Daughters of Dakota Pioneers Records

Collection

Identifier: Mss 207

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The Daughters of Dakota Pioneers Records chronicle the activities of the organization and have been organized into four series: Meeting minutes, Yearbooks, Subject files, and Scrapbooks. Early meeting minutes apparently no longer exist and there is no record of any yearbooks prior to 1955. The organization year begins June 1st and ends May 31st. Therefore the yearbooks and financial reports cover the same periods. The Meeting Minutes Series covers the period 1966-1995 and are virtually complete. The organization held regular and board meetings each month. However, the organization did not meet in the months of June, July, August or January. The Yearbooks Series contain most of the organization’s yearbooks from 1955 until 1998. The yearbooks differ between years but they generally contain the organization’s objectives, creed and hymn, membership eligibility, list of officers, committee members, and past presidents. The yearbooks also give a description of the monthly meeting programs and the names, addresses and telephone numbers of members. The missing yearbooks are 1981-1982, 1987-1988, 1988-1989, 1995-1996 and 1996-1997. The Subject Files Series includes a number of items. The financial reports are available from the years 1970-1971 through 1979-1980 and also the report from 1993-1994. There is a social notebook that lists get well, birthday and sympathy cards and flowers sent to members or their families between 1982 and 1989. Finally, the collection contains a genealogical descendent chart of the James Cooper and Margaret Katherine Gillmore family. The Scrapbook Series includes four scrapbooks. The two main scrapbooks contain items from 1936 through 2003, but there are very few items before 1960. There are two other scrapbooks that cover the period 1971-1978. All of the scrapbooks contain a variety of newspaper clippings of accomplishments, obituaries, engagements and marriages of members and member’s kin, as well as articles about the organization’s activities and events. They also contain many clippings and articles pertaining to local history and especially to events at Bonanzaville.

Dates

1936-2003

Creator

Daughters of Dakota Pioneers. (Organization)

Access

The collection is open under the rules and regulations of the Institute.

Copyrights

The Institute does not hold the copyrights.

History

The Daughters of Dakota Pioneers began in February 1934 as the Fargo Chapter of the Pioneer Daughters of North Dakota. The organization’s objectives were to honor the memory and spirit of the women pioneers in North Dakota, to perpetuate and preserve the history of North Dakota and to promote interest in the resources and activities of North Dakota. Alita McArdle Minard was the organization’s first president. The organization changed its name to the Daughters of Dakota Pioneers in September 1966 when they withdrew from the federation of Pioneer Daughters of North Dakota. The organization’s interest in local history led to the founding of the Cass County Historical Society in 1954. This allowed for men and children to participate in their activities and also expanded their preservation efforts from Fargo to the entire county. The goal of perpetuating and preserving history led to the establishment of a museum. Located first in the Emerson Smith School in Fargo, the museum eventually moved to Minard Hall on the NDSU campus. In 1954, the artifacts were turned over to the newly formed Cass County Historical Society. The Daughters of Dakota Pioneers were also instrumental in establishing Bonanzaville and continue to be strong supporters today. In 2003, due to declining membership, the Fargo Chapter disbanded.

Extent

1 Linear Feet (1 linear feet)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

The Daughters of Dakota Pioneers began in 1934 as the Fargo Chapter of the Pioneer Daughters of North Dakota and later became an independent organization. It was founded to honor the memory and spirit of the women pioneers in North Dakota, to perpetuate and preserve the history of North Dakota and to promote interest in the resources and activities of North Dakota. It includes its meeting minutes, yearbooks and scrapbooks. The four scrapbooks contain items from 1936 through 2003, but there are very few items before 1960. They include newspaper clippings of accomplishments, obituaries, engagements and marriages of members and member’s kin, as well as articles about the organization’s activities and events. They also contain many clippings and articles pertaining to local history and especially to events at Bonanzaville.