Ronald Olin Fargo, N.D. Postcard Collection

Collection

Identifier: Photo 2001

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The Ronald Olin Postcard Collection comprises over 1,200 postcards documenting Fargo, N.D. The postcards in the collection date mainly from the early to mid-twentieth century, although there are also postcards from throughout the later part of the twentieth century. They hey-day of postcards was from 1907 to 1915. Most of the cards in the collection were commercially produced and represent well-known Fargo buildings, monuments, and views. A small number of the cards, though, document town life, including street scenes. In addition to documenting the built landscape of Fargo as it existed during the last hundred years, some of these images may not exist in any other format.

Some of the cards were produced privately and are in fact photographs that have been printed onto postcard paper. These were created by individuals for the consumption of their own small circle of family and friends, although some were mass-produced and sold in retail stores. Such postcards are called "photographic postcards." The two types of postcards are integrated in this collection.

Postcards are not only visual records. Many of the postcards were in fact mailed and so contain written messages, stamps, and postmarks. The backs of the cards were also printed with information about the publisher, captions describing the image, and ornamentation. The printed text, along with the stamp and postmark, can help to date and place the manufacture and use of the cards. Alternatively, the captions and written messages contain a wealth of information that can be used to learn about the postcard‘s image or to illuminate the attitudes and interests of the past.

The Olin Collection organization follows generally Dr. Olin‘s original groupings, although they have been organized into five series: Downtown Fargo, Buildings, Businesses, Topical and North Dakota State University. Researchers should consult the Contents Listing for a detailed folder-by-folder breakdown of the collection.

Downtown Fargo is the most heavily documented area of the city in this collection, with the heaviest emphasis on the major commercial streets of Broadway, Main Avenue (formerly Front Street), N.P. Avenue and First Avenue North. The Downtown Fargo Series also includes aerial views, elevated views and panoramic views. In additional to general views of the streets, there are images of specific buildings that are arranged by address and so noted in the contents listing. For some, the business or building name is also noted.

The Buildings Series organizes postcards by type of building, such as churches, city and federal buildings, hospitals, hotels and motels, and schools. Most of the building types are subdivided by the specific church, hotel, school, etc.

The Businesses Series contains a small number of images of specific businesses that are scattered across Fargo. These have been organized alphabetically by the name of the business. These also are newer postcards, published in the second half of the twentieth century and printed in color. The Topical Series includes a very diverse collection of images. This series contains those images of a more social nature, documenting town life. This series also includes humorous postcards, ‗Greetings from Fargo‘ cards, montages, and an impressive collection of view books that contain multiple views of Fargo. Other categories include delivery vehicles, disasters, events, golf courses, Hector Airport, monuments & statues, parks, people, radio stations, and quite a number of Great Northern and Northern Pacific railway depot and train scenes. A number of images attributed as located in Fargo or of a building with the name Fargo, but not located in Fargo were grouped under ‗Faux Fargo.‘

The North Dakota State University Series has been organized into two subseries: Buildings and Topical. The Building subseries are the most extensive and includes image of most of the main buildings on the campus, particularly from circa 1907 to the late 1910s. Also included in this subseries are aerials, photomontages, panoramic views, and monuments. The Topical subseries includes only ten postcards which are more of a social nature, with many including people or groups of people. All the topical images are actual photographic prints. Of particular interest are the postcards of the Student Life Train, Men‘s Track and Field and the Military Band from World War era.

Dates

[190- - 200-]

Creator

Olin, Ronald, collector. (Person)

Access

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

Copyrights

Copyrights to this collection remain with creators or is in the public domain.

Biography

Ronald Olin was born at Winnipeg, Manitoba in 1935. He received his B.S. and M.D. medical degrees from the Manitoba Medical College in Winnipeg, graduating in 1959. From 1960 to 1964 he was a fellow in internal medicine at the Mayo Clinic of Rochester, Minn. He practiced medicine at Fargo Clinic & MeritCare in Fargo, N.D. from 1964 until retiring in 1988.

One of Dr. Olin‘s long-time interests has been postal history. He was a charter member of the North Dakota Postal History Society formed in 1983. Dr. Olin has published numerous articles on North Dakota postcards and postal history in such publications as LaPosta, Dakota Collector of the Dakota Postal History Society and the Twin City Postcard Club‘s journal. Although interested in Dakota postal history, Dr. Olin also has collected extensively in postcard images of North Dakota cities and towns. Dr. Olin is retired and lives in Fargo.