Lloyd Nygard Papers, 1904-2001

Lloyd Nygard Papers

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Collection Overview

Title: Lloyd Nygard Papers, 1904-2001

Predominant Dates:1963-2001

ID: OGLMC1422

Primary Creator: Nygard, Lloyd (1915-2001)

Extent: 8.75 Linear Feet

Date Acquired: 12/11/2000. More info below under Accruals.

Subjects: Burlington Dam, Minot, North Dakota, Souris River

Languages: English

Abstract

1915-2001; Farmer from Minot who was concerned with flood control issues in the Souris River Valley. Instrumental in the founding of Citizens United to Save the Valleys, which fought the plans of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to build the Burlington Dam

Scope and Contents of the Materials

The Lloyd Nygard Papers have been divided into six series as follows:

Series 1: Correspondence

Series 2: Organizations

Series 3: Miscellaneous Flood Control Materials

Series 4: Published Government Documents

Series 5: Newspaper Clippings

Series 6: Oversize Materials

One photograph of Lloyd Nygard was separated and placed in the Photograph File Cabinets.

Collection Historical Note

Lloyd Nygard was born on June 29, 1915, to Andrew and Anna Nygard of Edinburg, North Dakota. He was the tenth of eleven children. He graduated from high school at the Walsh County Agricultural and Training School in Park River. While in high school, he was active in the Future Farmers of America (FFA), Glee Club, livestock and crops judging teams, school annual, and the school newspaper.

He attended the North Dakota Agricultural College (now North Dakota State University) in Fargo, graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in Agriculture in 1939. He continued to be active in FFA, as well as the livestock judging team, YMCA, and Alpha Zeta, an honorary agricultural fraternity.

He married Martha Flaten of Park River on November 4, 1942, at Pleasant Valley Lutheran Church. The couple, who had known each other since high school, had two sons, Mark and Neal, and one daughter, Joanne.

After turning down a scholarship to attend Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, Nygard accepted a position at Velva High School as a teacher of vocational agriculture in 1940. In addition to his teaching, he served as chapter adviser for the FFA, and organized separate Young and Adult Farmer courses. By the time he left Velva ten years later, Nygard supervised the only complete vocational agriculture department in the state.

In 1951, the family moved to Minot, where Nygard was hired to manage the ranching operations of Maurice Harrington, then mayor of Minot. He was responsible for over 7,000 acres of crops, and up to 1,000 head of cattle. He built a purebred Hereford herd that won awards at shows throughout the region. Nygard and Harrington worked together to establish the performance testing program that became the model for over 1,000 herds in the state.

In 1962, Nygard purchased a farm in the Souris River Valley upstream from Burlington. When Harrington closed down his purebred operation in 1971, Nygard went into farming on his own. He built his own Hereford herd, and also started a certified seed program. He was named Commercial Beef Producer of the Year by the North Dakota Beef Improvement Association in 1974. During the 1980s, the American Hereford Association recognized the quality of his herd by twice placing his cattle on their elite list of most valuable producer cows.

Beginning in the early 1960s, Nygard became active in efforts to oppose the flood control plans of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The plan articulated by the Corps included construction of the Burlington Dam and inundation of much of the Souris River Valley. Nygard was instrumental in the creation of Citizens United to Save the Valleys, an organization of over 4,000 members throughout the Souris River Valley. This group supported a more comprehensive plan, including channel improvements in Minot, dams on Souris tributaries in Canada, and smaller dams on coulees in the Des Lacs River Watershed. The group was successful, as by 1991 the original Corps' plan had been discarded.

Nygard was a member of the Ward County Farmers Union, as well as the Ward County Farm Bureau. He served as President of the United Public School District (Des Lacs and Burlington), as well as the Ward County School Board Association. He was also active in the local 4-H Club. He served on the church council of First Lutheran Church in Minot, and sang in the church choir.

Lloyd Nygard died on December 21, 2001, and is buried at Sunset Memorial Gardens in Minot.

Subject/Index Terms

Burlington Dam
Minot, North Dakota
Souris River

Administrative Information

Repository: Elwyn B. Robinson Department of Special Collections

Accruals: Additional material was donated by Mark Nygard (via Dr. Gordon Iseminger), Minot, North Dakota, on May 4, 2001 (Acc.2001-2503) and the Nygard family (via Dr. Gordon Iseminger), Minot, North Dakota, on April 21, 2003 (Acc.2003-2613).

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

Acquisition Source: Lloyd Nygard (via Dr. Gordon Iseminger), Minot, North Dakota

Acquisition Method: Donation; Acc.2000-2474

Preferred Citation: (Description of Item). Lloyd Nygard Papers. OGLMC 1422, Box #, Folder #. Elwyn B. Robinson Department of Special Collections, Chester Fritz Library, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks.

Finding Aid Revision History: Finding aid migrated to Archon in March 2015.

Box and Folder Listing

Browse by Series:

[Series 1: Correspondence],
[Series 2: Organizations],
[Series 3: Miscellaneous Flood Control Materials],
[Series 4: Published Government Documents],
[Series 5: Newspaper Clippings],
[Series 6: Oversize Materials],
[Photographs :],
[All]

Series 4: Published Government Documents

This series contains various documents published by local, state, and national governments in both the United States and Canada. The series is arranged chronologically by publication date, and several undated documents were placed at the end. This series includes publications by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Souris-Red-Rainy River Basins Commission, and the Souris Basin Development Authority, to name a few.

Box 2

Folder 26: Floods of April-May 1969 in Upper Midwestern United States. United States Department of the Interior, Geological Survey, Water Resources Division: 1970
Folder 27: Hearings Before the Subcommittee on Flood Control -Rivers and Harbors- of the Committee on Public Works, United States Senate: 1970
Folder 28: An Engineering Victory for Our Environment: A Citizen's Guide to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. United States Environmental Protection Agency: 1971
Folder 29: Souris-Red-Rainy River Basins Comprehensive Study. Volume 2 (Appendix A, B, and C). Souris-Red-Rainy River Basins Commission: 1972
Folder 30: Souris-Red-Rainy River Basins Comprehensive Study. Volume 3 (Appendix D and E). Souris-Red-Rainy River Basins Commission: 1972

Box 3

Folder 1: Souris-Red-Rainy River Basins Comprehensive Study. Volume 4 (Appendix F, G, and H). Souris-Red-Rainy River Basins Commission: 1972
Folder 2: Souris-Red-Rainy River Basins Comprehensive Study. Volume 4 (Appendix F, G, and H). Souris-Red-Rainy River Basins Commission: 1972
Folder 3: Souris-Red-Rainy River Basins Comprehensive Study. Volume 6 (Appendix K and L). Souris-Red-Rainy River Basins Commission: 1972
Folder 4: Souris-Red-Rainy River Basins Comprehensive Study. Volume 7 (Appendix M). Souris-Red-Rainy River Basins Commission: 1972
Folder 5: Souris-Red-Rainy River Basins Comprehensive Study. Volume 8 (Appendix O). Souris-Red-Rainy River Basins Commission: 1972
Folder 6: Biological and Recreational Impacts of Nine Proposed Flood Control Alternatives in the Des Lacs and Souris River Flood Plains. by James Lunan, Thomas Glorvigen, and Gary Leslie. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers: 1973
Folder 7: Draft Revised Environmental Impact Statement, Flood Control, Burlington Dam, Souris River, North Dakota. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers: 1973
Folder 8: Design Memorandum No.2, General - Phase I - Plan Formulation, Burlington Dam, Souris River, North Dakota. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers: 1974
Folder 9: Draft Revised Environmental Statement, Minot, North Dakota Project. Channel Modifications for Flood Control on the Souris River, North Dakota. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers: 1974
Folder 10: Final Updated Environmental Impact Statement, Minot Channel Modification, Souris River, North Dakota. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers: 1974
Folder 11: Transcript of Minutes of Public Meeting Covering the Burlington Dam and Associated Improvements for Flood Control on the Souris River, North Dakota. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers: February 19, 1974
Folder 12: Burlington Dam Design Memorandum No. 2, Phase I - Plan Formulation. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers: 1975
Folder 13: Final Updated Environmental Impact Statement: Flood Control, Burlington Dam, Souris River, North Dakota. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers: 1975
Folder 14: Review of Alternatives for Flood Damage Reduction at Minot and Adjacent Areas. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers: 1975
Folder 15: Sixth Annual Report of the Council on Environmental Quality. 1975
Folder 16: Water Resources Data for North Dakota, Water Year 1976. U.S. Geological Survey: 1976
Folder 17: Burlington Dam, Souris River, North Dakota, Design Memorandum No. 2. Phase I - Plan Formulation: 1977
Folder 18: Draft Environmental Impact Statement, Flood Control, Burlington Dam, Souris River, North Dakota. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers: 1977

Box 4

Folder 1: Hearings Before a Subcommittee of the Committee on Appropriations, House of Representatives. 1977
Folder 2: Natural Flow Report. Souris River Basin Study: 1977
Folder 3: Preliminary Evaluation of Water Supply and Flood Damage Reduction Options in the Manitoba Portion of the Souris River Basin. Souris River Basin Study: 1977
Folder 4: Design Memorandum No. 2, Phase II - Project Design, Burlington Dam, Souris River, North Dakota. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers: 1978
Folder 5: Final Environmental Impact Statement, Flood Control, Burlington Dam, Souris River, North Dakota. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers: 1978
Folder 6: An Analysis of Runoff in the Souris River Basin, 1978. Saskatchewan Environment, Hydrology Branch: 1979
Folder 7: The Rare Vascular Plants of Saskatchewan. National Museums of Canada: 1979
Folder 8: Impacts on Canada of Operation of the Burlington Project, Souris River, North Dakota. International Souris-Red Rivers Engineering Board: 1980
Folder 9: Draft Programmatic, Environmental Impact Statement, Lake Darling Flood Control Project, Souris River, North Dakota, and Draft Feature, Environmental Impact Statement, Velva Flood Control, Velva, North Dakota. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers: 1982
Folder 10: General Plan Report and Draft Environmental Impact Statement, Souris River Basin Project, Saskatchewan, Canada, and North Dakota, U.S.A. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers: 1987
Folder 11: Rafferty-Alameda Project, Environmental Impact Statement Summary Report. Souris Basin Development Authority: 1987
Folder 12: Transcript of Proceedings of the Hearing Before the Board of Inquiry, Held in the Town of Carlyle, Province of Saskatchewan. Rafferty/Alameda Board of Inquiry, Souris Basin Development Authority: September 9, 1987
Folder 13: Transcript of Proceedings of the Hearing Before the Board of Inquiry, Held in the Town of Estevan, Province of Saskatchewan. Rafferty/Alameda Board of Inquiry, Souris Basin Development Authority: December 3 & 4, 1987
Folder 14: Transcript of Proceedings of the Hearing Before the Board of Inquiry, Held in the Town of Oxbow, Province of Saskatchewan. Rafferty/Alameda Board of Inquiry, Souris Basin Development Authority: September 10, 1987
Folder 15: Transcript of Proceedings of the Hearing Before the Board of Inquiry, Held in the Town of Weyburn, Province of Saskatchewan. Rafferty/Alameda Board of Inquiry, Souris Basin Development Authority: September 12, 1987
Folder 16: General Plan Report and Final Environmental Impact Statement, Souris River Basin Project, Saskatchewan, Canada - North Dakota, U.S.A. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers: 1988
Folder 17: Rafferty-Alameda Board of Inquiry Final Report: 1988

Box 5

Folder 1: City of Minot, Flood Control Promotion, Resolutions, and Letters of Support, Volume I. 1989
Folder 2: City of Minot, Flood Control Promotion, Resolutions, and Letters of Support, Volume II. 1989
Folder 3: Rafferty-Alameda Project, Draft Summary, Initial Environmental Evaluation. Environment Canada: 1989
Folder 4: Supplemental Information: Souris River Basin Flood Control Project, Renville, Ward, McHenry, and Bottineau Counties - North Dakota. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers: 1989
Folder 5: Rafferty-Alameda Project, Questions and Answers. Souris Basin Development Authority: 1990
Folder 6: Rafferty-Alameda Project, Report of the Environmental Assessment Panel. (Canadian) Federal Environmental Assessment Review Office: 1991
Folder 7: Design Memorandum No. 15 and Environmental Assessment, Lake Darling Dam, Souris River Basin, Flood Control Project, Souris River, North Dakota. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers: 1992
Folder 8: Second Report to the Governments of Canada and the United States. Souris River Bilateral Water Quality Monitoring Group: 1992
Folder 9: Third Report to the Governments of Canada and the United States. Souris River Bilateral Water Quality Monitoring Group: 1993
Folder 10: Fourth Report to the Governments of Canada and the United States. Souris River Bilateral Water Quality Monitoring Group: 1994
Folder 11: Fifth Report to the Governments of Canada and the United States. Souris River Bilateral Water Quality Monitoring Group: 1995
Folder 12: From Flood to Drought: A Need for Water Management in the Souris Basin. No author, undated
Folder 13: North Dakota Dam Design Handbook. Soil Conservation Service USDA, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, U.S. Corps of Engineers, North Dakota Division of Emergency Management: undated
Folder 14: Souris River Basin Water Problems and Identified Solutions. Souris River Basin Study: undated

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