Red River Land: History of Travel: The Automobile
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5
Red River Land is a series of programs about North Dakota developed for educational purposes in the 1960s by Erling Rolfsrud, educator, historian and writer, in conjunction with Prairie Public Television, as it was then known.
At first people in the Red River Valley thought that automobiles were a nuisance that scared horses, but as automobiles became cheaper people began to trade in their carts and carriages for cars. The gasoline engine resulted in big changes, and automobiles began realizing their full potential when a suitable network of roads was built in North Dakota. Electric streetcars and motorized busses provided city transit. School busses were originally horse-drawn, then motorized.
Source
Red River Land, Prairie Public & NCCST, Erling Rolfsrud.
Grade Level
3 - 12
Subject Matter
Social Studies, Science
Standards
Evaluate the effects of technology on people and the environment (e.g., new construction, oil drilling, electric cars)
Explain how an invention may lead to other inventions
Identify ways in which science and technology have greatly improved human lives (e.g., food quality and quantity, transportation, health, sanitation, communication)
Explain ways humans benefit from Earth’s resources (e.g., air, water, soil, food, fuel, building materials)
Identify examples of how technologies have evolved
7.6.1. Identify ways in which technology has influenced the course of history and improved the quality of life
Explain the importance of the accomplishments of scientists and inventors (e.g., light bulb, automobile, discovery of electricity, computer, telephone)
Describe how community life has changed from past (i.e., pioneer and tribal) to the present
Describe ways (e.g., the development of transportation, communication, industry, and land use) geography has affected the development of the local community over time
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)
Describe the effects of changes in industry, agriculture, and technology in North Dakota (e.g., energy production, transportation, farming methods)
Identify the location and characteristics of significant features of North Dakota (e.g., landforms, river systems, climate, regions, major cities)
Describe ways geography has affected the development (e.g., the development of transportation, communication, industry, and land use) of the state over time
Explain the factors (e.g., trade routes, goods available, location) that influenced the growth of cities
Analyze the transformation of the nation (e.g., Imperialism, industrialization, immigration, political/social reformers, urbanization, mechanization of agriculture, changing business environment)
Evaluate the impact of various factors that led to the transformation of the nation (e.g., imperialism, industrialization, immigration, political/social reformers, urbanization, mechanization of agriculture, changing business environment)
