Stay Curious. Stay Connected.
MailNewsletters♡Donate Now
Sign up
*Password must be at least 8 characters and contain one uppercase letter, one lowercase letter, one number and one symbol.
Already have an account?
By submitting, you consent that you are at least 18 years of age and to receive information about MPR's or APMG entities' programs and offerings. The personally identifying information you provide will not be sold, shared, or used for purposes other than to communicate with you about MPR, APMG entities, and its sponsors. You may opt-out at any time clicking the unsubscribe link at the bottom of any email communication. View our Privacy Policy.
Sign in to your profile
Forgot Password?
New to MPR News?
Welcome back
to news
for you
Reset Password

Enter the username on file and we'll send you a code to reset your password.

Still require assistance or not sure what your User Name is?
Welcome back
to news
for you
Email Verification

A verification code has been emailed to

Still awaiting the code?
Politics and Government News
Dana Ferguson

$100K for ruby slippers? Minnesota lawmakers put seed money into acquisition of Dorothy’s footwear

people stand around the shoe
The photo shows (from left to right) Brian Chanes from Heritage Auctions, ruby slippers owner Michael Shaw, Special Agent Christopher Dudley of FBI Minneapolis, Grand Rapids Police Department Chief Andy Morgan and FBI Minneapolis Special Agent in Charge Alvin M. Winston, Sr., as Shaw is joyfully reunited with the ruby slippers after nearly a decade. The event unfolded in Judy Garland’s childhood home at the Judy Garland Museum in Grand Rapids, Minnesota. Placed atop the very pedestal from which they were stolen in 2005, the return of the slippers provided a poignant moment of closure.
Courtesy photo of FBI Minneapolis

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Log inCreate a free Account

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!

Minnesota lawmakers are primed to put some green toward a possible acquisition of the ruby slippers of “Wizard of Oz” fame. 

A bill now staged for final House and Senate votes earmarks $100,000 in dedicated sales tax proceeds to help with a possible purchase of the famous shoes. The pot of money it would be drawn from is devoted to efforts to preserve or promote aspects of Minnesota’s historical legacy.

The slippers were stolen from the Judy Garland Museum in Grand Rapids in 2005, but were recovered in 2018. FBI officers returned them to their owner in February. They could be put up for auction later this year.

The amount that would go for the shimmering footwear worn in the film by Dorothy, played by Minnesota native Judy Garland, is half of what Senate lawmakers committed in a broader environment and cultural heritage plan earlier this year. 

Lawmakers would set the money aside to “facilitate negotiations” for the purchase of the slippers for the Minnesota Historical Society. There is an expectation the seed money would be combined with “available state funds” and non state sources to acquire the shoes, which would be put on public display at the Grand Rapids museum.

Their estimated value is around $3.5 million so it’s not certain the state’s buying power would get all the way down the — wait for it — yellow brick road.

The grant is a tiny sliver of the $230 million that makes up the Legacy Finance proposal, which also encompasses funding for outdoor heritage, clean water, parks and trails, the arts and other historically significant programs.

Passage of the bill is expected in the coming days.

Ruby slippers is seen
Ruby slippers once worn by Judy Garland in the "The Wizard of Oz," are displayed.
Courtesy photo of FBI Minneapolis

Other items of note include:

  • $20 million for prairie restoration efforts around the state.

  • $32 million for forest and habitat protection.

  • $38 million for wetland protection and mitigation.

  • $101 million for other aquatic rehabilitation programs, including those that deal with invasive carp in the Upper Mississippi River.

  • $25 million for a slate of clean water programs around minimizing nitrates in drinking water, monitoring pollution and preserving lakefront shorelines.

  • $5.7 million for arts education and access initiatives.

  • $300,000 to help move the Justus Ramsey Stone House to the Jackson Street Roundhouse.

  • $200,000 to help the Minnesota Humanities Center commemorate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.