ELWYN B. ROBINSON DEPARTMENT OF SPECIAL COLLECTIONS
CHESTER FRITZ LIBRARY
UNIVERSITY OF NORTH DAKOTA
GRAND FORKS, NORTH DAKOTA 58202

THE 1997 RED RIVER VALLEY FLOOD COLLECTION

COLLECTION: OGL# 1351 (addition)

DATES: 1980-1989 [Bulk Dates 1997-1998]

SIZE: 1.5 linear feet

INTRODUCTION

ACQUISITION: This addition to the 1997 Red River Valley Flood Collection was deposited in the Orin G. Libby Manuscript Collection by Greg Vetter on June 22, 2005 (Acc.#2005-2795). The materials were transferred from the Eliot Glassheim Papers, OGL#979.

ACCESS: Open for inspection under the rules and regulations of the Department of Special Collections.

SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE

This addition to the 1997 Red River Valley Flood Collection dates from 1980 to 1998 and consists of memorabilia and publications regarding the flood. There are 13 T-shirts with the logos of companies and organizations that provided relief aid during the flood, as well as humorous slogans about the flood. There is also a cap with a flood slogan.

Also included are different publications, either published or home-made. Published materials include magazines, such as Northern Dakota League of Cities City Scan, and the Grand Forks Chamber of Commerce Depot Dispatch. There are articles, newsletters, pamphlets, print-outs, and flyers from various organizations. There are also poems, letters, and stories depicting personal experiences during the flood.

Finally, there is a sand carved stoneware mug from Classic Etch, Minto, North Dakota, depicting downtown Grand Forks after the flood and fire, along with a yellow piece of paper with a small explanation. There is also an empty can which used to hold clean water that was donated by Anheuser-Busch, Inc. and an empty can of Green Giant stew in Russian text donated by the Salvation Army. Both food items were sent to help feed the flood victims and have a photocopied print-out explanation of them.

BOX AND FOLDER INVENTORY

Box 24
Folder
T-Shirts

  1. "We asked for Blood . . . Not a Flood. Greater Grand Forks 1997, A Community, Dedicated to Renewing Life - Dak-Minn Blood Bank, Grand Forks, North Dakota"
  2. "Grand Flood of 1997 Survivor - Grand Forks, North Dakota, East Grand Forks, Minn."
  3. "FEMA - Show me the Money!"
  4. "I said BUD, Not Flood - April 1997 Red River Valley"
  5. "Come Hell and High Water"
  6. "World Vision"
  7. "Grand Forks, ND/East Grand Forks, MN - Flood of 1997 Checklist . . ."
  8. "Boy Scouts of America - Joining in the Clean up of the Red River Valley - Flood 1997"
  9. "Beach and Social Club of Grand Forks, ND - The beach comes bagged and the water high" (image of two sun tanners)
  10. "Beach and Social Club of Grand Forks, ND - The beach comes bagged and the water high" (image of a fish drinking a martini against a sand bag)
  11. "River Rage 1997 - 5 Lies of the Red River Valley . . ."
  12. "I Survived The Flood of 1997 and All I Could Salvage Was This Lousy T-Shirt!"

Caps

  1. "Working Together -MN, ND - To Rebuild Flood of 97"

Flood Publications

  1. Northern Dakota League of Cities: City Scan; October 1997 and July 1998
  2. Grand Forks Chamber of Commerce: Depot Dispatch; November 1997 and June/July 1998
  3. Bank of North Dakota: Exchange, Economics, News, and Developments; Second and Third Quarter 1997.
    --Joint Ministry of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America: Recovery Lutheran Disaster Response; March and April 1998.
  4. Samuel S. Harrison and John P. Bluemle: Flooding in the Grand Forks - East Grand Forks Area: Educational Series 12, North Dakota Geographical Survey, 1980.
  5. Miscellaneous magazine publications:
    --"A University and a Community . . . the Flood of '97 . . . surviving and recovering"
    --"Flood of '97 Guard Awards Ceremony; August 6, 1997, Grand Forks, AFB, North Dakota" pamphlet.
    --Minnkota Messenger: Special Disaster Edition; Summer 1997
    --North Dakota Horizons Special Issue: The Great Flood of '97; Fall 1997
    --North Dakota Water; June 1998
    --"Summer Performing Arts Company Presents Keep the Faith: A Celebration of Community" program - 2 copies
  6. Miscellaneous newsletters and pamphlets:
    --Advanced Engineering and Environmental Services: AE Communicator Special Flood Anniversary Edition; 1998
    --Downtown News Exchange; Spring 1998
    --University of North Dakota: Grand New Horizons; Winter 1997
    --Greater North Dakota Association: Business Report; November 1997
    --Office of Emergency Medical Preparedness: Information Update; Winter 1997-1998
    --Official Newsletter of the North Dakota Tourism Department: Inside Tourism; 1997
    --Lutheran Social Services of North Dakota: Messenger; April 1998
    --Minnesota Historical Society: Member News; July/August 1997
    --Natural Hazards Observer; May 1998
    --North Dakota Medical Association News; September/October 1997
    --The Weekly Newspaper of the Transit Industry: Passenger Transport; May 1997.
    --United Way: By the Way; Spring 1998
  7. Miscellaneous printouts, flyers, pamphlets and parts of whole publications:
    --"1998 National Community Leadership Award" photocopy
    --"AARP Says… Don't Get Stung by Home Repair Scams!" - small yellow pamphlet and big yellow pamphlet Grand Forks Flood Control Study; --January 1997
    --"Commemorating the Disaster" Flyer for Holy Family Catholic Church; February 28, 1998
    --"Flood Stuff"
    -- Grand Forks Flood Control Study; January 1997
    --"Intergenerational Dialogue, Saturday, February 28, 1998. Holy Family Catholic Church, Grand Forks, North Dakota."
    --MeritCare Health System: North Dakota Epidemiology Report: Division of Disease Control; January - March 1997
    --North Dakota Housing Finance Agency: Thresholds; Fall 1997
    --North Dakota Legislative Council: Disaster Recovery and Mitigation Funding in Other States; May 1997
    --North Dakota Water: A Slice of History: Floods Remembered; July 1998
    --"R.A.F.T Resource Agencies Flood Team"
    --"SBA U.S. Small Business Administration: Disaster Loans Available for Flooding Victims"
    --The Source; January and March 1998
    --"The Story of the Empire Arts Center, Grand Forks, North Dakota"
    --University of North Dakota at Grand Forks: University Letter; April 10, 1998
    --Valley Interfaith Coalition to Recovery: Victory Update; April 6, 1998
  8. Personalized Poems, letters and stories:
    --"Thank you for all your help during the flood. I'm thanking FEMA. From: Katie" - hand-made paper card
    --"Moving to Higher Ground: Seeking Wisdom from Earth, River and Critters in the Wake of the 1997 Flood" - Home-made book by Glinda Crawford, July 31, 1997.
    --North Dakota Journal . . . Still Continued" by Frances, December 23, 1997
    --"Flood '97 . . . Dear Cory" - Journal from April 17 - 26, 1997. "
    --"The Real Heroes of the 1997 Flood" - Story by Janet Elaine Smith.
    --"A Flood of Memories" - poems from the Leopards' Letter, Lincoln Elementary School, April 1998.
    --"Abstract Expressionism Flood '97" - flyer for art exhibit by Linda Shaw-Elgin, Grand Forks Central art instructor.
    --"Red River Limerology 1997: The Town That Was Too Tough To Drown" - Jim Daglish.
    --Snow Bridge" - Richard S. Tosh, February 14, 1998.
    --"April Nineteenth" - poem
    --"Together" - Lilia Wood
    --"The Disaster" - by Ashley Neil, age 14, daughter of Jody and Jeff Neil (Mayor of Shelly, Minnesota).
    --"A Tribute to the Alderson '97 Mucker Brigade" - August 12, 1997.
    --"Saved in the Last Second" - hand-written story, March 21, 1997.
    --"Northwestern Minnesota Disaster Response Network Child & Adolescent Team" - letters written by children for other children devastated by the flood
  9. Flood acronyms, vocabulary, signs, notes, stories, poems and quotations

Box 25

  1. "Come Hell & High Water - April 1997 - Grand Forks, ND - East Grand Forks, MN - 500 Year Flood." (mug)
  2. "Donated by Anheuser-Busch, Inc., Ft. Collins, CO 80524 - Drinking Water (Not for Sale) - 12 Fl. Oz."
  3. Can of Green Giant stew with Russian text on it. Note with it explains: "Given out by Salvation Army during flood. Apparently made for shipment to Russia but then sent to Grand Forks to help feed flood victims."
  4. Printed explanatory materials of accompanying items:
    --Printed yellow paper explanation of the mug
    --Hand-written note on yellow Post-It explaining the can of drinking water and can of stew
    --Photocopied print-out explanation of the can of drinking water and the can of stew
  5. Poster: 1997 Summer Performing Arts Company "Keep the Faith: A Celebration of Community"; July 25 + 26.
 Original Donation  First Addition: 1997-2000
 Second Addition: 1997-2004  Third Addition: 1993-1997
 Fourth Addition: April 1997-August 1998  Fifth Addition: 1980-1998

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