Woman’s Christian Temperance Union of North Dakota Records

Collection

Identifier: OGLMC-538

Scope and Contents

The Woman’s Christian Temperance Union of North Dakota Records are divided into two series: Series 1: State Chapter Series 2: Frances Willard Chapter, Grand Forks

Dates

created: 1890-1991

Creator

Woman’s Christian Temperance Union of North Dakota (Organization)

Conditions Governing Access

Open for inspection under the rules and regulations of the Elwyn B. Robinson Department of Special Collections.

Biographical or Historical Information

Organized in Cleveland, Ohio in 1874, the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union is the oldest, continuous dues-paying women’s organization in existence. The WCTU of Dakota was organized in 1882 at Canton, SD, prior to which local unions had been organized in a number of towns. On September 14, 1889 the WCTU of Dakota divided into separate state organizations for North Dakota and South Dakota. The WCTU of North Dakota campaigned for women’s suffrage and against gambling and the use of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs. Adelaide M. Kinnear served as first President of the WCTU of North Dakota (1889-1893). Elizabeth Preston Anderson, an educator who succeeded Kinnear as President (1893-1933), was a tireless social and political activist. The WCTU of North Dakota celebrated its centenary in 1989.

Note written by

Full Extent

2.00 Linear Feet

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Method of Acquisition

Photocopies of Western Womanhood were donated at an unrecorded date. Microfilm copies of North Dakota White Ribbon and White Ribbon Bulletin were purchased in 2000 from the State Historical Society of North Dakota. A photocopy of North Dakota Woman’s Temperance Union: 1889-1989 by Verna Ellsworth was made from the North Dakota State Library.

Accruals and Additions

Additional material was donated by Frances Bertheuson, Grand Forks, North Dakota (via Joan Erickson, Chester Fritz Library) on April 17, 2007; 2007-2902