The Merton Field papers consist of some correspondence, various manuscripts, and a small file of newspaper clippings.  In the Correspondence Series, letters were collected from several sources and include several letters by Mr. Field to H. L. Bolley, his former teacher at the NDAC and to Robert Reed, a fellow member of the first NDAC class.  In later letters, Mr. Field reminisces about his early days of practice and family.

The Manuscripts Series constitute the main portion of the collection.  They consist of writing by Mr. Field including excerpts from his unpublished, autobiographical work, “By Many Trails”.  “The Blizzard” recounts the experiences of a John Porter and his dog Mac who were caught in the blizzard of 1888 and survived.  The “By Many Trails” manuscript is a typed 131-page transcript done by the Institute staff in 1953 and includes the portions relating Mr. Field’s childhood and college days.  It includes many topics:  His father’s wagon trains from Bismarck to the Black Hills, the farm where he grew up near Bismarck, herding cattle, (pages 42 and 87) his schooling, death of his teacher in a blizzard (page 28), prairie fires (page 71), Nick Spain (page 20), his dog, Mac (page 61), college days at the NDAC (pages 91-116), and reflections on his life.  It very poignantly tells the story of a boy growing up; from being a “boy from a North Dakota Ranch” to a man about to become a physician.

As part of his NDAC graduation requirement in 1895, Mr. Field had to write a research paper which was entitled “An Investigation of the Bacterial Condition of the Water of the Surface Wells of Fargo”.  The copy, which is handwritten, appears to be a draft copy containing numerous editorial changes.  The “Survival of the Fittest” manuscript is Mr. Field’s 1895 graduation oration.  The file includes both the 11-page original, handwritten copy and a typed copy.  It discusses, in a broad philosophical context, the evolution of modern man from the beginning of time.  The final manuscript, “A Tale of Yesterday”, recounts, in general terms, the events leading to the Battle of the Little Big Horn and the rescue of the survivors.  The final file, consisting of newspaper clippings, contains three items:  “In the Cateau” by Mr. Field, an historical article on his pioneer father, and a report on a talk by Mr. Field in 1930 on evolution, and birth control.
 
 

Merton Field Papers  |  Frontier and Pioneer Life