Historical marker dedication ceremony honors Ojibwe attorney and suffragist at Pembina State Museum

Jun. 28—A historical marker will be placed to honor Ojibwe attorney and suffragist Marie Louise Bottineau Baldwin on Thursday, July 8, at the Pembina State Museum.

The marker will be a part of the National Votes for Women Trail, and will recognize the Turtle Mountain woman as an advocate for votes for women, according to a news release.

Baldwin lived from 1863 until 1952, and worked for the U.S. Department of Education in the Office of Indian Affairs from 1904 until 1932. She was also famously quoted in newspapers throughout the U.S. in 1913, when she spoke in support of women's right to vote, noting that Indigenous women have "had virtual suffrage since time immemorial."

Though she lived many places throughout her life, Pembina was chosen as the site of her historical marker because it is her birthplace, the release states.

Susan Wefald, the North Dakota coordinator of the National Votes for Women Trail, said Baldwin was selected to be included on the trail for her significant contributions to the women's suffrage movement.

"Baldwin's thoughtful support for woman suffrage made the news, and helped the suffrage movement," Wefald said in a statement.

The dedication ceremony will be held 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. Thursday, July 8, on the grounds of the Pembina State Museum. Speakers at the dedication will include Turtle Mountain Community College President Donna Brown, North Dakota State Historical Board President Patrick Weir, Pembina State Museum site supervisor Jeff Blanchard and Wefald.

The dedication is part of a statewide celebration of last year's centennial of the passage of the 19th Amendment, which granted women the right to vote. The amendment benefited mostly white women, while many women of color, immigrant women and poorer women remained disenfranchised for many more years.

Indigenous women were granted the right to vote in 1924 with the passage of the Snyder Act, which recognized Native Americans as U.S. citizens.

The tribute is part of the National Votes for Women Trail spanning the U.S., which is funded by the William G. Pomeroy Foundation of New York, according to the release. The North Dakota Woman Suffrage Centennial Committee secured five markers for North Dakota, which recognize important contributions to the suffrage movement in Pembina, Grand Forks, Fargo, Valley City and Beach, N.D.