Stadum Family Archive

Design System

A living reference for every component, token, and pattern used across the family archive site.

Foundations — Color
Backgrounds
--paper
--paper-2
--paper-3
Ink
--ink
--ink-70
--ink-50
Identity & Accents
--green
--green-2
--green-tint
--brass
--brass-2
--brass-soft
--brass-tint
--blue
--amber
--terracotta
--slate
Foundations — Typography
Eyebrow — Archivo 600 12px tracked
Display — Newsreader 400
H1 — Newsreader 400 44px
H2 — Newsreader 400 38px
H3 — Newsreader 500 24px
Lead — Newsreader 300 22px, a quiet and readable introduction
Body — Newsreader 400 19px. Palmer Stadum's life connects the arrival of rural electricity in North Dakota with a lifelong curiosity for machines, radio, craft, and memory.
Body sm — Newsreader 400 16px. Secondary narrative text, card descriptions, supporting context.
Caption — Space Mono 12px — archival portrait, c. 1940 / Baker Electric collection
Credit — Space Mono 11px — Photo courtesy Stadum Family Archive
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Palmer Alvin Stadum
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Rural life Electrification Model craft North Dakota Rugby Baker Palmer Stadum Scott Stadum
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Count / date
5 sources 3 events 1909–1999
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Family Archive · Biography

Palmer Alvin Stadum

Rural electrification, model craft, and a North Dakota life remembered through family archives.

1909–1999 North Dakota Stadum Family Archive
Listen to Audio Story Browse Sources
c. 1940 Archival portrait — Palmer Stadum
Cards
Person profile cards
c. 1945
Patriarch
Palmer Alvin Stadum
1909–1999
Rural electrification pioneer, model builder, North Dakota farmer.
View Profile →
Son
Rod Stadum
b. 1940
Palmer's son, continuing the North Dakota family story.
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Grandson
Scott Stadum
b. 1968
Digital archivist, builder of this living family record.
View Profile → Public
Great-Great-Grandchild
Dean Lloyd
b. 2024
Newest member of the Stadum–Lloyd family.
View Profile → Draft
Event cards
Power line crew · rural ND
1937

Baker Electric and rural electrification

Palmer took part in the cooperative work that carried the first power lines to North Dakota farms.

Baker ElectricPierson family 3 sources
REA anniversary program
1975

REA anniversary and museum recognition

Palmer's contributions entered the public record at the Rugby museum.

Rugby MuseumREA 2 sources
Astrid Aaberg, Minot, ND
1986

Meeting Astrid — a quiet correspondence

Late-life letters between Palmer and Astrid Aaberg of Minot, uncovered in family papers.

Minot, ND 1 source
Source / asset cards
Photo

Palmer and the power line crew, 1937

Stadum family collection

View source →
PDF

REA 40th Anniversary Program

Rugby Pioneer Village, 1975

View source →
"
Quote

Oral history transcript — Rod Stadum, 2019

Recorded by Scott Stadum

View source →
Audio Episode Card
NotebookLM · Reviewed

The man who brought light to North Dakota farms

A 14-minute audio story tracing Palmer's work with Baker Electric and the Rural Electrification Administration, drawn from five archival sources.

Palmer Stadum — Episode 1
14:22 · 5 sources
4:4414:22
Compact episode list
The man who brought light to North Dakota farms
14:22 · Palmer Stadum · 5 sources
Reviewed
Scott Stadum — Building the digital archive
9:41 · Scott Stadum · 3 sources
Draft
Amy, Mason, Delaney & Remy Lloyd — the next generation
Planned · Lloyd family
Planned
Evidence Trail & Source Notes
Evidence trail
Photo
Palmer and the power line crew, 1937
Shows Palmer alongside other Baker Electric workers at a rural pole site near Benson County.
Stadum family collection · c. 1937 · Confidence: confirmed
PDF — Program
REA 40th Anniversary Program
Names Palmer as a participant in the 1937 cooperative installation work. Rugby Pioneer Village, 1975.
Rugby Pioneer Village · 1975 · Confidence: confirmed
Oral history
Rod Stadum interview, 2019
Rod recalls Palmer describing the work in detail; corroborates the timeline.
Recorded by Scott Stadum · 2019 · Confidence: high
Source packet note
NotebookLM Source Packet
Palmer Stadum — Episode 1
5 sources loaded: family photo (1937), REA program (1975), oral history transcript (2019), museum catalog entry, and Pierson family letter. Packet reviewed and approved for audio generation.
Timeline Milestone Strip
Life Timeline

Palmer Stadum, 1909–1999

1909
Born, Benson County, North Dakota
1937
Baker Electric — rural electrification
1940s
Marriage to Signe, family in Rugby
1975
REA anniversary — museum recognition
1999
Passed away, age 90
Relationship Map
Palmer Stadum
Patriarch
Signe StadumWife
Rod StadumSon
Beverly StadumDaughter
Peggy StadumDaughter
Scott StadumGrandson
Baker ElectricEmployer
Rugby, NDHome
Person
Family members and significant individuals connected to this story.
Place
Towns, farms, and locations central to the narrative.
Organization
Employers, institutions, and cooperatives.
Theme
Cross-cutting topics and archive themes.
Knight Lab & Embed Patterns
Interactive story callout
Knight Lab · TimelineJS
The Stadum family in full — an interactive timeline
Open Timeline →
Knight Lab · StoryMapJS
Stadum places — North Dakota and beyond
Open Map →
SoundCite inline clip

Palmer described the moment the lights came on as "like the sun rising at midnight" — a phrase his son Rod would repeat for decades.

Embed frame (iframe holder)
Timeline / StoryMap embed here
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Rural electrification Model craft North Dakota Family memory Agriculture Radio Cooperatives Migration Norwegian heritage Oral history