Living Stories
Stadum Family Archive
Primary Source · PDF Document

Palmer Stadum
Electrification Source

Baker, North Dakota · Source page 238

A scanned local-history page naming Palmer Stadum, the Baker Technical Club, Baker Day demonstrations, and Baker Electric Cooperative. The extracted text directly supports the archive’s rural electrification storyline.

Confirmed source Referenced in 1 story Linked to 2 people
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Document

Extracted source text

palmer-stadum-electrification-01.pdf
Page 1 of 1
Baker Local History
Palmer Stadum and Baker Electric
Extracted from page 238

Among those meeting in the workshop were Palmer Stadum, Gaylord Landis, Harold Blegen, William Sosalla, and Lloyd Stadig, all interested in mechanics and electronics.

The source says Palmer made the electronic brain for an electrically controlled car, while Lloyd Stadig was largely responsible for the body and mechanical parts.


Key rural electrification passage:

Palmer Stadum repeatedly discussed how to bring electricity to the people of the area. The source credits his efforts as central to organizing and building Baker Electric Cooperative, described there as the first rural electric cooperative in North Dakota.

The same page also describes Baker Day, including parades, barbecue or bean-hole beans, carnival events, races, a baseball game, speakers, performances, and dances.

The lower half of the page begins a related local-history section on the Soo Line and the railroad growth that shaped Baker.


Baker local history · Page 238 · Extracted text available
Scott's note: This is the key citation for Palmer's electrification work.
Source Metadata

About this document

Key Passage

What this document says

The extracted text says Palmer's favorite topic was bringing electricity to people in the area, and that the group organized into the Baker Technical Club.

The same passage credits Palmer's efforts as central to organizing and building Baker Electric Cooperative, described in the source as North Dakota's first rural electric cooperative.

Source: Palmer Stadum Electrification PDF, page 1.

Curator's note – Scott Stadum
This is a strong written confirmation of Palmer's role in Baker Electric. It should be paired with family oral history, Baker Electric photographs, and any museum records from Rugby Pioneer Village.
Connected Records

Source Links

Person
Palmer Alvin Stadum
Named in extracted source text · Patriarch
View person
Event
Baker Electric – Rural Electrification
Primary source for this event cluster
Open media archive
Place
Baker and Benson County
Connected to local-history and NDGenWeb context
Open source references