Bonanza Farms: The First Farm
In July 1864, during the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln signed a bill to create the Northern Pacific Railroad, to open up the northern U.S. from the Great Lakes to the West Coast. The video discusses how the Northern Pacific Railroad traded land grants surrounding the railroad for bonds from its investors. Those investors, many of whom never even visited the state, then created large show or "bonanza" farms to demonstrate the fertility of the area and encourage more people to move to the state.
Bonanza farms, enormous and productive, were the unique outcome of railroad building and settlement enticement in the late 1800s in the Red River Valley. Covering thousands of acres and utilizing hundreds of workers, the farms and their relatively brief history are featured through interviews, photographs and contemporary media coverage.
Source
Bonanza Farms, Prairie Public Broadcasting.
Grade Level
3 - 12
Subject Matter
Social Studies, Science
Standards
Identify various things that are found in different environments (e.g., cactus, lizard – desert; shark, coral- ocean)
Identify different uses (e.g., building materials, sources of fuel) of Earth’s materials based on their properties
Identify ways that an organism’s pattern of behavior is related to the nature of the organism’s environment (e.g., the availability of food, space, and resources)
Explain ways humans benefit from Earth’s resources (e.g., air, water, soil, food, fuel, building materials)
Identify factors that affect populations (e.g., food webs, carrying capacity, overpopulation, disease, food supply, algal blooms, resources, conservation practices)
Interpret simple time lines (e.g., identify the time at which events occurred, the sequence in which events developed, and what else was occurring at the time)
Describe ways (e.g., the development of transportation, communication, industry, and land use) geography has affected the development of the local community over time
Use map scales to locate physical features and estimate distance on a map
Identify similarities and differences between past events and current events in North Dakota (e.g., in the lives of people from different cultures past and present)
Use chronological order and sequence to describe the cause-and-effect relationships of historical events and periods in North Dakota (e.g., how the railroads led to settlements in the state)
Identify the contributions of prominent individuals (e.g., Teddy Roosevelt, La Verendrye, Rough Rider Award winners) to North Dakota
Explain reasons for settlement in North Dakota (e.g., railroads, Bonanza farms, Homestead Act)
Explain the significance of agriculture in North Dakota history (e.g., immigration, railroads)
Identify ways that natural resources (e.g., soil, minerals, trees, fish, people) contribute to the economy of the local community and North Dakota
Explain how the physical environment (e.g., rainfall, climate, natural hazards) affects human activity in North Dakota
Identify different patterns of land use in North Dakota (e.g., land use in urban, suburban, and rural areas, mining, agriculture, manufacturing)
Describe ways geography has affected the development (e.g., the development of transportation, communication, industry, and land use) of the state over time
Explain how background and history influence people’s actions (e.g., farming methods, hunting methods, economic decisions)
Explain the impact of geography on western exploration and westward migration in the early nineteenth century (e.g., Northwest passage, colonization, Appalachian Mountains)
Explain how human activity (e.g., settlement patterns, migration) affects the physical environment (e.g., soil uses, economy, pollution, use of energy sources)
Use maps to find location, calculate scale, and distinguish other geographic relationships (e.g., latitude and longitude, population density)
Explain how physical systems affect human systems (e.g., Where do people live and why?)
Evaluate how economic opportunities (e.g., manufacturing, agricultural, business) impact North Dakota and other regions (e.g., Midwest, Northeast)
Compare human characteristics (e.g., population distribution, land use) of places and regions (i.e. North Dakota)
Explain ways technology contributes to the spread of ideas, values, and behavioral patterns between societies and regions (e.g., how transportation and communication technologies contribute to the diffusion of culture)
