Russell Reid (1900-1967) received the state level Pugsley Medal in 1954 “for a life dedicated to state parks development and historic sites preservation and his outstanding achievements on behalf of the citizens of North Dakota.” The gentle, sometimes stammering man who was superintendent of the state Historical Society of North Dakota from 1930 until 1965, after it was legally reconstituted, became a much admired public figure. At the time of his death on July 9, 1967, few persons in North Dakota public life had received more popular approbation. He was persistent in maintaining high standards of scholarship in the interpretation of North Dakota history in the face of changing times.
It was said of Russell Reid that rarely do we see an instance of a man more happily devoted to his work or one whose work was more completely his life. He was “booked to history and the lore of antiquities. Like the role that the first curator and further shaped it to his liking. Late in life he would recall that his duties at the state museum in 1919 paid him $20 per month, and he would add, ‘I was happy to do the work for nothing.’
Reid coordinated the planning by which state parks and historic sites were developed for public appreciation and use. The labor came from the Civilian Conservation Corps, and the planning was substantially assisted by the National Park Service. Fort Abraham Lincoln State Park (with Fort McKeen) is the outstanding example of this development. The sites of Fort Clark, Fort Rice, Fort Abercrombie, and Pembina also received substantial attention. Such valuable park developments stand as testimony to Reid’s imagination and enterprise. Reid also championed CCC labor and federal planning service for a unique recreation area, the International Peace Garden, and served as the NPS’s disbursing officer in the state.His efforts for recognition included various other initiatives, which eventually led toward national recognition.