SOUTH DAKOTA STATE UNIVERSITY ARCHIVES
& Hilton M.
Briggs Library Special Collections
South Dakota Farmers Union records
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Administrative Information |
Search Terms
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Note | Scope and
Contents Note |
Arrangement
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COLLECTION SUMMARY Title: South Dakota Farmers Union records Dates: 1914-1999 (bulk 1935-1990) Creator: South Dakota Farmers Union Physical Description: 5.08 linear feet—4 containers, 12 audio cassettes, 158 audio reels, 33 films, 6 wire recordings, 697 photographs, 36 negatives Collection number: MA 12 Language: Collection material in English. Repository: South Dakota State University Archives, Hilton M. Briggs Library, South Dakota State University, Brookings, S.D. Abstract: Collection is composed of records consisting of correspondence, constitutions and by-laws, clippings, speeches, minutes, scrapbooks collected material, photographs, publications, audio visual material and local union information. ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION Provenance: This collection was donated to the archives by Chuck Groth, Communications Director, on behalf of the South Dakota Farmers Union over a period of four years with the first donation arriving in April of 1999. Access Restrictions: This collection is open to research without restriction. Items in this collection do not circulate and may be used in-house only. Copyright Status: Copyright 2008 by South Dakota State University and SDSU Archives. Please credit the SDSU Archives if you copy or reproduce material from this finding aid. It is the responsibility of anyone reproducing material to determine the copyright holders and obtain permission from them if necessary. Archives staff will provide available copyright information on request. Please note that most collections, especially those received before 1997, may not have complete information on file. (Revised 15 SEP 2003) Preferred Citation: [Identification of item]. South Dakota Farmers Union records, MA 12, South Dakota State University Archives, South Dakota State University, Brookings, S. D. Processing Information: The material in the Local Unions series was extremely moldy when it arrived in the archives and was photocopied for preservation purposes and the originals discarded. The photographs have been removed from the main collection and filed with the photograph collections for preservation purposes. See the separation sheet in each file for their location and arrangement. This collection was processed by Crystal J. Gamradt on 24 June 1998 with revisions on June 25, 2008 (cjg). SELECTED SEARCH TERMS The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the subject guide. They are grouped by name of person or organization, by subject or location, and by occupation and listed alphabetically therein. Names:
Subjects:
BACKGROUND NOTE Newspaperman Isaac Newton Gresham founded the Farmers Educational and Cooperative Union at Point, Texas in 1902. The Union was organized to protect and promote the interests of family farmers. The Union became a national organization in 1905. The Farmers Union came to South Dakota about 1914. Former members of the Nebraska Farmers Union who moved to South Dakota to farm introduced the organization. Farmers Union officials did much of the early work in organizing from Nebraska. The Farmers Union of South Dakota was organized into a state unit at Mitchell on March 16, 1917. This was the first state convention to be held in South Dakota. There were fourteen counties represented at the convention by 268 delegates. By this time, there were 134 locals in South Dakota. The educational program of the South Dakota Farmers Union has been a vital part of the state organization. The Union pioneered many activities in education that other state units adopted. One of the important functions of the early Union was the collective purchasing of supplies such as flour, coal, twine, etc. Related material: Williams, Elizabeth E., Emil Loriks : builder of a new economic order, Sioux Falls, S.D., Center for Western Studies, 1987. [SD Collection: F651.L67 W54 1987] Williams, Elizabeth E., The inventional components of Emil Loriks' agrarian farmers union rhetoric, 1934-1938, Thesis (M.A.)—Speech Dept., South Dakota State University, 1983. [Archives: LB2385.W67 1983] SCOPE and CONTENTS NOTE This collection is composed of records consisting of correspondence, constitutions and by-laws, clippings, speeches, minutes, scrapbooks collected material, photographs, publications, audio visual material and local union information. The General series is composed of correspondence, constitutions and by-laws, clippings, speeches, minutes advertising material and a scrapbook. The minutes are from the 11th Annual Convention in 1926 to the 31st Annual Convention in 1946. Financial statements can be found in nearly all of programs. Also included is material dealing with a 1972 Supreme Court case that dealt with funding public schools with property tax funds. This material consists of clippings, correspondence, exhibit evidence, interrogatories, and material dealing with other states. The Collected material is composed mainly of National Farmers Union publications as well as publications from various state Farmers Unions organizations. The Local unions series is composed of charter records for local unions throughout the state of South Dakota with some material pertaining to more specific local unions such as Clarno Local #875, Headquarters Local #1047 and Preston Local #677. Material in these files consist of attendance records, minutes, and correspondence with some accompanied by photographs. The material pertaining to Long Lake Local #277 of Jerauld County was extremely moldy when it arrived in the archives and was, therefore, photocopied for preservation purposes and the originals discarded. The Photographs are composed of many miscellaneous photographs and negatives of the South Dakota Farmers Unions with a majority of them dealing with the youth program, conventions, picnics, tours, and dedications. The photographs have been removed from the main collection and filed with the photograph collections for preservation purposes. See the separation sheet in each file for their location and arrangement. The Publications are composed of programs, action programs, handbooks, and brochures from South Dakota Farmers Union and a dedication program. The programs are from conventions dating from 1938 to 1983. These include an agenda for the conventions and advertising. The action programs include program and policy statements of the South Dakota Farmers Union as adopted by delegates at annual conventions. These action programs date from 1954-1988. The handbooks include proceedings of the annual conventions and bylaws of the Union. The dedication program includes a brief summary of the South Dakota Farmers Union. The Audio-visual series is composed of audio cassettes, audio reels, films, and wire recordings. A description of the items may be found in each file in this series, but the researcher should keep in mind that the staff in the archives has been unable to review the items in this series because of their large numbers. Some of the items were marked with descriptions but many are vague or non-existent. From a preliminary review it appears that the films consist of state camp activities, tours, picnics, and parades. An item of note is a film titled “From the Good Harvest” produced by Bill Snyder Films. It is the story of how people working together built a great marketing service and supply cooperative to serve farmers in the Upper Midwest. The audio cassettes and reels appear to be recordings of both state and national conventions and radio spots for Agriculture in Review and advertisements for Co-op month. There are some politically related recording for both senatorial and gubernatorial races in South Dakota with some featuring George McGovern and Hubert Humphrey. The wire recordings appear to be interviews in Washington, D.C. with one interview with Hubert Humphrey. Researchers should ask staff for assistance material in this series. ARRANGEMENT of the RECORDS The South Dakota Farmers Union Records is arranged into six series: General, Collected material, Local unions, Photographs, Publications, and Audio-Visual. Folders are arranged in alphabetical order within each series. SERIES 1: General Box 1.
SERIES 2: Collected material Box 1.
SERIES 3: Local unions Box 1.
Box 2.
SERIES 4: Photographs Box 2.
SERIES 5: Publications Box 3.
Box 4.
SERIES 6: Audio-visual Box 3.
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Updated 23 June 2008 by cjg Email questions or comments to: arcrefs@sdstate.edu Copyright 2008 by South
Dakota State University and SDSU Archives. |