ndsuarchives-blog

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A recent treasure trove of courtship letters written in 1940, between couple Art and Sally (Eide) Knold, have been donated to the NDSU Archives by their family.  The letters were spun into a three volume set of books, entitled “Hotel Fargoan”.  The books have also been added to the Institute for Regional Studies Archives book collection.  The following book description comes from Amazon:

“Inspired by her parent’s courtship letters, Eileen Torgersen–Smith presents a heart warming account of a romance that took place over the course of 1940, a year that had great historical significance for the world. During 1940 American sentiment shifted from one of isolationism to that of support for the war effort to fight Nazi Germany. It was the year that President Franklin Roosevelt won an historic third term. During the campaign both he and Republican candidate Wendell Willkie promised that no American boys would be sent to fight in Europe. Meanwhile, the first peace–time conscription law was enacted and Congress authorized a huge defense budget, setting the stage for the armament industry to gear up for massive production. Despite the horrible backdrop of a looming World War Two, the wonderfully sweet romance between Art and Sally unfolds. Art is a traveling salesman in northeastern North Dakota. Sally is an elementary school teacher in Fargo, where she resides in an apartment at Hotel Fargoan. How will their lives be affected by the war? HOTEL FARGOAN is told entirely through letters and spans three volumes including: Book One – A Romance Begins; Book Two – Summer On The Farm; and Book Three – A Single White Orchid.”

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The book, North Dakota Tough: Unknown and Forgotten Stories from a Rural State, by Jeff Kolpack, has been added to the Institute for Regional Studies Archives Collection. The following book description comes from Amazon:

“Before Dave Osborn became one of the all-time great running backs with the Minnesota Vikings, he grew up on a farm near Cando, N.D., without electricity all the while riding his horse to school. Even in the middle of winter. For a decade in the 1970s, the once-proud University of North Dakota hockey team fell on hard times, until a group of physical, fierce players were recruited into the program. Before North Dakota State football rose to prominence in Division I FCS football, the Bison laid the foundation in the 1960s with a group of gritty young men. One had a pet snake in his campus dorm room. In the early 1970s, Steve Blehm set a legendary high school basketball standard in Devils Lake, N.D., averaging 47 points per game. He was deaf – and, a great outside shooter, he did it before the 3-point line. In the 2000s, wrestler Collin Larsen from Casselton, N.D., lost the lower half of his leg in a motorcycle accident in August. By January, he was back on the mat with his one good leg. From 1938-43, Ayr High School won 109 girls basketball games in a row. In the 1940s, Elbowoods High was declared the Class B state boys basketball champion, but it took 60 years before the school was officially recognized. Now the town is under 90 feet of Lake Sakakawea water, but school pride remains strong. Doug Simunic. Bill Sorensen. Randy Hedberg. Brad Gjermundson. Tony Satter. Drayton baseball. They all have stories that need to be preserved. These are not sports stories; these are character stories that helped define a state.”

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The book “Cemetery Stories: More Than A Name & Date”, Vol. 1, has been added to the Institute for Regional Studies Archives book collection.

The book documents the burials in Fairview Cemetery, Wahpeton, North Dakota, from 1882 to 1929.  Photos of the gravestones, and accompanying obituaries and biographical information are included in the book, providing “More Than A Name & Date”, for the individuals buried there.  The book is 175 pages, with an index.

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A three volume set entitled Minot North Dakota and Area History, has been added to the Institute for Regional Studies Archives book collection.  The books were authored by Bruce Anderson.  The following book descriptions come from Amazon:

 “Minot, North Dakota and Area History Vol. 1 1880-1940 is the first volume in a 3-book series. The book is 9 X 12, 481-page hard cover book. The book contains more than 650 photographs and hundreds of stories about the colorful city of Minot and the surrounding area of Ward County. This is truly a history book covering Minot and North Dakota using historic photographs and words to present the stories. The book also features 90 huge double-page spread photographs showing the smallest of details. This book also highlights through stories and photographs many of Minot's early pioneers that raised Minot from Erik Ramstad's hay field along the Mouse River into a thriving boom town nicknamed the "Magic City." The book highlights early ranchers, homesteaders, lynchings by the "Montana Stranglers," outlaws, the railroads, buffalo bone hunting and business, horse trader; Luke Sweetman, legal immigration, the introduction of automobiles, the Glidden Auto Tour, newspapers history, automotive and gas stations, Minot deliver wagsons and trucks, the Socialist movement, World War I, Mouse River recreation, Minot Parks, Mouse River floods, early farming, churches, Minot hospitals and much more.”

 “Minot, North Dakota and Area History Vol. 2 1900-1949 is a 9 x 12, 505-page, hard cover book. The book contains more than 800 photographs and hundreds of stories on the colorful city of Minot and the surrounding area of Ward County. This is truly a history book covering Minot and North Dakota using historic photographs and words to present the stories. The book also features more than 70 huge double-page spread photographs showing the smallest of details. This book highlights through stories and photographs many of Minot's early residents that raised Minot from Erik Ramstad's hay field along the Mouse River into a thriving boom town nicknamed the "Magic City." The book highlights hundreds of photographs of city views and streets. The book covers county and city law enforcement, the Women's Christian Temperance Union, bootlegging, vice, incredible crimes from robbery to murder, the Minot Fire Department and major fires, "Operation Haylift" during the winter of 1948-49, Life Magazine's visit to Minot State Teachers College in 1941, the United Nations Military Staff hunting trip to Minot in 1946. Streets, sewer and power, the discovery of coal and coal mining, early Minot businesses and industries, fairs, carnivals, circuses, parades and celebrations, Minot education, famous people from Minot and the area, recreation and entertainment, hunting, the first radio station in Minot, the "Great Depression," and America goes to war in 1941.”

 “Minot, North Dakota and Area History Vol. 3 "The Fabulous Fifties" is a 9 x 12, 528-page, hard cover book. The book contains more than 1,400 photographs and captions as well many stories that take you "back to the fifties." The book also features more than 49 huge double-page spread photographs. This book takes you back to a simpler time, the "Fifties," through photographs that provide vivid memories of growing up and what life was like in the 1950s. The book features large photographs of city views and streets. The 1950s culture and fashions, from bobby sox to poodle skirts and more, are covered. Photo memories show a picture of growing up in the "Fifties." The First District Health Unit and fighting the polio epidemic are featured. School memories take one back to their school days. Events such as the visits by President Truman, President Eisenhower and Lawrence Welk are relived through wonderful historic photos. Photos relive the Soapbox Derby, the early years of the Nodak Racing Club, the Minot Mallards, neighborhood grocery stores, drive-in restaurants, theaters, business and industry. The shady district of "High Third" is covered in depth with rare pictures and stories. The crime of the decade in Minot is featured in depth through newspaper stories and photographs. The birth of North Dakota's first television station, the only station between Minneapolis and Spokane, Washington; the police and fire departments; YMCA; parks and recreation and much more are covered in this book.”

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The book, “North Dakota Water: A Century of Challenge 1889-2000″, by the North Dakota Water Education Foundation, has been donated to the NDSU Archives.  The following book description comes from the North Dakota Water Education Foundation website:

“This is a story that is told partly through the personal recollections of those who have been involved in state water issues during this century. The North Dakota Water Education Foundation is a sponsor of Prairie Public Radio’s “More Precious Than Gold” which involved interviews with over 90 people connected with water in North Dakota. Prairie Public TV has provided the complete transcripts of those interviews. They provided helpful information to tell North Dakota’s water history. We also interviewed present and former state engineers and staff at the North Dakota State Water Commission for the State Engineer history portion of this water history book.”

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When: Tuesday, April 23 @ 12:00pm

Where: NDSU Archives • 3551 7th Ave. N. Fargo, ND

"The First of Its Kind": North Dakota and the National Women’s Conference

Presented by:

Christi McGeorge, Professor, NDSU Department of Human Development and Family Science

Ashley Baggett, Assistant Professor, NDSU Department of History, Philosophy and Religious Studies

In 1977, women from North Dakota traveled to the first and only federally funded women’s conference where Americans from all over the country gathered to address inequalities women faced. Bringing with them a list of 40 resolutions, the North Dakota delegates helped pass a comprehensive Plan of Action that sought to advance everything from the rights of homemakers to equal pay as well as address the inequity experienced by Native American women. Their experiences at and prior to the National Women’s Conference demonstrate a vibrant community of North Dakota women who worked to create more equality for themselves and women across the state and country.  

The Gunlogson fund, established by a gift from G.B. Gunlogson’s charitable remainder trust, supports scholarly work related to the publications and archives of the Institute for Regional Studies, advancing general university outreach. The fund is jointly managed by the NDSU College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences and the NDSU Libraries to enhance NDSU's land grant mission through Institute projects that preserve the cultural heritage of North Dakota.

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The 1925 Bison yearbook uploaded to Digital Horizons

The 1925 Bison yearbook for the North Dakota Agricultural College has been uploaded to the NDSU-NDAC Historical Documents Collection on Digital Horizons.  The yearbook is 178 pages, with photos and short bios of students. Photos and member lists for organizations on campus. Photos and synopsis of each athletic team's performances throughout the year. Section containing faculty names and a short description of each department at NDAC.

Thanks go to our work study student Walker Charbonneau, for the hours of hard work put into scanning the yearbook, and Kate Ryan for her time transcribing the pages in the yearbook.

http://www.digitalhorizonsonline.org/digital/collection/ndsu-docs/id/4108/rec/12

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Six handwritten diaries chronicling the day-to-day life of a young Dakota Territory farmer, Claud C. Dwyer, has been added to the collections of the Institute for Regional Studies Archives.  The diaries were written during the years 1886 through 1894.  The Dwyer family homestead was located in Sections 29 and 32, of Brandenburg Township, near the town of Hankinson.  Claud Dwyer was the son of Franklin and Roxcy L. (Matteson) Dwyer. He often mentions his family, neighbors, and events happening in the nearby town of Hankinson.  Almost every entry describes the weather, and the daily farm work.  Here is an example of an entry:

“Tuesday. Nov. 23. [1886] - This has been a cold day with a north wind. We had a Dakota Blizzard today the first one of the season.  Pa shot a prairie chicken today it was sitting on the wood pile when he shot it. Will Black was up here this evening. Albert Bladow and Leena Bellin was married today.”

The collection is available for research in the NDSU Archives reading room.  See the finding aid for further information:

https://hdl.handle.net/10365/29397

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The 1924 Bison yearbook uploaded to Digital Horizons

The 1924 Bison yearbook for the North Dakota Agricultural College has been uploaded to the NDSU-NDAC Historical Documents Collection on Digital Horizons.  The yearbook is 276 pages, with photos and short bios of students.  Photos and member lists for organizations on campus. Photos and synopsis of each athletic team's performances throughout the year. Section containing faculty names and a short description of each department at NDAC.  This is the first yearbook that was published after the change of the sports team name from "Aggies" to "Bison”.

Thanks go to our work study student Walker Charbonneau, for the hours of hard work put into scanning the yearbook, and Kate Ryan for her time transcribing the pages in the yearbook.

https://cdm16921.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/ndsu-docs/id/3906/rec/130

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This photo of the Fargo Land Office, was recently donated to the NDSU Archives.  Research leads us to believe it was taken in the 1870s.  At that time, the Land Office was located at the southeast corner of Front Street (today Main Avenue) and 8th Street S.  Thank you to Karen Buelow, who found the photo among her grandfather’s possessions, and agreed to add it to the collections of the NDSU Archives.

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“The Bank of North Dakota: From Surviving to Thriving - The First 100 Years”, a book by Mike Jacobs, has been added to the Institute for Regional Studies Archives book collection.  The following book description comes from Amazon:

“As the only state-owned bank in the country, the Bank of North Dakota has a unique and courageous story to tell. Founded in 1919, the Bank survived political attacks, legal challenges and election campaigns before it became the thriving success it is today. In this centennial history, the dean of North Dakota journalists examines the roots of the Bank, the struggle to establish it, the fight against it, its somnolence and the reawakening that has helped fuel North Dakota's economy, support its businesses and communities and educate its young people.”

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The book “Richland County Townships and Towns”, by Lois Berndt, Janet Gagelin and Virginia Goerger, has been added to the Institute for Regional Studies Archives book collection.

This book, published in 2016, follows the history of Richland County and its 36 townships.  “The result of nearly two years of research, visiting communities and assembly, “Richland County” has received positive feedback for not only the use of sharp, detailed color photography, but for being concise and focused.” -- Daily News (Wahpeton, N.D.), May 2, 2016

https://www.wahpetondailynews.com/news/richland-county-book-shines-light-on-all-towns-townships-in/article_6873f296-1070-11e6-b4d2-c7e06be579a5.html

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The book Sigurd: A North Dakota Boy, by Sigurd D. Medhus and Elizabeth Williams-Medhus, has been added to the Institute for Regional Studies Archives book collection.  The following book description comes from the back cover:

“"Can't never did anything." These are words that Sigurd, a North Dakota Boy lived by. In this memoir he reminisces about growing up during the Great Depression, and shares stories of how he became Executive VP and CEO of three major corporations”

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Fargo Poet, Rodney Nelson, has donated his latest poetry book entitled Invictus.  The book will be housed in the North Dakota Authors collection. The following book description comes from the back cover.

“Invictus: poems of late and earlier is a major collection by a poet whom age has not defeated. On the contrary, Rodney Nelson has been writing more than ever in his own inimitable manner, which allows for as much silence on the printed page as he finds in grove and field, mountain and shore, his lifelong haunts. Invictus begins with recent poems, and the 2012 section is an account of loss and grief. The 2010 part recollects his time on the West Coast; in 2008 are variations on a light “metacowboy” theme. “Poetry should avoid the style and content of expository prose,” Nelson asserts. His own does. There is music in it.”

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The 1923 Agassiz yearbook for the North Dakota Agricultural College has been uploaded to the NDSU-NDAC Historical Documents Collection on Digital Horizons.  The yearbook is 262 pages, with photos and short bios of students. Photos and member lists for organizations on campus. Photos and synopsis of each athletic team's performances throughout the year. Section containing faculty names and a short description of each department at NDAC. It also contains a satire section with original student writings and advertisements.

Thanks go to our work study student Walker Charbonneau, for the hours of hard work put into scanning the yearbook, and Kate Ryan for her time transcribing the pages in the yearbook.

The yearbook can be viewed at: http://www.digitalhorizonsonline.org/digital/collection/ndsu-docs/id/3651/rec/9

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Author Curt Eriksmoen has donated his latest book, “Fascinating North Dakotans: A Biography Series, 47 Stories About People Who Have Lived in North Dakota, Volume 9″.  The following comes from the introduction:

“Volume 9 includes 48 people who either were born here, started their careers here, moved here after achieving greatness in other geographic areas, or spent almost their entire lived in North Dakota.  Our North Dakota coverage goes back to 1826, when John Sanford arrived as the government agent of the Mandan villages along the Missouri River, and continues up to the second decade of the 21st century.  Eighteen of the people were active adults during the territorial days of Dakota.  All but four of the people in this volume lived to see North Dakota become a state, and most of those profiled were prominent individuals in North Dakota.”

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Good luck to our Bison football team in Frisco! Here is a look back at 1963, when NDSU Football use to battle UND for the Nickel Trophy