The homestead era
North Dakota filled with settlers between the 1870s and the 1910s, as railroads pushed west and homestead land was claimed. Families built claim shacks and sod houses on the open prairie and posed in front of them for photographers. Real photo postcards of homesteads, claim shacks and families are among the most historically significant North Dakota cards.
Bonanza farms
In the Red River Valley, enormous bonanza farms of thousands of acres grew wheat with large crews and long lines of machines. Postcards show these operations, along with threshing crews and steam engines on smaller farms across the state. Real photos of harvests are popular with agricultural collectors.
Prairie towns
Towns grew along the Great Northern, the Northern Pacific and the Soo Line, each with a main street, depot, grain elevators, bank and churches. Many were photographed only a few times by local photographers. Real photos of these towns are what most North Dakota town collectors seek.
Immigrant communities
Norwegian, German, German-Russian, Swedish, Icelandic and other settlers built churches, schools and towns. Real photos of churches, congregations and community events are collected by local and heritage collectors.
The Badlands and ranching
The Badlands of western North Dakota, where Theodore Roosevelt ranched in the 1880s, and the ranch country around Medora and Dickinson appear on cards. Real photos of ranches, roundups and cowboys are popular with Western collectors.
Weather and the river
Blizzards, prairie fires and the floods of the Red River at Fargo and Grand Forks were photographed. Event real photos from identified towns are prized.
Places and subjects to look for
- The Red River Valley: Fargo, Grand Forks, bonanza farms and floods.
- Central North Dakota: homesteads, prairie towns and elevators.
- Bismarck: the capitol, the Missouri River and the railroad.
- The west: the Badlands, Medora, Dickinson and ranch country.
- The northwest: Williston, Minot and Great Northern towns.
- Immigrant communities: churches, schools and celebrations.
The capitol
North Dakota's original capitol in Bismarck burned in 1930, and the tall Art Deco capitol that replaced it was completed in 1934. Cards of both buildings, especially construction views, are collected.
Coal and lignite
Lignite coal was mined in western North Dakota, and small mining towns and mines appear on real photo cards that are scarce.
Real photos versus printed views
Fargo and Bismarck landmarks and later chrome cards were printed in quantity. Real photos of homesteads, small towns, harvests, ranches and weather events carry most of the value in a North Dakota collection.
What is common
Printed views of the capitols, Fargo and later chrome highway and Badlands cards are plentiful.
Why North Dakota real photos are scarce
North Dakota had fewer than 600,000 people in 1910, spread over a large area, and many of its small towns have since shrunk or vanished as farms consolidated. Local photographers often made only a few dozen copies of each view. Those cards were mailed to family in other states and in Europe, and many were lost. A real photo of a North Dakota main street or homestead may be the only image of that place anywhere.
Schools and community life
One-room schools dotted the North Dakota prairie, and teachers and pupils often posed outside for photographers. Real photos of country schools, church picnics, Fourth of July celebrations, baseball teams and band concerts show the community life of small prairie towns, and they are popular with local collectors and families researching their roots.
Questions about North Dakota postcards
Are North Dakota homestead postcards valuable? Real photos of claim shacks and homestead families are historically significant and collected.
Are bonanza farm postcards collectible? Yes, especially real photos of large harvest crews and machines.
Are small-town North Dakota postcards worth anything? Real photos of main streets, depots and elevators are the most wanted.
Do you buy collections with North Dakota cards? Yes, complete collections, by mail.