Oring Libby News Today

History columnist Curt Eriksmoen continues the story of John M. Gilette

John Gillette, in his teaching, writings and lectures, made no secret of his sympathies with how farmers had been exploited by big business, and this was a tinderbox in North Dakota politics.

John Gillette, in his teaching, writings and lectures, made no secret of his sympathies with how farmers had been exploited by big business, and this was a tinderbox in North Dakota politics.

October is Archives Month, where archives around the country celebrate the records in their holdings and recognize the archivists who assess, collect, organize, preserve, and provide access to information of lasting value. The North Dakota State Archives is part of the State Historical Society of North Dakota. Today we share a story of curator woes at the North Dakota archives.

In the early history of the State Historical Society of North Dakota, the offices were in the basement of the original Capitol. It wasn’t a lot of space, which soon became a problem. In 1913, Secretary Orin G. Libby of the State Historical Society, reported, “the crowded condition of the museum rooms… made it impossible for the Society to enter into any considerable collecting …”

In 1913, Orin G. Libby, secretary at the State Historical Society, reported that the curator of the society was anxious to secure representative collections illustrating the early life of the state’s various nationalities. Only one had proper representation, according to Libby; and while you might think that it was the German, Norwegian or indigenous populations, you would be incorrect. The only group reported as having good representation was the Icelandic population.

In 1916, Librarian Georgia Carpenter noted that in the past year, several visitors of national reputation had visited the library, including Miss Frances Densmore, known for documenting the music of indigenous peoples. She and Orin G. Libby had recorded Arikara, Hidatsa, and Mandan songs on wax cylinders.

8/15/2013: The State Historical Society of North Dakota was a fledgling organization in 1905. Although its roots went back to Statehood in 1889, the effort to save significant sites and artifacts was ill-defined and ill financed. Several previous attempts to establish a statewide historical society, including one in 1895, had failed to gain public support, even though a room to house collections had been set up in the Capitol Building. By 1897 the organization had fallen into decay and much of N...

On this date in 1911, the Bismarck Daily Tribune ran a small ad requesting readers to submit historical material including pioneer letters, stories, and diaries to the state historical society. Today it’s known as The State Historical Society of North Dakota. It was preceded by earlier groups. The Old Settlers Historical Association was approved by the Legislative Assembly of Dakota Territory in 1862. Membership in this organization was limited to people who lived in the region before the terr...

Today we continue our series on October as American Archives Month.In North Dakota, the state archives are managed by the State Historical Society. In early 1907, the society received welcome funding and some office space in the Capitol for the collections. However, by December, the Bismarck Tribune reported that the archives already needed more room and more funds, saying: “The [Society] has a good start, but we are far behind our sister states, and much of historical value that ought to be i...