Carrie Busby Photograph Collection

Collection

Identifier: Photo 2016

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The Carrie Busby Collection was received from Mrs. H.L. Walster of Fargo in 1963. Carrie had worked for Mrs. Walster while she lived in Fargo. Apparently Miss Busby left these photographs and papers at the Walster home. The personal papers have been organized as Manuscript 288. The photograph collection includes photographs from Carrie’s life, most of which she took herself. There are only a few from her childhood, more of family and friends, some from vacations, but mainly they document her years in education. Many of the photographs are not identified, but general identification has been made by comparing images in the collection. The photographs are divided into four series: Family and friends, Education, Topical, and Album. The Family Series has been organized into the following files: Carrie Busby, Siblings, Parents, Grandparents, Friends, and Farm life. The Carrie Busby file includes casual snapshots of her and also several graduation photographs and a studio portrait. One image in the siblings file is identified as Carrie with half-brother Herman and sister. The three are riding horses. The parents file includes photographic postcard image of Carrie and step-mother, family by house, family outside sod house, man in stagecoach and snapshot of man seated in chair with cigar in mouth, holding newspaper. The grandparents file includes of an aged couple, couple with three young people, and outside a house during winter. The friends file is the largest in this series and consist of snapshots of unidentified young girls and women. The farm life scenes include of plowing, binding grain, threshing, haying, etc. The Education Series consists of photographs taken from Carrie attending school through the years of her teaching career. This series has been divided into seven files. There are two group photographs related to Carrie attending school. The school houses file includes only two prints of school buildings, likely where she taught. The school busses file contains view of children by a horse-drawn wagon and a motorized bus. The school recesses file includes children on playground equipment and a group of students seated on two horses by a school. Students in school include two group photographs of students taught by Busby and children gathered by Christmas tree and toys & labeled ‘Good Samaritan School for Crippled Children, Jamestown’. The student groups include of a football team of ‘AHS’ and another group of students. Although people are identified on back, location is not given. The other group is an eighth grade graduation class in Emmons County, N.D. near Hazelton. All the students are identified on the back. The student groups are all snapshots of students likely taught by Miss Busby. She is on some of the images or they are identified on the back as her class. The Topical Series includes snapshots organized by general subjects. All are snapshots and thus vary as to quality of image. They include chuck wagon feed in wooded area, groups by schools, rodeos, horses, roundups, Indians, scenic overlooks, and buildings including of a house, Liberty Memorial Building in Bismarck and sod houses. The Album Series includes an album likely compiled by Carrie Busby and includes 218 snapshots. It begins while she attended the State Normal and Industrial School at Ellendale, N.D. It continues with family images likely on the family farm near Linton, N.D. There are quite a number of people with and riding horses on a farm or rural setting. The album snapshots continue with students at the school she taught at near Hazelton, N.D. in 1921. The next series include of river scenes including a ferry crossing a river, likely the Missouri River and a scene of a large dirt digging machine. There are numerous images of Indian groups, apparently as part of a special event or celebration. Possibly related are images taken in Linton of a parade which include many horses and of a rodeo. Finally there is a series of people snapshots, possibly of family or close friends, some include Carrie Busby.

Dates

1900s-1930s

Creator

Busby, Carrie, 1896- (Person)

Access

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

Copyrights

Copyrights to this collection remain with copyright holders.

Biography

Carrie M. Busby was born January 26, 1896 to Anna and Samuel G. Busby of Missouri. In 1898 her family moved to North Dakota and bought a farm in the Horsehead Valley of Emmons County, N.D. Carrie graduated from high school in 1916 and started teaching at rural schools in Emmons County, Nelson County, and Richland County until 1924. After teaching for eight years she decided to further her education at the North Dakota Agriculture College. She graduated with an Education degree in 1928; she was a member of the Y.W.C.A. and the League of Women Voters. Carrie received her Provisional Diploma to teach in South Dakota in 1929, but was back in North Dakota in 1934. She lived in Fargo at least until 1946. There she taught at the Good Samaritan School for Crippled Children. No information about her can be found after 1948.