Elwyn Robinson’s masterwork remains relevant after half a century
scholarly work were not emphasized as much as they are today, and Robinson was able to spend more time on his masterwork. “His work was painstaking, almost plodding,” Iseminger said. “He spent 20 years on it, and it shows.” There are other state histories, Iseminger said, but they are not as comprehensive. Following Robinson is tough, he said, adding he would not want to write a more current history. Kim Porter, professor of history, stepped up to the challenge and produced a new volume, North Dakota: 1960 to the Millennium. “I give Dr. Porter a lot of credit,” he said. Iseminger “She has an agricultural history background, and she did well at summing up the 30 or 40 years of North Dakota’s history since Robinson’s book was published. It was a daunting task, but Dr. Porter, although from Iowa, has adapted to the state and to being a North Dakotan.”
Still relevant
THEN
Standing the test of time By Jan Orvik Not many textbooks are used for 50 years. But Elwyn B. Robinson’s History of North Dakota has stood the test of time. It’s the best state history ever written and it’s still relevant, said Gordon Iseminger, Chester Fritz Distinguished Professor of History. Iseminger, a long-time colleague of Robinson, has been at UND for 52 years. He is the longest-serving faculty member on campus and the longest-serving state employee. He is also one of very few faculty to have had children and grandchildren of former students in his classes. “Robinson absorbed North Dakota history,” Iseminger said. “I don’t see how we can not use the book. The themes are still mostly relevant. Circumstances have changed, but not so much the themes.”
Robinson identified six themes of North Dakota history that are mostly still relevant: remoteness, dependence, radicalism, economic disadvantage, the “too-much mistake,” and adjustment. Remoteness meant that the state was influenced by its distance from national centers. Dependence on external pricing for furs, grain, and other commodities defined profit and loss. Radicalism became the state’s answer to these themes, resulting in the birth of the Nonpartisan League and the establishment of the State Mill and state-owned Bank of North Dakota, both of which served to address the theme of economic disadvantage. The “too-much mistake” was that more towns, farms, schools, roads, colleges, churches, and governmental institutions were established than could be supported — all requiring adjustment, Robinson’s last theme.
More about the man: Elwyn B. Robinson, 1905-1985 Elwyn Burns Robinson, University Professor Emeritus of History at UND and a noted state historian, was born on a farm in Ohio and earned degrees from Oberlin College and Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland. In 1935, he was invited to join the UND faculty by Libby. He wrote and presented a series of popular radio talks titled “Heroes of Dakota.” This led to writing History of North Dakota, which even today is considered one of the best state histories in the nation. He remained active after his retirement in 1970. n
Libby and Robinson Iseminger, who is known for his high standards, is a historian’s historian. His research includes local history, Germans from Russia, and a series of essays on former UND history chair Orin Libby, one of UND’s “grand old men” and the man who brought Robinson to UND. “Libby retired in 1945, and his presence was still palpable in 1962,” said Iseminger. “He doted on maps, didn’t suffer fools gladly, and was influential in starting the State Historical Society, the State Library, the State Museum, and the State Park System.” When Iseminger joined the faculty in 1962, he said, research and 8 n UND Discovery n University of North Dakota
Elwyn Robinson lectures to his last class in the Department of History before retiring from the UND faculty in 1970.