The North Dakota State Nurses' Association had its beginnings in April, 1911, when a group of graduate nurses met to form an organization that could affiliate with the American Nurses' Association in order to protect the interests and improve the education of nurses in North Dakota.  In December of 1911, at Grand Forks, a committee was formed to gather the support of other nurses, and on May 6th and 7th of 1912, at the Univeristy of North Dakota, an organizational meeting was held with Emily Holmes Orr as president pro tem. A constitution was adopted and 155 charter members were accepted, with Bertha Erdman the first President, Maud Sides, the Vice President, Emily Orr, Recording Secretary, and Ethel Stanford, Treasurer.  The object of the organization was to raise standards of nurses and nursing education, and promote nursing interests. At the annual meeting in Bismarck in 1914, a bill, later known as the Nurse Practice Act, was presented to the Legislature, was passed in 1915, and was signed into law, March 9, 1915, taking effect, July 1, 1917.  This law set education standards for nurses.

The State Nursing Association collection contains correspondence and subject files. The correspondence, chronologically arranged (1912-16) has several letters to Ethel Stanford concerning business of the Association, including a number of letters from Bertha Erdman in regard to efforts, to get the Nurses Practice Act passed.  In the Subject Files are papers from the American Red Cross Nursing Service including semi-annual reports (1913-17) and instructions to nurses in preparation for war (1917). 

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