Preamble to the North Dakota Constitution, 1889. SHSND MSS 31372

The ability to read cursive is an important skill when working with handwritten historical documents. As a historian, exploring these old manuscripts and records is a gateway to the past, showing how events were recorded and information stored and shared. Many of us, including me, can recall learning to write cursive in school, but this skill has faded in recent years as computers have taken over nearly every aspect of life. While it may seem that understanding handwriting is not as important in an increasingly digital world, it is more vital than ever to know how to decipher this writing when dealing with historical documents. It also helps you to appreciate the beauty of the flowing words on the page.

The State Archives has thousands of pages of records spanning the 18th into the early 20th centuries that are in cursive. It’s interesting to note how the style of penmanship changes over time, aside from the differences you will also find among individuals’ unique styles. The subtle differences in a person’s handwriting become apparent when scrolling through microfilm of naturalization and county marriage records, especially when indexing or transcribing hand-written records.

First page of journalist Mark Kellogg’s diary of his time accompanying Gen. George Armstrong Custer and the 7th Cavalry, 1876. SHSND MSS 20017

In the mid-19th century, the Spencerian method of handwriting was the dominant method used in the United States, according to an article published by the National Museum of American History. By the 1890s, this style gave way to the new Palmer Method, designed for business writing, which was taught in schools into the first half of the 20th century. The changes in handwriting styles also reflected the shift from writing with quills to using pens, pencils, and a slate. There may be fewer flourishes in the Palmer Method, but the general appearance of letters in the Spencerian and Palmer methods is largely the same.

Army discharge papers of Nathan R. Goodfellow, 1865. SHSND MSS 80008

One important reason to be able to read cursive well is to promote accuracy in indexing records. This does not mean that there are not errors in transcriptions, as some older records simply cannot be deciphered completely. However, while artificial intelligence programs are starting to be used for indexing handwritten records, these may not pick up the subtle strokes of the pen that can change how a letter is seen by such a program.

The State Archives also holds a few books and manuals related to cursive handwriting and penmanship. One great example is Writing Lessons for Primary Grades (1912) that teaches children how to write the Palmer Method of cursive. Covering proper posture at the school desk and arm and hand placement, as well as muscle movements, this manual contains dozens of pages of drills for helping youngsters navigate the pitfalls of penmanship. The drills were repetitive in nature, ensuring children practiced and developed their skills.

Writing Lessons for Primary Grades, A.N. Palmer Co., 1912, p. 50

Writing Lessons for Primary Grades, A.N. Palmer Co., 1912, p. 13

Writing Lessons for Primary Grades, A.N. Palmer Co., 1912, p. 35

Knowing how this writing style works allows you to better understand how your ancestors may have learned to write and helps you see the beauty in older documents and the artistry of penmanship.

In recent years, efforts to enlist volunteers to help transcribe documents for archival facilities have emerged. The National Archives’ Citizen Archivist program is one such attempt to help make records more accessible to a wider audience through digitization. Knowing how to read and understand cursive is as important today as it was decades ago when children learned the art of writing as an everyday communication tool. Technology and digitization have not rendered handwritten materials obsolete, as many things are still written by hand in day-to-day communication. Failing to retain such comprehension skills will negatively affect our communication skills, which could have unforeseen consequences for future generations.

While technology enhances our lives, knowing older skills remains important. Next time you read a grandparent’s letter, or an older naturalization record, or our state constitution, remember the beauty that is the ink, lead, or graphite on the page and appreciate that cursive handwriting.

On Jan. 7, the punch bowl from the USS North Dakota silver service took its biannual journey to the state Capitol for the reception marking the opening of the 2025-27 legislative session. The punch bowl is part of a 40-piece serving set that citizens of North Dakota gifted to the state’s namesake battleship in 1915. Every two years, reception attendees can enjoy punch from the silver bowl that the Grand Forks Herald once noted was “as large as a small sized bathtub.”

Punch bowl at the opening of the 2025-27 North Dakota legislative session. SHSND 2893.1

Here are some interesting things I learned about the USS North Dakota and its silver service while preparing the punch bowl for the big day.

1. There almost wasn’t a USS North Dakota.

When the U.S. Navy announced contracts for two new battleships in 1907, the names under consideration were the Delaware and either the Utah or the North Dakota. That fall the Navy Department announced that the second ship would not be named after a western state. Instead, it would be named the New York. Political action by Sen. Henry Hansbrough of North Dakota and intervention by President Theodore Roosevelt changed the Navy’s decision, and the new battleships became the USS North Dakota and the USS Delaware.

The Fargo Forum and Daily Republican, Oct. 3, 1907, p. 1

2. Special punch cups were made, but the state collection only has one.

After the battleship’s name was secured, planning started in North Dakota to prepare a silver service for the vessel. Gov. John Burke appointed a nine-person committee to spearhead the long-standing tradition of sponsor states gifting presentation silver to American ships. The Silver Service Committee consisted of three former North Dakota governors, a U.S. senator, state legislators, and businessmen. The committee solicited $16,000 in private donations for the silver set. In addition to the 24 punch cups presented as part of the 40-piece set, nine extra cups were made for the committee members. Each was engraved with the member’s name. The original 24 cups are safe in the museum collection. But we only hold one of the nine specially engraved cups. The family of Roger Allin, a Silver Service Committee member, donated his punch cup in 1991. Maybe someone out there can help us find the others!

This punch cup is engraved with the name of the “Hon. Roger Allin.” Allin was governor of North Dakota from 1895-1897 and a member of the Silver Service Committee. SHSND 1995.35.1

3. Bison appear on (almost) every piece of the silver service.

The Silver Service Committee selected designs created by Fargoans Hans Klimmek and Lilla Lorshbough for the silver service. The Gorham Manufacturing Company of Rhode Island produced the silver service using Klimmek and Lorshbough’s sketches and input from the company’s artist, William Codman. Symbols such as anchors, seashells, and stylized dolphins represent the Navy, while North Dakota is honored through prairie roses, corn, wheat, and bison motifs. The bison heads are prominent on the sides of the punch bowl but look at the table’s feet or the handle on the coffee urn!

Bison-shaped feet support the serving table. SHSND 2893.3

Bison head on the handle of the coffee urn. SHSND 2893.7.1

4. The State Archives holds cool photos and records from the USS North Dakota.

To delve deeper into the life of a service member on the battleship, check out this collection on our Photobook website. You can also visit the State Archives and learn more about other North Dakota naval namesakes.

View pieces of the USS North Dakota silver service on exhibit at the North Dakota Heritage Center & State Museum.

The silver service on exhibit at the ND Heritage Center & State Museum in Bismarck. SHSND 2893

While researching fur trade material culture to develop new programming and interpretation for the Pembina State Museum, I occasionally latch on to smaller details. The past few weeks I’ve been focused on the history of buttons, something most of us rarely think about. But during the 17th and 18th centuries, buttons were big business. Buttons feature prominently in collections from fur trading sites, including at Pembina. Buttons are part of our “Red River Rendezvous” program and will also be showcased in a gallery interactive currently in development.

My fascination with buttons as fur trade material culture comes from my personal experience wearing historical garments at reenactments. Today, if a shirt loses a button, we may choose to get rid of it rather than fix it. Sewing buttons isn’t as common as it once was. At reenactments and living history events, I and many of my colleagues have found buttons to be an omnipresent concern. I have lost at least one button from a coat or trousers at every event I’ve attended. Most reenactors will say the same. Given this frequency, I have learned how to quickly reattach a button between public demonstrations. I rarely read in journals from fur traders or frontier soldiers about losing or sewing buttons, but my experience with historical garments makes me think that it was so commonplace as to not be considered worth mentioning.

Artifacts, including dozens of buttons, collected from the Fort Pembina trading post site.

The history of buttons and button manufacturing speaks to their importance. In England, where most of the fur trade buttons for the Pembina region were made, laws were passed in 1699 and 1721 to protect the domestic button industry. Many of the firms listed on fur trade receipts were founded in the 18th century. Several new developments in button manufacturing were also made at the same time. Stamped two-piece buttons and brass gilding were both developed in the mid-18th century. Hundreds of millions of buttons were made every year in the manufacturing centers of England, France, and Italy. The Hudson’s Bay Company and the North West Company each ordered tens of thousands of buttons to be shipped to North America and sold to Indigenous customers. In Europe, buttons were practical fasteners of garments. However, for the Indigenous consumer, buttons were adornments for traditional garments meant to enhance the prestige of the wearer.

In this 1832 painting by George Catlin, Tchón-su-móns-ka, Lakota wife of fur trader François Chardon, wears a shawl festooned with brass gilt buttons. Smithsonian American Art Museum

The value of buttons as trade goods lasted from the 17th through the early 20th century. The “Red River Rendezvous” program interprets the value of different trade goods through the lenses of various local groups and their specific needs during the early fur trade period at Pembina. The new interactive elements that I’m working on for visitors in the museum gallery interprets value based on historical costs. The interactive will consist of a scale. On one side visitors can place weights representing beaver furs or pemmican and on the other side weights representing a variety of purchased trade goods. Guests can press a button to see whether their trade is “balanced.” If it isn’t, the scale will tip, dumping the weights back into containers.

By determining the historical prices of items found mostly in fur trade ledgers and journals, the value can be translated into weight as a proportion of their monetary value, with the value of one beaver fur or pemmican pack set at 1 kilogram. I’ve chosen metric measurements to better fine-tune the weights of different items using grams. This leaves some things a bit too heavy. In 1802, a guide in Alexander Henry the Younger’s brigade recorded being paid an annual salary of £15. Compared to the price of a beaver pelt for that same year that would make the weight representing his wages 16.5 kilograms, or about 36 pounds, which is more than a visitor should be expected to lift. A simple solution is to represent the monthly wage instead, which would be £1 and 5 shillings, or a more manageable weight of about 3 pounds. More reworking, as well as designing and prototyping, are required before the interactive is finished. We plan to have it ready by this summer. In the meantime, my fascination with buttons has yielded an enhancement to the “Red River Rendezvous” program.

Here, the author puts skills learned while wearing historical garments to work.

These buttons sewn to hand-drawn cards represent a small but important improvement to the “Red River Rendezvous” program, which resulted from ongoing research for a new interactive element at the Pembina State Museum.

Prior to beginning research for our new interactive, the buttons for the “Red River Rendezvous” were left in loose piles for children to handle. This often meant that the kids, when instructed to buy buttons, would trade for a single button rather than enough to complete a garment. While this offered an opportunity to talk about the historical uses and importance of buttons, our new authentic packaging helps demonstrate the typical quantity of goods directly traded. As in the past, buttons come attached to a card today. While working on the interactive, I took care to attach our buttons to cards with simple hand-drawn labels. This may seem like a trifling detail, but every improvement to the authenticity of the items used in our programs improves the interpretation and creates a more authentic experience. With each new piece of information, existing and new programs become better and better. No detail is too small.

Our new button cards pictured with the other sewing items in the “Red River Rendezvous” program are now on display for visitors to interact with at the Pembina State Museum. To schedule a tour or an interpretive program, contact us at shspembina@nd.gov.

The State Archives recently developed a proactive collecting survey because we want public input on what types of documents we should collect. This feedback tells us what topics or events people are interested in for research, genealogy, teaching, general information, entertainment, enjoyment, and other purposes. With this information, we can better describe and highlight those themes in our existing collections and actively seek representation through new items that document those topics.

Row of existing manuscript collections at the State Archives.

Opening the doors to public input is now the norm across the field of archives, but it hasn’t always been that way. There are many reasons why proactive collecting can be difficult for archives. First, we can only collect what has been created. While we may want documentation of an event, person, or topic, that documentation may simply not exist. On the other hand, since we do not know every single document that has ever been created, we hold onto the hope that important historical records do exist and may someday be found, identified, and donated. At the State Archives, we are continuously surprised about the documents and collections people do have and donate to us; this keeps the hope alive that amazing collections are out there and will continue to trickle in.

There are other reasons why proactive collecting can be challenging. A lot of people are unfamiliar with archives and have no idea that we are here or even that we want more documents. Trust me, if it is about North Dakota or its people, we do! It often takes a generation (or more) for items to be donated because the creators or owners want to regularly use or see the documents. To alleviate any concerns, we try to emphasize that anyone can come into the Reading Room at any time during our open hours to view or use these items. We have reference staff who can help with remote access as well. These services apply to the original owner but also expand access to a broader base of researchers and the public.

People typically think about donating their papers during a major life change or transition, such as downsizing, death, or retirement, which means that documents don’t arrive to the archives until long after their creation date. Since archival material can deteriorate from environmental factors, emergencies, format obsolescence, deletion, etc., that means unfortunately, some historic materials simply don’t live long enough to make it into an archive. Proactively collecting documents into the archives for proper storage and care helps preserve more North Dakota history for future generations.

Sometimes collections do not make it into archives because it can be more lucrative to sell online instead of donating. However, the concept of value is different for archives: For us, a document’s worth is based on its research value and relationship to our collecting scope. Think in terms of intrinsic and historical or informational value versus monetary value. With that being said, we rely on donations of collections because we cannot compete with buyers on the free market.

Valuable contemporary documentation of life is often discarded, deleted, or overlooked because of the misconception that we only want “old stuff.” It is true that we have a lot of “old stuff” in our archives, and this is a primary reason for proactive collecting in the State Archives. Since documentation of modern life in our collection is lacking, we are putting a call out for records of everyday life in North Dakota today (and for the last 50 years). Related to the “old stuff” misconception is that we want everything that is old. Most of us at the archives are history buffs and greatly appreciate historical documents and “old stuff.” However, we remain committed to collecting within our scope, which dictates that items must represent North Dakota or its people to be included in the State Archives’ collections.

While we archivists have a good grasp of what we have in our collections, it is critical to have fresh perspectives on what we should focus on and proactively collect. History is the sum of a myriad of different voices, lives, and identities. With that in mind, we want the collections of the State Archives to represent the broadest possible spectrum of experiences. To achieve this goal, we need that same breadth of thoughtful responses to the question of what we should collect. Please help us to achieve this and grow by filling out this survey and contributing to the proactive collecting conversation.

Lifecycle of a New Collection at the State Archives

1. Materials arrive at the State Archives.

2. Archivists assess and sort the collection.

3. Archivists organize documents into boxes and folders and enter collection information into our database.

4. Collection lives in temperature- and humidity-controlled storage until it is pulled for use by staff or researchers.

5. On-site researchers can access collections at the State Archives Reading Room. Reference staff are available to assist remote researchers.

In the archaeology collections, we are preparing for the upcoming North Dakota Military Gallery expansion at the ND Heritage Center & State Museum in Bismarck. Much of our current work involves identifying what is in these collections so those planning the exhibits have an idea of what is available.

Volunteers are helping inventory the contents of artifact boxes from Fort Abraham Lincoln, now a state park. These artifacts are from projects in the 1980s and 1990s when some of the fort buildings were reconstructed. With more than 80 boxes of artifacts, this will take some time.

Just a small portion of the Fort Abraham Lincoln collection.

Thank goodness the boxes are labeled! However, the old labels sometimes leave us with more questions than answers, such as what kinds of artifacts and materials are in the box. This project is helping us answer those and other questions. Ultimately, the labels will be improved so that it will be easier to locate the artifacts for exhibits and research.

The old box labels left much to the imagination.

A mock-up of a new box label. These will include more detailed information about what is in each container.

Because these excavations are from the sites of original fort structures, it isn’t surprising that most of the contents are building materials, including many bags of plaster, brick fragments, wood, and nails. While some may not be “exhibit quality”—items likely to go on display—these elements are part of the original fort buildings.

Brick and mortar fragments from Fort Abraham Lincoln. SHSND AHP 89.340.2960

Wood from Fort Abraham Lincoln. SHSND AHP 89.340.1098

Pieces of glass are also frequent. Some are shards of flat glass from windows. Others are fragments from bottles.

A bag with two curved brown glass shards likely from a bottle. SHSND AHP 89.340.1334

Here are a few of the other artifacts found so far. Another volunteer is helping us photograph select artifacts. These photos will also be used to help locate and identify artifacts for future exhibits and research as well as for posters, projects, and blog posts like this one.

These military buttons (top) as well as this .38-caliber bullet and percussion cap (bottom) all came from the central barracks at Fort Abraham Lincoln. SHSND AHP 92.118.547, .564-.565; 92.118.649, .695

Many thanks to the volunteers who make this work possible! Your dedication is appreciated.

This week 109 years ago, a variety of forces joined together for what promised to be the “greatest publicity ever secured by any commonwealth since Noah built the ark.” In a proclamation, Gov. Louis Hanna declared Nov. 14-20, 1915, “North Dakota Appreciation Week.” Dreamed up by the North Dakota Press Association, the booster effort was aimed at encouraging migration to a state the Bismarck Daily Tribune breathlessly dubbed “an empire in the making.”

The colorful Edgar Richter, head of the North Dakota Press Association, was a tireless advocate for the state. Bismarck Daily Tribune, Nov. 18, 1915, p. 1

Every “loyal North Dakotan” was to do their part. Residents were urged to write letters to friends elsewhere praising the advantages of life here. Farmers were to pen testimonials on the state’s agricultural yield. Schools were to impress upon students the benefits that awaited “industrious, thrifty, and upright citizens” of North Dakota, with gold prizes offered to those who submitted the best essays extolling its appeal.

Jamestown Weekly Alert, Nov. 4, 1915, p. 1

Amid dispatches from the Great War raging in Europe and ads for upcoming Thanksgiving sales, North Dakotans expressed gratitude for their good fortune. That week, “the gospel of North Dakota” was preached during appreciation church services. (Sample grab: “Lord, thou hast dealt favorable unto the Land.”) Newspapers published booster editions bursting with eye-popping stats on North Dakota’s abundant resources and featuring laudatory poetry. Commercial clubs held meetings and dinners enumerating the state’s opportunities.

Left: Grand Forks Daily Herald, Nov. 8, 1915, p. 6
Right: Washburn Leader, Nov. 19, 1915, p. 1

I first learned about ND Appreciation Week while doing research for an upcoming State Museum exhibition to mark the nation’s 250th birthday. Among the planned exhibit themes is the many ways over the years that North Dakota has been promoted to outsiders and the wider world. It came as no surprise to read that the booster week was backed by major railroad presidents, who presumably saw an opening to increase customer numbers and land sales along their lines under the guise of fostering “state patriotism.” As the Devils Lake World and Inter-Ocean noted in an editorial, “Convince yourself of her greatness, then tell others. Each of us is a factor in the upbuilding of North Dakota, therefore each must do his or her part.” Or to put it more bluntly, as Valley City’s Weekly-Times Record admonished, “The proper thing for every North Dakotan to do is buck up and boost.”

Fresh off their success at the Panama-Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco (otherwise known as the 1915 World’s Fair), where a display in the North Dakota building showcased an impressive corn tower, Flickertail State leaders were eager to seize the momentum in the push for more settlers and economic development. The impresario directing this stunt was Edgar L. Richter, editor of the Larimore Pioneer and president of the press association, not to mention the brains behind Baked Potato Day at the exposition that year (where Larimore tubers were served to thousands of hungry fairgoers). Richter, an indefatigable champion of the state, had grand plans for North Dakota, including turning Larimore into a “winter resort” for “Fifth Avenue millionaires.”

Boasting an elaborate corn tower adorned with slogans such as “North Dakota Enlightening the World” and “State of Opportunity,” the North Dakota building at the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco evoked the over-the-top promotional stunts of the era. SHSND SA E0409-00001

Richter’s work paid off, with the appreciation week heralded a universal success. In its aftermath, the Christian Science Monitor asserted that “the commonwealth now feels happier, goes about its business with more confidence, and has more assets in its social treasury.”

But the state’s demand for more people was hardly unproblematic nor without its contradictions.

Five years before, Hanna, then a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, had introduced a bill that became law opening up the sale of “surplus” Fort Berthold Indian Reservation land to non-Indians, a violation of 19th century treaties. Strikingly, as papers in fall 1915 pushed for “more settlers,” their pages frequently highlighted opportunities for potential homesteaders to acquire Fort Berthold and Standing Rock Indian reservation lands, further breaking up Native American holdings in favor of European settlement.

During the booster week, newspapers ran enticing ads meant to lure settlers to North Dakota. Sioux County Pioneer, Nov. 19, 1915, p. 1, Grand Forks Daily Herald, Nov. 18, 1915, p. 3

Though much has changed since those days, North Dakota’s need for people has remained constant, with only 30 available workers for every 100 open jobs. Like historical public relations efforts to proclaim the state’s desirability, current outreach campaigns, such as “Find the Good Life in North Dakota,” focus on the happiness and opportunities to be had here, albeit in more measured tones. Meanwhile, an Office of Legal Immigration was recently created to recruit foreign labor and address workforce challenges, some 90 years after the demise of the first state immigration department. As current boosters seek to enhance North Dakota’s standing on the global stage, they’d do well to steal a page from the playbook of the Grand Forks Daily Herald, which on Nov. 18, 1915, assured readers: “There is no more healthy or desirable dwelling place under the skies.”