Archival Anecdotes: A small world

Eddy County Museum's collection of pioneer histories written in the early 1960s have proved instrumental in developing exhibits in the Stavanger Church. Our new exhibit follows the settlement of North Dakota from the 1860s to the 1910s. It integrates pioneer artifacts, stories of migration and a collection of wedding attire to tell the stories of Norwegian, Swedish, German, Russian, Czech, Scottish and English immigrants – many of whom sought to become landowners through the Homestead Act of 1862.

As Euro-Americans settled the Dakota Territory, native peoples were struggling. After the devastating winter of 1866-67, the Sisseton and Wahpeton bands of Dakota Sioux signed a treaty to establish a reservation at Fort Totten. At this time, there were few natives in the immediate area. Many sought refuge at Fort Yates, which was established in 1863. Others dispersed into small groups to survive. As pioneer histories tell us, groups of native families traveled through the area into the 1890s, and could be seen digging for prairie turnips, camped outside of New Rockford, and sometimes timidly approaching a farmhouse to ask for milk for their children.

Still there are more histories.

Eddy County Museum board president Merita Aldayel shared a 1983 publication titled "Ethnic Heritage in North Dakota,'' which details other cultural communities throughout the state including Jewish, Dutch, Icelandic, Armenian, Chinese and even Arabian. An updated version of the book would include populations from Slavic, Hispanic, South African and Asian cultures.

All of these stories are equally important. That's one of the beauties of museums, they are for everyone.

On June 6, Merita and I provided a museum tour to Marco and Daniella Berchi of Italy. Marco is a freelance writer, and we were just one of his stops on his tour of the Dakotas.

Our visit began with the history of the museum, then highlighted stories of homestead honeymoons, and soon moved on to the military exhibit that tells of Eddy County service men and women. There were certainly language barriers, but it was evident the exhibit had an impact on this couple.

It was the 80th anniversary of D-Day, and Marco spoke about "the war" in a way that sounded as if he had been there. Here I had been writing about post-war American culture and was now standing face-to-face with a man who experienced the post-war rebuilding of Europe. Aware that we were wading into an intense topic with limited vocabulary, I shared Harry Hall's photo album from his service time in Italy and Tunisia. Over the course of a few minutes, we connected by pointing out details in pictures and sharing simple reflections.

Next week a group from Norway will be touring area museums, including ours. It is a small world after all, but that doesn't mean it needs to become any smaller with a narrow cross-section of Eddy County's diversity. I understand there are many international families who have called our communities "home." That is why the Eddy County Museum is seeking written submissions from those living in our area with non-pioneering histories. Whether you are of native heritage, descended from non-European ancestry, or born in another country, we'd love to include your story in our archives. These stories will help develop exhibits and curate artifacts that reflect the diverse histories of Eddy County.

Submit your story to Eddy County Museum, P.O. Box 135, New Rockford, N.D. 58356, or email your submission to [email protected].