Woman’s Christian Temperance Union of North Dakota Records, 1890-1991

Woman’s Christian Temperance Union of North Dakota Records

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Collection Overview

Title: Woman’s Christian Temperance Union of North Dakota Records, 1890-1991

ID: OGLMC538

Primary Creator: Woman’s Christian Temperance Union of North Dakota (1882-)

Extent: 2.0 Linear Feet

Subjects: Prohibition - Woman's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU), Women's History - Women's Organizations

Languages: English

Scope and Contents of the Materials

The Woman’s Christian Temperance Union of North Dakota Records are divided into two series:

Series 1: State Chapter

Series 2: Frances Willard Chapter, Grand Forks

Collection Historical Note

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.

Subject/Index Terms

Prohibition - Woman's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU)
Women's History - Women's Organizations

Administrative Information

Repository: Elwyn B. Robinson Department of Special Collections

Accruals: Additional material was donated by Frances Bertheuson, Grand Forks, North Dakota (via Joan Erickson, Chester Fritz Library) on April 17, 2007; 2007-2902

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

Acquisition Method: 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.

Original/Copies Note: A portion of the collection consists of photocopied materials from the State Historical Society of North Dakota and the North Dakota State Library.

Preferred Citation: Elwyn B. Robinson Department of Special Collections, Chester Fritz Library, University of North Dakota.

Processing Information: The addition was processed by Tanner J. Hanson and Lance M. Leigh (History 240) in October 2024.

Finding Aid Revision History: Finding aid was migrated to Archon in January 2014.

Box and Folder Listing

Browse by Series:

[Series 1: State Chapter],
[Series 2: Frances Willard Chapter, Grand Forks],
[All]

Series 1: State Chapter

Box 1

Folder 1: Western Womanhood, July 1894 – October 1896
Folder 2: Western Womanhood, November 1896 – December 1898
Folder 3: North Dakota Woman’s Temperance Union: 1889-1989 by Verna Ellsworth. Mandan, ND: Crescent Printing, 1990.
Folder 4: "North Dakota W.C.T.U. Song"
Folder 5: Annual Meeting Minutes, October 1976
Microfilm Reel 1: North Dakota White Ribbon (July 1890–June 1893); White Ribbon Bulletin (February 1899–November 1916)
Microfilm Reel 2: White Ribbon Bulletin (January 1917–November 1951)
Microfilm Reel 3: White Ribbon Bulletin (January 1953–September 1991)

Box 2

Item 1: Scrapbook: This scrapbook is composed of information and artifacts from the first half of the 20th century. Its contents are comprised of newspaper articles, photographs, letters, pamphlets, and other pieces of state WCTU history. These entries emphasize the goals of the organization, its prominent members, and progress they made within North Dakota.

Department of Special Collections
Digital Finding Aids