Invented in the 1870s, the power binder cut grain and tied the stalks into bundles using twine. One person and a team of horses could accomplish work that had formerly taken six workers to do.
In 1890, the governor of Minnesota authorized a committee to look into the possibility of creating a twine factory at the state prison. This would teach prisoners a useful trade. At the same time, it would reduce the cost of twine for farmers while helping to fund the prison. The idea caught on in other states, including North Dakota.
Needless to say, twine manufacturers were not thrilled with the competition from prisons. Prisons could sell twine much more cheaply due to lower payroll costs and state support. Manufacturers began promoting the idea that twine produced in prison factories was inferior. Agricultural newspapers reported that the twine failed quality testing, and those reports were reprinted in mainstream newspapers.
The Bismarck Tribune observed that, “The twine manufactured by the state of North Dakota has been the subject of unceasing and venomous attacks, as has the management of the factory, and it has become necessary to make a defense.”
The prison warden purchased twine manufactured by Deering. He repackaged it as twine made in the prison and sent it out for testing. The twine was judged to be inferior. The Tribune concluded that either Deering twine was “unfit for use” or the test was “for the purpose of destroying confidence in binding twine manufactured by the state of North Dakota.”
On this date in 1926, the Bismarck Tribune reported that the prison warden was granted authority to borrow money for the purpose of financing the twine factory. This did not mean the factory was losing money. The previous year’s sales had broken records. The financial need was due to an expansion of the plant and increased costs for materials.
New technology emerged in the 1940s that made binders old news. Custom combines replaced threshing machines. Farmers could skip the step of binding grain. Their work became faster and more efficient. As a result, demand for twine plummeted.
Twine plants began producing baler twine, used for bales of hay and straw. The prison twine plant managed to hang on until 1970, when it was destroyed by fire. It was never replaced.
Dakota Datebook written by Dr. Carole Butcher
Sources:
- Jamestown Weekly Alert. “Thinks It Will Work.” Jamestown ND. 5/29/1890. Page 2.
- Bismarck Daily Tribune. “How Prison Twine Was Tested.” Bismarck ND. 6/3/1901. Page 1.
- Bismarck Daily Tribune. “OK Loan to Finance the Twine Plant.” 1/20/1926. Page 1.
- Sterling Evans. “Entwined in Conflict: The South Dakota State Prison Twine Factory and the Controversy of 1919-1921.” South Dakota State Historical Society. 2005.
