Fargo-Moorhead Winter Club Records

Collection

Identifier: Mss 368

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

Most of the materials contained within the Fargo-Moorhead Winter Club Records concern the operation of the club, its members, professionals, and events from 1939 until 1964. These materials have been grouped into five series based upon subject matter: Minutes, Club material, Correspondence, Financial records and Subject files. The Minutes Series consists of one bound volume of records of minutes from club meetings and also entries from trustee meetings which are glued into this scrapbook which dates from 1938 to 1943. The Club Materials Series contains memos from various meetings, items concerning club elections, and a copy of the Winter Club’s newsletter, Edges, from November 1952. The Correspondence Series contains correspondences sent to the F-M Winter Club and drafts of letters sent from the club. Some of the subjects discussed are skating events around the country, solicitations from various skating product companies, discussions concerning the professional trainers, and general inquiries about skating. A point of interest in this series is the correspondences dating from 1962 and 1963, which detail the background of the dissolution of the Winter Club. The Financial Records Series contains various papers concerning the financial affairs of the Fargo Winter Club, including receipts, ledger entries, bank statements, and club budget information which date from 1939 until 1960. This is not a complete record, as materials dating from 1941- 1944, 1946- 1949, 1952, 1953, 1956, and after 1960 are not present. The Subject Files Series consists of thirteen folders and one box of materials from the Fargo-Moorhead Winter Club. The Costumes file concerns the costumes worn by the skaters. This file also contains several catalogues of skating and dancing outfits that feature samples of the materials used and entries about costumes the individual skaters wore. This series contains a fabric-bound log book from the Fargo Arena, dated 1938-1943 which appears to have been used as a sign-in book for skaters and their families. Also contained within the Subject Files Series are three folders of forms related to the Winter Club, including a collection of entry forms sent in by schoolchildren for a free skating lesson. The Ice Revues file concerns competitions and events that the F-M Winter Club staged. This contains programs to the “Jack Frost Ice Revue” from 1951 and 1952, and “Annual Ice Revues” from 1953, 1954, 1956 and 1961. This series also contains ledgers concerning the expenses of the Ice Revues, attendance figures, ticket stubs, and Revue committee lists. The Judge’s Score Sheets, 1940 file contains score sheets for the North Dakota State Championships of 1940 held at the Fargo Arena. Skaters from clubs in Jamestown and Grand Forks also competed at this event. The Professionals file consists of materials relating to the professional skating staff that was hired by the Winter Club to teach club members. There is correspondence between club officials concerning contracts and salaries to be paid to the professionals, as well as a contract with Frances Pulchinski, and a list of rules for professionals to follow. The Subject Files Series also contains a file of periodical clippings concerning figure skating, winter activities, and Park Board information which were taken from various newspapers, including Fargo Forum, St. Paul Pioneer Press, and Green Bay Press Gazette. Most of these were cut without datelines, but those with dates are from the 1950s. This series also features information about Skating Magazine and the U.S. Figure Skating Association.

Dates

1938-1964

Creator

Fargo-Moorhead Winter Club. (Organization)

Access

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

Copyrights

Copyrights to this collection is held by the Institute.

History

The Fargo Winter Club was incorporated on July 13, 1938 as a winter sports club for the Fargo-Moorhead area “to promote public interest in ice sports and athletics, including curling, figure skating, and skating of all kinds” and Dr. George C. Foster was elected the first president. The focus of the club was figure skating and members skated at Fargo Arena, an indoor facility built by the WPA in 1938 which stood in downtown Fargo’s Island Park. The club had a membership of fifteen for its first season, but grew to 175 members by 1956. The first competition for the Winter Club was held in 1940 and the club held annual events in conjunction with Fargo’s annual Jack Frost Carnival during the 1940s. In the mid-1940s, the Winter Club added “Moorhead” to its official title to reflect that city’s contributions to the organization. The Fargo-Moorhead Winter Club produced many skaters that competed successfully at Olympic, world National and regional levels, including Sidney Foster, Chuck Foster, Terryl Johnson. Jack and Jerry Woodstrom, Joan Watkins, Dick Vraa, Paul Allen and others. The club also hired renowned professional trainers such as Vera Batchelor of England, Austrian Olympian Hedy Stenuf and Jack Jost. Earlier trainers included Norma and Wally Salene. In 1962 a second skating organization, the Red River Valley Figure Skating Club, was formed. It was able to secure and control the ice time of the City’s then only indoor rink and the former club, FargoMoorhead Winter Club, ceased to be an organization in 1964. The Red River Valley Figure Skating Club continues to the present day, once again incorporating the goals and ideals of the original club in producing Olympic contenders such as Mark Ladwig, formerly of Moorhead, Minn.

Extent

1.2 Linear Feet (1.2 linear feet.)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Provenance

Donated by Lee Watkins, 2009 (Acc. 2881).

Separation Record

Photographs

Thirty-nine black and white prints depicting skaters were removed from the Fargo-Moorhead Winter Club Papers and processed as a separate photographic collection (Photo 2114).