Mr. Ward was a North Dakota rancher and banker. The collection contains correspondence dealing chiefly with farming, ranching, legal and financial matters, land transactions, politics and banking; and biographical stories by his uncle Henry Ward, about pioneer life in in Dakota Territory to include Black Hills gold mining, 1881 Mandan flood, life in Owego colony in 1873, and hauling freight in a blizzard. There is also clippings and articles on Ward's father-in-law, Reuben N. Stevens, and the Ward family; and business records and legal papers of Ward and Stevens relating to their agricultural, banking, and business affairs, including tax matters and the North Dakota Taxpayers Association.