Happy American Archives Month from the North Dakota State Archives reference desk! In our jobs as reference staff at the State Archives, we get the distinct pleasure of working directly with researchers in the Reading Room as well as online. As a result, we, perhaps more than other staff here, get to see how our visitors and patrons use and interact with the records in our collections. Thinking outside the box is important for researchers, so we do see some interesting uses of our material. They sometimes come up with ideas and methods we may not have thought of. After all, doing research is a bit like piecing a puzzle together and often requires a dash of creativity!

As we celebrate archives around the country, we thought it would be fun to highlight some of the uses of our collections that have been particularly memorable.

Sarah Walker, head of reference services
It’s so rewarding to see people find answers while researching in the State Archives, but it’s especially fun if the collections are successfully used in a different way or for a different outcome. One of my favorite examples happened very early on in my career at the State Historical Society. It involved our collection of documents relating to and indexing cattle brands. The collection of indexes became our State Series 30003, Brand Registration Books. This is basically a straightforward, if somewhat artistic, index originally published by the North Dakota Department of Agriculture. Most of the time, people who wish to use this are researching their own family’s brand.

In this instance, a patron came in and requested these books. This person did a lot of research on different people living in a specific area early in North Dakota’s history. She then carefully traced out the brands that they had on file and used these to create a quilt! I thought it was so meaningful that she used an index to create some crafted art … and I will never forget it! I still regularly point to this as a most creative use of a state government record series.

A page from a State Series 30003 brand book.

Ashley Thronson, reference specialist
One of the most interesting ways I’ve seen State Archives collections used by researchers was when someone requested North Dakota Department of Transportation vehicle registration records to search for information about the baseball player Satchel Paige. The researcher was hoping to find his address and had not been able to find it in other resources. In a last-ditch effort to find his address, they searched through volumes for his name hoping that he had registered his vehicle and that his registration included an address.

Unfortunately, the Motor Vehicle Registration Records at the State Archives are not easy to use or search at all. The collection covers the years 1926-1963 and contains 290 volumes. The volumes are organized vaguely by year and by a registration number assigned by the state DOT; there is no index. The researcher looked through thousands of entries until at last stumbling upon one for Paige. While the entry did not include an address, it provided other useful information for the researcher. Having assisted the researcher, I joined in the celebration and excitement when they finally found it.

I like to remember this moment whenever I get stuck on research quests myself. It reminds me to think creatively for sources of information and to have patience and not get discouraged when faced with a large and overwhelming search.

Satchel Paige’s 1935 vehicle registration entry, with a handwritten note indicating his name. State Series 32254

Daniel Sauerwein, reference specialist
Recently a researcher accessed several microfilm rolls of fort medical histories, including one for Fort Rice, as part of research resulting in works related to the frontier Army and the Little Bighorn campaign. These resources provide important insights into life at the frontier military posts in Dakota Territory and their surrounding environments. They help us learn about the conditions that impacted people living in and around these forts and associated historical events. Topics include water supply and condition, plant and animal life, and disease and health as well as weather conditions. In this series, the records discuss replacing the current hospital at Fort Rice, which helps researchers better understand frontier and military medical care. This researcher was happy to use these records while they were here at the State Archives as they complemented other records we have related to the military forts in the state and made for a very fruitful research trip. Solid scholarly works came out of this research that expanded our knowledge of the people and places that shaped North Dakota and American history.

A page from the Fort Rice Medical History, dated June 24, 1872, outlining the plan for a post hospital and the need to replace the current hospital with this proposed building to provide better care of the sick. State Series 31141-Federal Records, War Department, Fort Rice Medical History, 1864-1878

We hope this post inspires your archival research journeys. Archival collections can be used in so many ways, and we are always excited to see what comes next for these records. And don’t forget! If you get stumped in your research—reach out to us. We may have some ideas for you to use in finding your answers!

Here in the State Archives, we have hundreds of thousands of records that document and tell the story of North Dakota and its people. These records can be used to help answer many questions and provide insights into the state’s history that can’t be found elsewhere. From state government records to home movies, information about the past can be found here.

I’ve learned over my time here there may be more to a collection of records than what meets the eye. What can be learned from one collection might not even be how the creator even intended these records to be used. So, I picked a random collection from the fiNDhistory, the State Historical Society of North Dakota’ s collection web portal, and asked some of our staff members for what they think researchers could learn from using these papers.

The collection is State Series 32355: Legislative Research Committee, Capitol Office Space Questionnaire, 1957. This collection contains a questionnaire on capitol office space, a summary of questionnaires for present space requirements and 1967 space requirements, and questionnaire results by agency. It also includes floor plans for every office in the Capitol building.

So, what can a researcher use this collection for? Let’s find out!

State Series 32355

Virginia, Head of Technical Services
This collection would help answer questions about changes in the needs of office environments over time (such as density of desks and layout) as the floor plans clearly outline functions for office use (desks, office equipment) and storage use (vaults, filing cabinets, bookshelves). The collection would also be helpful when studying building needs and growth, as the survey captured issues with existing spaces in 1957, such as the Highway Department offices (now Department of Transportation) being divvied up among six floors of the Capitol.

Larissa, State Government Records Archivist
This collection reflects the different uses of office and storage spaces used by North Dakota State Agencies and how that use changes over time. A researcher can use this collection to map the changes in workplace demographics and state agencies’ use of space by comparing 1967 needs to today.

Lindsay, Deputy State Archivist
This collection, at first glance, documents office layouts of state agencies in the Capitol building. But it also shows how agencies communicated their needs to the Legislature through large paper plans rather than the digital files of 2025. Even the material details, such as the paper and ink used to create the item, could be useful for someone interested in how government records were designed and produced, along with the printing and publishing technologies available in the mid-20th century.

6th floor office plan for the Land Department and Agriculture and Labor (Dairy Division). SHSND 32355

Emily, Manuscript Archivist
The floor plans in State Record Series 32355 could be used by a researcher who is interested in how technology affects office space and environment. This could include comparing changes in the size or layout of a workspace as various technologies are introduced or widely used, or examining changes in the social nature of a workspace (such as from communal worktables to desks in cubicles). Analysis could focus on the North Dakota Capitol specifically (if additional records are available), or it could use North Dakota in a larger regional or national sample size.

Sarah, Head of Reference Services
My takeaway from these records is the state agency history that can be gleaned from the survey. It’s an interesting peek back in time to see what agencies there were, where they were located, even what duties they may have had. In fact, I had to check out the agency abbreviated as “Poultry Imp. Bd.” This was the State Poultry Improvement Board, and we have their records, listed under our state series under the Department of Agriculture!

Megan, Local Government Records Archivist
These plans would be useful to a researcher interested in office workplace design evolution. In the 1950s, the “Fordist” method was being widely implemented because it valued efficiency and standardization. These floor layouts are detailed and could be evaluated for how well they did or did not follow this method. A researcher could also use the questionnaire to see how the thoughts and opinions of the workers in these spaces did or did not influence the planning and implementation of certain design layouts.

Drawings for Department of Public Instruction and Commissioners of Railroads, Agriculture, and Insurance. SHSND 32355

Greta, Audiovisual Archivist
I found it interesting to consider what office spaces within the Capitol building looked like during the time of the questionnaire and how one could use the questionnaires and floor plans to create and decorate the ideal office space for state employees. This photo from 1967 provides insight to 1960s office décor; the background shows a framed photograph of a herd of cattle on a North Dakota pasture, full bookshelf, American flag, North Dakota State flag, and a desk with scattered papers.

Governor Guy and Secretary of State Ben Meiers in Governor’s office, 1967. SHSND SA 00018-00004

Despite the modern addition of computers, office layouts still look similar to the '60s. The need for desks, chairs, and reference books remains, and we continue to decorate our office areas with personal items. Government offices within the North Dakota Capitol building carry on the tradition of proudly displaying the state and national flag.

So, next time you look at archival materials, be sure to think beyond what meets the eye. There is so much more to learn in every detail!