Title: Ernst R. Steinbrueck
Dates: 1904-1917
Collection Number: 10059
Quantity: 4 feet (including oversize in map case drawer)/1 microfilm roll #16069
Abstract: Correspondence, drawings, maps, and manuscripts including, "My Red Brother," primarily dealing with the Mandan Indians, written by former archaeologist and curator of the State Historical Society of North Dakota.
Provenance: The collection was separated out of the O. G. Libby Papers at the State Historical Society of North Dakota.
Property Rights: The State Historical Society of North Dakota owns the property rights to this collection.
Copyrights: Copyrights to this collection remain with the donor, publisher, author, or author's heirs. Researchers should consult the 1976 Copyright Act, Public Law 94-553, Title 17, U.S. Code or an archivist at this repository if clarification of copyright requirements is needed.
Access: This collection is open under the rules and regulations of the State Historical Society of North Dakota.
Citation: Researchers are requested to cite the collection title, collection number, and the State Historical Society of North Dakota in all footnote and bibliographic references.
Related Collections:
Series 30205 State Historical Society. Curator's Correspondence
MSS 10085 Orin G. Libby
00105 Orin G. Libby Photograph Collection
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH
Mandan Pioneer, February 1, 1918
In the death of E. R. Steinbrueck, the announcement of which was briefly made in Friday evening's issue, there passed away one of the best known residents of Morton County a man of bright intellect, and one widely informed, a writer of note, and one whose services to the state as an archaeologist have been of inestimable value.
Ernest Rheinhold Steinbrueck was born in Düsseldorf on the Rhine in 1833. His father was a noted artist and many of his paintings adorn the salons of European capitals. The family moved to Berlin when he was still a child, and there he was educated and completed his education at Eldnau university.
In 1865 Mr. Steinbrueck was married to Valeska Melitz, and the young couple immediately started for America, locating in Ontario, where they engaged in farming for a number of years, later locating in Cleveland, where Mr. Steinbrueck was editor of a German newspaper Stimme de Wahrheit. in 1883 the family came to Glen Ullin, when that country was pretty near a wilderness and immediately took up a claim. They lived there for seven years and in 1890 moved to Mandan [where they resided until Steinbrueck's death].
For many years, Mr. Steinbrueck pursued his studies, devoting himself particularly to archaeological research, and he has been a valued contributor to not only the North Dakota Historical Society but to the standard works all over the United States, and he has made valuable additions to the museums of this and other states, of Indian relics. He has been a contributor to many of the German papers in the United States, confining himself more particularly to scientific subjects. He also published a book, My Red Brother, but owing to the difficulties encountered with the publisher it was never very widely circulated, although it was a most valuable historical record.
As a young man, Mr. Steinbrueck served three years in the German navy but was never engaged in active warfare.
Mr. Steinbrueck was a man who was held in high esteem by those who knew him best. He was of a genial disposition and his wide range of information on various topics made him an interesting conversationalist. In his early youth, he spoke eight languages, many of them as fluently as his native tongue. He has traveled extensively and he greatly enjoyed relating many of his experiences of early days.
There were born to Mr. and Mrs. Steinbrueck thirteen children, ten of whom, with the widow, and twenty-six grandchildren and eight great grandchildren [survived Steinbrueck]. The children included Mrs. Jos. Beisinger and Mrs. George Hubbard of Billings (Mont.), Anthony J. Steinbrueck, Dickinson (N.D.), Rheinold J. Steinbrueck of Helena (Mont.), Mrs. Gertrude Brown, Missoula (Mont.), John and Otto Steinbrueck (Auburn, Wash.), and Edward, William and George Steinbrueck of Mandan (N.D.). For many years the family lived in the Syndicate addition but owing to his enfeebled state, they gave up their home about a year [before his death], and Mr. Steinbrueck made his home with his son George, and Mrs. Steinbrueck with their son William.
BOX / FOLDER INVENTORY
Box 1:
1 Copies of correspondence W. K. Moorehead and Charles Peabody of Phillips Exeter Academy, Andover MA regarding sale of his Mandan artifacts 1909-1911
2 Correspondence 1906-1917
3 The History of the German-Russians in the West Missouri Country of North Dakota, Their Characteristics, Costumes and Success. Compiled from history, from verbal information and from observations by 1908?
4 My Red Brother, pp.1-200 1908-1910
5 My Red Brother, pp.201-368 1908-1910
6 My Red Brother – diagrams 1908-1910
7 maps and drawings 1904, 1908
8 Early History of Sanger, Oliver County, ND; The first white men and first Christian missionary in the Upper Missouri slope; misc 1907, n.d.
Photographs Inventory
10059-00001 Hills northwest of Fort Abraham Lincoln site showing some lodge circles 1904
10059-00002 Northwest point of Burnt Creek (Sperry) site the village having been on top 1904
10059-00003 Five cottonwoods on top of hill overlooking Fort Abraham Lincoln site, remains of old Fort McKeen 1905
10059-00004 South bank of Fort Abraham Lincoln site with deep wooded ravines 1904
10059-00005 Lone Tree at Hugo site 1904
10059-00006 Fort Abraham Lincoln site 1904
10059-00007 Scattered Village site, Mandan (N.D.) 1904
10059-00008 View from Fort Clark site to Wilson site across bend of the Missouri 1903
10059-00009 Double Ditch site with inner ditch in the distance 1904
10059-00010 Southeast bank of Fort Abraham Lincoln site showing part of landslide in front 1904
10059-00011 Fort Abraham Lincoln site from south 1905
10059-00012 Southeastern bank of Fort Abraham Lincoln site looking from center of bank to northeast 1905
10059-00013 From Camp Smokey Hole view at fish pond ca. 1905
10059-00014 Rock and surroundings at Billings (Mont.) 1905
10059-00015 Houses on the old village grounds below a ridge in NE Mandan (N.D.) 1905
10059-00016 Pebble pile medicine for the Sioux between Pretty Point and Bull sites 1904
10059-00017 Pebble pile between Pretty Point and Bull sites, an Indian place of worship 1904
10059-00018 Shorty Long watching work at the Renden Site on the NW bank 1905
10059-00019 Hugo digging at SE bank of Fort Abraham Lincoln site 1904
10059-00020 Bird's eye view of Fort Abraham Lincoln site from the hillside 1905
10059-00021 Post at Fort Clark site standing in one of 13 lodge circles around the Medicine Lodge 1905
10059-00022 Double Ditch site with inner trench in the distance 1904
10059-00023 NE bank and works at Fort Abraham Lincoln site 1905
10059-00024 Fort Abraham Lincoln site showing part of bank, landslide and willow bottom 1905
10059-00025 NE bank, Fort Abraham Lincoln site, showing landslide, ravine and hills 1904
10059-00026 Ravine at Fort Abraham Lincoln site running from near the hills west along the SE bank 1905
10059-00027 Side view of rock with Indian inscriptions, Billings (Mont.) 1905
10059-00028 Rock with Indian inscriptions, Billings (Mont.) 1905
10059-00029 Refuse pile worked up at Heart River site 1904
10059-00030 Part of SE bank of Fort Abraham Lincoln site looking south 1905
10059-00031 Double Ditch site showing outer ditch and outer mounds 1905
10059-00032 Cross cut of northern outer earthwork at Double Ditch site showing layers of refuse and dirt mixed 1905
10059-00033 Looking over Fort Abraham Lincoln site from "the declivity" of the hill 1905
10059-00034 Cross cut northern mound at Double Ditch site showing layer of charred corn cobs 1905
10059-00035 Looking over Fort Abraham Lincoln site from SE 1905
10059-00036 Southwestern bank of Double Ditch site 1905
10059-00037 View over Scattered Village site 1904
10059-00038 Camp SW of Double Ditch site showing natural breastworks in front 1905
10059-00039 Bank of Pretty Point site about 40 feet above Missouri River 1904
10059-00040 Lodge circle at Scattered Village site 1904
10059-00041 Refuse heap at Scattered Village site at one of the higher outer earthworks 1905
10059-00042 Northwest bank 'Burnt Creek' Sperry site 1904
10059-00043 Knoll S of Slant Indian Village where Lewis and Clark made their 4th camp in North Dakota 10/20/1804 1905
10059-00044 Rock with Indian inscriptions at Billings (Mont.) 1905
10059-00045 Rock with Indian inscriptions, Billings (Mont.) 1905
10059-00046 First shack of Aldrin, first white settler at Fort Clark 1904
10059-00047 Westerly Bend of Mandan Lake, Oliver County (N.D.) 1905
10059-00048 Looking over Pretty Point site 1905
10059-00049 View of Fort Abraham Lincoln site from NNW 1905
10059-00050 Double Ditch site1905
10059-00051 Blockhouse at Fort Yates (N.D.) 1905
10059-00052 Riverbank of Arikara Fort 1905
10059-00053 Fort Arikara 1905
10059-00054 Ridge of Hills at Arikara Fort 1905
10059-00055 Double Ditch Indian Village1904
10059-00056 Northwestern Bank with ravine or dry creek at Renden Village site 1904
10059-00057 J. V. Brower 10/12/1903
10059-00058 Summer Lodge of the Sioux 1905
10059-00059 NW bank of Fort Clark site bottomlands showing change of Missouri River bed 1905
10059-00060 Double Ditch site1905
10059-00061 Steinbrueck's Camp at NW corner of Fort Abraham Lincoln 11/1905
10059-00062 Knoll at eastern bank of Hugo Site 1905
10059-00063 Timbered bottomlands from the NW bank of Fort Clark site 1905
10059-00064 Part of trench surrounding Brower Site 1905
10059-00065 Part of trench surrounding Brower site 1905
10059-00066 Trench at Brower site SE 1905
10059-00067 Trench fortifying Brower site NE 1905
10059-00070 From bluff of Pretty Point site looking down the Missouri 1904
10059-00071 Sitting Bull's grave, Fort Yates (N.D.) ca. 1920
10059-00072 Camp in small hay bottom east of Arikara Fort 1905
10059-00073 Southwestern corner (bastion) of Arikara Fort 1905
10059-00074 Double Ditch Indian Village site 1905
OVERSIZE (MAP CASE DRAWER):
Sketch of solitary lodge at Fort Clark (surveyed, drawn and fireplace taken up by E.R. Steinbrueck), June 1904 (copy)
Sketch of the "Steinbrueck Site" (SE2 of NE4 Section 30, Township 136, Range 78), August 1904 (copy)
Sketch of "Arikara Fort," August 1905 (measured and drawn by E.R. Steinbrueck) (copy)
12 page inventory of the Steinbrueck Collection of Mandan Indian Relics (he appears to be offering the collection to the SHSND) (copies)
"Plat of Indian Village Sites, Hunting Camps and Some of Lewis & Clarks Camps Found, Explored and Located by E.R. Steinbrueck, Mandan (N.D.) along the Missouri River, 1902-1908" and map key (copy)
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