Title: Steve Edwards Papers, 2001-2011

ID: OGLMC1598

Primary Creator: Edwards, Steve

Extent: 2.5 Linear Feet

Date Acquired: 05/18/2012

Subjects: Politics and Government - Cartoons, Red River Valley

Languages: English

The Steve Edwards Papers date from 2001-2011 and have been divided into four series:

Series 1:  Biographical Information

Series 2:  Original Cartoons

Series 3:  Sketches

Series 4:  Newspaper Clippings

All of the cartoons created by Steve Edwards have been digitized and can be viewed at the UND Scholarly Commons.

Steve Edwards is a cartoonist who specializes in documenting life in the Midwest. Originally his cartoons, titled It Could Be Worse…, emphasized life in the Red River Valley of North Dakota. More recently, aligned with his move to Montana and western Washington, the cartoon has expanded to include aspects of life in the Northwest. Edwards is originally from Southern Illinois. His resume shows much diversity; he was a holiday UPS delivery man, grocery store stocker, librarian, director of admissions at Gordon State College in Georgia, interim chamber of commerce director, a coal miner for thirteen years and taught within the College of Business and Public Administration at the University of North Dakota. After his wife decided to enter the seminary they left their jobs, sold their house and relocated to Decatur, Georgia.  His wife’s first call was to three yoked churches (Gilby, Forest River and Inkster) northwest of Grand Forks, North Dakota.  In Gilby, North Dakota, Steve Edwards made new friends in the local hardware store where he began getting ideas that inspired him to start It Could Be Worse... The cartoons were initially picked up by a Grand Forks Herald publication, Yesteryears, in 2001. Edwards then became an editorial cartoonist for the Grand Forks Herald. Since then he has been asked to do work for the University of North Dakota, North Dakota city commissions, special projects, and for several other North Dakota, western Minnesota, and Montana publications.  In 2011, he and his wife left Montana and moved to Arlington, Washington, to be close to their daughter and her family.  In late 2012, he began drawing the cartoon strip for the North County Outlook, a newspaper covering several towns north of Everett, Washington.  In Arlington he added to his list of jobs: row boss at a strawberry farm and helping run a pumpkin patch and corn maze during the Halloween season.  It was at the corn maze that he got to see one of his drawings turned into a six acre corn maze.

-Written by Steve Edwards and Sarah Matter, Special Collections Intern

Politics and Government - Cartoons
Red River Valley

Repository: Elwyn B. Robinson Department of Special Collections

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

Acquisition Source: Steve Edwards, Arlington, Washington

Acquisition Method: Donation; Acc.#2012-3163

Related Materials: For more information please see http://library.und.edu/holdings/007254650.

Related Publications:

A Cartoonist's View of Life in the Red River Valley by Steve Edwards.  Gilby, N.D. : Steve Edwards, 2004.

It could be worse-- life in the upper Midwest by Steve Edwards.  Gilby, N.D. : Steve Edwards, [2005?].

Preferred Citation: (Description of Item). Steve Edwards Papers. OGLMC 1598, Box #, Folder #. Elwyn B. Robinson Department of Special Collections, Chester Fritz Library, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks.

Processing Information: Collection was processed by Sarah Matter, Special Collections intern, in September 2012.

Finding Aid Revision History: The finding aid was created in Archon in September 2012.