Heath, Fannie Mahood, 1864-1931

Variant names

Hide Profile

Fannie Mahood Heath was born in Wykoff, Minnesota. After she married Frank Heath, she moved in 1880 to Grand Forks, ND at the age of 17 where they homesteaded west of the city. Upon arriving, she decided that the farm needed protection from the wind. She first planted lilac bushes and fir saplings. The firs quickly died, but the lilac trees survived. She later learned that their farmstead was on a heavy alkaline area. The Heaths decided to discover what plants grew well on their farm. They also tried different things to try to neutralize the soil. The most radical method that they used was to pour vinegar on the ground. The vinegar would react with the alkaline in the soil and bubble. Fannie knew the soil was neutral when it stopped bubbling. She discovered later that she was the first person to use this process. She raised a son, Frank, and a daughter, Pearl. Her son, Frank, died in 1902. Fannie began to correspond with different people. In 1923 C. B. Warden published "Perennial Flowers in North Dakota" with Fannie as co-author. Besides simply corresponding with people, she exchanged seeds with them. She collected seeds from all across America to Norway, to England, and even China. In her seed exchanges, she formed a special relationship with T. Hay, the superintendent of the Kew Gardens in London, England. Fannie decided to do something about this lack of appreciation for American wildflowers. She wrote articles for Park's Floral, Nature, National Geographic and Botanist magazines on the value and beauty of growing native plants. She died on September 29, 1931 at the age of 67. In 1933, the 'Century of Progress' Exposition in Chicago included an exhibit of photographs of Fannie and her garden, proclaiming her the "Flower Woman of North Dakota"

From the description of Papers, 1921-1955. (University of North Dakota). WorldCat record id: 42868101

Horticulturalist.

From the description of Fannie Mahood Heath papers, 1922-1930. (State Historical Society of North Dakota State Archives). WorldCat record id: 17869677

Archival Resources
Role Title Holding Repository
creatorOf Heath, Fannie Mahood, 1864-1931. Fannie Mahood Heath papers, 1922-1930. State Historical Society of North Dakota State Archives
referencedIn North Dakota Humanities Council. North Dakota Humanities Council Larry Remele Memorial Fellow reports, 1997-2009. State Historical Society of North Dakota State Archives
creatorOf Heath, Fannie Mahood, 1864-1931. Papers, 1921-1955. University of North Dakota, Chester Fritz Library
Role Title Holding Repository
Relation Name
associatedWith Heath, Frank Arnold. person
associatedWith North Dakota Humanities Council. corporateBody
associatedWith Orin G. Libby Manuscript Collection (Chester Fritz Library) corporateBody
associatedWith Yeager, A. F. (Albert Franklin), b. 1892. person
Place Name Admin Code Country
North Dakota
North Dakota
Subject
Botany
Plants, Cultivated
Flower gardening
Flowers
Gardening
Gardens
Horticulture
Mountain plants
Perennials
Plants
Wild flowers
Occupation
Activity

Person

Birth 1864

Death 1931

Information

Permalink: http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w62j72h5

Ark ID: w62j72h5

SNAC ID: 75385458