Chaffee Family Photograph Collection
Collection
Identifier: Photo 2144
Content Description
The Amenia. North Dakota series contains photographs of businesses, residences, and landscape of Amenia, North Dakota. This series contains photographs of Chaffee family residences, the Rush River, the general store, electric power plant, and blacksmith shop.
The Amenia-Sharon Land Company series includes detailed views of industrial farming machinery, fieldwork, the grain elevator, farm animals, the flour mill in Casselton, E.W Chaffee’s claim shack, the bungalow for working men, early grain elevators from the 1880s, aerial photography of the fields, claim shack, general store, and train tracks.
The People/Individuals series includes photographs of members of the Chaffee family. The People Series contains formal portraits and snapshots of various members of the Chaffee family, including Herbert F. Chaffee and his wife Carolyn “Carrie”; his parents Eben Whitney and Amanda Chaffee; and children Eben Whitney Chaffee II, Dorothy Chaffee Stroud, Florence Adele Chaffee Higgins, and Lester Chaffee. Each family member has two folders: a portrait and snapshot folder. Portraits are professional photographs taken in a studio while snapshots are candid or casual photographs, usually taken at home.
The Family Gatherings and Trips series contains photographs of the family vacation home on Lake Melissa, a skiing and sledding excursion, and a steamboat trip on the Mississippi River.
Extended Family (Retitle) Series- The series includes photographs of the children of Eben Whitney Chaffee II, Dorothy Chaffee Stroud, Florence Adele Chaffee Higgins, and Lester Chaffee. Some photographs include grandmother Carrie Toogood Chaffee.
Topical Series includes dorm room photographs, Northwest Farm Managers Association Tour of 1927, WWII photographs taken by William B. “Boots” Chaffee, and unidentified photographs. The last folder in this series contains 17 black & white negatives.
The Oversize Series contains photos larger than 8 ½ x 11 in. They have been arranged into 3 separate folders. The first folder holds portrait photographs of Herbert Fuller Chaffee, Adele Chaffee, and Walter Russell Reed. The Group photos folder holds photos of H.F.Chaffee at Williston Seminary, an informal photo of Sydney Higgins with his children, and a Chaffee family photo with identification sheet. The final folder has an Amenia Sharon Land Co. threshing scene from the 1880s.
The Amenia-Sharon Land Company series includes detailed views of industrial farming machinery, fieldwork, the grain elevator, farm animals, the flour mill in Casselton, E.W Chaffee’s claim shack, the bungalow for working men, early grain elevators from the 1880s, aerial photography of the fields, claim shack, general store, and train tracks.
The People/Individuals series includes photographs of members of the Chaffee family. The People Series contains formal portraits and snapshots of various members of the Chaffee family, including Herbert F. Chaffee and his wife Carolyn “Carrie”; his parents Eben Whitney and Amanda Chaffee; and children Eben Whitney Chaffee II, Dorothy Chaffee Stroud, Florence Adele Chaffee Higgins, and Lester Chaffee. Each family member has two folders: a portrait and snapshot folder. Portraits are professional photographs taken in a studio while snapshots are candid or casual photographs, usually taken at home.
The Family Gatherings and Trips series contains photographs of the family vacation home on Lake Melissa, a skiing and sledding excursion, and a steamboat trip on the Mississippi River.
Extended Family (Retitle) Series- The series includes photographs of the children of Eben Whitney Chaffee II, Dorothy Chaffee Stroud, Florence Adele Chaffee Higgins, and Lester Chaffee. Some photographs include grandmother Carrie Toogood Chaffee.
Topical Series includes dorm room photographs, Northwest Farm Managers Association Tour of 1927, WWII photographs taken by William B. “Boots” Chaffee, and unidentified photographs. The last folder in this series contains 17 black & white negatives.
The Oversize Series contains photos larger than 8 ½ x 11 in. They have been arranged into 3 separate folders. The first folder holds portrait photographs of Herbert Fuller Chaffee, Adele Chaffee, and Walter Russell Reed. The Group photos folder holds photos of H.F.Chaffee at Williston Seminary, an informal photo of Sydney Higgins with his children, and a Chaffee family photo with identification sheet. The final folder has an Amenia Sharon Land Co. threshing scene from the 1880s.
Dates
- 1870s-1956
Access
The collection is open under the rules and regulations of the Institute.
Copyrights
Copyrights to this collection remain with the creators.
History
The Chaffee Family managed and later owned the Amenia-Sharon Land Company, a successful bonanza farming operation in North Dakota from 1877 to 1925. Four generations of Chaffee family members are represented in the photograph collection, the photograph dates span from the 1880s to the 1960s. Photographs from the collection often have identification of subjects and date written on the back of the photograph.
A group of investors from Connecticut- including the Chaffee families- invested in The Northern Pacific Railroad in 1870. When Jay Cooke and Company went under in September 1873, they exchanged their bonds for land grants. After obtaining their bond security in land grants in Cass County, they planned to develop the land enough to make a quick sale. Eben W. Chaffee was convinced by the success of the Cass, Cheney, and Dalrymple bonanza farming operations that the land had extraordinary fertility for the long-term production of wheat. Their first harvests were plentiful (no insects, good weather, high wheat prices). Eben Whitney Chaffee began to permanently reside in Dakota Territory in 1885. As the railroad depot and grain elevator grew, the town of Anemia grew around it. By 1886, the town had a blacksmith shop, post office, general store, church, and school by 1886. These buildings are represented in the Anemia, North Dakota series.
After Eben Whitney Chaffee’s death in 1892, his son Herbert Fuller Chaffee became the general manager of the Anemia-Sharon Land Company. Herbert Fuller Chaffee began expansion plans in 1895, built two more grain elevators by 1898 and operated a second office out of Duluth, Minnesota. The Chaffee family obtained all shares by 1899. Herbert Fuller Chaffee lead the Anemia- Sharon Land Company until his death in the Titanic sinking in 1912. Herbert Fuller Chaffee’s wife Carrie survived the disaster. Walter H. Reed took over as president and general manager after Herbert Fuller Chaffee’s death, with Carrie Chaffee serving as vice president. The company dissolved in 1923 and remaining assets were divided. The Anemia-Sharon Land Company had their final staff meeting in 1925.
A group of investors from Connecticut- including the Chaffee families- invested in The Northern Pacific Railroad in 1870. When Jay Cooke and Company went under in September 1873, they exchanged their bonds for land grants. After obtaining their bond security in land grants in Cass County, they planned to develop the land enough to make a quick sale. Eben W. Chaffee was convinced by the success of the Cass, Cheney, and Dalrymple bonanza farming operations that the land had extraordinary fertility for the long-term production of wheat. Their first harvests were plentiful (no insects, good weather, high wheat prices). Eben Whitney Chaffee began to permanently reside in Dakota Territory in 1885. As the railroad depot and grain elevator grew, the town of Anemia grew around it. By 1886, the town had a blacksmith shop, post office, general store, church, and school by 1886. These buildings are represented in the Anemia, North Dakota series.
After Eben Whitney Chaffee’s death in 1892, his son Herbert Fuller Chaffee became the general manager of the Anemia-Sharon Land Company. Herbert Fuller Chaffee began expansion plans in 1895, built two more grain elevators by 1898 and operated a second office out of Duluth, Minnesota. The Chaffee family obtained all shares by 1899. Herbert Fuller Chaffee lead the Anemia- Sharon Land Company until his death in the Titanic sinking in 1912. Herbert Fuller Chaffee’s wife Carrie survived the disaster. Walter H. Reed took over as president and general manager after Herbert Fuller Chaffee’s death, with Carrie Chaffee serving as vice president. The company dissolved in 1923 and remaining assets were divided. The Anemia-Sharon Land Company had their final staff meeting in 1925.
Extent
464 Photographic Prints
17 Photographic Negatives
Language of Materials
English
Overview
Photograph collection of the Chaffee family who managed and later owned the Amenia-Sharon Land Company, in Amenia, North Dakota.
Provenance
Donated by Carolyn Chaffee Good, 2012 (Acc. 2019-106irs)
Property rights
The Institute for Regional Studies owns the property rights to this collection.
- Title
- Finding Aid to the Chaffee Family Photograph Collection
- Language of description
- Undetermined
- Script of description
- Code for undetermined script
Repository Details
Part of the Institute for Regional Studies Repository
Contact:
West Building N
3551 7th Avenue North
Fargo North Dakota 58102 United States
ndsu.archives@ndsu.edu
West Building N
3551 7th Avenue North
Fargo North Dakota 58102 United States
ndsu.archives@ndsu.edu