Archival Anecdotes: 60 years of history

In recent weeks, I've been sharing about the collaborative efforts that founded the museum. The Pioneer Daughters were just one of the many organizations involved. After all, they were a local chapter with historic interests.

The first objective of the organizations included recording pioneer family histories. The second was to construct a shelf to display historic items in a public setting. As ideas developed and were shared, the project grew into something much bigger. The ideas grew so big that they became big enough to be considered a Community Benefit Project through the North Dakota Federation of Women's Clubs.

Then came an idea to hold a benefit auction. The Community Benefit Auction Committee was composed of Alice Rindt, Joyce Mattson, Elsie Dunham, Ann Owens and Anna Tuntland. Edyth Piper was the president of the Pioneer Daughters; Lenore Neuharth served as the president of the Minerva Club.

In the fall of 1964, an ad that ran in the Transcript that encouraged community members to donate items for a fundraiser auction. It read, "Response to the new project and benefit auction of the Eddy County Pioneer Daughters and Minerva Clubs has been heartwarming ... The ladies welcome all articles large, medium or small. They may be furniture, household goods, food, clothing, appliances, machinery, livestock, knick-knacks, even the kitchen sink."

The event was held at 1:30 p.m. on October 24, 1964, just east of the Northern Pacific Depot in New Rockford. Five auctioneers had volunteered to be present, and club members served homemade doughnuts and fresh coffee.

Auctioneers included Anton Barth, Cliff Dablow, Bart Ludwig, Sylvester Wallace, and Clarence Wilcox. Joe Rindt and Chester Parker assisted with the sale. Mrs. James Johnson and William Neuharth donated trucking services. Mrs. Otto Helm, Ruth Wallace, Margaret Allmaras, Darwin Aas, and Pearl Goss also contributed their services to the cause.

At the end of the day, the benefit auction brought in $516. Additional support from individual donors totaled $705 brought the total to $1,221. (Calculations for inflation would make this close to $11,000 today.)

There were even some items, the ones of historic relevance, that did not go home with buyers, but were instead donated to the up-and-coming museum.

Talk about making history!

Visit our website at eddycounty.catalogaccess.com to see more of our collections.