North Dakota Dames Club (Grand Forks, N.D.)

The group which eventually became the North Dakota Dames Club became an official organization on November 12, 1909, although they had met informally before that date. As they were first organized, they were known as the No Name Club. A constitution was created on November 25, 1912, and the group changed its name to North Dakota Dames Club on December 11, 1912. The objectives of the North Dakota Dames Club were "to unite its membership in practical cultural work" and the "furtherance of good fellowship" within the club. Members included faculty wives of the University of North Dakota, Wesley College, the Human Nutrition Laboratory of the United States Department of Agriculture Research Service, and the Charles R. Robertson Laboratory of the U.S. Bureau of Mines. Total membership in the club from 1909 until 1984 was 143 members. The Club maintained several annual traditions, including a spring luncheon, a tea with the Round Table Club and the creation of a cookbook. Meetings were usually held every other week, and a wide variety of subjects and presentations were examined. Travel, music, art, literature, history and cooking were only a few of the subjects discussed. By in large, most programs were presented by Club members, although several outsiders have addressed the group in the past.