Club Charters

Recently I had the pleasure of visiting the brand-new Montana Historical Society Library & Archives to research some of the 4- ephemera that is in their collections. I discovered some exciting gems: three vintage 4-H club charters! These are formal, beautifully-designed documents that were issued by the USDA from 1919 up until World War II. Charters were signed by the US Secretary of Agriculture. Club charters issued after the war years look a lot less formal.

These three documents recognize three 4-H clubs from the town of Suffolk in Fergus County: the Salt Creek No Weeds Corn Club, the Grunt and Grow Pig Club, and the Salt Creek Corn Club. The clubs were chartered in 1928 and 1932.

Meeting minutes reported in The Lewistown Democrat-News on August 22, 1931:
The Salt Creek Corn club held their picnic at the Hininger picnic grounds Saturday, August 15. All the club members and most of the parents were present. The boys cooked and served roasted corn from their fields to the picnickers. At the business meeting, a club camp was discussed, it was also decided to send a judging team to Great Falls. Two demonstrations were given, Lawrence Sawyer and Jack Wickens on “Field Selection of Seed Corn,” and Lyle and Leslie Clow, “The Curing and Storage of Seed Corn.”

The Salt Creek Corn Club charter: Montana Historical Society Library & Archives. SC2012, box A1