Bonanza Farms: Working at the Bonanza Farms
Owners of huge bonanza farms were investors and rarely worked at them. Some never even set foot on their own farms, relying on farm managers and hundreds of transient, temporary workers for spring planting and fall harvest. Each gigantic farm needed hundreds of workers, whose 13-hour days were regulated like military life.
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
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
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 effects of human activities (e.g., dams, levees, farming practices, deforestation, land-use practices, land-management strategies) on the environment
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
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)
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)
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)
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 contributions of various ethnic groups (e.g., Native Americans, immigrants) to the history of North Dakota (e.g., food, traditions, languages, celebrations)
Describe similarities and differences between past events and current events in U.S. history (e.g., in the lives of people from different cultures past and present)
Identify the reasons (e.g., Boston Tea Party, the Stamp Act, English Laws) for conflict between England and the American colonies and the key people (e.g., George Washington, King George III, John Adams, Paul Revere) involved
Explain how human activity (e.g., settlement patterns, migration) affects the physical environment (e.g., soil uses, economy, pollution, use of energy sources)
Identify examples of conflict (e.g., slavery, war, gender roles) and cooperation (e.g., settlements) that occurred among cultures (e.g., gender, ethnic groups, religious groups, immigrant groups, socio-economic status)
Explain the factors (e.g., trade routes, goods available, location) that influenced the growth of cities
Explain how physical systems affect human systems (e.g., Where do people live and why?)
Identify principles governing individual and group behavior (e.g., cooperation, collaboration, power, conflict) within social dynamics (e.g., familial, political, religious)
Analyze the transformation of the nation (e.g., Imperialism, industrialization, immigration, political/social reformers, urbanization, mechanization of agriculture, changing business environment)
Evaluate how economic opportunities (e.g., manufacturing, agricultural, business) impact North Dakota and other regions (e.g., Midwest, Northeast)
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)
Analyze conflict, cooperation, and interdependence among individuals, groups, and institutions (e.g., gender roles, social stratification, racial/ethnic bias)
