'Wizard of Oz' ruby slippers could return to Grand Rapids forever

ST. PAUL — A proposal for the state of Minnesota to buy and preserve the pair of Dorothy’s ruby slippers famously stolen from a Grand Rapids museum has made it into the Legacy finance bill this session.

The conference committee met Wednesday, May 8, and approved a bill that combined elements of both the House and Senate versions.

It includes $100,000 for the Minnesota Historical Society to facilitate negotiations for purchasing one of the most famous movie props in the world. The historical society would then loan the ruby slippers to the Judy Garland Museum in Grand Rapids for permanent display.

Local News

Stolen ruby slippers story grabs headlines again with federal indictment

Chelsey Perkins

Morning Show co-hosts Heidi Holtan and Kari Hedlund reflected on the saga of the stolen slippers the day the U.S. Justice Department announced the grand jury indictment of a Grand Rapids area man for the theft.

Listen • 32:19

The slippers are expected to go to auction after they go on a world tour, the first time the slippers will be viewed by the public since the 2005 theft.

State Sen. Justin Eichorn of Grand Rapids is the lead author of the bill. He told a Senate committee in March that this kind of purchase is exactly what the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund is intended for.

“If we don’t take time to preserve this history it could be lost to a private collector who puts them in their basement for many years to come,” he said.

The bill says the purchase would include a combination of available state funds and nonstate sources of funding.

In total, the bill appropriates nearly $193 million for Outdoor Heritage, $25 million for Clean Water, $12 million for Arts and Cultural Heritage and $9 million for Parks and Trails.

It now heads back to the House and Senate chambers for final passage.

A federal jury indicted a second man — Jerry Saliterman, 76, of Crystal — for his role in the slippers’ theft in March, after the sentencing of Terry Martin, 75, of Grand Rapids in January.