcon Heights honoring those who take care of our furry friends.

The Minnesota Veterinary History Museum was founded by faculty nearly four decades ago to collect artifacts related to veterinary medicine in Minnesota.

“We are the only veterinary museum that is currently collecting these types of objects and we are the only active museum for this subject matter in general,” Maru Kuennen with the museum said. 

The museum preserves the past and inspires the future by educating Minnesotans about the veterinary profession and recognizing the people responsible for its progress.

“A lot of different photographs, different technologies that were being used at the time that have developed and changed to be our modern veterinary medicine,” Kuennen said. 

The collection includes veterinary instruments, lab equipment, notebooks, photographs, and anatomical prints. The museum has 4,000 objects and 1,000 photos with veterinary books published dating back to 1680.

“What makes an object distinct or important to be in our collection is the story behind it,” Kuennen said. “Those average day Minnesotans who were creating an impact, not just in this state, but nationally sometimes internationally.”

The exhibit includes the Gentle Leader Collar developed at the school in 1982. The head collar revolutionized the modern understanding of animal behavior and is nationally recognized as one of the top inventions of the 20th century.