FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Scott Schaffnit
November 4, 2011
(701) 328-2794
BISMARCK – Awards honoring individual and group achievements in history were presented at the recent 23rd Annual Governor’s Conference on North Dakota History in Bismarck. The conference was sponsored by the state’s history agency, the State Historical Society of North Dakota.
The 2011 recipient of the State Historical Society’s Excellence in Local History Award was Merle Clark of Marmarth. This award is given to those whose activity in local and regional history serves as a role model of excellence to others.
Clark serves on the Bowman County Historical Society board and the Genealogical Society board and is active as well with the North Dakota Cowboy Hall of Fame. He came back to settle in Marmarth in southwestern North Dakota after continuing a family tradition of being a world class rodeo cowboy as a bronc rider. He helps with paleontological digs and also provides some of his land where digs have taken place. He is an active supporter of the Pioneer Trails Regional Museum in Bowman, including loaning some of his historical artifacts for exhibit, helping staff the museum and donating his time as an auctioneer.
Receiving the 2011 Association for Excellence in Local History Award were the Griggs County Historical Society and The Friends of Fort Union/Fort Buford. This award is given to the association/organization whose activity in local and regional history serves as a role model of excellence to others.
The Griggs County Historical Society in Cooperstown is a model of excellence for historic and cultural organizations. When the State Historical Society of North Dakota opened its new Cold War missile site near Cooperstown in July 2009, the Griggs County Historical Society’s first major initiative was the development of the Northern Plains Cold War Interpretive Center. They envisioned a center that would tell a more complete history of North Dakota’s role in the Cold War, going beyond as well as supporting the scope of the newly-opened Ronald Reagan Minuteman Missile State Historic Site. The Griggs County Historical Society purchased a building adjacent to their Griggs County Museum building. Then, through fundraising and active pursuit of grants, they quickly transformed the building into a professional-level museum facility complete with an environmental control system and other necessary features. They created exhibits by using discarded materials from other museums, by developing new interpretive panels, and by investing in interactive technologies. They also recognized the importance of increasing the professionalism of their operations and developing a plan for the future. To begin that process, they enrolled in “StEPs.” The Standards and Excellence Program for History Organizations is a voluntary, national assessment program for small and mid-sized history organizations administered by the American Association of State and Local History to encourage awareness and achievement of professional museum standards. The Griggs County Historical Society and Griggs County Museum led the way as the first museum in the state to enroll in the program.
Established in 1984, the Friends of Fort Union/Fort Buford have consistently been stalwart champions of these two nationally important historic sites in northwest North Dakota, located near the confluence of the Missouri and Yellowstone Rivers. The Friends’ initial project was to see the reconstruction of Fort Union Trading Post National Historic Site started. They served as the catalyst and local engine to tell the significance of this site. Building on local interests and communicating the story on a grander scale, they soon convinced a national audience of the importance of Fort Union. The Friends not only told the story, they personally and collectively donated and raised funds to assure the success of this $4.5 million reconstruction project, which began in 1985 and was completed in 1991. A second significant project was the $2.2 million construction of the Missouri-Yellowstone Confluence Interpretive Center and $800,000 renovation of the frontier army barracks at Fort Buford State Historic Site. Again this group communicated the story, the need and the significance of this state historic site. The Friends worked hard to complement and share the work of the State Historical Society of North Dakota and many other partners. A fundraising effort was again successfully undertaken to assure a significant local contribution to these two projects. These projects were completed in time for the commemoration of the Lewis and Clark Bicentennial, with the Confluence Center opening in August 2003 and the Fort Buford army barracks opening in May 2004.
Receiving the 2011 Heritage Profile Honor Award was the late Theodore Jelliff of Grand Forks (1936-2010). This award is given to those who have made a significant contribution in preserving, interpreting, promoting, researching or otherwise extending the knowledge and understanding of the history of North Dakota.
Jelliff lived through the Great Depression and the war years, and came of age during the 1950s, witnessing the personal and political changes that the Cold War brought to North Dakota. He dedicated his professional life to helping others understand how these events affected the lives of the people of North Dakota. Jelliff graduated from Grand Forks Central High School and the University of Nebraska in Omaha, where he earned two degrees in political science. He began teaching in Niagara, North Dakota, then went back to his alma mater, Grand Forks Central High, where he taught U. S. government. He joined the faculty of Red River High School in 1967. Thousands of students learned from Jelliff's passion for politics and history, many going on to college inspired by his enthusiasm in the classroom. Following his retirement in 1993, Jelliff joined the Grand Forks Historic Preservation Commission and served there until 2010, and was also director of the Grand Forks County Historical Society. He enjoyed sharing stories about the pioneers and developing exhibits on Grand Fork's Metropolitan Opera House, downtown Grand Forks, hockey, baseball and much more.
During the 1997 flood and recovery period in Grand Forks, Jelliff’s voice was in the thick of the many wrenching architectural heritage decisions the city encountered. He put a personal face on the city’s history and his humor lightened many a long meeting. Reminders of his commitment to history are everywhere in Grand Forks. He developed historical exhibits on the Metropolitan Opera House and many other buildings, businesses, and sports. Jelliff also authored several books on North Dakota history, including North Dakota: A Heritage of a People, co-authored with University of North Dakota Professor of History D. Jerome Tweton in 1976; North Dakota A Living Legacy in 1983; North Dakota Legendary, co-authored with North Dakota Studies Coordinator Neil Howe in 2007; and The First 100 Years: Greater Grand Forks Symphony Orchestra in 2009.
The National Register Award was presented to the owners of North Dakota properties listed between October 2010 and September 2011 in the National Register of Historic Places, which is the federal government’s list of properties it considers worthy of recognition and preservation. Listing in the National Register offers such benefits as eligibility for restoration and stabilization funding, and historic rehabilitation tax credits for commercial buildings. The 2011 recipients were the Depression Era Work Relief Construction Features at Menoken Indian Village State Historic Site in Burleigh County; the Alkabo School in Alkabo; the Crystal Springs Fountain in Kidder County; the Amphitheater and Fieldstone Works Progress Administration Features at Valley City Pioneer Park in Valley City; the Williston High School in Williston; the Kegs Drive-In in Grand Forks; and the Lower Souris National Wildlife Refuge Airplane Hangar in McHenry County.
A National Historic Landmark Award was also presented for the Lynch Quarry Site in Dunn County. It is the location of the largest flint quarry site in North America. Quarried for more than 11,000 years by American Indians, Knife River flint was used for tools, weapons and barter. National Historic Landmarks are nationally significant historic places designated by the Secretary of the Interior because they possess exceptional value or quality in illustrating or interpreting the heritage of the United States. Less than 2,500 historic places have this national distinction.
The winner of the 2011 Editor’s Award for best article during the preceding year in North Dakota History, the State Historical Society’s quarterly journal, were Drs. David B. Danbom and Karen R. Danbom. David Danbom recently retired as Professor Emeritus of history at North Dakota State University in Fargo. Karen Danbom is Professor Emerita of Early Childhood Education at Minnesota State University Moorhead. The Danboms were honored for for their article “Survival through Adaptation: The Fargo Nursery School, 1933-1965,” which appeared in Volume 76 Nos.3 & 4 of North Dakota History.
The award presentations were made during the October 28 conference banquet at the Bismarck Civic Center. The theme for the 23rd Annual Governor’s Conference on North Dakota History was Too Much or Too Little: The Story of Water in North Dakota.
The theme of the 2012 Governor’s Conference on North Dakota History, which will be held October 26-27 at the Bismarck Civic Center, will focus on the Inspiration Gallery element of the expanded North Dakota Heritage Center as planning its exhibits moves forward. Innovations, industry, entrepreneurism, and expanding technologies since statehood are concepts that will be featured in the new gallery, scheduled to open in the fall of 2014.
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