The Bicentennial flag is displayed at the groundbreaking ceremony of the North Dakota Heritage Center, October 1976. SHSND SA 10909-00003
I love a good celebration! It’s so fun to create memories, see friends and family, and feel those party vibes—whether for birthdays, anniversaries, holidays, or festivals. A celebration on a national level, such as America’s 250th, adds an extra layer. It’s a mile marker!
Working at the State Historical Society during this auspicious birthday means we not only get to look toward the future, but we get to look back at the past in a very special way, viewing and sharing our North Dakota heritage through the collections we hold and remembering how similar milestones have been recognized. Most recently for us, that means looking at the nation’s Bicentennial celebration in July 1976. The State Archives holds many collections that document this celebration, and we continue to take in related items.
Without further ado, here is a roundup of some of our collections linked to the U.S. Bicentennial.
10157 North Dakota Oral History Project
“Old-timers” in every North Dakota county were interviewed over several years in the 1970s for this project. Photographs were also collected from those willing to share, and each person interviewed was photographed. This collection highlights famous North Dakotans as well as everyday people. For example, within this collection (consisting of approximately 1,200 audiocassettes), we have an interview with North Dakota musician and band leader Lawrence Welk; with Olaus Abelseth, a man who came to America on the Titanic and settled here; and with the wife of the doctor who happened to deliver my mother. It’s eclectic, beautiful, and a great snapshot of North Dakotans living in the state.
Sam Krause of Zap poses outside for a photo on the day of his oral history interview, Sept. 30, 1975. SHSND SA 00032-ME-03-Intv002
1976 Dakota Photo Documentary Project
This photo project sent photographers to each community to record it as it was at that time. Pictures of main streets, businesses, and other beauty shots document these communities, whether vibrant and alive or abandoned. Residents, landmarks, and events are captured in some of these images.
These two images, depicting Nome, left, and Woburn, show some of the community photos included in our collections, circa 1976. SHSND SA 1976-00016, 1976-00103
North Dakota American Revolution Bicentennial Commission Collections
In North Dakota, a commission was formed to manage, create, designate, and assist as communities became involved in the celebrations. It designed logos, collected stories about the celebrations, assigned designations, and more. We have multiple collections relating to these aspects, documenting what happened around the state through written correspondence, audiovisual materials, and newspaper clippings.
Newspapers
Speaking of newspaper clippings, did you know that the State Archives is a repository for all official county newspapers in North Dakota? A law in effect since 1905 helps us collect these important sources of community news. The newspapers cover a lot of local happenings from the 1970s, including the Bicentennial, and we have these resources. Some are even digitized and can be searched and viewed on our website.
This article highlights Bicentennial events in the southeastern town of Kulm. The Kulm Messenger, July 1, 1976
County History Books
Some communities chose to pour their heritage into book form. Various North Dakota communities created county and town histories that documented the history of their area and shared biographical material about the people living there.
21723 Bicentennial Wagon Train Oral History
In 1976, a wagon train path was established that took participants across the country to Pennsylvania. They camped, rode horses, pulled wagons, and traveled as the pioneers did. I was lucky enough to interview twins Sharan and Sherry Bethke, who participated in this event. This oral history relates their memories of this event—and was only conducted a couple of years ago!
On July 4, 1976, North Dakotans Sharan and Sherry Bethke rode into Valley Forge as part of the commemorative Wagon Train. Sherry is pictured here on her horse Red Feather. SHSND SA 21723-00002
Sharan and her horse Dakota on the same day. SHSND SA 21723-00003
As you can see, we place great emphasis on North Dakota’s heritage at the State Archives. We also were thrilled to contribute a section on exploring your roots to ND250 Road Trip: Our American Story, a new exhibit celebrating the semiquincentennial at the ND Heritage Center & State Museum.
For more information on our Bicentennial holdings or how we can help you trace your heritage, try searching our website, and check out this “Our Heritage: Bicentennial Records” video.
Happy 250th birthday, America!