North Dakota State Archives

10/12/2026

The Weight of the Record: The Emotional Side of Work in the State Archives

At the North Dakota State Archives, we are entrusted with preserving not only information but memory itself. We are honored to be keepers of the past and present—helping the future connect with both. Memory links generations and forgetting these memories is a profound loss to subsequent generations. Ensuring that the stories of those who came before us are preserved is something that archivists take on every day. People often think of archivists as working with dusty boxes full of old papers and photographs. What they don't see is the emotional labor that comes with preserving the stories and memories inside those dusty boxes.

Read the full blog article at https://blog.statemuseum.nd.gov/the-weight-of-the-record.

10/10/2026

We are open! 🤸‍♀️🤸‍♀️🤸‍♀️ We are here today from 10-4:30 and are ready to connect you to ND historical resources and information!

🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩 COME ON IN! 🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩

10/09/2026

Are you interested in creating oral histories or in learning how to preserve digital audio and video files? If so, these workshops are for you! Sign up below and join us on either October 14 or October 23, 2-3:30!

Archives Month: Creating and preserving oral histories

10/08/2026

Today marks the 200th birthday 🎂🎂🎂 of the first governor of Dakota Territory. William Jayne was born in 1826 in Springfield, Il. A doctor who obviously had a penchant for politics, he had the historical honor of being President Lincoln's personal physician prior to the presidency and served in various political capacities throughout his life.

President Lincoln appointed Jayne the first governor of the new Dakota Territory. He was inaugurated in 1861. In 1863-4, he served as Territorial Delegate to the House. After this, he returned to Illinois and resumed his medical practice. He didn't give up the politics, however--he also became mayor of Springfield!

Jayne died in 1916 and is buried in Oak Grove Cemetery in Springfield, which is also where President Lincoln's tomb is located.

Jayne's correspondence while serving as governor will be digitized as part of the Dakota Territory Papers Project!

📷: A1782-00001, portrait of Governor William A. Jayne

10/07/2026

This Saturday, our Little Kids, Big World program at the State Museum will be learning about Genealogy with Head of Reference Services Sarah! Bring your littles to the program (10:15-10:45am) and then stop by the State Archives to say hi!

We'll be open from 10-4:30, ready to help all ages learn about their family tree!

10/06/2026

Check out this image of the Festival Hall on the Wells County Fairgrounds, with a photo of the same building from our collections! It was built in 1938 as part of a WPA improvement project. We love to see the past and present together! (B/W 📷: 00075-00293)

Interested in more of its history? ⬇

The began with a day of horse races. Various cities hosted this on a Saturday in August from 1903 to 1907, when the Wells County Fair Association purchased 25 acres of land from R. T. Roberts for $2500 to use for this purpose. This remains the present site of the fairgrounds today.

In January 1932, the County Commissioners were asked to discontinue the county fair because of the depression. The motion failed, but another motion passed that allowed free admission and to cut back on expenses as much as possible. For many years, people could visit for free, with only a small fee for parking.

Fessenden called itself "the Fair City" by 1965, and its official local governmental stationary showed a logo of horses racing past the fairgrounds grandstand. In 1991, when the Wells County Fairground buildings were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1991, the nomination form noted that "To say that 'fair week' in Fessenden was the community's largest annual social event would be an understatement."

In addition to use during the fair week, Festival Hall was home to many other community events such as high school music programs, conventions, political rallies, and even roller skating.

Do you have photos of Festival Hall, or other Wells County Fair buildings and activities? Share them with us at [email protected]. And read more about the history of the Wells County Fair: Fessenden diamond jubilee: https://digitalhorizonsonline.org/digital/collection/ndsl-books/id/150754/rec/1 and Wells County North Dakota National Register of Historic Places nomination form: https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75326797

10/06/2026

Read this blog, authored by Reference Specialist Ashley with input from other staff, about how you can use our collections in many different ways!

Hidden Gems: “Unpacking” a State Archives Collection

Hello and happy American Archives Month from the staff of the North Dakota State Archives! With thousands of record collections documenting the history of North Dakota from the territorial period to yesterday’s news, there is so much to learn from our holdings here. I’m always interested in finding out what information can be found in collections that might not have been the original intention of its creators or what you might think based on the title and summary. To find out, I selected a collection at random from the State Historical Society’s online catalog, fiNDhistory, and asked State Archives staff to tell me what other aspects of history they think this collection can shed some light on, apart from its main subject of genealogy.

Read the full blog article at https://blog.statemuseum.nd.gov/unpacking_state_archives_collection.

10/05/2026

This weekend, we had the opportunity to remember an important figure at the State Archives. Former Head of Reference Services Jim Davis, who many researchers and patrons got to know well over his 38-year career, passed away at the end of August. Jim held the honor of opening the doors of the Orin G. Libby Memorial Reading Room for the first time after we moved from the Liberty Memorial Building to the North Dakota Heritage Center. He had many stories to share and loved North Dakota's history. His memory will live on through our continued work to preserve and share this state's heritage.

10/01/2026

On October 1, 1889, North Dakotans voted to approve our state Constitution - 32 days before North Dakota officially became a state on November 2.

The North Dakota Secretary of State’s Office serves as the official custodian of this important piece of North Dakota history. The original handwritten draft still exists today and is preserved in the North Dakota State Archives, helping ensure it is protected for future generations.

Happy Constitution Day, North Dakota!

10/01/2026

Hello, friends. Did you know that October is recognized nationally as ? 🤩🤩🤩 The North Dakota State Archives has the honor of preserving the memories of the state of North Dakota, and making them available to our patrons. Maps and photographs, newspapers, video and audio cassette tapes, digital files, books, state record series, local county records, and manuscripts--we hold them all, and we love to share them with you!

🥳🥳🥳 Time to celebrate! 🥳🥳🥳