Finding Aid
Download Finding Aid and Container List
Collection Summary
Identifier
MA 38
Title
The Dakota Farmer Collection
Creator
Dakota Farmer (Aberdeen, S.D.)
Dates
1906-1946
Extent
4.79 linear feet (4 boxes) photographs, printing plates
Language
English
Repository
South Dakota State University Archives and Special Collections, Hilton M. Briggs Library, Brookings, South Dakota.
Access note
This collection is open to researchers without restrictions. The materials in the Archives do not circulate and may be used in-house only.
Preferred Citation
Name of item . The "Dakota Farmer" Collection. MA 38. South Dakota State University Archives and Special Collections, Hilton M. Briggs Library, Brookings, South Dakota.
Abstract
The Dakota Farmer first published as a newspaper in 1881, supported all sorts of agricultural organizations and promoted the development of quality livestock and crops for the Dakotas. This collection is composed of plates, publications, reports, correspondence, and photographs used for publication of the Dakota Farmer.
Historical Note
The Dakota Farmer first began as a newspaper in 1881, eight years before North Dakota and South Dakota were granted statehood.
It was first published in Alexandria in what is now Hanson County, S.D. The first owner, James Baynes, sold it within the first year of existence to Augustine Davis, and the publication moved to Huron, S.D. Davis sold a half-interest in Dakota Farmer to William Bushnell in 1883. Bushnell became sole owner of Dakota Farmer in 1885.
As editor and manager, Bushnell led Dakota Farmer into its early prominence. The publication, moved to Aberdeen, S.D. in 1893, supported all sorts of agricultural organizations and promoted the development of quality livestock and crops for the Dakotas. Bushnell himself was active in politics and eventually became state statistician for South Dakota.
Over the next century, Dakota Farmer survived and thrived with farmers through good times and bad, and became a well-respected source of information.
Webb Publishing, which published The Farmer, saw Dakota Farmer as a natural fit and purchased the magazine in 1979.
Today, Dakota Farmer is part of Farm Progress Companies. Farm Progress publishes 18 state farm magazines similar to Dakota Farmer. It owns and operates eight farm shows across the nation, including the largest in the nation, The Farm Progress Show.
Contents Note
This collection is composed mainly of plates, publications, reports, a small amount of correspondence, and photographs. The plates consist of frames, cover mast-heads, article mast-heads, frames for photographs, and other artwork used for the publication. A more detailed description of these plates is found in the container list. The publications are mainly specialty publications aimed at advertisers and marketers. The reports are surveys conducted on farmers, bankers, merchants.
An item of note is the contracting for a new cover file. This material contains several examples of other publication covers with critiques of what works and what does not. Also included in this material is three sample covers for the Dakota Farmer and correspondence between the contractor and the Dakota Farmer staff.
Related Resources
The Dakota farmer
Aberdeen, South Dakota [Dakota-North Plains Corp.], 1881-1979
Call Number: Periodical/Lower Level: 630.5 D149; also in microfilm 1884-1979.
The Dakota farmer
St. Paul, Minn.: Webb Company, 1980-1992
Call Number: Periodicals/Lower Level: 630.5 F2291, also in microfilm 1980-1989.
Dear friends--: from the pages of The Dakota Farmer, Jennie's letters from the plains, Hutton, Jennie Senrud
Aberdeen, S.D., Dakota Farmer, c.1965.
Call Number: SD Collection: S521.H87 1965
Key Words
Dakota Farmer. (Aberdeen, S.D.)
Agriculture -- North Dakota -- Periodicals
Agriculture -- Periodicals
Agriculture -- South Dakota -- Periodicals
Agriculture -- United States – Periodicals
Container List
View container list on Open Prairie
| Box | Folder | Description | Date(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Back to the Dakota Farmer | 1916 |
| 1 | 2 | Correspondence | 1926 |
| 1 | 3 | Dakota Merchant and Banker Survey | 1930 |
| 1 | 4 | The Dakotas as a market for Maytags (washers) | 1926 |
| 1 | 5 | Editorial comment, voluntary contributions | 1934-1936 |
| 1 | 6 | Farm Home Development in the Dakota Farmer Empire | undated |
| 1 | 7 | Feeding the Dakotas | undated |
| 1 | 8 | Interesting Facts about the Dakota Farmer | undated |
| 1 | 9 | James Baynes, founder information | 1924 |
| 1 | 10 | Preliminary report and recommendations on farm journals survey among farmers, merchants, and bankers in ND & SD | 1930 |
| 1 | 11 | Promotion of SD by Greater SD Association | 1937 |
| 1 | 12 | Publication information | 1946 |
| 1 | 13 | Publications that influence farmers of the Dakotas | 1931, 1935 |
| 1 | 14 | Publications that influence farmers of the Dakotas | 1934-1935 |
| 2 | 1 | Plates Article mastheads | undated |
| 2 | 2 | Plates Artwork | undated |
| 2 | 3 | Plates Crest | undated |
| 2 | 4 | Plates Frames | undated |
| 2 | 5 | Plates Masthead | undated |
| 2 | 6 | Plates ND and SD map | undated |
| 2 | 7 | Plates Northwest farmstead (Santa) | undated |
| 3 | 1 | Clippings and tear-sheets, 1906-1918 | 1906-1918 |
| 3 | 2 | Contracting for a new cover | 1946 |
| 3 | 3 | The Development of the Dakotas Parallels the efforts of the Dakota Farmer | 1928 |
| 3 | 4 | First Assistant to Cooks | 1940-1941 |
| 3 | 5 | Why local dealers benefit by handling advertised goods | undated |
| 4 | Items | Stray Shots by W.C. Allen, Traps and Trapping, Along Dakota Prairie Trails Wayside Observations by A. H. Pankow, undated | undated |
| 4 | Photos | MA 38-0001 Bound Dakota Farmers standing upright | undated |
| 4 | Photos | MA 38-00022 images mounted on tagboard. And this was Once a Bare Prairie specimens of Ponderosa Pine, Blue and White spruce, and Scene at the home place of A. Norby, Madison, S.D. | undated |
| 4 | Photos | MA 38-0003 Trees on a hill from vol. 34 no. 14, July 15, 1914 issue of the Dakota Farmer | 1914 |
| 4 | Photos | MA 38-0004 team of 2 white work horses pulling flatbed of corn with man standing on flatbed holding the reinsused as cover for Nov. 15, 1921 Dakota Farmer | 1921 |
| 4 | Photos | MA 38-0005 person on horse with dead coyote hanging from saddle horn | undated |
| 4 | Photos | MA 38-0006 aerial view of a farm | undated |
| 4 | Photos | MA 38-0007 bison herd | undated |
| 4 | Photos | MA 38-0008 Dakota Farmer building and lot next to it | undated |
| 4 | Plates | Article mastheads: Now You Tell One | undated |
| 4 | Plates | Article mastheads: Whats in the Air by Radio Ranger | undated |
| 4 | Plates | Article mastheads: Advice from our Lawyer | undated |
| 4 | Plates | Article mastheads: Along Dakota Prairie Trails | undated |
| 4 | Plates | Article mastheads: Bees and Honey | undated |
| 4 | Plates | Article mastheads: Breezes from the West | undated |
| 4 | Plates | Article mastheads: Country Life in the Dakotas | undated |
| 4 | Plates | Article mastheads: Dairy and Creamery | undated |
| 4 | Plates | Article mastheads: Dakota Farmer Young Folks Conducted by Aunt Clara | undated |
| 4 | Plates | Article mastheads: Help One Another | undated |
| 4 | Plates | Article mastheads: Horticulture, Trees-Fruit and the Garden | undated |
| 4 | Plates | Article mastheads: Incomes from Your Money | undated |
| 4 | Plates | Article mastheads: Livestock Edited by John T. E. Dinwoodie | undated |
| 4 | Plates | Article mastheads: Poultry Department | undated |
| 4 | Plates | Article mastheads: Sheet with 6 article mastheads: Special Service Department, Subscription Department; Country Life in the Dakotas by Helen B. Russell Golden Valley Co. undated, | undated |
| 4 | Plates | Article mastheads: Stray Shots by W.C. Allen | undated |
| 4 | Plates | Article mastheads: The Dakota Farmer Editorial | undated |
| 4 | Plates | Article mastheads: The Home, edited by Mabel Sensor | undated |
| 4 | Plates | Article mastheads: Whats Doing in the Dakotas | undated |
| 4 | Plates | Artwork: 2 men on a sofa reading the Dakota Farmer | undated |
| 4 | Plates | Artwork: 3 separate border designs | undated |
| 4 | Plates | Artwork: Border with 3 photographs (Power on the Farm) | undated |
| 4 | Plates | Artwork: Car driving down road with dog in window going past a sign that reads, Good Bye! Good Luck! Come Again! | undated |
| 4 | Plates | Artwork: Farm scene with farmer shaking hands with men in suits while wife and son with dog look on | undated |
| 4 | Plates | Artwork: Farm scene with pigs and cows and car driving past | undated |
| 4 | Plates | Artwork: Old Dakota Farmer Building (Elks Building) Aberdeen, S.D. | undated |
| 4 | Plates | Artwork: Postman in U.S. Mail truck delivering mail to farm | undated |
| 4 | Plates | Artwork: Sheet with 2 designs (bees and flowers, apple orchard) | undated |
| 4 | Plates | Artwork: Sheet with 4 designs (book shelves, bees and flowers, apple orchard, family reading paper) | undated |
| 4 | Plates | Artwork: Sheet with 7 designs (book shelves, family reading paper, corn shocks, threshing, horse/cow/pigs, apple orchard, bees and flowers) | undated |
| 4 | Plates | Artwork: The Dakota Farmer Building entrance | undated |
| 4 | Plates | Frames: 12 different sheets of frames | undated |
| 4 | Plates | Masthead: First bound volume of the Dakota FarmerCurrent Bound volume of the Dakota Farmer | undated |
| 4 | Plates | Masthead: The Dakota Farmer | 1911 |
| 4 | Plates | Masthead: The Dakota Farmer | 1929 |
| 4 | Plates | Masthead: The Dakota Farmer | undated |
| 4 | Plates | Masthead: The Dakota Farmer Cover (blank) | undated |
| 4 | Plates | Masthead: The Dakota Farmer Cover (blank) | undated |
| 4 | Plates | North Dakota and South Dakota maps: Dakota Railroad/County/River Map | 1912 |
| 4 | Plates | North Dakota and South Dakota maps: North Dakota Railroad/County/River Map | 1912 |
Administrative Information
Conditions Governing Access
This collection is open to researchers without restrictions. The materials in the Archives do not circulate and may be used in-house only.
Researchers conducting extensive research are asked to make an advance appointment to access archival material. Please call or e-mail prior to visiting the collection and indicate as much detail as possible about a particular topic and intended use.
South Dakota State University supports access to the materials, published and unpublished, in its collections. Nonetheless, access to some items may be restricted as a result of their fragile condition or by contractual agreements with donors.
Copyright note
Copyright restrictions apply in different ways to different materials. Many of the documents and other historical materials in the Archives are in the public domain and may be reproduced and used in any way. There are other materials in the Archive carrying a copyright interest and must be used according to the provisions of Title 17 of the U.S. Code. The Archive issues a warning concerning copyright restrictions to every researcher who requests copies of documents. Although the copyright law is under constant redefinition in the courts, it is ultimately the responsibility of the researcher to properly use copyrighted material.
Arranged and Described by
Crystal J. Gamradt, 2003 June 11.