President's Message
The NDPCS Convention is right around the corner!
The NDPCS Board of Directors, Executive Council, and committee chairs met on Sunday, March 15, 2026, to finalize plans for our annual convention and meeting. Mark your calendars for June 1214 at the Holiday Inn in Fargo — it promises to be a wonderful weekend celebrating all things North Dakota pottery.
Convention activities are coming together beautifully, and I encourage you to attend if you haven’t yet registered. You’ll find registration details on our website and in this newsletter. If this is your first convention, be sure to sign up for the first-timer drawing — you might just go home with a special prize!
There is still time to contribute to our silent auction. If you have a piece of pottery you’re willing to part with, please consider donating. Your contribution helps support our organization while giving another member the joy of adding to their collection.
What I look forward to most each year is the opportunity to connect with all of you. Spending time with fellow collectors who share a passion for North Dakota pottery is truly what makes this organization so special — and our annual convention is the perfect place to do just that.
Respectfully,
Ann Dietchman
President, North Dakota Pottery Collectors Society
Bonanzaville "North Dakota's Prairie Past"
Submitted by: Beth Jansen, Executive Director
The “Pioneer Daughters” Fargo Chapter was organized in 1934 by the Fargo Federated Women’s Club with more than 200 charter members, committed to honoring the memory and spirit of the women who pioneered in North Dakota. The “Pioneer Daughters” established the Fargo History Museum in the Emerson Smith School, the first freestanding grade school in Fargo, located on 2nd and 11th Street S. The museum later moved to Minard Hall on the North Dakota Agricultural College campus, now North Dakota State University. The Cass County North Dakota Historical Society (CCNDHS) was established in 1954 by the Fargo Chapter to broaden its scope to include the preservation of the entire county's history. In 1955, it donated the contents of its historic museum, housed in the basement of Minard Hall, to the fledgling organization.
Since 1963, CCNDHS has been collecting buildings from around the county and relocating them to the site now known as Bonanzaville, USA, on land donated by the Red River Valley Fair. The name refers to the large Bonanza farms that once existed in the Red River Valley. In 1972, a building to house the main museum was constructed. Artifacts were then moved from Minard Hall to the new museum. The collection now numbers over 400,000 items, either in a permanent or educational collection.
Over the years, CCNDHS has accumulated forty-one buildings representing 18 townships and 5 counties in Eastern North Dakota. Thirty-six of the structures are historically significant or contain period artifacts, while others house the Eugene Dahl Car Museum, the Eagles Air Museum, the Moen Tractor Museum, and the Law Enforcement Museum. Bonanzaville USA educates the public about the pioneer history of Cass County, the region, and the state of North Dakota.
The Pioneer Daughters' very first acquisition was nine Depression-era mosaics made of North Dakota clay, created by the University of North Dakota's first ceramics teacher and depicting the state's prairie history. These mosaics were donated to the Cass County Historical Society upon its founding in 1954 and have been cherished by the organization ever since. Margaret Cable, self-proclaimed “Maggie Mudd,” set out to prove that North Dakota clay could be used to make quality pottery. Cable struggled through the Great Depression to keep her department alive, even after her salary was cut and she was told her department’s funds had to come from pottery sales. During the Great Depression, she became head of the local-level President Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal WPA (Works Progress Administration) program, making pieces crafted during that period highly sought-after items.
Cable taught her students to use indigenous imagery depicting scenes from the prairie, including buffalo, Conestoga wagons, wheat and corn stalks, sweet clover, honeybees, and farm animals. In 1927, she was named North Dakota’s Woman of the Year. After retirement, in 1951, she received the Binns Medal of Excellence in Art from Alfred University and the American Ceramics Society.
Eleven Mosaics were originally crafted, nine of which are in the collection at Bonanzaville. They depict life in North Dakota, including The Dakota Badlands, An Indian Smoking a Peace Pipe, An Ox and Oxcart on the Prairie, A Drill Sowing Corn in Reddish Soil, and The State Owned Mill at Grand Forks. All were part of the North Dakota exhibit at the Century of Progress World’s Fair in Chicago, Illinois, in 1933.
In 1976, UND’s ceramics department prepared to move locations, packing up its two mosaics for the trip. “The pottery was boarded up and ready to be moved, and during the evening, someone familiar with the ceramics decided they’d rather own a piece, and it was stolen out of there,” recalls UND professor emeritus Donald Miller in a 2019 interview with the High Plains Reader.
During a 2019 Antiques Road Show episode, featuring Bonanzaville, Pottery & Porcelain appraiser David Rago gave the nine tiles at Bonanzaville a total value of $100,000 to $200,000. To the Cass County, North Dakota Historical Society, the Mosaics are Priceless and will appear in the 2026 exhibit lineup.
Teddy Roosevelt
By Louis Berndt
Photo of the original Teddy Bear used by Laura Hughes as the model for several of her Rosemeade Teddy Roosevelt pieces. You can visit “Teddy” at the Richland County Museum.
In 1940 the Wahpeton Pottery Company was founded by Robert J. Hughes and potter Laura Taylor Hughes. The company was later renamed Rosemeade Potteries in 1953, taking its name from Laura's birthplace, Rosemeade Township.
Laura Taylor Hughes’ designs were inspired by the native wildlife of North Dakota. Along with Rosemeade produced collectibles, including a "Teddy Roosevelt Lodge Bank" and a "Teddy Roosevelt Park Ashtray" featuring the bear figurine.
History of “Teddy Bear”:
The original "Teddy's Bear" was created by Rose and Morris Michtom, owners of a Brooklyn NY candy shop, in 1902-1903. The bear was created from a political cartoon that portrayed President Roosevelt refusing to shoot a bear cub. A Teddy Bear was sent to President Roosevelt, who gave his permission to his name.
Richland County Farmer Globe - article
Billy Woehrmann, seven year old son of Mr. and Mrs. LeRoy Woehrmann of this city displays his ancient teddy, and two of the tiny teddys modeled from him by Mrs. Laura Hughes at Rosemeade Pottery, part of a Teddy Roosevelt souvenir line.
Teddy has a longer history than Billy himself, having been his father’s plaything when he was a child – his mother was sure “Peg” would be a barber when he shaved Teddy. Teddy accompanied Billy’s older sister, Judy, to the hospital and the doctor threatened to operate on him instead of his young mistress.
Surviving all vicissitudes Teddy sits proudly beside the Teddy Roosevelt mementoes.
Thanks for Asking
By Tara Holt
At our June 2025 NDPCS convention, someone asked me which piece of UND pottery I absolutely LOVED and would have a hard time parting with! I was stumped. I had never thought about it but would check when I returned home.
When I got home, I moved my UND collection around, looking for what might be the ultimate piece. I picked up a pair of lovely, heavy, maroon chickens which were stuck in the back of my pottery cabinet. I really haven’t paid much attention to them.
How did these chickens end up in my collection? Twenty years ago, my first eBay purchase was a beautiful, solid buffalo. It was shipped from Montana, and I was concerned because the box was banged up. Mr. Buffalo was OK but I was surprised when I started digging through the Styrofoam peanuts in the box looking for the receipt. Instead of a receipt I found two heavy maroon chickens and a small black sgraffito vase. All were in great shape. The mystery receipt was on the bottom, under the peanuts. I did get a little nervous thinking my credit card would have the costs of the vase and the chickens added. However, a closer look showed only the payment for the buffalo, nothing more. Since they were free, I guess I didn't ever pay much attention to them.
I'm reevaluating the love I have for the chickens because, when I turned them over, they were inscribed with two stylized "MM"s. My UND expert tells me that these solid birds are Margaret Cable's creations, signed with her Maggie Mudd handle.
Now I can answer the question “what pottery piece do I absolutely love”? Answer: the “Maroon Chickens”!
Oh, and I'm still researching the vase.
Thanks for asking!
Welcome to Fargo
The 37th ANNUAL NDPCS CONVENTION - FARGO, ND
Holiday Inn
3803 13th Ave S, Fargo, ND
HOTEL RESERVATIONS @ 701-282-2700.
It's April! You know what that means. It's time to make plans to head to the Fargo Holiday Inn for our annual NDPCS convention! I hope you all are setting your calendars for June 12th-14th. Our plans are coming together for another successful convention. It's always good to see each other again and have an opportunity to chat all things North Dakota pottery! Especially the stories about finding a particular piece. If you haven't done so, please make your reservations today! Be sure to mention NDPCS Convention when registering (a block of rooms available). Also specify if you want a room closer to our event room when reserving your room. Remember your membership must be current in order to register and attend our convention! As always, we are excited to be planning this year's convention and hope you plan to join us! Thank You! See you all in June!
Linda Fiedler, Convention Chair
REMINDER: Registration will close May 18th! No registrations will be accepted the day of convention.
2026 Annual NDPCS Convention Agenda
Friday: June 12, 2026
4:00pm Room Check-in; Holiday Inn
3:30 - 5:00pm Registration Check-in; Commemorative Pickup; East Entrance Atrium Area
5:30 - 8:00pm Welcome; Social & Reception; Dakota Hall; NDPCS Road Show Presentation by Russ Carlson
8:00pm Room Visitations
Saturday: June 13, 2026
7:30am Board of Directors Meeting
9:30am Guest Speaker; Dakota Hall
10:45am Presentation
12:00pm Box Lunch
1:15pm Board Bus for Bonanzaville; Front Entrance
1:30pm Bonanzaville
4:00pm Back at Holiday Inn
5:30pm Social; Silent Auction; Banquet; Dakota Hall
8:00pm Program; Collector's Panel Q&A
9:00pm Room Visitations
Sunday: June 14, 2026
8:30am Coffee & Rolls
9:00am NDPCS Annual Member Meeting
11:00am Bakken Auction; Holiday Inn
2026 NDPCS Commemorative
SURPRISE #1! The Board has decided to make this year’s commemorative a surprise! Our commemorative chair, George Myhre, is in contact with potential potters and it will be another great addition to your commemorative collection but you will have to wait till convention to see what it is!
SURPRISE #2! As a “thank you” and an incentive for those who physically attend the convention, the 2026 commemorative will be a gift to you from the club! You can’t beat that deal! For those not attending, the 2026 Commemorative piece pricing will remain the same as last year, despite postal rate increases.
2026 Convention Auctions
Silent Auction 5:00 PM June 13th, 2026
A Silent Auction will be held during the social hour from 5:00-6:30 pm, before the banquet Saturday evening.
1. Any member who has paid convention registration and attends the convention in full may apply to enter an item (one item per member). Item to be registered with the Auction Catalog Chair on the form below.
2. Because there will not be a Saturday afternoon auction, there will be a limit of 25 items in the Silent Auction. The first 25 items submitted will be accepted. No duplicate items will be accepted.
3. The item submitted for auction must follow the following criteria:
** Pottery Type: Ros, Rosemeade; Dik, Dikota; UND, University of North Dakota; MES, Messer; Etc.; 3TS, Three Tribes; TMP,
Turtle Mountain; LH, Little Heart; WPA, WPA Ceramics ND ** Condition Definitions: Mint - perfect
** References: All references to ND Pottery are encouraged. Some common items are shown for convenience in completing the
list.
(A) "Beautiful Rosemeade", Sampson & Harms, © 1986
(B) "Collector's Encyclopedia of Rosemeade Pottery", Dommel, © 2000
(C) "Dakota Potteries", Dommel, © 1996 (D) "UND Pottery—A Comparative Study", Forster, © 2004 Other references may be used, but be sure to include the reference used in the description of your auction lot along with page, row, and item number or position of item.
4. Photos may be submitted but are not mandatory.
5. The owner may set a reserve which will be kept secret until the end of the auction. Items must have a reserve of at least $100 as bidding will begin at that amount. Bids must be in $10 increments.
6. Silent Auction items must be delivered to the banquet room at 4:30 PM for check-in. ALL auction items must be delivered in person. Mail-ins will NOT be accepted.
7. Bidding will begin at 5:00 pm and close at 6:30 pm.
8. ONLY NDPCS members who are registered for the convention may place bids.
9. If the reserve is met, the item is sold. If not, the high bidder will be told the reserve and offered the opportunity to meet it. If the item is not sold, the owner may reclaim it at no cost to the owner.
10. Winning bids will be announced during the program following dinner.
11. The winner will write the check to the NDPCS. 90% of the selling price will be paid to the owner and the NDPCS will keep 10%.
PLEASE NOTE: Times listed for auction activities are tentative; the program timings will be adjusted as needed.
Save the Date - June 14th, 2026
Bill & Linda Bakken
ND Pottery Auction
June 14, 2026 @ 11:00 AM
Holiday Inn, Fargo, ND
The Bakkens will be selling approx. 650 pieces of North Dakota pottery (mostly Rosemeade pottery) at auction following the business meeting of the NDPCS. The catalog and photos will be available online by April 1 at www.northstarauction.com. This will be a live-only auction, no internet bidding; however, we gladly accept absentee bids.
Bill & Linda have been longtime pottery collectors & members of the NDPCS. Don’t miss this incredible sale!
North Star Auction & Appraisal Co.
Auctioneer: Dean Moos (701)527-5353
www.northstarauction.com
