Walster, Harlow Leslie, 1883-1957
Papers, 1883-1957
UA Mss. 11
10 linear ft.

Biography

Harlow Leslie Walster was born on the family homestead near Spring Green, Wisconsin on April 20, 1883.  He attended high school there, and worked on the family farm until he was19.  He attended the University of Wisconsin, and graduated in 1908 with a Bachelor of Science Degree, then obtained an M.A. from Harvard in 1913, and a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago in 1918.  He served as Associate Professor at the University of Wisconsin until 1919, when he came to the North Dakota Agricultural College as agronomist at the North Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station.

Walster married Ada Georgene Meadow, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. George C. Meadows, of Ipswich, South Dakota in June 1921.  Ada received a B.A. from the University of South Dakota in 1912, and a M.A. from Columbia University in 1915.  She came to the North Dakota Agricultural College in 1918 and joined the Home Economics Department.  The Walsters were members of the Plymouth Congregational Church in Fargo, and served in many capacities.  They had one daughter, Eunice Moe.

In 1924 Walster became Dean of the School of Agriculture, a position he held until his retirement in 1953.  He was dedicated to his chosen field and contributed many publications to the profession.  In 1932 he was made director of the Division of Agricultural Extension, and held the post jointly with his chief Agronomist and Dean positions.  He was a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science from 1908, and a member of the American Society of Agronomy, American Society of Soil Science, and the American Soil Survey Association.  He was also a life member and vice president of the Agricultural History Society of the United States, a member of the Northern Great Plains Agricultural Council, and chairman and secretary of the agricultural teaching section of the Association of Land Grant Colleges.

He was a founder of the International Congress of Soil Science and served as a consultant to the Bureau of Reclamation, U.S. Department of Interior.  In 1926 he acted as a consultant to the U.S. Office of Education on the congressional survey of land grant colleges.

North Dakota organizations with which he had been affiliated include the North Dakota Educational Association, North Dakota Academy of Science, North Dakota Rural Rehabilitation Corporation, the State Historical Society of North Dakota, North Dakota Research Foundation, North Dakota State Planning Board, and Soil Conservation Service. Walster was also an active Mason, and served as Junior Grand Warden from 1947-1948; Senior Grand Warden, 1948-1949; Deputy Grand Master, 1948-1950; and Grand Master, 1950-1951 of the Masonic Grand Lodge of North Dakota.  In Fargo he was director of the Fargo School of Religious Education, and president of the Shiloh and Sunrise Masonic lodges, the Fargo Commons Club, and Fargo Lions.  He was also a member of Phi Beta Kappa, Phi Kappa Phi, Alpha Zeta, Lambda Upsilon, Gamma Alpha, and Alpha Gamma Rho.

Mrs. Walster was also active in the community.  She was President of the Fargo Fine Arts Club and the Faculty Woman's Club at the North Dakota Agricultural College.  She also served as North Dakota chairperson of the Women's Action Committee for Lasting Peace, and served as Red River Valley president and National Council member of Camp Fire Council, and recording secretary of the North Dakota Federation of Women's Clubs.  She had been president of the college Y.W.C.A., and 1937 chairperson of the Fargo Community Chest residential campaign.  She was also a member of Kappa Alpha Phi, Phi Upsilon Omicron, Phi Kappa Phi, the Eastern Star, and the Travois Club.

Between May and August 1941, Dean Walster was granted a leave of absence for an extensive tour of South America as a guest of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.  During the tour he published a series of letters and articles on South America relating to agriculture and other topics.  In 1947 he toured Central America as the guest of the United States Fruit Company, during which he visited the Pan-American School of Agriculture in Honduras.

Dr. Walster retired in July 1953, and received the Honorary Degree of Doctor of Science from NDSU.  He devoted his remaining years to writing his memoirs, and working on the accomplishments of his predecessors until his death on October 7, 1957.  He was buried at Lodi, Wisconsin.

Scope and Contents

The Harlow Leslie Walster papers consist of correspondence during his tenure as Dean of Agriculture at the North Dakota Agricultural College; articles and speeches relating to North Dakota agriculture; correspondence, articles, diaries, and scrapbooks concerning his Latin and South American trips; and scrapbooks relating to his retirement, the history of North Dakota, and the Red River Valley.

The NDAC School of Agriculture Series includes correspondence, arranged alphabetically and chronologically, concerning his position as Dean.  There are department reports, college committee minutes, college faculty correspondence and correspondence from the President's office.  The years cover 1930 to 1935.  Also included are files relating to the founding of the School of Agriculture and its purpose, a history of the Experiment Station and the Branch Stations of Dickinson, Langdon, and Williston.  There are files on the Flax Institute of the United States, Farm Folk School, students, Poultry Husbandry Survey, and general correspondence from 1913 to 1957 relating to many topics.

The Subject File Series, written by Walster, contains many articles, speeches, biographical sketches, and bibliographies pertaining to agriculture, education, government, culture and weather.  There are many articles on water, land, and resource conservation.  Crops, such as wheat, flax, corn, and clover receive special treatment, but the series also contains interesting histories of Fargo, the Missouri River Basin, Red River Valley, and the Dakotas in general.  Chronologically, the series covers from pre-statehood to the 1950s.

The Latin and South American Series is an interesting collection of articles, correspondence, and diaries of Walster's trip to the region in 1941, and again in 1947.  The topics range from his personal observations of the region, to the agriculture there and the impact of the United States on the region.

The Manuscript Series contains published and unpublished manuscripts by Walster.  Five For the Land is Walster's account of the accomplishments of five leading scientists in the early years of the Agricultural College, including Claire B. Waldron, Henry Luke Bolley, Edwin Fremont Ladd, John Henry Shepperd, and Lawrence Root Waldron.  Another manuscript is an unpublished history of his family's homestead in Wisconsin, called the Butternut Hollow Farm.  Another unpublished manuscript, Milestones of Progress is a history of flax and flax research in North Dakota.  Soils and Soil Fertility is a manuscript published by Walster while at the University of Wisconsin.

The Scrapbook Series reflects Walster's interests in the early history of the region from early newspaper accounts from the 1880s, to Walster's retirement in 1953.  Agriculture, Geology, his trip to South America, and articles about North Dakota in general are all covered.  The series extensively covers the early history and events of the Dakotas, which he copied from early newspapers of the region.

The File Card Series contains references to articles on the early history of the Dakotas, and the contributions of the many agricultural scientists employed at the Agricultural College.
 

Processed May, 1990, by Paul E. Kelly
Provenance unknown (Univ. Archives Acc. 11).

BOX 1

1     Historical information & Register
2     Biographical material
3     Autobiographical material

SCHOOL OF AGRICULTURE SERIES

4     Agricultural History Society - Correspondence, 1953-1956
5     Alumni - Correspondence, 1930-1931
6     Animal husbandry reports, 1930-1931
7     Job applications, 1930-1933
8     Association of Land Grant Colleges and Universities
9     College Council meeting minutes, 1930-1933
10    College faculty - Correspondence, 1930-1933
11     Committee on Standings - Correspondence, 1930-1933
12     County agents
13     College Curriculum Committee, 1929-1930
     Experiment Station
14       Annual reports, 1891-1945
15       Dickinson
16       General articles, reports, speeches
17       General articles, reports, speeches
18       History, 1900-1949
19       Langdon Reports, 1914-1923
20       Publications, 1891-1955
21       Research
22       Staff correspondence, 1930-1933
23       Williston Report, 1931
24     Extension Service - Correspondence, articles, 1930-1942
25     Farm Folk School - Correspondence courses
26     Farm Husbandry courses, 1932
27     Farmers' Week - Correspondence, 1932-1933
28     Flax Institute of the United States - Correspondence, 1931-1938
29     Floors of north wing, Agriculture Building - Correspondence, 1930
30     Freshmen lectures
31     Greater North Dakota Association - Correspondence, 1929-1933
32     Land Grant College Survey - Correspondence, 1930
33     Letters of recommendation, 1936
34     Library Committee - Correspondence, 1930-1931
35     President's Office - Correspondence, 1930
36     President's Office - Correspondence, 1931-1933
37     Poultry Husbandry Survey - Correspondence, 1931-1933
38     Publications Division - Correspondence, 1933
39     Registrar's Office - Correspondence, 1930-1933
40     School of Agriculture - Biennial reports, 1924-1935
41     Department reports, 1928-1929
42     History
43       News articles, 1893
44       Correspondence relating to Walster's dismissal, 1937-1939

BOX 2

1       Staff- General correspondence, 1930-1933
2       Student correspondence, 1930
3       Student correspondence, 1931
4       Student correspondence, 1932-1933
5       Prospective students, 1930-1933
6       Secretary's office - Correspondence 1930-1931
7       Smith-Hughes instructors, 1923-1936
8       Speaking engagements - Correspondence, 1929-1933
9       Teacher experience
10     Universities and colleges - Correspondence, 1930-1933
11     Baker, G. J. - Correspondence, 1930
12     Barton, O. A. - Correspondence, 1930-1932
13     Brunsdale, Norman, Governor - Correspondence, 1953
14     Christensen, F. W. - Correspondence, 1927-1933
15     Churchill, O. O. - Correspondence, 1930-1932
16     Cleveland, W. A. - Correspondence, 1930-1933
17     Cook, C. C. - Correspondence, 1935-1936
18     Dice, J. R. - Correspondence, 1930-1933
19     Eckert, Phil S. - Correspondence, 1953
20     Griswold, D. J. - Correspondence, 1930
21     Jensen, Chris - Correspondence, 1931
22     Jones, Edward H. - Correspondence, 1930-1936
23     Kellogg, Charles E. - Correspondence, 1930-1933
24     McCaul, Benjamin V. Correspondence, 1930-1932
25     McColly, H. F. - Correspondence, 1930-1933
26     Miller, Cap E. - Correspondence, 1930-1933
27     Miller, R. C. - Correspondence, 1930-1931
28     Munro, J. A. - Correspondence, 1930-1933
29     Nelson, Casper J. - Correspondence, 1930-1933
30     Olson, P. J. - Correspondence, 1935-1936
31     Page, John A. - Correspondence, 1935
32     Palmer, W. C. - Correspondence, 1930-1931
33     Parrott, A. H. Correspondence, 1935-1936
34     Pearson, J. H. - Correspondence, 1935-1936
35     Ranes, Lawrence - Correspondence, 1935-1936
36     Refvem, B. O. - Correspondence, 1954
37     Reichart, Glenn - Correspondence, 1935-1936
38     Ross, W. A. - Correspondence, 1935-1936
39     Scott, G. A. - Correspondence, 1935-1936
40     Scranton, L. L. - Correspondence, 1932-1936
41     Scribner, Cecil - Correspondence, 1936
42     Seebart, Harry - Correspondence, 1935-1936
43     Severson, Al - Correspondence, 1930
44     Solberg, Ray L. - Correspondence, 1935-1936
45     Sullivan, V. M. - Correspondence, 1935-1936
46     Swanson, L. A. - Correspondence, 1936
47     Thompson, E. J. - Correspondence, 1930-1933
48     Thordarson, T. W. - Correspondence, 1930-1933
49     Waldron, C. B. - Correspondence, 1935-1936
50     Wilson, Bruce - Correspondence, 1935-1936
51     Yeager, A. F. - Correspondence, 1927-1932
52     Zeigler, Arthur A. - Correspondence, 1935-1936
     Correspondence, General-
53       1913-1929
54       April, 1930 - Dec. 30, 1930
55       Jan. 1, 1931 -  Feb. 27, 1931
56       Mar., 1931 - Dec., 1931
56       Jan., 1932 - Dec., 1932
57       Jan., 1933 - June, 1933

BOX 3

1       Aug., 1934 - March, 1936
2       April, 1936 - October, 1938
3       Jan., 1941 - Dec., 1943
4       Jan., 1944 - May, 1949
5       Jan., 1950 - Feb., 1954
6       March, 1954 - June, 1957

SUBJECT FILE SERIES

7       Adjustments in Living in the 20th Century
8       Agricultural Adjustment Act
9       Agricultural history - Articles
10     Agricultural news - Bibliography from Jamestown Sun, 1889
11     Agriculture - General articles
     Agriculture in North Dakota-
12       Bibliography
13       General articles, speeches
14     Alfalfa - Articles, radio addresses
15     "Alpha Zeta Cup" speech
16     America - Americans
17     Arbor Day
18     Australia
19     Automobiles in North Dakota
20     The Story of the Badlands
21     Barton, Orva Avery - Biography (1876-1954)
22     Beans
23     Bees and Honey
24     Bismarck Daily Tribune - Excepts, 1885-1910
25     The Bison (College Publications)
26     The Bison Furrows (College Publication )
27     Bolley, Henry L. - Bibliography
28     Bonanza farms
29     Booklist
30     Book reviews
31     Bradbury, John, (1768-1823) - Biography, naturalist
32     Brome Grass
33     Buckwheat
34     Cereal diseases - Articles
35     Cereal investigations - Articles
36     Chemistry in agriculture - Articles
37     Chernozem
38     Christianity and Agriculture
39     Citizenship - Articles
40     A City
41     Climate - Bibliography, 1990-1901, Articles
42     "Climbing Higher" speech
43     Coal in North Dakota
44     The Colorado Beetle
45     Commencement addresses
46     Commission on Country Life
47     Congregationalism - Articles
48     Conservation - Articles, bibliographies, speeches
49     The Consumer
50     The Cooperative Movement
       Corn-
51       General articles, data
52       North Dakota articles, radio addresses
53       North Dakota facts and figures
54     Origin of Corn
55     Crop statistics - North Dakota
56     Crops - Articles, radio addresses
57     Crops - Score cards
58     Culture and agriculture - Articles, speeches
59     Dairying - Articles
60     Dakota Farmer - Contributions of staff to (bibliography)
61     Dams - Articles
62     Darwin, Charles - Biography
63     Drought of the 1930s - Articles

BOX 4

1       Durum wheat - Articles, statistics
2       Easter
3       Ecology - Articles
4       Economics - Articles
5       Education - Articles
6       Elk River Farm (Larimore)
7       Fairs - Articles
8       Farm income - Articles
9       Farm machinery - Articles
10     Farms and farmers - Articles
11     Social Phases of Farm Tenancy, by E. A. Wilson
12     Federal field stations in North Dakota
13     Fertilizers - Articles
14     A North Dakota Primer in Field Husbandry
15     Finances - Articles
16     The First Frost
      Flax-
17       General articles
18       General articles
19     Flax Institute of the United States - Articles, newspaper clippings
20     Flax seed, oil Articles
21     Floods and Flood Control of the Mississippi River
22     Flour mills in North Dakota
23     Food - Articles
24     Forage crops - Articles
25     Founding Fathers of Fargo
26     4-H clubs in North Dakota
27     Franklin, Benjamin - Biography
28     Friends of the Land Society
29     Glacial Lake Agassiz
30     Geology - Articles
31     Government - Articles
32     Gunny Sacks and Burlap Bags - Radio sketch
33     Heart River Irrigation Project reports, 1945
34     On History
35     Horticulture Report, 1928
36     Inflation - Articles, pamphlets
37     Irish land tenancy
38     Irrigation - Newspaper clippings
39     The Ivy
40     Land - Articles
41     Land classification - Articles
42     Land utilization - Articles
43     Lewis and Clark in North Dakota
44     Lewis, Sinclair
45     "The Linnean Society" speech 4
46     Lisbon Yesterday and Tomorrow (North Dakota)
47     Livestock - Articles  47
48     "Looking Forward in Agriculture" speech
49     The Lowly Leek
50     MacDonald, Daniel F. - Biography of early settler
51     My Impressions of Manitoba
52     Masonic articles, speeches
53     "Man of Science" speech
54     Missouri River Basin Memoranda - Pp. 1-108
55     Missouri River Basin Memoranda - Pp. 109-205
56     Missouri River Basin Program - Articles
57     Missouri River Basin Climate - Bibliography
58     Missouri River diversion
59     Missouri River history - Articles, bibliography
60     Missouri Basin Inter-Agency Committee
61     Missouri River irrigation - Articles, newspaper articles
62     Navigation on the Missouri River - Significant dates
63     "This Thing Called Morale" speech
64     Political Consequences of Economic Planning - Article
65     National Resources Board - Article
66     "The New Deal and Agriculture" speech
67     New Salem Holstein Breeding Circuit - Articles, programs
68     North Dakota - General articles, speeches
69     North Dakota's Agricultural Progress, 1933-1953
70     North Dakota - Reflections
71     North Dakota Stock and Home - Bibliography, 1907-1909
72     Palestine
73     Pasteur, Louis - Biography
74     Emergency Pasture Crops
75     Peas - Article, trials
76     Pembina or North Dakota (Naming the State)
77     Phosphate experiments
78     Plant life - Articles, radio address

BOX 5

1       The Story of the Plow, plowing - Articles
2       The Plymouth Congregational Church, Fargo, N.D. - Articles
3       Poems and quotations
4       Population, North Dakota - Articles, data
5       Population, World - Articles, data
6       Post-war planning - Articles
7       Potatoes - Articles, data
8       The Prairie - Articles
9       Production Trends and Their Causes
10     Productivity of North Dakota - Articles
11     Public policy - Articles
12     Radio addresses
13     Railroad Land Grants
14     The Agricultural History of Ramsey County, N.D.
15     Rape pasture (forage)
16     The Reaper - Article, speech
17     Red River conservation
18     Red River Valley
19     Red River Valley floods - Newspaper clippings
20     Research
21     Restless is the River
22     Rice
23     Rothamsted Experiment Station
24     Rubber
25     Rural life
26     Rural problems for Catholic pastors
       Russian thistle-
27       General articles, bulletins
28       General articles, newspaper articles
       Rust-
29       Wheat
30       Black stem
31     Rye
32     The Sac Prairie Saga
33     The Saddle and Sirloin Club (N.D.A.C.)
34     Salt, Salads, and Salaries
35     Sanctions
       Science and Agriculture-
36       Articles, speeches
36       Articles, speeches
37     Seed - Articles
38     Service
39     Sheep - Articles
40     Silos and silage - Articles
41     The Smithy: Old and New
43     The Smut Plant
44     Soil conservation - Articles
45     Soil fertitlity - Articles
       Soil-
46       Articles
47       Articles
48     Articles
49     Soil management
50     Soils of North Dakota - Articles, data, maps
51     Soils and Nutrition
52     South Dakota history - Bibliography of Dakota Tribune
53     "Sow and Reap" speech
54     Soybeans - Articles, data
55     Stevens, Orin Alva, (1885-1979) - Biography
56     Stewardship
56A  Stoa, Theodore Ellingson - Biography
57     Horace E. Stockbridge, First President of the N.D.A.C.
58     "Study Man as Well as Things" speech
58     Sugar beets - Articles
60     Summer fallow - Articles
       Sweet clover-
61       History, articles
62       General articles
63       Data
64     Symbols

BOX 6

1       Taxes - Articles
2       Ten Eyck, A. M. - Autobiography
3       Thanksgiving
4       The Art of Tillage
5       Tin - Article, radio address
6       Trees - Articles, bibliography, radio address
7       Tucson, Arizona - Article, bibliography
8       The United Nations
       University of Chicago, Walster's notebooks-
9          College courses
10        College courses
11        College courses
12        College courses
13        College courses
14     Van Es, Leunis (1868-1956)- Biography
15     Vegetable oils and fats - Articles
16     Veterinary science - Articles
17     Vocations in agriculture - Articles
18     Waldron, Lawrence Root - Articles, speech
19     Walster on a "Holiday" - Newspaper articles
20     Washington, George - Articles, Masonic speeches
21     Waste - Lectures
22     Water - Articles, bibliography, speeches
23     Weather and weather records
24     Weeds - Articles, bibliography
25     Weeds - Bibliography
26     Wild oats - Articles
27     Wild rhubarb - Article, bibliography
        Will, George F. (1884-1955)-
28       Biographies
29       Bibliography
30       Correspondence concerning biography
31     Will, Oscar - Biographies
32     World Peace
33     Youth

LATIN AND SOUTH AMERICA SERIES

34     Argentina
35     Argentinean diary
36     Brazil
37     Brazilian diary
37A  Central America Agriculture - Observations
38     Chilean diary
39     Honduran - Guatemalan diary
40     Latin America
      South America-
41       Articles, radio addresses
42       Articles, radio addresses
43     South American agriculture
44     South American diary
45     Peru
46     Walster, Mrs. Mary (mother) - Letters from South America

BOX 7

SCRAPBOOK SERIES

Scrapbooks-
1     1 - Spades and Spatulas - Letters & photos from former students, now Soil Scientists to Dr. Walster on the
             occasion of his Retirement as Dean of Agriculture and Director of the AES
2     2 - Correspondence, 1953
3     3 - Retirement
4     4 - Geology
5     5 - Articles about N.D. agriculture from The Cultivator and Country Gentlemen
6     Red River Valley history, by Roy Johnson newspaper clippings
7     Red River Valley history, by Roy Johnson newspaper clippings
8     10 - North Dakota history
9     11 - Red River Valley history, circa 1849-1889
10   12 - North Dakota history, circa 1853-1917s
11   13 - Farm periodicals - Articles on agriculture
12   14 - North Dakota history, agricultural data
13   15 - Bismarck Tribune - Articles, 1906-1935; crop census, 1890-1954
14   16 - Fargo Argus, 1879-1895 - Articles
15   17 - Fargo Argus, 1883 - Articles
16   18 - News articles from various North Dakota newspapers, 1893-1910
17   19 - News articles from various North Dakota newspapers, 1893-1955
18   20 - South American trip - Articles, correspondence
19   21 - Postage Stamps - United States & International
20   22 - Handwritten Notes [probably taken from daily journal or daily calendar] - 1920, 1935, 1936, 1942, 1945

BOX 8

MANUSCRIPT SERIES

1     Butternut Hollow Farm - Unpublished manuscript
     Five For the Land-
2       Introduction, Chapter 1 - Claire B. Waldron
3       Chapter 2, Henry Luke Bolley, pp. 1-102
4       Chapter 2, Henry Luke Bolley, pp. 103-189
5       Chapter 3, Edwin Fremont Ladd
6       Chapter 4, John Henry Shepperd
7       Chapter 5, Lawrence R. Waldron
8       Unused material
9     Milestones of Progress... - Unpublished manuscript
10   Men and Machines In the North Dakota Small Grain Harvest
11   Soils and Soil Fertility

NOTEBOOKS AND NOTE CARD SERIES

Notebooks - An extensive number of topics
Notecards - Bibliography of N.D.A.C. scientists and their contributions to  publications
North Dakota history - A variety of topics
Walster's diplomas
 
 
 
 

univarchives@www.lib.ndsu.nodak.edu University Archives, 701-231-8914 Published by the University Archives, NDSU Last Updated: 5/19/04