In February 2024, my colleague Lori Nohner, research historian, wrote "A Dog Blog: 5 Things Shaped Like Dogs in the State Museum Collections." I thought it was time to give the cats their due. Here are five feline-related items from the State Museum collections:

1. Cream pitcher with handle shaped like a cat
Part of a collection of pitchers donated by North Dakota’s first licensed female physician Dr. Fannie Dunn Quain, this pitcher was made in Czechoslovakia in the 1920s. It looks like the spotted cat might want a sip of the pitcher’s contents. But first they want to make sure you are not looking.

1920s cat-handled cream pitcher. SHSND 1986.147.57

2. Cat stuffed animal
It is obvious that Marie Korth Wiik loved her kitty. The homemade, white flannel stuffed animal with shoe button eyes was gifted to her in 1912 around the time she was born. It was loved so much the cat is now bald. Its tail has been reattached, seams have been resewn, and stains reflect many years of being Marie’s best friend. Considering how dirty and worn the tail is, I wouldn’t be surprised if she carried the toy by the tail most of the time.

Well-loved stuffed toy cat, 1912. SHSND 1990.201.2

3. Kitten mittens
No kitten would lose their mittens if they were wearing this fuzzy pair of kitten mittens. Juanita Weinrebe (and likely her little sister, Donna) kept warm with these cute kitten mittens while growing up in Minot. Each tail holds a safety pin, so the mitten could be attached to the child’s coat and not lost.

Cozy kitten mittens, circa 1915. SHSND 1993.33.196

4. Cat-shaped hot water bottle
Cuddling up with a cat is a great way to keep warm. If you don’t have a real cat to cuddle, this cat-shaped Kuddle-Kitty hot water bottle made by Rexall Drug Company in the 1940s would be a distant second. Unfortunately, the rubber used for the hot water bottle is now hard and brittle making it less cuddly.

Kuddle-Kitty hot water bottle, 1940s. SHSND 1990.277.15

5. Black cat Halloween costume
For centuries, people have thought that black cats were the source of bad luck, making them a great Halloween symbol. This Halloween costume was purchased in the 1960s from the Johnson Variety Store in McVille by the Odegaard family. I hope it was lucky for the child as they trick-or-treated—at least it would have been a fun scare!

Black cat Halloween costume, 1960s. SHSND 2018.49.6

Future President Theodore Roosevelt’s brief time in North Dakota shaped him and our state in numerous ways. The area where he established his ranching operation is now home to the state’s premier tourist destination, Medora, site of the new Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library opening this summer and the gateway to the national park that bears his name. A research request for his cattle brand registrations helped State Archives staff locate a piece of Roosevelt’s legacy in North Dakota and better understand and navigate a collection that is popular with researchers.

We have two state Department of Agriculture series related to the registration of cattle brands in our collections. The first contains brand designs and indexes (State Series 30005) and the second the brand registration books themselves (State Series 30003). State Series 30005 covers 1890-1935; State Series 30003 spans 1890-1986.

To navigate the brand designs and indexes, it is important to know that the earlier indexes chronologically are not in the first volumes of the series but are found in Volumes 7 and 8. The first two volumes are large ledgers of brand designs, not registration certificates, but do have an index-like quality to them. Roosevelt’s listing appeared in Volume 7. While the listing is a little hard to see in the image below, his registrations were in Book A (now known as Volume 1 in the series) on pages 35, 36, and 40.

Theodore Roosevelt’s index listing in Volume 7, State Series 30005

The first brand, found on page 35 of Volume 1, State Series 30003, is for Roosevelt’s Maltese Cross Ranch. Roosevelt registered the brand in Billings County for horses and cattle in that county as well as in Stark and Morton counties. The cross design was applied to the left hip on horses and the left hip and right sides of cattle. Registration was made Oct. 11, 1890, but was ultimately canceled due to abandonment of the registration Nov. 1, 1913.

Theodore Roosevelt’s Maltese Cross brand registration in Volume 1, State Series 30003

The second brand he registered was for the Elkhorn Ranch. Found on page 36 of Volume 1, State Series 30003, Roosevelt registered this brand the same day (Oct. 11, 1890) as the Maltese Cross brand. The Elkhorn brand mark was for both horses and stock, with the branding location on the left shoulder for horses and either side for cattle. The registration was canceled Nov. 1, 1913, with the stamp marking it “Abandoned.”

Theodore Roosevelt’s Elkhorn brand registration in Volume 1, State Series 30003

His third registered brand is a simple triangle. Registered the same day as his other brands, this brand appears to be affiliated with his Elkhorn Ranch based on information included in a National Park Service Historical Handbook on Roosevelt’s time in the Badlands. It, too, was later canceled Nov. 1, 1913 and considered abandoned based on the stamp.

Theodore Roosevelt’s triangle brand registration in Volume 1, State Series 30003

It is important to note that Roosevelt had been out of the cattle business for several years by 1913 and his large-scale operations had ceased before these brands were registered with the state. He was still engaged in the cattle business in the early 1890s, so registering the marks made sense. At the time, he was attempting to recoup losses from the brutal 1886-87 winter that decimated herds and brought an end to many of the open range cattle operations in the Badlands.

Finding Roosevelt’s brand registrations was exciting as they allow researchers and curious visitors a chance to connect an ordinary series to an American icon, providing a better understanding of how the series is organized and enhancing accessibility for individuals researching ancestors who raised stock in North Dakota.

Whether you are a TR aficionado or someone looking for your family’s brand, come to the State Archives and arrange to view the brand books. Your journey into North Dakota’s past awaits!

What if your next economics lesson didn’t start with a textbook, but with a dice roll? When a local teacher reached out asking if I had any lessons related to economics for a class of high school students, I saw this as a perfect opportunity to make history relevant and engaging for young people. Thus was born a project combining state history, economic theory, and game-based learning into a hands-on classroom experience. The result was a game exploring the agriculture and oil booms and busts of northwestern North Dakota between 1975 and 1985.

Why then? The late 1970s and early 1980s were a time of dramatic economic swings in our region. High oil prices and strong wheat markets brought prosperity to many communities, followed by sharp downturns that left lasting impacts. These cycles of boom and bust offer a powerful lens for teaching key economic concepts like supply and demand, market speculation, and resource dependency.

Career cards describe each community member’s job role and salary. Play money is used for transactions in the game.

In this economics game, students assume jobs in the community such as teacher, rancher, or oil worker. Then they roll the dice to advance the game and determine the fate of that group. Each game square represents an event inspired by real newspaper clippings from McKenzie County. Each round is a year between 1975 and 1985. Players must make decisions about investing in oil rigs, expanding farms, buying insurance, and building infrastructure, while navigating unpredictable market shifts, weather events, and policy changes.

Game squares contain a newspaper clipping and detail the impact the report has on careers in the game.

By the end of the game, students have gained an understanding of how history and economics intersect in their own backyard and grappled with the challenges of economic decision-making under uncertainty.

Through this game, students don’t just learn about economics, they live it. By stepping into the shoes of real community members and navigating the volatility of boom-and-bust economies, they gain a deeper appreciation for how market forces shape lives, towns, and futures. It’s a powerful reminder that history isn’t just something we read about, it’s something we can simulate, question, and learn from. In doing so, we help students connect classroom concepts to real-world stories rooted right here in North Dakota.

Many North Dakotans will soon be ringing in the New Year with a toast. Here are some conversation starters from the state collections for your New Year’s parties.

1. Turtle Mountain Brewery Barrel Branding Iron

Local breweries were a thriving business in northern Dakota Territory. The Turtle Mountain Brewery served the Rolette County area from around 1886 until 1889 when North Dakota joined the union as a dry state. Carl Stofft, a German immigrant, founded the Dunseith-based business. Stofft worked with Francis Higgins, a cooper who constructed the vats and barrels likely marked with this brand.

The “TURTLE MT. BR.Y” brand. SHSND 2018.95.1

2. Prohibition Beer

When the 18th Amendment took effect in 1920, not much changed for North Dakotans. Many had been ignoring the dry state’s prohibition laws since 1889. On Oct. 8, 1930, undercover Prohibition agent Leo St. Martin bought this bottle of homemade beer for 45 cents from Lance Zimmer at a Bismarck residence. The bottle was labeled as evidence in the liquor trafficking case against Zimmer. Zimmer pled guilty to the charge.

Beer bottle with evidence label from the U.S. Prohibition Service. SHSND 14227

3. Woman’s Christian Temperance Union Ruler

Here’s one for the teetotalers. The Woman’s Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) promoted social reform by encouraging abstinence from alcohol. Members were loud proponents of both Prohibition and woman suffrage. Viola Leissman, a member of Bismarck’s WCTU chapter, collected this ruler.

WCTU ruler (front and back). The initials “EL” on the back are from Viola’s son, Emerson. SHSND 2011.30.19

4. Dakota Beer Six-Pack

In 1932, North Dakotans voted to repeal the state’s ban on alcohol with federal Prohibition ending the following year. Around this same time, the state also legalized the manufacture, sale, and distribution of beer. But it took decades for the brewing industry in North Dakota to revive. Dakota Malting and Brewing Company was North Dakota’s first post-Prohibition brewery. The Bismarck-based company produced its first batch of Dakota Beer in 1961 but closed its doors a few years later in 1965.

“Dakota Beer: Brewed in the heart of barley country.” SHSND 1978.41.1

5. Bismarck Distillery Canned Cocktail

While beer regained its legal status in the state in 1933, liquor had to wait three more years. Nowadays, craft breweries and distilleries are successful businesses. A North Dakotan bought this Bismarck Distillery apple pie-flavored vodka cocktail while visiting Send It! 24/7 Cornhole in Mandan.

A ready-to-drink cocktail from Bismarck Distillery. SHSND 2024.1.1

I hope your New Year’s is made brighter by these fun facts from the past. Cheers!

The State Historical Society of North Dakota’s new searchable database—fiNDhistory—allows the public to view, browse, and search holdings as they are added, scanned, and edited in real time. Here are three tips to search for State Archives collections on the site:

1. Search within a specific directory

The State Archives holdings include local and state government, manuscript, photograph, and library collections. These unique collection types are stored and managed separately on-site and appear as distinct searchable directories on fiNDhistory. In addition to these directories, there are indexes for State Historical Society publications (titles are listed on the landing page) and Foundation tributes managed by the State Archives. More indexes will likely to be added in the future.

As an alternative to a global search, which includes all directories (at all levels), you can search within a specific directory to quickly return a manageable list of results. On the home page, click on the desired collection type/directory to search within it. There, you will find a search box where you can type your term.

Archival directories and indexes (highlighted) may be searched globally or individually.

Data within fiNDhistory is set up to mirror how collections and materials within them are physically organized. The library collection is keyword search only, but searches within the other collection types include the option to narrow the search by archival level (found below the search box). Collection level records describe each collection as a whole, providing an overview and selected terms that apply to all boxes and materials within. The archival level “collection” filter searches this broad collection-level information. Series is an intellectual level of description used by archivists that is great for physical organization of collections but the least useful for searching. File unit records include titles and dates of the contents of each folder in every collection. This level is probably the best for searching because most collections have file descriptions. Additionally, a file unit search may pull results that a collection level search would not. Finally, the archival level item searches all item records that have been created within each collection. Note that this will not search for every single item in the archives, only the items that have been described. The quantity of item records vary widely across directories: Photograph and manuscript collections often include item records, while local and state government collections rarely do. The archival level dropdown also allows for a search of all levels.

Drop-down option to select the level of the archival record to be searched.

It should be noted that all collection types contain photographs, but photograph collections consist of only photographs. Audiovisual recordings are primarily found in manuscript collections (but are also in local and state government records).

2. How to find scanned items

To determine if something is digitized, begin your search. A global search will include results from State Archives and museum collections and indexes and will order results first by directory, then by archival level.

If scanned images are available, they will appear alongside records in the results. Click on the thumbnail to enlarge.

Thumbnails of scanned images appear next to item records in the search results.

Find available document scans or other media files by clicking into the records.

Then, if documents or other resources have been digitized (into nonimage formats), there will be a file under related media. Click the file name (not the icon) to access the file.

Select the appropriate program to open the file if needed.

Note that a search may be restricted to “online only,” revealing only those results with records or adjacent records (such as collections with at least one digitized item within).

3. View a collection as a whole

To view an entire collection, conduct a global or directory-specific search. You can narrow a search to “collection” for archival level or select a collection level record from global search results by clicking on the collection number. At the bottom of the page, after the collection-level description, there is a section listing the materials in the collection. These might include series, file unit, and item records.

Click on the title of the record for more information.

The right side of the page will describe the selected record. Related records will appear to the left and are searchable.

These three tips for searching fiNDhistory are a great starting point. Additional tips for navigating the site can be found on this YouTube video. If you have any questions or need assistance, we are happy to help! Contact us at archives@nd.gov or 701.328.2091.

What does an archaeologist do?

First hint: We do not look for dinosaurs.

Paleontologists study dinosaurs and other fossils. (We regularly ask the paleontologists who work for the North Dakota Geological Survey questions about fossils.)

Archaeologists do not dig for dinosaurs! Paleontologists do that.

Second hint: We do not hunt for treasure.

This is often how archaeologists are depicted in movies, television shows, and books. They are usually searching for rare treasures that will make them rich and famous (think Indiana Jones). And when they find the treasure, they grab it and run. A real archaeologist doesn’t do that.

So what does an archaeologist do?

Archaeology is about people and the study of the human past. Archaeologists are scientists interested in learning more about people and how they lived—whether 50 years ago, hundreds of years ago, or thousands of years ago.

Bottom Left: a detail from artist Greg Harlin’s painting of bison hunters at Beacon Island thousands of years ago. SHSND
Bottom Right: a detail from Rob Evans’ cyclorama of Mandan people living at Double Ditch Indian Village hundreds of years ago. See it in the ND Heritage Center & State Museum’s Innovation Gallery: Early Peoples. SHSND
Top: detail of a group of people from an undated photo taken in the late 1800s-early 1900s. SHSND SA 11636-00041

One of the ways we learn about how people lived in the past is by studying artifacts. Artifacts are anything made, used, touched, carried, or modified by people. Artifacts are little clues that help archaeologists understand how people lived and interacted with the world around them.

An Agate Basin projectile point—similar to the cast on the far left—is an artifact. But so are the fire-cracked rocks, charcoal, and ash in the center. The pull tab and piece of concrete on the right are examples of recent artifacts. SHSND AHP educational collection

Besides artifacts, we also learn from features. Like artifacts, features were made or used by people. But unlike artifacts they can’t easily be removed. Foundations from old buildings, post holes, and hearths or fire pits are all examples of features.

Top: a hearth (left) and three post holes (right) at Fort Clark State Historic Site.
Bottom: an historical house foundation built on top of the Hidatsa village at Molander Indian Village State Historic Site.
Both images show examples of features.

Two of the most important aspects of archaeology are provenience and context. Provenience is where something is found. Context is what is found around it. This is important for both artifacts and features. Provenience and context give us even more clues as to how people lived in the past. An artifact without provenience or context lacks the clues that help tell the story of the people who used it.

These artifacts are unprovenienced objects (we do not know where they were found). Most likely none of these objects even came from the same place. They are fun to look at. But we can only say a few things about them—that they are “old” and mostly from the mid-to-late 1800s to early 1900s.

Unprovenienced artifacts from the Archaeology & Historic Preservation Department’s educational collection. We do not know where these were found. Top: wagon wheel hub wrench; middle row: a horseshoe, a suspender buckle, and flat window glass shards; bottom row: glass and shell buttons, nails, and watermelon seeds. SHSND AHP educational collection

It is major part of an archaeologist’s job to make sure the provenience and context are recorded. When an artifact is removed from a site or a feature is destroyed, the context is gone. We can never get it back. Because this information is so important, archaeologists record data in many ways. They keep notes about what they do, what they see, and where things are found. They record measurements of features and objects. They take a lot of photographs and keep photologs. They create sketches. They record locations by making maps and using tools like GPS.

All this information is usually compiled in a report. The end goal of archaeology is to preserve information about the past and to share it with others in the future. Sometimes this is done with a book or publication. Other times it is done with exhibits, posters, or even blog posts.

Let’s pretend an archaeologist excavated the artifacts in the previous photograph. They recorded everything in their field journal, took photos, and recorded measurements of the features and artifacts. They also recorded information on a simple sketch map like this.

Recording the location of artifacts and features in a sketch map is a key part of what archaeologists do.

With the information from the scenario above, we could be looking at artifacts and features that tell a story like the one in this photograph. Knowing where artifacts and features were found in relationship to each other helps tell the story of what people were doing in a specific place and time.

A watermelon party near Larimore around 1905. SHSND SA 00032-GF-22-0002