Finding aid and Biographical material

File — Box: 1, Folder: 1

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

From the Collection: The Minnie D. Craig photograph collection consists mainly of portraits and photographs from the farm at Spiritwood, North Dakota. There is a portrait from Mrs. Craig's political career in North Dakota, while the other portraits deal with the Craig family, beginning with Virgil L. Craig, who managed the 4,000 acre farm at Spiritwood, North Dakota. There is a numbered descriptive list written by Minnie D. Craig in October of 1954 that gives information on most of the photographs. She numbered the backs of the photographs in pencil to correspond with the numbered list. These photographs were accessioned with her papers in 1954. The papers have been processed as Manuscript 282. Included in the manuscript collection are two scrapbooks, one which deals with the Craig family, beginning with Virgil L. Craig who managed the 4,000 acre farm at Spiritwood, North Dakota. The farm belonged to Edward O’Brien of Thomaston, Maine, from 1884 until it was sold in 1902. On the first page of this scrap book there is a portrait photograph of Mr. Virgil L. Craig, taken probably at the same time as the photograph of Mr. and Mrs. Virgil L. Craig, number 2094.2.3, in the photograph collection. The collection also includes Mrs. Craig’s handwritten reminiscences of the Craig family and Mr. O’Brien. In the Portrait Series there are photographs of Mrs. Minnie Craig, including one of her in the North Dakota Delegation G.O.P. Convention in Kansas City June 12, 1928. There is a portrait of Mr. and Mrs. Virgil Craig as well as a photograph of the John McIntyre home in Warren, Maine which was the birthplace, marriage place, and place of death of Mrs. Virgil Craig (in 1920). Also included are two portraits, that of granddaughter Olive F. Craig and Virgil F. Craig’s grandson Frank E. Craig during World War II. As of 1954 Olive F. Craig and Frank E. Craig were the only living survivors of Virgil L. Craig, Farmington, Maine. The O’Brien Farm at Spiritwood, N.D. Series contains four images of farm work including a cyanotype of a load of grain ready for a trip to the Spiritwood elevator, a photograph of them ready for seeding with drills and drags, and two threshing scenes with Edward O’Brien Craig as the engineer. There are two photographs that show a bird’s eye view of the farm buildings, yard, and cattle. There is an image of Mr. and Mrs. Virgil L. Craig (Father and Mother Craig) with their driving team in 1883, as well as a photograph of the house taken around 1940 with Frank E. Craig, his wife Kathleen Craig and Minnie D. Craig standing on the back steps. There is also a photograph of the O’Brien Farmhouse after a cyclone, prior to 1901, taken probably about 1895.