Backstage Pass to North Dakota History

This blog takes you behind the scenes of the State Historical Society of North Dakota. Get a glimpse at a day-in-the-life of the staff, volunteers, and partners who make it all possible. Discover what it takes to preserve North Dakota's natural and cultural history.

Writing into History

Recently, a woman came into the State Archives with a very old, very large document. It was folded parchment paper covered in beautiful scrolling letters. She said she bought it years ago at a garage sale somewhere in the state, and she brought it in to see what, if anything, we could tell her about it. Specifically, she wanted to know if we could help decipher the handwriting to tell her what it was and who was involved.

Document from brand registration book

This document is from a brand registration book. Partially hand-written, partially print, the image of the chosen brand was inked into the box.

The Archives holds many partially and fully hand-written documents.[i] Since it is our goal to maintain these records and make them accessible, we often have to index and transcribe them. Unfortunately, that old script and handwriting is not easy for our modern eyes to read. In the instance of this old document, the writing was clear (not always true in these records), but it was flourishing and calligraphic, and not spaced in any way like the text you are reading on this screen.

Handwriting may range from scratch marks to grandiose flourishes, but script type is not the only reason these types of records are hard to read. For example, some authors and originators of these records had limited communication and education. The clerks recording these documents (who would have had some formal education) might have been dealing with individuals who didn’t speak English, much less write in it.

Selection from a tract book record

This is a selection from a tract book record, showing some of the first purchases of land. Handwriting is not the only issue in these sorts of records; different codes indicated different things, different types of ink are used in the record (difficult to tell here, as this is taken from the microfilmed copy), and often, different handwriting can be seen on the same pages.

Even though the majority of settlers here spoke languages derived from the same Proto-Indo-European language base,[ii] the languages were spoken differently, accented differently, and sometimes were written differently. [iii]). Recording what was heard, trying to determine how it was spelled, and gaining some semblance of accuracy must have been difficult enough.

Some clerks or other individuals ended up using their native tongue in documents, or used a mixture of languages in these documents. However, even some typed items show obvious differences, such as old German script, as seen in this German-published Staats-Anzeiger newspaper from 1907.

Der Staats-Anzeiger

Der Staats-Anzeiger was published in different locations in North Dakota at different periods of time. Entirely in German, it used old German typescript. These papers often published local items of interest, such as letters to and from the old country and other parts of the new country from German settlers in the area.

Picture with identifying information on back

This image is one of many in our collections that contain some identifying information on the back of the picture. The image is below. To the best my eye can see, the text reads: “On Capitol grounds- Mac (arrow up points to Mrs. A. E. McLean Kenmare asst.) and me – soliciting funds for Indians girls’ trip to Dinner. June 1 – 1930 To secure $600.00 (Later – I got it – girls and staff went)”

More frequently than not, we in the Archives receive or discover these items when both parties are long gone. By this time, we are also dealing with old records that may have been housed in poor conditions, resulting in the added possibility of deterioration.

So, how do we determine what is on these records?

Everything is a clue. We know some script types are different, and we know when (and in what language) they are more prevalent. We know older and earlier records mean certain things.[iv]

Sometimes we can also figure it out by looking at other handwriting on the pages. For example, if I can determine a few words, I can then match some letters in other words, and perhaps find a few more, until I can eventually understand the gist of what is being said. I then know what the letters of those words should look like, and may be able to determine a few more words. We can draw a very pale comparison to the significance of the Rosetta stone, and how linguists were able to determine a fully different language through the use of words they already knew.[v] And of course, it helps to have images to pair with names, newspapers to check for ongoing events, and even a general idea of the area. It also helps to know who might have been in the area. Catholics might have used Latin in some of their documents. If Scandinavians settled more in one area than another, we might be able to guess (if we don’t know) that an item from that area is written in Norwegian, rather than Ukrainian.

As for that old, fully hand-written document that I mentioned at the beginning; the woman was able to pick out a few words, and we figured out a few more, so we did help her somewhat. We were able to help her determine that it was an indentureship agreement from the east coast.[vi]

Reading old writing can be tough, but it is thrilling to determine one more piece of the puzzle.

Page from MSS 10369, James Flynn's papers, 1878-1887

This page is taken from the pages of MSS 10369, James Flynn’s papers, 1878-1887. This collection consists of receipts, financial accounts, and correspondence concerning the distribution of grain and supplies and the transfer of cattle by a wagon master of the North Western Express, Stage, and Transportation Company. Again, this is from microfilm, and the copy is already in poor condition. What can you make out?


[i] There are several types of records, actually. Some predate handwriting. (I’m thinking of the gorgeous winter counts on display in our museum in the Early Peoples/Innovation gallery.) Then some are electronic. We will save discussion about these other records for another day.

[ii] I am not an expert in linguistics—more of an enthusiast—but suffice it to say that many/most languages are linked, and more than just through derivation from Latin, Greek, Old German, Old French, Old English…etc. This looks like a good site if you want more information about PIE.

[iii] If you go back early enough, different peoples used a completely different system of writing. Have you ever heard of the ancient Sumerians? Cuneiform, their system of writing, is the earliest known writing system. It mostly looks like lines, squares, squares with lines through them, etc. Then there are pictographs, hieroglyphs, and images such as those found at Writing Rock State Historic Site.

[iv] In North Dakota, this may mean fewer type-written records, and more script from the old countries.

[v] I went to England in 2013, and while there, went to the British Museum for one day (fast trip). Seeing the Rosetta Stone was almost mind-blowing and life-altering for me. If you’re interested in finding out more on the stone, this looks like an interesting read.

[vi] Basically, the named parties would be servants to one man for a number of years, serving for him until they had paid off their debts (apparently for passage to America). The second page, I believe, released the family from this debt, after time was served. The document was from the 1700s/1800s.

 

The North Star Dakotan Will Be Published Again

In February 2015, the North Dakota Studies program of the State Historical Society assumed ownership of the North Star Dakotan (NSD) as well as the plan for publication of a new edition. This newspaper for grade school students was the brainchild of the late Ev Albers, former director of the North Dakota Humanities Council and Jerry Tweton, professor emeritus of History, UND. The North Dakota Humanities Council published five editions of the NSD beginning in 1993.

The North Star Dakotan Issue #4

Issue #4 of the North Star Dakotan covered the time period of 1889 to 1915, or statehood to World War I.

At a time when there were few curricular materials available for the study of North Dakota history, the Humanities Council filled the gap with the North Star Dakotan. Each edition covered a period of time from the time of the dinosaurs to 1972. Teachers used the North Star Dakotan in their classrooms with a good response from the students. Today, the previous five editions can be found online at ndstudies.gov.

Planning is underway now for the North Dakota Studies program to write and publish the sixth edition in September 2016. The articles will be written by experienced writers with expertise in the subject matter. The articles will run from 100 to 1000 words in length. The sixth edition of NSD will cover the time period from 1972 to the present.

Neil Howe reading the North Star Dakotan

Neil Howe, Coordinator of the North Dakota Studies program, reads North Star Dakotan Issue #3.

In addition to the usual newspaper-style articles that the first five editions presented, there will be editorials, political cartoons, and a cartoon strip. The sixth edition will include, as did the first five editions, a three-part timeline of world, United States, and North Dakota events.

The NSD will include articles on politics, agriculture, sports, social, and cultural events. For instance, the sport pages will cover North Dakota State’s and University of North Dakota’s transition to Division 1 of the NCAA. One article will cover how Title IX of the United States Education Amendments of 1972 impacted high school girls’ sports. Of course, the oil business will be a major article with headlines on the “front page.” 

The North Star Dakotan will be published online saving the cost of paper and postage. An online publication corresponds to the use of electronically-delivered materials in most North Dakota classrooms. Of course, that means that the NSD will be available to all readers, everywhere, at any time. Will wonders ever cease?

Trimming Leaves the OLD Fashioned Way

Or is that fashionably trimming old leaves? When we (paleo) go out to collect fossils, generally what we bring back is not ready to be put on display. A lot of work goes into repairing, cleaning, and making the bits and pieces into something presentable. In this case, we collected blocks and blocks of fossil leaves on a soft sandstone matrix (the surrounding rock). The blocks were large, unwieldy, heavy, and UGLY. We needed to find the best method of trimming down the extra rock, while at the same time “leafing” the fossil intact for cleaning at a later date.

Thankfully, the sandstone matrix was soft and relatively easy to work with. Sadly, the sandstone matrix was soft, and crumbled easily! We ended up using keyhole saws to trim the sides of each fossil block – the rough teeth were much more useful in this case than the smaller-toothed hacksaw. The bottom was trimmed or flattened using a wire-mesh screen – essentially metal sandpaper for sandstone. Everything was balanced over buckets to catch most of the residual fine sand. Once carefully trimmed, butvar (plastic dissolved in acetone) was brushed onto the bottom and sides to help stabilize the sand. This left the top with the fossil leaf untouched, accessible, and ready to be properly cleaned later. In the end, we prepared a couple hundred leaves. It was quite the project, but it’s great to be able to have these fossils ready to share today and for generations to come!

Leaf-trimming setup

Becky with her leaf-trimming setup. Wire-mesh screen, keyhole saw (in hand), and a "Liriodendrites" leaf.

Liriodendrites leaf

Close-up of the "Liriodendrites" leaf

Bakken Oral History Project (MSS 11249)

I remember not long ago someone asking, “What is the Historical Society doing about the Bakken oil boom that is going on? Are you documenting it? This is history in the making, you know.”  I don’t recall my response at the time, but I’m sure I said something about how it would be great if we could send people out to the oil patch and everywhere else in the state and take pictures, video, and interview everyone in sight. But that is simply not possible. 

Our role as an archive is a little different. We collect and preserve materials that document the history of our state. So what does that mean? What documents the state’s history? My short and simple response to this question is anything that may help us understand how people lived - what they did for work, for play, their food, shelter, and clothing. Another important aspect of history is how we govern ourselves. Learning how and why our laws are made and changed throughout history can help us understand society in the past, which will hopefully help us make good decisions as we go forward.  Okay…that’s enough…I could go on and on. Now, back to the Bakken!

In 2014 I was contacted by the Dr. Bruce Braun, a professor in the Department of Geography, Environment and Society at the University of Minnesota. He and his team of researchers were planning to go to the Williston area to interview people about their lives and what impact the oil boom has had on them. The State Historical Society agreed to partner with the University of Minnesota in this endeavor by providing promotion and archiving the interviews once they were completed. The project, titled “Life and Labor in the Bakken Oilfields,” resulted in interviews with 27 people. The people interviewed vary in background. There are life-long residents, people born in the area, people who moved away and recently returned, and others from all over the country who moved there for work.

This collection provides a good snapshot of people living in the heart of an oil boom. The diverse backgrounds of the interviewees can help the listener understand the effects of the boom from different perspectives. I have listened to portions of the interviews, and there are some fantastic firsthand accounts of real life. Here is a link to the description/finding aid - http://history.nd.gov/archives/manuscripts/inventory/11249.html

The link below is a sound bite of Johnny Gonzales discussing the boom when he arrived in Williston. To listen to any of the interviews on the inventory, please visit or contact the State Archives at 701.328.2091 or at archives@nd.gov. The interviews have not been transcribed.

Johnny Gonzales audio clip

Saving Double Ditch: The Impossible Task of Stopping a Flooding River

It is a rare occasion during March that I am moved from the couch and into the great outdoors. On this particular day though, I was moved to visit Double Ditch State Historic Site, a historic site and recreational area about eight miles north of Bismarck. Once home to a thriving Mandan earthlodge village occupied from the late 1400s to the late 1700s, the site boasts 24 acres overlooking the Missouri River. Between the rolling mounds and deep depressions (the remnants of a village with a population exceeding 1,000) there is a trail that leads to the river. The grass is green, the sky is blue, and the air is crisp—it is a perfect day for a visit to Double Ditch.

Areial view of Double Ditch State Historic Site

An aerial view of Double Ditch State Historic Site. Note the two fortification ditches for which the site is named.

In my job, I manage many historic sites—more than 20 actually, but Double Ditch is special. On a day like this, I feel a true connection to these early Americans. Walking through the village, I am reminded again that 10 generations of Mandan Indians thrived here, and this was a major center for trade. I am also reminded that I have no idea where my great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great grandfather lived. Likely, I will never know. To preserve a place like this is a great honor and is not a responsibility I take lightly. The site is of great significance to people of Mandan ancestry--a group that lives today throughout much of North Dakota and the Northern Great Plains.

In marked silence I make my way to the edge of the river bank, my thoughts swirling with the sights and sounds that once would have greeted me. I pause when I approach what is now a familiar site: barbed wire and orange traffic cones dividing a crumbling, deteriorating path. The wire and traffic cones exist to warn approaching visitors to the perils ahead. And perilous it most certainly is... one step ahead and there is a 30 foot drop into a slump created by the erosion of the river bank. Thirty feet you say…? Let’s remember that a 30-foot drop is the equivalent of stepping off a three- story building. Imagine, if you will, walking up three flights of stairs and hurling yourself off the edge. If I were to continue down the existing walking path, I would most certainly fall over the edge, and the likelihood that I would crawl back out is slim. If I haven’t made my point clear—it is a long and dangerous drop. Alarmingly, this drop and the ensuing gap between the village proper and detaching bank continue to widen as the area has become structurally unsound and continues to shift at an accelerated rate.

Erosion at Double Ditch State Historic Site

The erosion of the bank and destruction of the walking path at Double Ditch, April 2015.

The extensive erosion of the bank began in 2011 due to the massive flooding of the Missouri River. At that time, President Barrack Obama declared much of North Dakota a disaster area, and more than 12,000 people were evacuated from their homes. Many communities were at risk of destruction due to the massive flooding, and Double Ditch was no exception. It would take several seasons before the true extent of the damage to the site would be known, as erosion tends to be a silent and shadowy nemesis.

As you are reading this, the bank continues to slump. Most troubling, however, is the increasing number of human burials that are exposed due to the erosion. As of publishing time, there have been 14 Native American burials exposed since April of 2013.

Double Ditch Indian Village mural

Artist Robert Evans’ depiction of Double Ditch Indian Village, circa 1550. This cylorama mural can be seen in the State Museum of the North Dakota Heritage Center in Bismarck in the Innovation Gallery: Early Peoples.

Archaeology is often associated with an “Indiana Jones” type character. We have all seen the image of a handsome leading man unearthing a human skeleton, small brush in hand, sweltering in the hot desert sun. This, however, is an invention of Hollywood and couldn’t be further from the truth. The archaeologists of today are highly trained men and women who study the activity of humans in the past. They do this by scientifically collecting cultural material—and on most occasions, actively AVOIDING human burials out of cultural sensitivity and respect for tribes.

We have an amazing and talented team of archaeologists working for the State Historical Society. Their specialties include pottery, lithics, cartography and ethnohistory.; These are not cave-exploring, torch-baring, rope-swinging individuals. These are real people that now routinely unearth and relocate human remains due to the erosion at Double Ditch. Each burial removal is conducted by our staff with great care, respect and dignity. It’s challenging work that can take an emotional toll on those working with so many human remains. As the rate of erosion is accelerating, so are the numbers of human burials exposed.

Slumping at Double Ditch State Historic Site

Aerial photo of the slumping (rotational erosion) of the bank at Double Ditch State Historic Site. The lighter colored area below the site is newly exposed—a direct result of the erosion of the bank.

There is, however, a solution to this problem. A concept has been proposed by an engineering firm to stabilize the bank at Double Ditch. As the slumping is so extensive (2,000+ linear feet of bank need to be stabilized) it will not be quick or cheap. We cannot, for lack of a better phrase, “slap a band-aid on it.” The bank will be stabilized by inserting a longitudinal peaked stone toe into the bank. The work will also include the creation of several terraces, a new walking path and as a result, a better fish habitat in the river. The price tag for all this is an estimated 3.5 million dollars.

Bank stabilization plan

In the 2015 legislative session, the State Historical Society requested one-time funding to stabilize the bank at Double Ditch. For those of you unaware, state agencies (such as the Historical Society) must have their budgets approved by the governor, and then by both the Senate and House of Representatives every two years during the legislative session. One-time requests such the funding for Double Ditch are heavily scrutinized by both sides before a decision is made. Leaders of the State Historical Society, interested parties, and community representatives often testify before both the House and the Senate to support funding requests. It is an arduous process.

Our budget, or Senate Bill 2018, with the 3.5 million dollar request, was a contentious point between the Senate Appropriations Committee and the House Appropriations (Education and Environment Committee). Considerable press coverage by the Bismarck Tribune and Fargo Forum added pressure to a political hot button issue. In the end though, strong support from the Governor's office, the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation, the Indian Affairs commissioner and the North Dakota Senate prevailed. The bill was passed on April 28, 2015, with funding included to stabilize the bank at Double Ditch.

We are relieved that work can begin on this very necessary and long-awaited project. We are looking forward to preserving this magnificent Mandan village that was occupied for nearly 300 years, a true gem on state land.

Stay tuned for more information and a follow-up post on the progress we've made out at Double Ditch!

Author’s note: Please take caution when visiting Double Ditch State Historic Site. If you wish to see the erosion of the bank, please do so at a safe distance. Also, it should be noted that to remove any items from a state owned archaeological site is a felony and prosecutable by law.

Programs Can Take Various Forms...

For more than 30 years I’ve used American Indian tipis as a tool to help students of all ages better appreciate the sophistication of the cultures that lived on the northern plains.

Tipi

I have set up tipis in schoolyards, at Boy Scout camporees, on state and national historic sites, in public and private spaces, and in museums in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Virginia, and across North Dakota.

Setting up poles for a tipi

I’ve even helped staff understand the process of taking a buffalo hide tipi down as we de-installed the Main Gallery of the Heritage Center in 2013.

When I present a program about the building of a tipi, it usually is a hands-on learning experience. I carry on a conversation with the audience. I ask for their assistance with identifying poles, bringing them to me, and (with my direction) figuring out where to place them.

We tie the poles together, raise and fasten the cover, and then enter the tipi. There is always a sense of awe when one enters a tipi for the first time and raises one’s eyes to the sky.

Children and Erik gathered in a tipi

The tipi is a dwelling created by stretching a cover of canvas or tanned bison hides over a framework of straight wooden poles. The poles are tied together in a specific pattern around a foundation made of three or four poles, depending upon tribal practices. The general form of the tipi is conical. Although the top of the cone of the tipi may be 16 or 18 feet off the ground, erecting it is a relatively easy process.

Setting up a tipi

At the top there is an opening through which rising smoke from a small central fire can escape. Extensions in the cover on either side of this opening can be adjusted depending upon wind direction, creating a relatively pleasant environment inside the structure.

Doug Wurtz, a volunteer with the State Historical Society, has helped me several times as I’ve given tipi raising programs for students or the public. As Doug became more interested, he began to experiment with a 1-inch=1-foot scale model of a tipi. As Doug’s models got more sophisticated, he became interested in the physics and the aerodynamics of the tipi. This led Doug to create a kit called “Tipi in a Box” which has since developed into a prototype that could be used by a classroom teacher to offer learning to their students about the tipi. As Doug and I evaluated the “Tipi in a Box” project, we became aware that teachers would have difficulty using the kit without a narrative to direct them.

Doug and I began the process of developing the narrative by videotaping me describing the kit and its intended use. During that taping we realized that some of the detail, such as how the knots are tied, would be lost without additional video.

Although this project is still a work in progress, Doug and I have learned many lessons related to building a quality educational product. We look forward to continuing this and additional projects that can provide insights into the technologies and lifeways of native peoples.