Agassiz Garden
Club (N.D.), 1954-1991 (Mss
270)
Scope and Content
The
Agassiz Garden Club records have been organized into of five series:
Constitution and Bylaws, Treasurer's Records, Project Plans, Subject
Files, and Scrapbooks.
The
Constitution and Bylaws Series consists of an undated constitution,
undated list of bylaws, and an undated list of amendments. The series
also includes an amended version of the club's constitution and bylaws
dated 1973, and a copy of the 1966 Bylaws of North Dakota State Federation
of Garden Clubs. Apparently the club did not maintain meeting minutes
since none were found in its records.
The
Treasurer's Records Series includes both general records for
the club, a separate record for spoon sales and memorial profits, and
tax records. To raise funds for the club's ongoing project of maintaining
the Pioneer Memorial Garden, a special spoon was made and sold by the
club. Memorials were also sold, and these records were kept separate
from the club's general records of income and expenses. Not all of the
records were effectively separated and some of the ledgers and loose
documents contain various bits of information from all of the club's
activities. Membership records can also be found in both the ledgers
and loose documents.
The
Project Plans Series contains information and records about the
various projects the garden club worked on over the years. The primary
project for the club was the creation and maintenance of the Pioneer
Memorial Garden at the Homme Recreational Area near Park River, N.D.
Other projects that the club worked on were usually associated with
the major project of the primary project of the memorial garden. Some
of these projects include building a lily pond/fountain at the Homme
Recreation Area, establishing the area as a bird sanctuary, participating
in the American Revolution Bicentennial, and participating in the Keep
North Dakota Clean movement. Another primary activity of the club was
to participate in and host annual flower and hobby shows. The club hosted
flower sales also with the proceeds usually earmarked for the memorial
garden project.
The
information included in this series includes maps and plans of the Pioneer
Memorial Garden. Also included is a history of the project written by
club members, applications for grant money for the memorial garden,
papers regarding the methods for establishing a memorial garden, and
lists of other memorial gardens in the state.
Information
for the bird sanctuary project includes the official petition to the
Walsh County Park Board requesting the Homme Recreation Area to be designated
a bird sanctuary. The chairman of the park board signed the petition
granting the garden club's request. There are also grant applications
and organizational documents proving general information about birds
and bird sanctuaries.
Information
for the flower and hobby shows consists mostly of annual programs listing
the various schedules and classes for each flower show. Other information
included consists of guest books for some of the shows and expense records
for some of the shows.
The
records for the American Revolution Bicentennial and the Keep North
Dakota Clean project include both correspondence and resource materials
for the projects. These two projects were affiliated through the state
program and were community beautification programs that solicited the
help of all state garden clubs. The Agassiz Garden Club involved itself
in the programs as an extension of what they were already doing to maintain
the Homme Recreation Area.
The
Subject Files Series includes a booklet written by club members,
Agassiz Garden Club, 20th Anniversary History. This was a history of
the club, the Homme Dam Recreation Area, the creation of the Walsh County
Park Board, the Pioneer Memorial Garden, and other projects of the club.
Other items in this series include awards won by the club, brochures
and pamphlets, correspondence, membership lists, memorial lists, miscellaneous
records, organizational information, newsletters, newspaper clippings,
and a press release from 1976 detailing the development of the Homme
Recreation Area.
The
Scrapbook Series consists of two categories of scrapbooks that
were created by the club. One set of scrapbooks were a general record
of the clubs activities that included newspaper clippings, programs,
photographs, letters, lists of officers, and organization records such
as a copy of the constitution. The later scrapbooks, from 1980 and later,
follow the political career of one of the club members, Rosemarie Myrdal,
a former Lieutenant Governor of North Dakota. The other set of scrapbooks
(1968-1976) were formal books displayed at state conferences. The books
were well maintained and organized for the purpose of winning awards
and recognition for the club. The formal scrapbooks from 1971 to 1976
are each adorned with a hand-painted porcelain medallion. One of the
images is the state seal of the North Dakota Federation of Garden Clubs,
which was designed by a member of the Agassiz Garden Club, Agnes Sticha.
The formal scrapbooks contain photos, letters, programs and newspaper
clippings documenting the activities of the club.
Agassiz
Garden Club
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