Dickinson Experiment Station Records
Collection
Identifier: UA 0062
Scope and Contents
The records consist of forty-eight series: the Correspondence Series (1905-1974); the Memorandum
Series (1907-1934); the Administrative Series (1946-1953) contains all information about expenditures;
the General Report Series (1906-1949); the Monthly Report Series (1951-1980) the Annual Report
Series (1915-1984); the Weather Record Series (1925-1949); the Special Observers Meteorological
Record Series (1911-1937); the Soil Samples & Soil Moisture Series (1926-1968); the Climate Series
(1957-1973); the Temperature Series (1941-1970); the Research Report Series (1945-1991); the Grain
Quarterly Series (1951-1967); the Rotation & Tillage Series (1908-1967); the Soil Survey Series
(1959-1968); the Crop Release Series (1966-1978); the Report of Cooperative Cereal Investigation
Series (1930-1950); the Cereal Crops & Disease Series (1933); the Nursery Series (1932-1947); the
Plots & Nursery Series (1935-1947); the Wild Oats Study Series (1925-1930); the Orchard &
Ornamental Series (1923-1942); the Summary of Dry land Agriculture Series (1940-1970);
the Planting Plan Series (1949-1974); the Corn Series (1956-1984); the Wheat Series (1916-1971); the
Barley Series (1940-1953); the Oat Series (1923-1931); the Flax Series (1948); the Grass Series (1907-
1989); the Small Grain & Crop Research Series (1907-1989); the Crop Field Day Series (1970-1988);
the Quality Series (1976-1979); the Crop Production Trial & Experimental Series (1968-1973); the
Cereal Crop Series (1915-1990); the Nursery Performance & Outline Series (1948-1950); the
Livestock Series (1945-1978); the Plowing & Follow Method Series (1924-1990); the Conservation
Series (1936-1938); the Forage Series (1934-1985); the Fertilizer Series (1926-1990); the Dickinson
Sub-Station Report Series (1913-1923); the Agricultural Statistic & Fact Series (1924-1980); the
Agronomy Series (1946-1986); the Fruit Production Series (1948); the Subject Series (1911-1987);
the Press Books Series (1905-1907); the Cooperative Daily Memoranda Series (1939-1946); and the
Photo Series which consists of nineteen (19) sub-series.
Dates
- 1905 - 1990
Conditions Governing Access
The collection is open under the rules and regulations of the NDSU Archives.
Conditions Governing Use
Copyrights to this collection is held by The North Dakota State University Archives.
Biographical / Historical
The Dickinson Experiment Station was created to help the farmers of western North Dakota. The
Legislative Assembly of 1905 created the station and also the mission. The station was founded near the
town of Dickinson, North Dakota, which is located in Stark County. It was to be connected with NDAC
and charged with finding suitable plants, grasses, and trees that would easily adapt to the region west of
the Missouri River. This would produce better grasses, conduct crop experiments which would produce
drought and rust resistant crops, and to find ways of improving and expanding farmers’ revenues.
The first Superintendent of the Dickinson Substation was Lawrence Root (L.R.) Waldron. L. R. Waldron was born October 20, 1875 near Ionia, Michigan in Ronald Township to David S. and Louisa (Root) Waldron. There he grew up and in 1896 matriculated at the North Dakota Agricultural College in Fargo where his brother C. B. Waldron was on the faculty. Upon graduation in 1899 he taught at the College for several years. In 1901 he continued his education at the University of Michigan where he received an M.A. degree in 1902. Waldron returned to the North Dakota Agricultural College where he became assistant botanist. In 1905 Waldron was appointed superintendent of the newly created Dickinson Experiment Station. He was successful in firmly establishing this new substation and did extensive research on grasses, alfalfa, and dry-land farming. In 1916 Waldron was transferred to the main Experiment Station on the NDAC campus and became a plant breeder, a position he held his entire career. In 1928 he received his PhD degree from Cornell University.
The following excerpt is from Waldron’s report to the Director of the Experiment Station in Fargo, who was also the President of the North Dakota Agricultural College, John H. Worst: “Sir – There is submitted herewith the first annual report of the Dickinson Sub-Experiment Station. The work during the first two years was almost wholly preliminary in character, but during the last biennial period the work has become more experimental. While the original idea in regard to the work of the station was to make grasses and forage plants almost the sole phrase of study, the phenomenal settlement of the western portion of the state has changed the original plan somewhat. While forage plants still receive prominent attention, much of the time an money is expended upon testing and breeding of cereals, the study of field and cropping methods, and the cultivation of fruits and trees.” (First Annual Report of the Dickinson Sub-Experiment Station for the Year 1908, p. 3)
“Today, the Dickinson Research Extension Center has a unique blend of staff and programs. Research and Extension staff include animal, crop and range scientists. Work at the Center focuses on these areas: Agronomy, Beef Systems, Biosecurity, Cropping Systems, Environmental Quality, Horticulture, Rangeland Systems, and Sustainable Agriculture. Over the years the Center has grown from the original 160 acres to the current 4,916 acres - 3,259 acres are at the ranch unit north of Dickinson where range and beef research is conducted.” Excerpted from the website: http://www.ag.ndsu.nodak.edu/dickinso/ (April 2009)
The first Superintendent of the Dickinson Substation was Lawrence Root (L.R.) Waldron. L. R. Waldron was born October 20, 1875 near Ionia, Michigan in Ronald Township to David S. and Louisa (Root) Waldron. There he grew up and in 1896 matriculated at the North Dakota Agricultural College in Fargo where his brother C. B. Waldron was on the faculty. Upon graduation in 1899 he taught at the College for several years. In 1901 he continued his education at the University of Michigan where he received an M.A. degree in 1902. Waldron returned to the North Dakota Agricultural College where he became assistant botanist. In 1905 Waldron was appointed superintendent of the newly created Dickinson Experiment Station. He was successful in firmly establishing this new substation and did extensive research on grasses, alfalfa, and dry-land farming. In 1916 Waldron was transferred to the main Experiment Station on the NDAC campus and became a plant breeder, a position he held his entire career. In 1928 he received his PhD degree from Cornell University.
The following excerpt is from Waldron’s report to the Director of the Experiment Station in Fargo, who was also the President of the North Dakota Agricultural College, John H. Worst: “Sir – There is submitted herewith the first annual report of the Dickinson Sub-Experiment Station. The work during the first two years was almost wholly preliminary in character, but during the last biennial period the work has become more experimental. While the original idea in regard to the work of the station was to make grasses and forage plants almost the sole phrase of study, the phenomenal settlement of the western portion of the state has changed the original plan somewhat. While forage plants still receive prominent attention, much of the time an money is expended upon testing and breeding of cereals, the study of field and cropping methods, and the cultivation of fruits and trees.” (First Annual Report of the Dickinson Sub-Experiment Station for the Year 1908, p. 3)
“Today, the Dickinson Research Extension Center has a unique blend of staff and programs. Research and Extension staff include animal, crop and range scientists. Work at the Center focuses on these areas: Agronomy, Beef Systems, Biosecurity, Cropping Systems, Environmental Quality, Horticulture, Rangeland Systems, and Sustainable Agriculture. Over the years the Center has grown from the original 160 acres to the current 4,916 acres - 3,259 acres are at the ranch unit north of Dickinson where range and beef research is conducted.” Excerpted from the website: http://www.ag.ndsu.nodak.edu/dickinso/ (April 2009)
Extent
21.50 Linear Feet
Language of Materials
English
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Transferred by Unknown (Acc. 192).
Legal Status
The NDSU Archives owns the property rights to this collection.
- Title
- Finding Aid to the Dickinson Experiment Station Records
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the University Archives Repository
Contact:
West Building
3551 7th Avenue N
Fargo North Dakota 58102 United States
ndsu.archives@ndsu.edu
West Building
3551 7th Avenue N
Fargo North Dakota 58102 United States
ndsu.archives@ndsu.edu