- Browse:
- Collections
- Subjects
- Creators
- Record Groups
- UND
- CFL
- Archon
- Orin G. Libby Manuscript Co...
- Woman’s Christian Temperanc...
Woman’s Christian Temperance Union of North Dakota Records, 1890-1981
Title: Woman’s Christian Temperance Union of North Dakota Records
ID: OGLMC 538
Extent: 0.5 Linear Feet

Organized in Cleveland, Ohio in 1874, the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union is the oldest, continuous dues-paying women’s organization in existence. The WCTU of Dakota was organized in 1882 at Canton, SD, prior to which local unions had been organized in a number of towns. On September 14, 1889 the WCTU of Dakota divided into separate state organizations for North Dakota and South Dakota. The WCTU of North Dakota campaigned for women’s suffrage and against gambling and the use of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs. Adelaide M. Kinnear served as first President of the WCTU of North Dakota (1889-1893). Elizabeth Preston Anderson, an educator who succeeded Kinnear as President (1893-1933), was a tireless social and political activist. The WCTU of North Dakota celebrated its centenary in 1989. In recent years the number of local unions and members have dwindled.


Restrictions: Open for inspection under the rules and regulations of the Elwyn B. Robinson Department of Special Collections.
Acquisition Note:
Photocopies of Western Womanhood were donated at an unrecorded date. Microfilm copies of North Dakota White Ribbon and White Ribbon Bulletin were purchased in 2000 from the State Historical Society of North Dakota. A photocopy of North Dakota Woman’s Temperance Union: 1889-1989 by Verna Ellsworth was made from the North Dakota State Library.
Other Formats:
The collection consists of photocopied materials, either from the State Historical Society of North Dakota or the North Dakota State Library.
Preferred Citation: Elwyn B. Robinson Department of Special Collections, Chester Fritz Library, University of North Dakota.
Finding Aid Revisions: Finding aid was migrated to Archon in January 2014.
Collection Material Type: Publications
Scope and Contents: The Woman’s Christian Temperance Union of North Dakota Records consist of periodicals and a history of the organization: The periodicals include three titles: North Dakota White Ribbon (1890–1893), Western Womanhood (1894–1898), and White Ribbon Bulletin (February 1899–1991). A centennial history of the organization, North Dakota Woman’s Temperance Union: 1889-1989, written by Verna Ellsworth is also included.