Open Tue-Sat from 10-4 | 507-934-2160

More Than a Headline: A Closer Look at the Art and Life of Camilla Hall

Camilla Hall’s name is most infamously associated with the Symbionese Liberation Army, a militant revolutionary group that she joined in California’s Bay Area in 1974. The SLA attracted national attention when it kidnapped Patricia Hearst, an heir to the Hearst media empire. Camilla and five other SLA members died in a shoot-out with Los Angeles police on May 17, 1974.

But the St. Peter native was much more than a revolutionary. She was a daughter, a friend, a sister, and an artist. Both of Camilla’s parents, the Rev. George and Lorena Hall, displayed visual creative tendencies. George Hall, who came to St. Peter in 1938 with Lorena to teach at Gustavus, carved wood and sketched. Lorena, who founded the Gustavus art department, was a talented landscape painter who had studied under Birger Sandzen at Bethany College in Lindsborg, Kansas.

Camilla developed a talent for whimsical line drawings. In 1970, she moved to Los Angeles, following a couple of former co-workers, and devoted herself to art full-time. There, she sold her art at the many street fairs of the time. In early 1971, she moved to the Bay Area because she had heard the market there was better for art. But after a short time, she abandoned her enterprise and took a series of odd jobs, mostly landscaping and in parks.

This exhibit showcases several of Camilla’s prints. It also provides an overview of Camilla’s life—from her girlhood in St. Peter to her move to Minneapolis, Los Angeles, and ultimately to Berkeley, where her fate was sealed.

Admission to the History Center is
  • $7 adults
  • $6 seniors ages 55+
  • NCHS members and children ages 17 and younger visit for free.

Nicollet County Historical Society - Treaty Site History Center

The Treaty Site History Center is in St. Peter, MN, just off US Highway 169.

Address
1851 N. Minnesota Avenue
St. Peter, MN 56082

Accessible parking
A free parking lot is available at the site.
Two disability parking spots are located near the museum’s entrance.
The parking lot and sidewalk are paved.

General
Service animals are welcome
First aid kits are available.
Restrooms on-site are wheelchair accessible.

For visitors with mobility disabilities
The History Center is a single-floor venue.
Public restrooms in the History Center include accessible facilities and diaper-changing stations.

The Nicollet County Historical Society was organized on August 22, 1928. From its home in the Treaty Site History Center, the Nicollet County Historical Society preserves, protects, and interprets the history of Nicollet County and the state of Minnesota.

The Treaty Site History Center features a nationally recognized and award-winning exhibit on the Traverse des Sioux Treaty of 1851 and its consequences. Other features of interest include local history exhibits, a gift shop, and a full-service research archive.

Learn more