Late August signals the beginning of a new school year for thousands of students in North Dakota. As schools welcome children for another term, lunch remains an important part of the school day. How have school lunch menus changed over time, and what can they tell us about the past?
Students at the school in Colgate had a hot lunch option in 1921 that included bean soup, rice with milk stew, baked apples, and “Salmon loaf.” The salmon loaf on Friday was likely intended to meet the dietary needs of Catholic students, who abstained from meat on Fridays. The simple menu also hinted at the possibility of difficult economic times, especially in rural areas where agriculture was struggling.
The Fessenden School offered a diverse weekly lunch menu in March 1952, including foods likely influenced by the German heritage of the community. The menu featured “Cornbelt meat pie,” cabbage salad, apple crisp with whipped cream, Frankfurter, schnitzel, green beans, ham loaf, potato salad, peas, baked beans and pork, corn bread, “prune whip,” and “Italian spaghetti or macaroni and cheese.” Students received protein, vegetables, fruit, bread, milk, dessert, and a meatless option for Friday.
Menus changed with the decades. By the 1970s and 1980s, schools in Richland County offered foods ranging from processed options such as fish sticks, hot dogs, and hamburgers to homestyle favorites such as chili, meatloaf, and hotdish. Fruit, milk, and usually bread and butter remained staples.
The Oakes Times later featured lunch menus from 1977 and 1997 in its “Good Ol’ Days” section. In 1977, students enjoyed hot dogs, pizza, hamburger hotdish, potato salad, brownies, lemon pie, and a “bar.” By 1997, desserts had largely been replaced by fruit, while sub sandwiches and chips, “Bumsteads,” chips and salsa, chili, and spaghetti appeared on the menu. The changes reflected a shift toward more calorie-conscious choices.
Over the years, North Dakota’s school lunches have reflected changing tastes, traditions, faith, demographics, family dynamics, and economic conditions. As students head back to school, it is worth looking back at these menus and considering how today’s students might react to the lunches of the past.
Dakota Datebook by Daniel Sauerwein
Sources:
- The Hope pioneer. (Hope, ND), Dec. 8 1921. https://www.loc.gov/item/sn87096037/1921-12-08/ed-1/.
- The Wells County Free Press. (Fessenden, ND), Mar. 13, 1952. https://ndarchives.historyarchives.online/viewer?i=f&d=01011950-12311959&e=school%20lunch%20menu&m=between&ord=e1&fn=wells_county_free_press_usa_north_dakota_fessenden_19520313_english_2&df=1&dt=10&cid=2904.
- The Daily News. (Wahpeton, ND/Breckenridge, MN), Apr. 15, 1977. https://ndarchives.historyarchives.online/viewer?i=f&d=01011800-12312025&e=school%20lunch%20menu&m=between&ord=e1&fn=wahpeton-breckenridge_daily_news_usa_north_dakota_wahpeton_19770415_english_10&df=1&dt=10&cid=3088.
- The Daily News. (Wahpeton, ND/Breckenridge, MN), Apr. 30, 1982. https://ndarchives.historyarchives.online/viewer?i=f&d=01011800-12312025&e=school+lunch+menu&m=between&ord=e1&fn=the_daily_news_usa_north_dakota_wahpeton_19820430_english_28&df=1&dt=10&cid=3088.
- The Oakes Times. (Oakes, ND), Apr. 13, 2017. https://ndarchives.historyarchives.online/viewer?i=f&d=01012010-12312029&e=school%20lunch%20menu&m=between&ord=e1&fn=oakes_times_usa_north_dakota_oakes_20170413_english_2&df=1&dt=10&cid=3153.
