The North Dakota Children’s Home received its five hundredth child on this day in 1903. The organization was founded in response to the large number of children needing additional care in the state. Superintendent Hall reported the hallmark to the Fargo Forum saying, “Today marks an era in he history of the work of this society in North Dakota, as I entered the five hundredth child on our register this morning.” The Children’s Home accepted any children of the state for any amount of time, so long as room allowed. American, Canadian, English, Irish, Scottish, French, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, German, and Polish children formed their ranks, and the five hundredth child happened to be a recent immigrant from Lapland. The boy’s father, a victim of the Lapland famine, asked the home to care for his sons for a few months while he attempted to get settled in.

Written by Jayme Job

Source:
Fargo Forum and Daily Republican (Evening ed.). July 21, 1903: p. 7.

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