Embden Depot
In July 1871, work began on railroad tracks in what would become Fargo, North Dakota. Nearly a year later the first train crossed the Red River from Moorhead into Fargo and opened up the Dakota Territory to the rest of the country. As the tracks expanded across the territory, depots were built to serve the towns that sprang up around the tracks. Railroad business was conducted here, as well as telegraph services. The railroad built the Embden Depot in 1900 in Embden, North Dakota. It contained a passenger waiting room, office, freight dock, and a small apartment for the agent who worked there. Agents recieved free lodgings but were charged one dollar a month for coal and lamp oil. One dollar in 1900 is roughly 29 dollars today.
U-R Next Barber Shop
The U-R Next Barber Shop began life as the "City Tonsorial Parlor" and was built around 1900 in Buffalo, North Dakota. W.J. Frederick operated his parlor there until 1909, when he sold it to Lewis Easton, a law enforcement officer. Even though the town of Buffalo did not have running water, the barber shop found a way to run water into the shop. A galvanized tub was placed in the ceiling and two water pipes ran to the tub in the back, with one making a stop by a heater first for hot water. Lewis operated the shop until 1964, when he passed away. It was bought by the Master Barbers Association and given to Bonanzaville. All the furnishings and supplies you see inside are from the original shop and many are in thier original locations.
Furnberg General Store
The Furnberg Store was built in 1899 by Christian and Johanna Furnberg in Osgood, North Dakota, about 4 miles south of West Fargo. General stores like the Furnberg were the Wal-marts of thier day, stocking everything from clothing, to groceries, to feed and supplies for the farm. A blacksmith operated out of the backroom of the store, which meant that the Furnbergs did not keep much stock in the back, stocking only what was necessary. In addition to the store and blacksmith shop, the Furnberg Store also housed the Osgood post office until 1911.The store closed in 1953 after being in operation for over 50 years. The Furnberg's son, Christian, donated it and all its contents to Bonanzaville in 1968 and was instrumental in restoring the store.
Land Office Bank
Built in 1989, this building is a replica of land office that once stood in Cogswell, North Dakota and was a project of the Bonanza Belles (an auxiliary group of Cass County Historical Society). Land offices and banks were important to the early communities that sprang up in North Dakota and often one of the first structures, be it a tent or a building, were land offices. Land offices were vitally important to the early Dakota pioneers. After the Homestead Act was passed in 1862 by President Lincoln, anyone over 21 years of age, men and women,could pick 160 acres and file with the local land office for a $14 processing fee. The settlers then had 6 months to "prove up" the land, which meant they had to improve it by building a house of some sort and break or plow at least 15 of thier acres. Once they had proved up, they could buy the land for $1.25/acre or farm the land for 5 years and recieve it for free.The replica was a long-time dream of Carl Stenhjem, who also donated the Habberstad Cabin. The grillwork inside is from the treasurer's office at the County Courthouse and the desk was donated from an old land office.
Buffalo Bandstand
Bandstands that stood in town squares or parks were common in small towns in the 19th century and into the 20th. They were gathering places for townspeople, areas of entertainment, and centers of activity. This bandstand is from Buffalo, North Dakota and was built in the late 19th century.
Cass County Court House
This building originally served as the Hagemeister School #2, District 31, in Berlin Township from 1930-1956. After the school was moved to Bonanzaville it was used to house the original furnishings from the Cass County Courthouse from 1904. The furnishings were moved from the original courthouse building after it was subject to renovations in 1967.Some of the original Cass County Courthouse furnishing have now been moved into the Main Museum’s Boardroom in order to be properly preserved. The bell outside the courthouse building is also from the original Cass County Courthouse. For most of its life it has rested near the ground. The braces that once held the bell failed which caused the bell to fall several feet before being caught on steel beams.
Arthur Town Hall
The building was constructed in the early 1890s in Arthur, ND, costly approximately $1000. It held church services, dances, graduations, plays, basketball games, and movies. Minstrel shows were held annually and showcased singing, dancing, vaudeville, and drama. The projection room is still in the building, located upstairs, but is closed for renovations. The building was donated and moved to Bonanzaville in 1974.The stained glass windows that can be seen in the hall were donated by NDSU after they were removed from the Little Country Theatre. Three of the windows depict playwrights Johann Wolfgang Goethe, Henrik Ibsen, and William Shakespeare. These three were chosen because they represent the three major languages (German, Norwegian, and English) which were spoken by the early settlers of the area. The other three windows depict Senator Justin Morrill who proposed the land- grant college system bill, which NDSU is a part of, the Statue of Liberty, and Abraham Lincoln, who signed the act organizing the Dakota Territory in 1861.
Blacksmith Shop
Blacksmiths in the pioneer days provided shoes for horses, wagon wheel rims, chains, and plows to thier communities, as well as items for the household, like latches, hinges, and wrought iron gates. Blacksmiths were valued members of their communities for the work they provided.This shop is the original blacksmith shop from Tower City, North Dakota and includes all its original furnishings. It was brought to Bonanzaville in 1970. The anvil was donated in memory of Clarence Evenson from Kindred, North Dakota, who used it from 1935 to 1965. It weighs 266 pounds and the center of the face has been worn down to just 1/16th of an inch from its years of heavy use.
Brass Rail Saloon and Hotel
The Page Hotel and Brass Rail Saloon was built in 1889 in Page, ND. It offered comfortable sleeping quarters, meals, and live entertainment on the player piano. No alcohol was served in the saloon until the 1930s, because North Dakota entered the Union as a dry state and remained dry until the repeal of prohibition. When the hotel opened, room prices ranged from 50 cents for the common room to 75 cents for the bridal suite. There was no indoor plumbing, meaning water had to be carried in and chamber pots hauled out.The building was moved to Bonanzaville in 1971 along with the Houston Mansion, Arthur Town Hall, and the Hunter Times building. The current furnishing in the rooms represent the early 1900s style.
Cass- Clay Creamery
The Cass-Clay Creamery was founded during the Great Depression and managed to survive those challenging years and the years that followed. They are still in business toady.While most farmers were able to produce their own dairy products, as towns and populations grew, the need for creameries grew also. Farmers would fill cannisters of milk from their cows and bring them to the nearest depot, which would pick up the cans and transport them into town. In town they were brought to creameries, emptied, and brought back to the train depot to return to the farmers, usually with a check from the creamery inside. The Creameries then produced cream, milk, butter, and cheese for the townspeople who did not have their own dairy cows.This creamery is a replica of one that stood in Kenmare, North Dakota and features many originally pieces of equipment, including an industrial sized butter churnm and a butter stick cutter.
Bjerklie Drug Store
The building that houses the drug store is from West Fargo and was not originally a drug store. It was purchased and donated by a pharmacist, David Olson of Fargo. The building was moved to Bonanzaville in 1975 and the contents inside the store come from the family run Bjerklie Drug Store in Gilby, North Dakota and North Dakota State University. The inside was renovated to recreate the feeling of the Bjerklie Drug Store including the original soda jerk. On display you can find medicine containers, scales, mortar and pestles, and some beauty supplies.In the 1920s and 30s soda counters became popular serving both soda and ice cream treats. Drug stores would also serve alcohol for “medicinal purpose” during prohibition because alcohol couldn’t be served anywhere else.
