Homesteading: Facing Disaster
Original letters, photos, and accounts from authors and relatives of homesteaders all provide an account of what it was like to live in North Dakota in the mid- to late-1800s in this clip from the Prairie Public documentary
Homesteading. Disease, weather, and drought were all risks the settlers faced and disaster was never far from the homestead.
Producer
Dave Geck, Ryan Sailer, Ben Stommes, Frode Tilden.
Source
Homesteading, Prairie Public. Kim Stenehjem (Producer), Heidi Nelson (Editor), Barbara Gravel (Production Editor), Bob Dambach (Executive Producer).
Subject Matter
Social Studies
Standards
Explain how natural hazards affect populations, resources, and the environment (e.g., floods, storms, hurricanes, volcanoes, earthquakes)
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 how community life has changed from past (i.e., pioneer and tribal) to the present
Explain reasons for settlement in North Dakota (e.g., railroads, Bonanza farms, Homestead Act)
Explain how the physical environment (e.g., rainfall, climate, natural hazards) affects human activity in North Dakota
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 contributions of various ethnic groups (e.g., Native Americans, immigrants) to the history of North Dakota (e.g., food, traditions, languages, celebrations)