Cal Olson Photograph Collection

Collection

Identifier: Photo 2098

Staff Only

Scope and Content

The Cal Olson Photograph Collection is a diverse collection of images taken by Mr. Olson, that spans from the 1950s to the 1970s and its images include such topics as the Fargo tornado in 1957, Native Americans, and the Vietnam War. Most were taken by Cal Olson while photographic journalist for the Fargo Forum. These negatives give a good reflection of life in Fargo, Moorhead and the Red River Valley, featuring newsworthy events of the era. The collection consists entirely of negatives that were originally housed in envelopes and metal canisters with a short description handwritten on the front. The basic title has been retained for the most part; however in some cases they have been expanded to give a better description to aid the researcher. Dates were also included on the negative sleeves. These dates were likely the date the image was taken, not when it was publish in The Forum, as often times they were not published for several days or weeks after the date cited on the envelope. The dates are included after the title when provided. Each sleeve contained a variety of negative sizes including 4x5 in., 120mm and 35mm. The negative sizes found in each sleeve are included in brackets and are listed after each title. Physically the negatives are arranged in three different series; the 4x5 negatives were given just a straight numerical order, the 120 mm start with the letter “S”, and the 35 mm start with the letter “A”. The collection is arranged topically under the following series titles:

• Images of Cal Olson Series • Fargo Tornado Series • Accidents and Disasters Series • Aerials Series • Animals and Livestock Series • Church and Religion Series • College & University Series • Crime Series • Fargo Forum Series • Fargo, N.D. Series • Farms and Farming Series • Hunting and Fishing Series • Indians Series • Military Series • Olson Family Series • Outdoors Series • People Series • Politics and Government Series • School Series • Sports Series • Topical Series • Towns Series • Vietnam Series • Weather Series • Wedding Series • Rolled Film Series • Sioux City Series • American Legion Baseball Tournament Series • National High School Rodeo Series • National Press Photographers Association Series • Slide Series

The Images of Cal Olson Series contains portraiture of Cal Olson as well as images of him at work, in his dark room, and two color images of him while reporting from Vietnam in 1966.

The Fargo Tornado Series consists of many images of the aftermath of the tornado that struck north Fargo on June 20, 1957. This series has been organized by negative size, the first being 4x5, which has in- turn been subdivided by the broad subjects of street scenes, building destruction, people, cleanup and aerials. The remaining 120 mm negatives, and 35 mm negatives make up the final two segments of the series and they are of mixed subject matter. Of interest in these last sets of images are hospital scenes and the funerals for the Gerald Munson children and the Theodore Udahl family. The original award winning negative of Richard Shaw carrying the body of Jeanette Munson from the ruins of her home, is not among the negatives in this collection.

The Accidents and Disasters Series contains images of automobile accidents, an airplane accident at Lawndale, Minn., the accidental gassing of six year old Deborah DaFoe, building fires at the Dutch Maid restaurant in Fargo and the Northwood Hotel in Crookston, Minn., and the collapse of the Fargo Grain Terminal Elevator.

The Aerials Series were taken for the most part in and around Fargo-Moorhead including urban and rural locations, many of which were featured in The Forum depicting the growth of the metro area. Of special interest is an aerial over the Fargo Grain Terminal prior to its collapse.

Both domestic and wild animals can be found in the Animals and Livestock Series. Of interest is an albino buffalo calf born on the C.C. Koltes farm near Fargo, and an image showing a group of horses running in a blizzard, for which Cal Olson won the 27th Annual News Picture Contest of the Inland Daily Press Association in 1967.

The Church and Religion Series contain a large number of images that were taken at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Fargo, of which the Cal Olson family were members. This includes early confirmations as well as church services taken prior to the construction of a permanent church building. A set of images relating to a Christmas program performed by children at the Norman Lutheran Church near Kindred, N.D, and whimsical photos of a group of nuns ice skating in their habits, are of special interest in this series.

Images relating to North Dakota Agricultural College (NDSU), Moorhead State College (MSUM), Concordia College, and Wahpeton Science School (NDSCS) are featured in College & University Series. Of special note are images taken at a hearing during the “Controversy of 1955”, in which four NDAC professors were dismissed for challenging President Hultz’s authority to eliminate the Geology Department.

The Crime Series deals with several cases of murder and robbery that took place in the Red River Valley during the 1950s. There are some graphic images of the burned out automobile containing the body of Benny Johnson found near Moorhead. Also of special note are images dealing with the homicide of gas station operator Rodney Gilberts during a robbery by Donald Fruhrman in Pelican Rapids, Minn. Cal Olson took images of the crime scene as well as images of Fruhrman in his jail cell giving his confession to the crime.

The Fargo Forum Series contains images of the Forum staff and newsroom scenes. One image is taken of a painting of publisher Norman D. Black, Sr. Also the portraits of editors, H.D. “Happy” Paulson and John D. Paulson can be found in this series, as well as a set of mug shots of the staff involved in coverage of the 1957 tornado, for which they won a Pulitzer Prize in Journalism.

The Fargo, N.D. Series is made up of images dealing with businesses, building and events located in Fargo, N.D. This includes 1st Federal Savings & Loan bank, Children’s Village, the old Fargo City Hall and Carnegie Library. Some social events depicted, are a group of children listening to storytelling at the library, a group of children learning about bugs at the NDAC Entomology Department, people taking their drivers test at the Cass County Courthouse, and scenes of life at the Salvation Army. The Fargo at night set of images, document people whose jobs don’t end when the sun goes down. They include a taxi driver, postal worker, police officer, janitor, and a nurse. One image taken of a house at 1408 South River Road, measures 9 x 15 cm. and is the only image not matching the three negative sizes found in the Cal Olson collection. Due to this, it has been incorporated into the Institutes 5x7 plastic negative collection, under the number 5x7P-419.

The Farms and Farming Series contain negatives on a feature story of the six Becker brothers of Wyndmere, N.D. The brothers Barney, Jacob, Peter, William, Joe, and John Becker, were all bachelors, and still lived and farmed together. Another set of images in this series focus on two farms honored by the Red River Valley Winter Show in Crookston, Minn. belonging to the Virgil Stover family of Lake Park, Minn., and the Lynn Champ family of Averill, Minn.

Cal Olson had a deep interest in hunting and fishing; and was for a time the outdoor columnist for the Forum. This is reflected in the Hunting and Fishing Series, which deals with everything from hunting antelope, deer, geese and ducks, to fishing for Smelt. Also included in this series is a gun safety class in Ulen, Minn.

The Indians Series features 232 35 mm negatives used in a series of Forum articles dealing with the North Dakota Indian tribes done in January 1966, for which Cal Olson won the George Polk Memorial Award in local reporting. Also found in this series is a group of negatives featuring the Wahpeton Indian School taken around 1956/57.

The Military Series contains images of the Grand Forks and Minot Air Force Bases while still under construction in 1956. Also featured in this series are the radar station at Finley, N.D., and Camp Grafton near Devils Lake, N.D. Together the images underscore the important roll North Dakota played in defense of the United States during the Cold War.

The Olson Family Series captures the more intimate moments of the Cal Olson family featuring the family Christmas card photographs of the Olson children, Catherine and Charles, seated on the lap of Santa Claus; Catherine with her Kindergarten and third grade classes and Charles as a baby with Cal’s wife Joanne. Also visible are images of Cal’s extended family, taken at family events and gatherings.

The Outdoors Series deals primarily with all outdoor features other than hunting and fishing which were covered in the Hunting and Fishing Series. This covers general wildlife and scenery with topics including duck banding, fish spawning, pheasant feeding, logging along the Sheyenne River near Kindred, and scenic views of the Turtle Mountains.

The People Series is a broad category featuring many of the photos of people published in The Forum for special interest stories during the 1950s and early 1960s. This includes children doing various activities such as playing dress up, making cookies, putting on make-up and getting a first haircut. There are numerous images dealing with twins, triplets and the Brown quadruplets of Leonard, N.D. Also there is a feature on the Levi Parmer family adopting a boy from Korea; Harold Kively described as the “Carrington Fat Man”; and a seventy-three year old dancer named George C. Wilson. Fashion is also heavily dealt with in this series with a P.T.A. fashion show, Crazy Hats contest, Wild Rice hats and bathing beauties in swim suits. A set of negatives feature Judge Ronald N. Davies the U.S. District Court judge from North Dakota, best known for ordering the integration of Little Rock Central High in 1957.

Prominent state and national political leaders such as John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy, Richard Nixon, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Estes Kefauver, William Langer, and Mark Andrews can be found in the Politics and Government Series. Also of note are scenes of both North Dakota Republican and Democrat/NPL conventions, the North Dakota legislative body, and interiors and exteriors of the old Governors House in Bismarck, taken during the term of Norman Brunsdale in 1955. Also of note is images taken at the 1964 Republican National Convention in San Francisco.

The School Series features various public and parochial school scenes, many featuring students doing various activities such as chin ups for a physical education class, Valentine parties, and Christmas programs. There are images from one feature story about three blind students attending the Methodist Community Kindergarten and Nursery School in Moorhead, namely Kay Johansen, Linda Lottes and Carrie Kuehl. Another group of images were taken on the first day of class for six year olds at the Golden Ridge School in Fargo. Of interest is a set of images taken at a summer school for Mexican migrant workers held at St. Joseph’s Catholic School in Moorhead, and images taken for a feature that Cal Olson wrote on the North Dakota School for the Deaf in Devils Lake.

The Sports Series features various sporting events such as baseball, basketball, football, bowling, boxing, track and cross country, skating, hockey, golf, sailing, tennis, soap box and stock car racing. Of interest is a nice group portrait of the 1955 F-M Twins baseball team.

The Topical Series is a broad category in which images that had incomplete identification or did not fit into any of the other series were placed. This includes some artistic photos such as a triple exposure and water puddles. A group of images, likely taken for the Ladies Home Journal, and meetings of the National Press Photographers Association and the Associated Press are included in this series.

Various communities in North Dakota and Minnesota are featured in the Towns Series, including Bismarck, Caledonia, Coburn, Colgate, Cooperstown, Davenport, Detroit Lakes, Devils Lake, Dickinson, Fullerton, Gackle, Glyndon, Halstad, Harvey, Hawley, Hendrum, Jamestown, Kindred, Lake Park, Lisbon, Mandan, Mayville, New Rockford, Oakes, Park Rapids, Valley City and West Fargo. Often they feature special events such as the Greater Moorhead Days, Lisbon, N.D. Diamond Jubilee Celebration, a Jamestown, N.D. performance of the musical “Oklahoma”, and the Devils Lake, N.D. Inventors Congress. Also featured are businesses such as the Art H. Carlson’s lefse factory in Lake Park, Minn., and the Union Livestock in West Fargo. There is a set of images taken at Garrison Dam in various stages of construction showing construction equipment and a number of aerial photographs. Also of special interest are a number of images taken at the State Hospital in Jamestown showing interior scenes.

The Forum sent Cal Olson on a special assignment to Vietnam to report on the war from March 5 to April 4, 1966, resulting in a number of articles, many of which reported on local servicemen. Photos that were taken on this assignment, many of which were used in The Forum, can be found in the Vietnam Series. The negatives, all 35 mm, were originally housed in glassine sleeves, with an alphabetical letter handwritten on them. This system has been retained and they have been arranged in alphabetical order.

The Weather Series deals with all weather related events with the exception of the 1957 Fargo Tornado, which is made up in a series of its own. This includes images of the flood of April 1952, a windstorm that struck Fargo on June 9, 1959, and several winter scenes.

The Wedding Series includes several weddings for which Cal Olson was hired as a photographer. These include the weddings of Russ Erickson and Gjeneve Spilde, Dennis Dullum and Janice Hanson, Gary Nantt and Beverly Hejl, and Ardean Thorstenson and Carol Hejl. Of special note is the marriage of Peter D. Lewis and Mary Black. Mary Black was the daughter of Forum publisher Norman Black. Two sets of wedding related images were taken for Forum articles, and they are the wedding of Elisabeth Jirgenson to Richard Swenson. Miss Jirgenson was a foreign student from Switzerland attending N.D.A.C. The other story featured a wedding dance for Mr. and Mrs. Robert Judisch held in the Erie, N.D. school auditorium.

The collection contained a large number of 35 mm negatives rolled up into metal canisters, taken in the 1960s and 1970s. These canisters were poorly labeled, and thus required a great deal of research to determine identifications and dates. Through a cross-reference with Forum newspaper articles, a number of the rolls were able to be identified and dated. The Rolled Film Series has been organized by approximate date, based upon when the image was published in the Forum. Also included in the identification is a citation listing the title or subject of the Forum article, followed by the date and page number where the image was published. In each canister there were usually some images that were unidentifiable through research. In these instances in was assumed that the films were taken during the same time period as the identifiable images in the canister and they are listed in approximate sequential order.

The Sioux City Series, were taken by Cal Olson while living in Sioux City and working for the Sioux City Journal . The images appear to have been taken in the early 1980s. The films are arranges as they were found in the canisters with descriptive titles based upon content and research.

Cal Olson appears to have been contracted to take photographs of two events in the Fargo-Moorhead area. The first event was the American Legion Baseball Tournament. This series of films are undated, but were likely taken in the early 1970s. The events appear to have taken place at Mickelson Field in Fargo, and Matson Field in Moorhead. The images have been arranged by location, and then by the competitors. The second contracted event was the National High School Rodeo Association competition that was held at the Red River Valley Fairgrounds in West Fargo, from July 28th-August 2, 1970. The images have been arranged by type of competition.

Cal Olson was very active in the National Press Photographers Association and he documented various conventions, meetings, and the photojournalism training sessions called the Flying Short Course. Flying Short Course was a training program sponsored by the N.P.P.A. and the U.S. Air Force. The photographs in this series are from various locations around the country and contain some military related images. Unfortunately none of the locations were identified, and most of the identifications and dates is based upon evidence found on the images. They have been arranged by approximate date order.

The Slide Series is made up of fifty-four color slides. They have been placed into the Institute for Regional Studies Slide Collection, where they were assigned number Slide 920 to 974. The first set of slides were likely used by Cal Olson in a presentation about a series of Forum stories on North Dakota Indian tribes done in January 1966, for which he won the George Polk Memorial Award. The next set of slides feature two hunting trips, one hunting moose in Nipawin Provincial Park, the other hunting antelope in Montana in the early 1960s. The remaining images are of miscellaneous subject matter and copy work.

Dates

1950s-1980s

Creator

Olson, Cal, 1924-2009. (Person)

Access

The collection is open under the rules and regulations of the NDSU Archives.

Copyrights

Biography

Cal Olson was born Nov. 13, 1924 in Vining, Minn., son of J. Alvin and Ellen Olson. He attended schools in Ulen, Vining and Hawley, Minn., graduating from Ulen High School in 1942.

During World War II, Olson served in the Navy Air Corps as a pilot trainee and as an aerial machine gunner and radioman. He was discharged as a naval aviation cadet. He attended Moorhead State Teachers College; St. Olaf College at Northfield, Minn.; Gonzaga University, Spokane, Wash.; St. Mary’s College, California, and the University of Minnesota. He received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Minnesota’s School of Journalism.

On April 16, 1950 he married Joanne Salomonson of Hitterdal, Minn. Together they had two children, Catherine and Charles. Cal Olson was city editor for the Moorhead Daily News from 1948 to October 1, 1950, when he joined the Fargo Forum as a reporter/photographer. He served as chief photographer and special projects editor, and was named city editor in March 1968. He and the staff won a 1958 Pulitzer Prize for their coverage of the 1957 Fargo tornado. He was named managing editor for The Forum in 1972. In 1978, he left The Forum to become editor of the Sioux City Journal in Iowa. He retired in 1990.

Cal Olson was a member of the National Press Photographers Association, and served two terms as the organization’s president in 1964 and 1965. From 1967 to 1971 he was editor of the organization’s monthly magazine National Press Photographer. The N.P.P.A. awarded him a number of awards, including the Joseph A. Sprague Memorial Award, Joseph Costa Award, J. Winton Lemen Fellowship Award, Samuel Mellor Award, and the Kenneth P. McLaughlin Award of Merit. He also received a number of awards for photography and reporting, among them the George Polk Memorial Award from Long Island University for local reporting; the Paul Tobenkin Memorial Award from Columbia University for reporting on minority affairs, and a citation from the American Political Science Association for reporting governmental affairs.

Cal Olson died in Duluth, Minn. on July 16, 2009 after suffering a fall at his cabin at Big Island Lake, in Itasca County, Minn.

Extent

520 Photographic Negatives (520 negatives ; 4 x 5 in.)

3921 Photographic Negatives (3921 negatives ; 120 mm.)

17666 Photographic Negatives (17,666 negatives ; 35 mm.)

1 Photographic Negatives (1 negative ; 3 1/2 x 6 in.)

54 Photographic Slides (54 slides.)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

A diverse collection of images taken by Mr. Olson, that spans from the 1950s to the 1980s and its images include such topics as the Fargo tornado in 1957, Native Americans, and the Vietnam War. Most were taken by Cal Olson while photographic journalist for the Fargo Forum. These negatives give a good reflection of life in Fargo, Moorhead and the Red River Valley, featuring newsworthy events of the era.

Provenance

Donated by Joanne L. Olson, 2009 (Acc. 2904).

Separation record - Slides (Institute Slide Collection)

Slide 1197-1206, 1245-1264-949 Indians Series

Slide 1207-1219 Hunting

Slide 1220 House

Slide 1221-1222 Digging out from underneath an outhouse

Slide 1223-1231 Copy work