Just as we have roots to the land, we have roots to our cultural heritage. It's important to remember the world as it once was, when our ancestors, filled with the same dreams, hopes and fears that move us today, planted not only the crops which fed a nation, but the community which nurtures us to this day.

This scrapbook history has been provided by NDSU's Institute for Regional Studies. You can access a high resolution copy of each photograph, as well as additional background information, by clicking on the images below.

Abner O'Neal (1892)

Shown docked at Fort Yates, North Dakota, the sternwheel steamboat, Abner O'Neal, was built at Freedom, Pennsylvania in 1884, for use on the Ohio River.

The 100-Year Flood (1897)

The record flood of 1897 is a benchmark in the history of the Red River Valley and Fargo-Moorhead. A rapid snow melt in early April precipitated a flood which covered an area 150 miles long and 20 miles.

Autoing in Early North Dakota (1906)

The automobile had tremendous impact on North Dakota. It provided fast, low cost transportation and put an end to the isolation of rural living. In fact the automobile was so popular among North Dakotans that by 1914, the state ranked fifth nationally in automobiles per capita.

Early Education (1908)

Schools and education followed on the heels of the homesteaders. Shown here is Eva McCoy (second from left) and her pupils in 1908, near Hanks, in northwestern North Dakota.

Breaking the Prairie (1910)

This dramatic view illustrates the mechanization which transformed agriculture on the North Dakota prairie after the turn of the century. Mechanical power caused a production revolution in American agriculture by the 1920s.

Thirty Acres A Day (1911)

Shown here is a Hart-Parr steam engine pulling an 8-bottom plow. The owner of this plowing outfit is F. Fritz, of Hamilton, North Dakota, (standing on the engine) and his brother Paul (standing on the plow).

Fargo Parade

Parades have always been a popular event in Americas cities and towns. Evidence of that is seen in this World War I era parade on Main Avenue in Fargo.

Womens Suffrage Comes to North Dakota (1917)

North Dakota governor Lynn Frazier is shown signing the womens suffrage bill passed by the North Dakota Legislature. Ironically, he is surrounded mostly by women in a room whose walls are framed with portraits of men.

Fargo Welcomes Lindbergh (1927)

Charles A. Lindbergh and his "Spirit of St. Louis" landed in Fargo on the afternoon of August 26, 1927. Thousands of people were on hand to welcome him and to hear his address in El Zagal Park.

First North Dakota Capitol Building (1930)

Shown here are the south and west sides of the first North Dakota capitol building in Bismarck.

Fair Exhibitions (1930)

One of the main elements of the agricultural fair is the exhibition of farm machinery, with an endless array of tractors, engines, plows, threshers, combines and other equipment.

Ski North Dakota! (1935)

As surprising as it may seem, North Dakota has been the site of numerous ski jumps, one of which was located along the bank of the Red River in north Fargo, at the entrance to Trollwood Park at Broadway.