"Data Sheets for Study of Growth and Decline of North Dakota Cities and Villages" Records
Collection
Identifier: Mss 369
Scope and Contents
The “Data Sheets for Study of Growth and Decline of North Dakota Cities and Villages” and the “Survey of North Dakota Vanished Towns” data sheets are filed together for each North Dakota county. The survey sheets for the vanished towns are present only for the eastern North Dakota counties, extending west to Towner, Benson, Wells, Barnes, La Moure, and Richland counties. The data sheets, although now dated, provide a variety of data collected for each North Dakota town. There is an 8-page document by Stanley Voelker that provides a good summary of the data collected, organized by the data elements. For the vanished towns project there is a copy of the assignment sheet developed by Mort Mazaheri for the students.
The ‟data sheets‟ compiled by Voelker include population for 1930 through 1970, school enrollment, whether a post office, a bank, number of doctors, number of dentists, as well as the year townsite plat was recorded, whether incorporated, nearest wholesale-retail center, nearest „complete shopping center,‟ nearest „partial shopping center‟ nearest airport with scheduled flights and the number of miles to each, railroad line and highways. Not all the data elements were completed for each town.
The „survey‟ sheets for „vanished towns‟, compiled by Mazaheri‟s class include name, location, date founded, post office, population, railroad service, if town platted, plat map existing and where, churches, school, newspaper, businesses, notable people, date town vanished and why, and summary of significant historical events. Again, not all the data elements were completed.
Dates
- 1970s-1985
Creator
- Voelker, Stanley W. (Person)
Access
The collection is open under the rules and regulations of the Institute.
History
The “Data Sheets for Study of Growth and Decline of North Dakota Cities and Villages” were compiled by Stanley W. Voelker, of the NDSU Agricultural Economics Department, likely in the early 1970s, although no date is found on any of the documents. As stated in the description document the „purpose of these data sheets is to provide a convenient tool for assembling data pertaining to each village and city as the initial step for research on growth and decline of North Dakota communities.‟ It is not known if the raw data was ever used in any publication. Apparently as some point before 1984 the files were turned over to Mort Mazaheri of the NDSU Department of Community and Regional Planning. He used them as the basis for a project he assigned in the class he taught Winter Semester 1984-1985 titled State and Regional Planning I. As stated in the project outline „The project deals with study and collection of the data and important events related to the emergence and disappearance of the communities in eastern North Dakota.‟ Each student was required to complete the form developed “Survey of North Dakota Vanished Towns.” Again, it is not known if the data was used in a final publication.
Extent
1 Linear Feet (1 linear feet)
Language of Materials
English
Provenance
Donated by Mort Mazaheri, 2009 (Acc. 2885).
Property rights
The Institute for Regional Studies owns the property rights to this collection.
Property rights
Copyrights held by Mazaheri turned over to the Institute.
Creator
- Voelker, Stanley W. (Person)
- Mazaheri, Mort L. (Person)
- Title
- Finding Aid to Data Sheets for Study of Growth and Decline of North Dakota Cities and Villages Records
- 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