This building was once biiwaabik-iron, part of the Mesabe Iron Range and the land of the Anishinaabe. Between 1883 and 1906, Andrew Carnegie became the richest man in the world from the exploitation of Anishinaabe iron ore-bliwaabik, then ceased mining, became a philanthropist, and donated money to build almost 1,700 libraries across the U.S. and another 800 worldwide. In 1908, Carnegie donated $5,000 for this building, about $165,000 in 2023 dollars, and it became Minnesota's 42nd Carnegie Library. It opened in 1910 and served Park Rapids until 1994, when a new public library opened at 210 1st Street West. It later housed other enterprises, including a law office and a Native art gallery. Enbridge, the Canadian multinational pipeline company, bought the building in 2015 to carry out the Line 3 Pipeline project. In 2022, Akiing, an Anishinaabe community organization, with support of Honor the Earth, purchased the building, which is now the Giiwedinong Museum; Giiwedinong is Ojibwemowin for "...In the North."