The origins of the Baldwin Corporation lie with George B. Baldwin Sr., who was born in Vermont in 1830.  George moved to Wisconsin and there was involved in local politics and various law partnerships. He married Catherine Plunkett in 1850.  In 1875 he gave up his law practice to devote himself to the real estate business.  George moved in 1883 to Appleton, Wisconsin, from where the Baldwin Corporation would continue to operate until 1955.  It was during the years from 1885 to 1898 that George acquired his extensive holdings of land in the Dakotas, Wisconsin, Michigan, Oregon, Washington, and other states.  Lands were bought cheap by the quarter section and sold at higher prices to settlers by accepting notes or mortgages.  It was around 1890 that the first lands were bought in Dickey County, North Dakota.

George formed the Baldwin Land Company in 1898 in Appleton and dealt in real estate as well as held mortgages, stocks, and bonds.  From 1898 up until 1907 he continued to acquire more land predominantly in Wisconsin, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Michigan.  By 1905 George had bought 75,000 acres in Dickey County, the greatest amount he would hold in North Dakota.  During this time George B. Baldwin Jr., born in 1876, began to participate quite heavily in the affairs of the business and traveled frequently to North Dakota.  Although none of the Baldwins ever resided in North Dakota, they were frequent visitors.

When the senior George died in December 1907, George Jr., now an attorney, and his brother Charles, who had finished medical school, assumed the affairs of the Baldwin Estate and of the Baldwin Land Company.  The senior George had stipulated in his will that his estate be in trust and not be divided for ten years.  It was during this period of trusteeship that the bonanza farming operation in North Dakota was established.  The Baldwins preferred to call their farms "ranches."  Thirteen North Dakota ranches were originally established, although some were quickly sold.  In 1914 eight ranches were operating under a plan of improving each one half section farm by adding house, barn, and granary.  The ranches were rented to tenants on a one half share livestock lease, with the Baldwins directing all matters pertaining to farming operations and care of livestock.  J. C. Hoke was hired as manager of the North Dakota ranches.  Because of management problems, mainly that tenants were sometimes hard to find, it was decided the company would direct the ranches more as one institution.  Operations remained organized by ranch with each managed by a foreman.

1917 marked the end of the trusteeship under the senior George Baldwin's will.  At this time the Baldwin Land Company was incorporated to form the Baldwin Corporation.  Operations in North Dakota continued with offices located in Ellendale.  There was a land department with George Keyes acting as land agent to handle all real estate transactions and farm mortgages in North Dakota.  The ranch department was managed by J.C. Hoke and later by J.W. McNary, with Charles E. Davis acting as bookkeeper for both departments.  Some of the farm land was rented out to tenants supervised by a farm manager.  A foreman was employed on each ranch to direct hired men, supervise farm work, and carry out orders of the farm manager.  Often the foreman's wife was hired to cook for the farm workers.  The remaining land not rented was operated as a single unit.  In 1925 6,000 acres were within one single unit of production, one of the largest single operating units of any of the North Dakota bonanza farms.  The Baldwin Bonanza was based on diversified agriculture, i.e., raising corn, alfalfa, and wheat, but mainly cattle, wool, cream, and hogs.  The Corporation was a major breeder of registered cattle and hogs, maintaining very large herds of champion breeds.  The Corporation also maintained its own elevator located at Keyes Spur.  As part of the Baldwin Corporation Elevator, there was a general store at which ranch tenants could purchase goods on credit.

Despite the apparent success of the Corporation's operations in North Dakota, it had been gradually selling off the North Dakota lands since the death of George Baldwin Sr. in 1907.  The North Dakota ranches were being sold as well, often at unusually reduced prices.  Since the ranches required the highest maintenance of any of the Corporation's land, they represented a continual source of expense.  It appears as if the ranches were consistently losing money.  The Baldwins continued to withdraw their business from North Dakota.  In 1952 the Corporation dissolved into the Baldwin Company; a partnership between George N. and Karl P. Baldwin, sons of Charles Baldwin.  Around 1954 Charles E. Davis retired as manager of the Baldwin Company in North Dakota.  The office building in Ellendale was sold and the handling of North Dakota property was turned over to the Northwestern Mortgage Company.  In August of 1955 the final sale of the Baldwin's North Dakota lands was made.  The three remaining ranches (numbers 1, 8, and 12) totaling 5,600 acres were sold to Ralph Redlin of Ellendale.
 
 

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