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Young Women’s Christian Association of Fargo-Moorhead Records

 Collection
Identifier: Mss 67

Scope and Content

The records of the YWCA of Fargo-Moorhead have been organized into seven series: constitutions, meeting minutes, correspondence, committee records, financial reports, subject files, and scrapbooks. Except for the scrapbook series, the remaining records are very scattered and incomplete documenting primarily the 1960s through 1983. The majority of the records were organized from two notebooks kept by the president or executive director. Included Miscellaneous records were deposited later and incorporated into the collection, in particular newsletters, minutes and the annual reports.



The Meeting Minutes Series are for both the Board of Directors and the Executive Committee. The Board of Director minutes cover 1971 and 1972, although incomplete, and begin again in 1981 through 1983. The latter series is complete. The Executive Committee minutes include scattered minutes for the years 1968-1969, and 1971-1972. Beginning in 1981 they are complete through 1985.



The Correspondence File contains only several letters. The Committee Series files are all very incomplete. The most informative files are the ones containing committee descriptions and duties. The Financial Report Series is relatively complete for the period 1964 through 1972. They are primarily monthly statements of income and disbursements.



The Subject Files Series are also sketchy, but contain information on a variety of YWCA activities such as fund raising and residence studies. There are also copies of its newsletter from 1981 to 1985 and again from 1996 to 2002. Later addition includes the YWCA’s annual reports from 1981 to 1996. Also of interest is a historical list of board members from 1906 to 2003.



The Scrapbooks Series is the major series in the records. They cover the period from 1931 to 1972 and appear quite complete. They are typical scrapbooks containing newspaper clippings on YWCA events, programs, souvenirs, and photographs of events, members and former members. The YDL scrapbooks are complete from 1941 to 1954 and contain a large amount of photographs of former members and their families. The remaining scrapbooks are for the Friendship Club, (1937-1941), Tri C Club, (1938-1943), and on the 1944 Tri-State Conference held in Duluth, Minnesota.

Dates

  • 1922-2003

Creator

Access

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

Copyrights

Copyright is held by the NDSU Archives.

Biography

The Fargo Y.W.C.A. was organized in 1906 locating in the basement of 1 Broadway (formerly Herbst Department Store). In April 1907 it affiliated with the National YWCA. In 1912 its Extension and Girls Department organized the first Camp Fire groups in Fargo, and in 1916 its Unity Club merged with other groups to form the first Business and Professional Women’s Club in North Dakota. In 1931 it organized the YDL Business Girls’ Club, in 1932 the Friendship Club, and in 1938 the Tri C Club for “industrially employed girls.” After locating in nine different locations it purchased the Shields Hotel in 1942. There it headquartered until 1977 when it sold the building and leased space at the former Bison Hotel at 411 Broadway. At this time it also discontinued its long term residence program and now provided only emergency shelter assistance for women and girls. In the 1960s it apparently changed its name to the Young Women’s Christian Organization of Fargo-Moorhead.

Extent

2 Linear Feet (2 linear feet)

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

The Fargo Y.W.C.A. was organized in 1906 and affiliated with the National YWCA in 1907. It activities are documented through a nice series of scrapbooks, as well for the later years in minutes, newsletters and annual reports. Additional accessions have been received of their records but not currently organized.

Provenance

Donated by the Fargo-Moorhead YWCA 1979 (Acc. 2032). Minutes and newsletter sent on regular basis from 1981 to 1985; newsletters and miscellaneous documents added occasionally since by YWCA.

Separation record - Photographs

Photographs (Institute Photo 487): 16 prints and 60 slides: documenting the Y.W.C.A.

Property rights

The NDSU Archives owns the property rights to this collection.
Title
Finding Aid to the Young Women’s Christian Association of Fargo-Moorhead Records
Description rules
Appm
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Repository Details

Part of the Institute for Regional Studies Repository

Contact:
West Building N
3551 7th Avenue North
Fargo North Dakota 58102 United States