Hiram M. Drache (August 18, 1924 – October 17, 2020) was an American professor of history and historian-in-residence at Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota. He was the author of numerous books on agriculture and the history of North Dakota and Minnesota.
Biography
Drache was born in Meriden Township, Steele County, Minnesota, in August 1924. He graduated from Owatonna High School in 1942 and enrolled at Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, Minnesota. His education was interrupted by World War II, during which he enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps and eventually earned the rank of Major before his honorable discharge.
After the war, Drache completed his baccalaureate degrees in 1947 and 1948. He earned a master's degree from the University of Minnesota in 1952 and a doctorate from the University of North Dakota in 1962. He taught and worked at Concordia College from 1955 until his death in 2020.
Academic Career
Drache served as professor emeritus of history and historian-in-residence at Concordia College, Moorhead, Minnesota. He specialized in agricultural history, with particular focus on the bonanza farming era of the Red River Valley and the broader agricultural development of the Upper Midwest.
Selected Bibliography
- The Day of the Bonanza (1964)
- Challenge of the Prairie: Life and Times of the Red River Pioneers (1970)
- Beyond the Furrow: Some Keys to Successful Farming in the Twentieth Century (1976)
- Tomorrow's Harvest: Thoughts and Opinions of Successful Farmers (1978)
- Koochiching: Pioneering Along the Rainy River Frontier (1983)
- Polar Pilot: The Carl Ben Eielson Story (with Dorothy G. Page; 1992)
- Taming the Wilderness: The Northern Border Country, 1910–1939 (1992)
- History of U.S. Agriculture and Its Relevance to Today (1996)
- Legacy of the Land: Agriculture's Story to the Present (1996)
- Century in the Park: Oak Grove Lutheran School (2006)
- Plowshares to Printouts: Farm Management As Viewed Through 75 Years of the Northwest Farm Managers Association
Death
Drache died on October 17, 2020, at the age of 96, at Eventide Senior Living in Moorhead, Minnesota. His funeral was held at Trinity Lutheran Church in Moorhead.
