The day of the bonanza

Much of American history has been the story of the advance of pioneers into the new country to the westward. It was the farmers more than any other class who brought settled ways to the new country and made it productive of much wealth. The bonanza farms secured their lands cheaply by exchanging the depreciated bonds of the bankrupt Northern Pacific for portions of that railroad's land grant. They concentrated on farming wheat and brought something of the methods of mass production to farming. Their spectacular operations attracted much attention, advertised the Red River Valley throughout the nation as well as a pioneer to North Dakota farming.

Following an overview of railroad land grants and the economics of North Dakota agriculture, Hiram Drache discusses the reasons for bonanza farms in the 1870s-1890's, how they operated, and why they didn't survive. He then describes how agriculture has developed and changed in North Dakota through the 20th century. Followed by a brief question and answer session.