Elwyn B. Robinson Papers, 1814-2000

Elwyn B. Robinson Papers

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Collection Overview

Title: Elwyn B. Robinson Papers, 1814-2000

Predominant Dates:1924-1985

ID: OGLMC198

Primary Creator: Robinson, Elwyn B. (1905-1985)

Extent: 37.25 Linear Feet

Date Acquired: 00/00/1971. More info below under Accruals.

Subjects: North Dakota, University of North Dakota - Faculty

Languages: English

Abstract

1905-1985; UND Department of History, 1935-1970

Collection Historical Note

Dr. Elwyn B. Robinson, University Professor Emeritus of History at the University of North Dakota and a noted historian of North Dakota, was born on October 13, 1905, on a farm near South Russell, Ohio. He was one of three sons of Walter P. and Mabel L. Robinson. In 1915 the family moved to Chagrin Falls, Ohio, where Elwyn’s father went into business as a professional photographer. Growing up in the small Ohio town, Elwyn played tennis and chess, the latter becoming a life-long hobby. Respected by his peers, he was president of his senior class in high school, from which he graduated in 1924. That fall he enrolled in Oberlin College, majored in English, and graduated after four years with an A.B. degree.

During 1928-1930, he taught in a consolidated township school at New Lyme, Ohio. His teaching activities spanned a variety of subjects including Latin, World History, Agriculture, Biology, General Science, and Problems of Democracy. As the only male teacher he held the title of principal. He also coached baseball and basketball. While being particularly fond of basketball, it was his baseball team that won the county Class C tournament in 1930.

A more significant aspect of his years at New Lyme was his friendship with Eva S. Foster, another teacher at the school and a daughter of the Reverend George I. and Annie D. Foster. Mr. Foster was rector of the Church of the Good Shepherd (Episcopal) in Cleveland. Elwyn and Eva became engaged in the spring of 1930.

After his initial teaching experience, Robinson decided to return to graduate school and enrolled at Western Reserve University in Cleveland in February 1931. He specialized in American history, which he studied under the direction of Dr. Arthur C. Cole. It was at this time that Robinson learned how to conduct historical research, for him an enjoyable process that he likened to being a “historical detective”. He earned the M.A. degree in 1932 and the Ph.D. in 1936, the latter with a dissertation on “The Public Press of Philadelphia during the Civil War”. During his time at Western Reserve, Robinson became an ardent Democrat. He supported Roosevelt and developed a keen interest in the social problems of American society. Privately he labeled himself a “radical”.

In the late summer of 1935, with his dissertation almost complete, Robinson was offered a teaching post at the University of North Dakota by Dr. Orin G. Libby, chairman of the Department of American History. On the same day that he left for North Dakota, he and Eva Foster were married. It was September 2, 1935. Robinson was fond of describing these exciting events, as he did for the Dakota Student in 1973: “We were married in the morning; I believe it was Labor Day. Our families took us down to the bus station that same day to leave for North Dakota. Eva and I always say it’s still going on - our honeymoon in Grand Forks. And I can still remember our first impression of Grand Forks. We looked out the window and said, ‘I think we’re going to like it here’”. Their first home was a small apartment on Cambridge Street.

Robinson’s early years at the University were marked by poor health and financial struggle, the latter occasioned in part by the depression and its aftermath. In 1945, at age 40, he began to pursue an interest in the history of his adopted state, an interest that was to ultimately lead to his greatest scholarly contributions. At about this time he began to teach a course on the history of the western frontier.

Between 1947 and 1949 he wrote and presented a series of radio talks entitled the “Heroes of Dakota”. Twenty such talks were delivered over the University’s station, KFJM, during the 1947-48 year. As these talks met with great success, twenty more were presented in 1948-49. Soon the series was heard on commercial radio throughout the state and printed in two volumes by the University press. The intent of these talks was conveyed by Robinson’s conclusion to one of them: “Perhaps this bit of our state history will nourish in our hearts more affection for our western country. To love North Dakota is good for us, and our loyalty is good for the state.”

During the late 1940’s, Robinson became determined to write a comprehensive history of the state. Indeed, his early work on the project was already in progress. In 1950 he began to teach a course on the history of the state, a course that was to achieve great popularity. However, the single most significant event influencing the writing of the book was a public address delivered by Robinson at the 75th Anniversary Convocation of UND, on November 6, 1958. The speech was entitled “The Themes of North Dakota History.” The address received statewide publicity and was distributed widely in printed form. A revised version was published in North Dakota History (Vol. 26, Winter 1959, pages 5-24), the quarterly publication of the State Historical Society. The themes of the state’s history, thus enunciated by Robinson, became the central thesis of his eventual book. As described later by his history colleague and close personal friend, Prof. Robert Wilkins, “The shape of the projected book and its great distinction grew out of the outstanding public lecture.”

Robinson identified six themes of North Dakota history: remoteness, dependence, radicalism, economic disadvantage, the “too-much mistake”, and adjustment. Remoteness meant that the state was significantly influenced by its great separation in distance from the nation’s chief centers of activity. Dependence indicated the state’s status as a colonial province of the chief centers. Radicalism became the means by which North Dakotans combated this colonial exploitation, an example being the creation of the Nonpartisan League in 1915. The fourth theme, economic disadvantage, resulted from the state’s sub-humid climate and the predominance of agriculture in the state’s economy. The “too-much mistake” concerned the too rapid growth that was characteristic of the state’s early history. North Dakota had too much of too many things too soon. The final theme, adjustment, describes the state’s moving-back from the too-much mistake.

Robinson’s efforts in writing the state’s history were facilitated by the University’s new president, George Starcher, who assumed office in 1954. Starcher took a personal interest in the project and supported a reduced teaching load for the author during a two year period. Finally, in the fall of 1966, Robinson’s 600-page book, <cite>History of North Dakota</cite>, was published by the University of Nebraska Press. Dealing with all aspects of North Dakota life from earliest times to about 1960, it was praised by reviewers and recognized by historians as one of the better state histories. It received the Award of Merit of the American Association for State and Local History, and it won for Robinson the respect of people all over the state.

Over the years, Robinson’s efforts in teaching and research came to be widely recognized in the University community and around the state. In 1959 he received the Alumni Distinguished Teaching Award, being one of its first four recipients. He was promoted to the special rank of University Professor in 1967. In May 1984 he received the Distinguished Service Award of the University’s Alumni Association.

After his retirement in 1970, Robinson was active in a variety of writing projects, producing articles for the Encyclopaedia Britannica on the Great Plains and North Dakota (1974), a forty-page article on “The Starcher Years: The University of North Dakota, 1954-1971” (North Dakota Quarterly, 1971), an article on “An Interpretation of the History of the Great Plains” (North Dakota History, 1974), and a report to the North Dakota Heritage Commission on “An Interpretive Plan for a Heritage Center” (1973). His final publication was an 18-page biographical memorial to his wife, Eva, who had preceded him in death in February 1984. It was published privately in Grand Forks, in October 1984. In his retirement a collection of Essays on Western History in Honor of Elwyn B. Robinson (Robert P. Wilkins, editor, University of North Dakota Press, 1970) was prepared by a group of his former students. Elwyn Burns Robinson died on March 24, 1985.

Always outgoing and gregarious, appreciated for his cheerful spirit, and remembered for his infectious laughter, Dr. Robinson was a popular member of the University and town communities. He served in various lay capacities at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, and on the Board of Directors of Grand Forks Homes, a non-profit corporation which constructed low-cost housing for the elderly. Throughout his life he enjoyed several hobbies, most notably photography and chess, and was an avid follower of sports, politics, and world affairs.

Subject/Index Terms

North Dakota
University of North Dakota - Faculty

Administrative Information

Repository: Elwyn B. Robinson Department of Special Collections

Accruals: Additional materials were received from: Glen Smith, Grand Forks, North Dakota, in May 1987 (87-1529); Colleen Oihus, Department of Special Collections (87-1574); Robert Wilkins, Grand Forks, North Dakota, on October 1, 1993 (93-1913); and by Vickie Negron, Plantation, Florida, on September 28, 2000 (2001-2490).

Access Restrictions: Open for inspection under the rules and regulations of the Elwyn B. Robinson Department of Special Collections.

Acquisition Source: Elwyn B. Robinson, Grand Forks, North Dakota

Acquisition Method: Donation; Materials were received intermittently from Elwyn B. Robinson from 1971 to 1985. A certificate of gift was signed June 28, 1979, which closed the collection until January 1, 1990. A second certificate of gift was signed October 29, 1984, which closed the collection until January 1, 1986. The Department of Special Collections was renamed in his honor October 4, 1986.

Related Publications: History of North Dakota by Elwyn B. Robinson. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1966.

Preferred Citation: (Description of Item). Elwyn B. Robinson Papers. OGLMC 198, Box #, Folder #. Elwyn B. Robinson Department of Special Collections. Chester Fritz Library. University of North Dakota.

Finding Aid Revision History: Finding aid added to Archon in March 2013.

Box and Folder Listing

Browse by Series:

[Series 1: Correspondence],
[Series 2: Robinson Family History Materials],
[Series 3: Personal and Professional Records],
[Series 4: North Dakota Politics and Education],
[Series 5: History Courses],
[Series 6: History of North Dakota],
[Series 7: Elwyn B. Robinson Department of Special Collections],
[Series 8: Photographs],
[All]

Series 3: Personal and Professional Records

Box 14

Folder 6: American Association of University Women, Yearbooks, 1953 - 57
Folder 7: "An Interpretation of the History of the Great Plains"
Folder 8: "An Interpretation of the History of the Great Plains" - Bibliography
Folder 9: "An Interpretation of the History of the Great Plains" - Notes
Folder 10: "An Interpretation of the History of the Great Plains" - Notes
Folder 11: "An Interpretation of the History of the Great Plains" - Notes
Folder 12: "An Interpretation of the History of the Great Plains" - Notes
Folder 13: "An Interpretation of the History of the Great Plains" - Population
Folder 14: "An Interpretation of the History of the Great Plains" - Population
Folder 15: Anglican Congress, 1963
Folder 16: Archaeological Finds in North Dakota, 1957, 1960
Folder 17: Articles Written by Elwyn Robinson
Folder 18: Articles Written by Elwyn Robinson
Folder 19: Automobile Records of Elwyn Robinson, 1958 - 76

Box 15

Folder 1: Book Reviews Prepared by Elwyn Robinson
Folder 2: Book Reviews Prepared by Eva Robinson for Thursday Book Club, PEO, and Round Table
Folder 3: Book Reviews Prepared by Eva Robinson for Thursday Book Club, PEO, and Round Table
Folder 4: Britannica Book of the Year - Articles Prepared for on North Dakota, 1951 - 61
Folder 5: Britannica Junior - Articles Prepared for on North Dakota, 1958
Folder 6: Camera Equipment, Receipts for, 1947, 1972 - 74
Folder 7: Chapter A.I. of the P.E.O., Yearbooks, 1954 - 57, 1963 - 64
Folder 8: Chess Club
Folder 9: Clubs: Franklin Club, Round Table, Thursday Book Club, 1958 - 1983
Folder 10: Contributions, 1983
Folder 11: Dean Selection Committee, 1964 - 65
Folder 12: Dictionary of American History - a North Dakota article, 1972
Folder 13: Distinguished Service Award (Removed to Display Case)
Folder 14: Documents: Birth/Death Certificates, Diplomas, etc., 1898 - 1984
Folder 15: Early School Papers of Elwyn Robinson, 1924 - 33
Folder 16: Early School Papers of Eva Foster Robinson, 1921 - 24
Folder 17: Encyclopedia Britannica - Great Plains Article for
Folder 18: Encyclopedia Britannica - North Dakota Article for
Folder 19: Episcopal Church - St. Paul's, 1953, 1955 - 65, 1970
Folder 20: Episcopal Diocese Convention, 1971
Folder 21: Episcopate Endowment Fund, 1962
Folder 22: Financial Records, 1924 - 26, 1928, 1929
Folder 23: Financial Records, 1930 - 33
Folder 24: Financial Records, 1936 - 40
Folder 25: Financial Records, 1940 - 44
Folder 26: Financial Records, 1945
Folder 27: Financial Records, 1946
Folder 28: Financial Records, 1947
Folder 29: Financial Records, 1948
Folder 30: Financial Records, 1949
Folder 31: Financial Records, 1950
Folder 32: Financial Records, 1951
Folder 33: Financial Records, 1952
Folder 34: Financial Records, 1953
Folder 35: Financial Records, 1954
Folder 36: Financial Records, 1955
Folder 37: Financial Records, 1956
Folder 38: Financial Records, 1957

Box 16

Folder 1: Financial Records, 1958
Folder 2: Financial Records, 1959
Folder 3: Financial Records, 1960
Folder 4: Financial Records, 1961
Folder 5: Financial Records, 1962
Folder 6: Financial Records, 1963
Folder 7: Financial Records, 1964
Folder 8: Financial Records, 1965
Folder 9: Financial Records, 1966
Folder 10: Financial Records, 1967
Folder 11: Financial Records, 1968
Folder 12: Financial Records, 1969
Folder 13: Financial Records, 1970
Folder 14: Financial Records, 1971
Folder 15: Financial Records, 1972
Folder 16: Financial Records, 1973
Folder 17: Financial Records, 1974
Folder 18: Financial Records, 1975

Box 17

Folder 1: Financial Records, 1976
Folder 2: Financial Records, 1977
Folder 3: Financial Records, 1978
Folder 4: Financial Records, 1979
Folder 5: Financial Records, 1980

Box 18

Folder 1: Financial Records, 1980
Folder 2: Financial Records, 1981
Folder 3: Financial Records, 1982
Folder 4: Financial Records, 1983
Folder 5: Financial Records, House, 423 Princeton Street
Folder 6: Financial Records, Income Tax Returns, 1978 - 1979
Folder 7: Financial Records, Income Tax Returns, 1980 - 1981
Folder 8: Financial Records, Inventory of Robinson Property, 1976, 1980
Folder 9: Financial Records, Miscellaneous

Box 19

Folder 1: 42nd District, Democratic - NPL Party
Folder 2: Franklin Club, 1951 - 77
Folder 3: Graduate Committee, 1952 - 1957
Folder 4: Graduate Committee, 1964 - 68
Folder 5: Graduate Committee, 1969
Folder 6: Graduate Committee, 1969 - 70
Folder 7: Graduate Faculty, 1964 - 70
Folder 8: Graduate School: “Recollections of Graduate Study in the Great Depression” by Elwyn Robinson
Folder 9: Grand Forks County Historical Society, 1970 - 71
Folder 10: Grand Forks Homes, Inc. - Minutes of, 1972 - 75
Folder 11: Grand Forks Homes, Inc. - Minutes of, 1975 - 76
Folder 12: Grand Forks Homes, Inc. - Minutes of, 1977
Folder 13: Heroes of North Dakota Series, 1947
Folder 14: Heroes of North Dakota - correspondence, 1947, 1948
Folder 15: Heroes of North Dakota - correspondence, 1949
Folder 16: History Department: Courses, 1946 - 1960
Folder 17: Ideas on Adaptation That Can Be Applied to North Dakota History
Folder 18: Ileostomy
Folder 19: Insurance Policies
Folder 20: Know - Your - State Conference, 1964 - 65
Folder 21: Library Committee, 1962 - 65
Folder 22: Medical Records, 1930 - 73
Folder 23: Medical Records, 1973
Folder 24: Medical Records, 1979
Folder 25: Medical Records, 1982
Folder 26: Medical Records, 1983
Folder 27: Miscellaneous
Folder 28: Mississippi Valley Historical Association, 1948 - 51
Folder 29: Mississippi Valley Historical Association, Membership Committee, 1961 - 64

Box 20

Folder 1: National Retired Teachers Association, 1970 - 77
Folder 2: North Dakota Heritage Center Exhibits, 1978
Folder 3: North Dakota Heritage Commission, 1971 - 73
Folder 4: North Dakota Heritage Commission - Preliminary Report of Elwyn Robinson, 1972
Folder 5: North Dakota Social Science Association, 1959 - 68
Folder 6: Northern Lights Camera Club, 1975 - 77
Folder 7: Notes from “Land and People in the Northern Plains Transition Area.”
Folder 8: Orin G. Libby Manuscript Collection, 1951 - 62
Folder 9: Poems Collected by Elwyn Robinson
Folder 10: Power Interpretations of History
Folder 11: “The Public Press of Philadelphia During the Civil War” - Elwyn Robinson's Dissertation
Folder 12: “The Public Press of Philadelphia During the Civil War” - Elwyn Robinson's Dissertation
Folder 13: “The Public Press of Philadelphia During the Civil War” - Elwyn Robinson's Dissertation
Folder 14: Reading List for American History - Compiled by Elwyn Robinson
Folder 15: Recommendation Letters, A - F
Folder 16: Recommendation Letters, G - R
Folder 17: Recommendation Letters, S - W
Folder 18: Retirement Income

Box 21

Folder 1: Robinson, Elwyn B., Memorial Service, March 26, 1985
Folder 2: Robinson, Elwyn B., Rubber Stamp
Folder 3: Robinson, Eva Foster, Memorial Service and Remembrances of Eva Foster Robinson, 1903 - 1984
Folder 4: Robinson, Eva: Music written by Eva's Father, George I. Foster
Folder 5: Robinson Family: Correspondence, 1814 - 1892
Folder 6: Robinson Family: Deeds and other Documents, 1832 - 1914
Folder 7: Robinson Family: Genealogy by Gordon Robinson, 1973 and revised, 1984
Folder 8: Robinson Family: Genealogy and Related History
Folder 9: Robinson Family: Genealogy, Records of the Township Russell, Vol. I
Folder 10: Robinson Family: “The History of Sunnimoor Farm” by John G. Reid (Robinson Family Homestead, Russell Township, Geauga County, Ohio)
Folder 11: Robinson Family: Insurance Policies, 1869 - 1892
Folder 12: Robinson Family: Receipts, 1855 - 1888
Folder 13: Robinson Family Record, 1800's and Miscellaneous Papers
Folder 14: Robinson Family: Samuel's Memorandum Book, 1864 and Calling Cards
Folder 15: Robinson Family: Scholastic Records
Folder 16: Robinson Family: Two Poems, No Author, 1800's
Folder 17: Robinson, Gordon, Articles by.
Folder 18: Robinson, Gordon - “A Model of the Transient Operation of a Coal Pulverizer,”, January 1984
Folder 19: Robinson, Gordon and Stephen, Miscellaneous
Folder 20: Robinson, Stephen - Articles and Lab Blueprints
Folder 21: St. Paul's Episcopal Church - Canvass (budget, pledges, and needs), 1970
Folder 22: St. Paul's Episcopal Church - Canvass, 1972, 73
Folder 23: St. Paul's Episcopal Church - Vestry, 1971
Folder 24: St. Paul's Episcopal Church - Vestry, 1972
Folder 25: St. Paul's Episcopal Church - Vestry, 1973
Folder 26: Speeches on North Dakota History
Folder 27: State Historical Board - Correspondence, 1965 - 67

Box 22

Folder 1: State Historical Board - Minutes, 1943, 1958, 1959, 1963 - 65
Folder 2: State Historical Board - Minutes, 1966
Folder 3: State Historical Board - Minutes, 1967
Folder 4: State Historical Board - Minutes, 1968
Folder 5: State Historical Board - Minutes, 1969 - 70
Folder 6: State Historical Society, January - July 1963
Folder 7: State Historical Society, August - December 1963
Folder 8: State Historical Society, 1964
Folder 9: State Historical Society, 1965 - 67
Folder 10: State Historical Society, Archives Committee, 1957
Folder 11: State Historical Society, Lease with Mandan Historical Development Association, 1959
Folder 12: “Themes of North Dakota History” - Correspondence and Clippings, 1958 - 63
Folder 13: Thursday Book Club, 1951 - 54
Folder 14: University of North Dakota - Announcements, 1958 - 68
Folder 15: University of North Dakota - Miscellaneous, 1941 - 52
Folder 16: University of North Dakota - Miscellaneous, 1953 - 61
Folder 17: University of North Dakota - Miscellaneous, 1961 - 72
Folder 18: University of North Dakota - Time Tables, 1947 - 56
Folder 19: Woodrow Wilson Fellowships, 1958 - 59, 1962

Box 29

Folder 9: Articles Written by Robinson for North Dakota Teacher, undated
Folder 10: "Dakota Sketches," Numbers 5-8, Written by Mrs. Robert Wilkins
Folder 16: "My Memory Book": Scrapbook of Elwyn Robinson, 1924-1930
Folder 17: Poster, Old Settlers Memorial Association Picnic, Buxton, North Dakota (Featuring Address by Robinson, "Heroes of Dakota"), July 18, 1948
Folder 19: Recognition Certificate for 25 Years of Service to UND, 1961

Department of Special Collections
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