Dakota Business College - Dakotan Yearbook (Fargo, ND)

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As a htting tribute to express our respect and to honor our President and leader, we dedicate this book to F. Leland Watkins. Mr. Watkins founded this college 45 years ago-not then the great institution it now stands, but a tvvofroom school with an enrollment of live pupils. His initiative and ambition brought forth the ideag his knowledge and foresight advanced the idea to a realityg his courage and perseverance made it grow and prosperg his ability and care have realized a success. His career sets an example for us-it inspires us with faith in work and fidelity'-it illuminates and designates a way. To us he has dedicated his life-years Elled with service and usefulness wherein he has given his every thought and deed to prepare the youth of this era for careers in the modern business World. We, as his students, appreciate him and his guidance and hope that we may someday acquire, to the measure of which we are capable, his wisdom, dignity and leadership. Fam

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HISTORY Fortyffive years ago Fargo was a bustling village of mud streets, wooden sidewalks and wooden buildings. Farm wagons, lumbering drays, saddle horses, now and then a shiney new rubberftired buggy or a luxurious coach and four were the accepted mode of transportation. Settlers were still pouring in. Fargo lay in the land of No. 1 Dark Northern-the center of the empire of wheat. just to the west was the Dalyrmple land, 50,000 acres, soon to be the largest cultivated farm in the world. Other tracts were almost as large. The Red River was a thriving artery of traffic and steamboats carried the golden grain from an elevator in Island Park to Vvfinnipeg. The railroad bridges, recently constructed, were arf ranged to pivot and allow tl1e masts and smokestacks of vessels to pass below. The O. J. deLendrecie store occupied what is now the Branick Vulcanizing shop, the U. S. Land Oflice was over the Hauser Meat Market, the DeVolne Hotel was the Court House, and the Daily Argus Cforerunner of the Foruml was operating in what is now the Shields Hotel. When winter set in, every' thing became very quiet. The long trips from scattered farms, over poorly marked ungraded roads, were few and far between. The principal indoor sport was waiting for spring. It was into this community that a young Missourian of 25 came to open a little school of two rooms and live pupils which he called Dakota Business College. In 1892, Fargo was swept by a fire that consumed twofthirds of its buildings and pracf tically the entire business district. It was a hard blow to all business. Many people moved away but the little school never missed a day's operation, setting the precedent of business as usual. In 1894 the entire third floor of the main building was in use. In 1897 a flood set the city awash. Boats traveled gaily up and down Eighth Street. Porches made convenient docks. Dakota Business College was growing, Its graduates were in demand. The second and third floor of the main building were added. In 1907 the school bought dies and began to stamp its own coins-the famous Watkins Dough. In 1909 D. B. C. was chartered by the state. The north building was erected in 1910. The departf ments from the third floor of the main building were transferred to the second and third of the new addition. The third floor of Old Main was changed into a gymnasium and the D. B. C. teams playing basketball, a relatively new game, went out to challenge all comers. When the Actual Business Department was introduced, the demand for more space caused the dis' continuance of the Athletic Department. Seating the gymnasium gave the school a capacity of practically 700 pupils. In 1917 Machine Accounting had come in. Twenty calculating and posting machines were added to the battery of adders. Because the young men were in the Army, cofeds predominated for the first time in the history of the school. A hundred typewriters were made standard equipment, replaced as needed. In 1921 the oak, marble and ground glass hxtures which had made such a sensation when originally installed in the business ex' change were moved to the third floor to make way for the new Exchange. Twenty thousand dollars worth of new marble hxtures gave D. B. C. the finest banking room of any private school between Chicago and the Coast. Last year IO calculators, 5 comptometers and 25 noiseless typewriters were added to the equipment. P1 operty 125x140 feet adjoining the school has been purchased to provide space as buildings are needed. This year the Recreation rooms, Student Government, Musical Activities and the Annual are new features, Fortyftwo people have helped to build Dakota Business College, nearly all of whom have taught in the schoolroom all or part of the time. We owe a debt of gratitude to all of them and to those who have striven so diligently in our behalf in the past year. We believe the past is but prophetic of an even more glorious future and that our Alma Mater will continue to grow and expand in the years to come. Th rec

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Five APPRECIATION LTHOUGH we are indebted to a score of workers for various kinds of assistance in planning and editing this first Dakotan, our special appreciation goes to Mr. Green, our advisor. Without his ready initiative, tactful suggestions, dynamic perseverance and constant interest, the Dakotan Annual would possibly have resulted in a biennial! He has labored ceaselessly and tirelessly to make this book a worthy representative of our schoolg he has guided and inspired the stalfg he has gained the confidence and co- operation of all the students. We have enjoyed our association and fellowship with him and we appreciate him as a line friend, an outstanding' ing instructor and a loyal counselor.