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Robert C. Hollow, Assistant Curator of Museums

Published in North Dakota History, Volume 46. Number 3 (Summer 1979) [Editor's Choice, back cover.] ©State Historical Society of North Dakota

On July 28, 1954, the United States Post Office issued a 3¢ stamp commemorating the sesquicentennary of the Lewis and Clark expedition. The stamp, designed by C.R. Chickering and engraved by C. A. Brooks and J. S. Edmondson, shows Lewis and Clark landing on the bank of the Missouri just before going into winter encampment in 1804. Sakakawea, who guided the expedition on their westward travels from the Heart River villages, stands directly behind Lewis and Clark. Chickering modeled the portrait of Sakakawea from the Leonard Crunelle sculpture standing on the Capitol Grounds in Bismarck, North Dakota.

The Sakakawea statue was created through the efforts of the Federated Women's Clubs of North Dakota. The statue began as an idea. Mrs. Mattie M. Davis, Cass County Superintendent of Schools, told the Sakakawea story to the Fortnightly Club of Fargo and suggested that some suitable recognition be given to the only woman to accompany the Lewis and Clark expedition. The club received the idea with enthusiasm and began enlisting the aid of all the club women in the state. Upon securing the approval of the Fargo City Federation of Women's Clubs, Mrs. Beulah Amidon presented the idea to the meeting of the state federation of women's clubs at Jamestown in October, 1905; that the meeting passed a resolution calling for the placing of a statue on the Capitol Grounds. A Sakakawea statue committee was also appointed and charged with the task of raising funds and securing the services of a sculptor.

The committee lost little time securing the services of noted Chicago sculptor Leonard Crunelle; by the end of 1906 he had already completed work on a small model of the statue. The task of raising the necessary funds was attacked with equal enthusiasm. The club women felt that the task should be accompanied by an effort to educate the population about Sakakawea and her contributions; to this end 20,000 copies of a small booklet, Sakakawea Statue Notes, were prepared and distributed. While a few of these booklets were sold for a nominal sum, most of the money resulted from a diversity of projects: school children were asked to donate their pennies; copies of Indian paintings by Miss Margarthe E. Heiser and post cards showing a photograph of Crunelle's model were printed and sold. Various individual clubs raised money through the sale of flowers, by giving Indian exhibits, baby shows, and a variety of other activities. In 1907 the legislature donated the site on the Capitol Grounds and appropriated funds to pay for the pedestal and foundation. Many individuals also made contributions to the fund. By October 13, 1910, the day the statue was unveiled and given to the state, sufficient money had been accumulated to cover all expenses except the freight bill.

As part of the fund drive the club women issued and sold North Dakota's first Christmas seals. Christmas seals, which originated in Denmark in 1904, were first issued in the United States by the Delaware Chapter of the American National Red Cross in 1907 with national distribution following 1908. Recognizing yet another opportunity to raise funds for the statue Mrs. N. C. Young and Mrs. C. F. Amidon designed the seals illustrated above to be sold during the 1909 Christmas season. These seals were printed by three color typography. The central design show a sheaf of wheat printed in metallic gold. The letters N DAKOTA bind the sheaf. The background is deep green with the letters F W C ND distributed around the sheaf. In each corner is a red flower with metallic gold highlights overprinted with the letters CFWC. The stamps were issued in panes of 10 two horizontal rows of five) with straight edges all around. Separation between seals is by line perforation gauging 11 ½ x 11 ½. Individual seals (printed portion) measure 25.5 x 31.5 mm, while the entire pane measures 154 x 76 mm. Panes are gummed with yellow dextrin.

Thus North Dakota's first Christmas seal helped to build a statue that a half century later was used in the design of a United States postage stamp.

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