Sebens, William P., 1898-1978
William P. Sebens photograph collection, 1940s-1960s (Photo 2027)
986 film negatives; 9 x 14 cm.
298 color transparencies; 10 x 13 cm.
102 photographic prints
663 slides
Biography
William P. Sebens was born April 30, 1896 at Hamlet, Indiana where he grew up. In 1918 he married Mildred Bunnell there. They moved to North Dakota and settled at Milnor, N.D. where he farmed and was in the seed business. In 1934 they moved to Fargo where he was a field representative for the Greater North Dakota Association for twenty-one years. From 1955 to 1971 he was executive secretary for the North Dakota State Soil Conservation Committee in Bismarck, N.D.
Mr. and Mrs. Sebens raised seven children. He died in Bismarck May 12, 1978. Mrs. Sebens died May 19, 1995.
Scope and Content
The William P. Sebens Photograph Collection contains a very rich and diverse collection of images taken by Mr. Sebens that were taken across the state of North Dakota on many topics, ranging from farmstead aerials, agriculture, wildlife, prominent landmarks, industrial facilities, the landscape, cities and towns, construction of Garrison Dam, native plants, Theodore Roosevelt National Park, the oil and coal industry and many others. The collection has been organized by image format and Sebens' original order has been retained for the film negatives and color transparencies. The original donation included several boxes of negatives and prints that he took while employed by the North Dakota State Soil Conservation Service. Those boxes were returned to the NDSCS office in Bismarck . The Institute collection has been organized into four series: Photographic prints, Negatives, Color transparencies and Slides.
The Photographic Prints Series contains 102 photographic prints made by the Institute from selected negatives within the film negatives series. It is only a small sampling and they have been organized by North Dakota city or town.
The Negative Series consists of 986 film negatives, all taken by Sebens, of scenes across the state. The original order has been retained, using his numbering system (1-1613). Based upon the printed photograph log, some numbers were either never used or no information was recorded. The descriptive information in the log is limited and it is unusual that a date for the image is given. The negatives appear generally to be arranged in the order taken. Consult the negative log for additional image holdings.
The Color Transparencies Series includes some 298 transparencies documenting scenes across North Dakota, taken from the late 1940s into the 1960s. Generally the earlier images have retained their color better than the later images. Image topics include the early oil industry in North Dakota, western North Dakota scenes including the Badlands, farms and farming
The Slide Series consists of images dating from the mid 1950s until the mid 1960s. The 663 images were taken by Sebens while he worked for the North Dakota Soil Conservation Committee and feature a wide variety of topics from all over the state of North Dakota. The topics and dates of the slides were identified using Sebens' own notes written on the slides. The slides were organized into nine files based on similarities.
The Farm Aerial File contains photographs taken from airplane showing various farms throughout North Dakota. All farms were identified according to Sebens' notes on the slides. They are arranged alphabetically.
The Garrison Dam Constructions File contains images taken from various locations at different times during the construction of the Garrison Dam on the Missouri River in Western North Dakota. Also included are aerials photos of the finished dam as well as the reservoir, Lake Sakakawea, that was created.
The North Dakota Capital Building File contains photos taken of the exterior, interior, and the grounds of the State Capital building in Bismarck, North Dakota. Also included are photographs looking out from the Capital building at the surrounding city as well as taken of the State Legislature and Representatives.
The Plant Life File contains images of native plants of North Dakota. Over forty-five different species of plant are identified by Sebens, as well as many photos that are still unidentified. The photographs are arranged alphabetically.
The Theodore Roosevelt National Park File contains photos of many different areas of the park including the North and South Units as well as the town of Medora and other assorted photos.
The Water Sports/Lakes File contains photos of various water sports, such as water skiing and boat racing, taken at both Garrison Dam and Lake Metigoshe . Also included in the series are a few photos of other bodies of water in North Dakota.
The Mandan Rodeo File contains photos from the 1963 Rodeo in Mandan, North Dakota . The series contains photos of many different events from the rodeo such as bull riding and steer wrestling as well as other events. Also included are photos of various performers such as a trained buffalo performing tricks for the crowd.
The Wildlife File contains photos of North Dakota 's native large and small game animals as well as species of water fowl.
The Miscellaneous File contains the rest of the slides in Sebens collection that didn't fit into the above categories. Some of the images include farm machinery, various statues and memorials from around North Dakota, and photos from the International Peace Garden.
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Photography 
