Lucian Barnes Pavillion
Completed in 2012, the Lucian Barnes Pavillion houses interior exhibit space, museum offices, collections storage, and an event center. Lucian Barnes was a long-time donor to the Cass County Historical Society and Bonanzaville and he had a strong passion for area history.
Trangsrud Elevator
PLAY VIDEOThe Trangsrud Elevator was originally built near Kindred, ND as a grainery in the early 1900's by Amund Trangsrud and his son, Henry. In the 1920's, the elevator and 10,000 pound scale for grain were added. The elevator stands at 30 feet in height and horses with wagons were able to drive straight on to the grain scale. The grain would be shoveled out of the wagons onto scales underneath. A continuously running chain would scoop grain up into "cups." These cups, or buckets, would bring the grain up to the top of the elevator into a distribution shaft, which would use gravity to pour the grain into one of the bins on the ground floor of the elevator. Once they were unloaded, the wagons drove out the other side. This elevator could hold up to 6,300 bushels of grain at one time thanks to its 10 storage bins. The Trangsrud Elevator was in continuous use until the 1970's. The elevator and its companion farmhouse were donated to Bonanzaville in 2009. Thanks to generous donations from the Trangsrud Family and the community, the elevator received a new roof in the spring of 2018.
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.
Train Shed
The metal train shed was a gift from Burlington Northern Railway, which was formed in 1970 from several railways, including the Great Northern and the Northern Pacific. It houses Bonanzaville's four large railroad cars.The large NP #684 steam locomotive is a 4-4-0 (American Class) type and was built for the cost of $10,500 in 1883 by New York Locomotive Works in Rome, NY and is similar to the one that would have arrived in the Fargo-Moorhead area in 1871. NP #684 was used mainly on the Northern Pacific lines in Montana and Idaho. It had a service lifespan that was more than double that of other engines built at the same time and on more than one occassion pulled the train cars of the President of the United States. The engine was sold in 1928 to a smaller railroad company, who slowly phased it out of service. In the 1940's, Northern Pacific realized that much of its early history was being lost. A search was conducted to find one of the 4-4-0 locomotives from the 1880's. They finally located one rusting in a field, #684. The tracks leading up to the train had long since been removed, so new tracks had to be laid before the train was pulled to Seattle, Washington for restoration. It served as a travelling exhibit during the 50's and 60's before being put in a Northern Pacific roundhouse. In the 1980's, various railroad mergers meant #684 needed a new home and it was brought to Bonanzaville.Also in the train shed are a restored caboose and large passenger car. The caboose dates from before 1900 and provided railroad crews with bunks and cooking facilities. They were used on most freight trains until the 1980's. The Burlington Northern passenger car is made of steel and could hold 80 passengers. Built in the 1930's, the car was a luxury to ride in, with restrooms and a men's smoking room. On the other side of the passenger car is a snow plow, built to break through snow drifts piled up on the tracks. Similar technology is still used today.
Horse Drawn Carriage Building
This building houses our horse drawn vehicles, including mail coaches, diary wagons, school busses, and even an antique hearse.Built in the late 1800's, the Myhra-Fredrikson Funeral Home in Davenport, ND purchased the hearse in 1905. The last time the hearse was used by Mr. Fredrikson himself was in June of 1932, when heavy rains necessitated two teams to pull the hearse throught the mud. The hearse was used for the last time in 1986, when Mr. Fredrikson's son, Robert, passed away. He had specifically requested the hearse be brought from Bonanzaville for his funeral.
Kathryn Depot
The Kathryn Depot was built by the North Pacific Railway Company around 1900 in Kathryn, North Dakota. It was closed in the mid- 1960s and moved to Bonanzaville in the years following. The Kathryn Depot now houses the Spud Valley Model Railroad Club, who runs a miniature model train out of the depot. This model train runs the length of most of the building and is a favorite among Bonanzaville visitors.
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.
Meier Medical Building
The Maier house was built by John and Dora Maier, who were originally from Russia, south of Moorhead, MN in 1896. Their daughter Magdalina Maier lived in the home until her death in 1981. Magdalina's children wanted to fulfill their mothers wishes of preserving the house and donated it to Bonanzaville in 1983. The building was originally used to display Magdalina's large doll collection, as well as the other dolls in Bonanzaville's collection. Now the building houses a small portion of Bonanzaville's large medical collection.
Hunter Times
This 1930's era building was the home of the Hunter Times newspaper out of Hunter, North Dakota. The first paper printed in Hunter, The Eye, ran during the 1890's. In the 1920's, the "Hunter Herald" ran until the building burned down. The Hunter Times was the first paper to be run out of this building and ran until the 1940's. The Hunter Times still lives on here at Bonanzaville. The machinery is all in working order and several volunteers print cards during special events. Local colleges also come out with publishing classes to try thier hand on old-fashioned equipment. The machines include a strip casting machine, hand-operated presses, flatbed press, and Linotype machine. The strip casting machine was used primarily for advertisements, particularly grocery ads, and would often be used to print objects instead of letters. Click the video to see it in action!
Fargo's First House
Fargo's first house was built by Henry Moore and George Mann in 1869, when Fargo was a tent city in Dakota's Territory. Initially the house was close to the river channel, in today's Island Park, but because of the annual floods, it was moved. It moved yet again when the land office began accepting homestead claims. In 1872 the house served as the Mann-Moore Hotel and in 1875 it served as a jail. The city paid $15 per month for rent while a new jail was being built. The loft was used as the jail while the main floor was used to house the offices for the mayor and the sheriff.Henry Hector purchased and refurbished the house in 1892. He and his family lived in the house until his death in the 1940's. Some of the changes they made were an addition and covering the original logs in siding. The house then switched hands multiple times before finally being moved to Bonanzaville in 1953.
Furnberg 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.
Forness Cabin
This cabin is an authentic reproduction of the single-level log cabins of pioneer days. In this region, log cabins were most common near rivers, where there was an abundance of trees. A main feature of this cabin is the cast iron stove. Located in the center of the room, its main use was for heating. Pioneers would not have to wait long for heat in the dead of winter because of the cabin's small size.Palmer Forness built the cabin from the remaining logs of the original cabin which was located in a park north of the Sheyenne River. After Palmer rebuilt the structure he donated it to Bonanzaville in memory of his father Albert in the summer of 1968.
Habberstad Cabin
This cabin was built by a group of Finlanders for Helmar and Emma Habberstad in 1874 near Kindred, North Dakota. Helmar had immigrated from Eidsvoll, Norway in the early 1880's. The family lived in the oak-log cabin until the 1950s when Carl Stenhjem, Emma Habberstad's cousin, purchased the land and cabin. Mr. Stenhjem donated the cabin to Bonanzaville in 1967.
South Pleasant Church
The South Pleasant Lutheran Church was built in 1890 in Christine, North Dakota. Services were held in the church until 2013. In 2015, the church moved from Christine to Bonanzaville to replace St. John's Church, which burned in a fire in 2014. The church underwent extensive renovations before being reopened to the public.The church continues to serve as a wedding and special event venue.
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 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
From Buffalo, N.D., this bandstand stood in Buffalo Park and dates from around 1900.
Dobrinz School
The school was first built in 1895 in the Mapleton Township, a quarter mile east of John Dobrinz Farm. The schoolhouse was named after the Dobrinz family because they had 13 children who would attend the school. Martha Dobrinz eventually taught at the school. Students in grades 1 through 8 attended the school in its early years.The students could start school as early as 3 and some were even older than their teachers. Grade levels were based on how many books a student could successful read instead of age range like we see today. Mapleton approved the move of the school house into Bonanzaville in 1968, making it one of the first buildings moved into the pioneer village.
Checkered Years House
This home was built in the late 1800s on a bonanza farm in Mapleton Township. Mary Dodge Woodward lived in the home with her children from 1882 to 1889. Walter, one of her sons, had been hired to manage the 1,500 acre bonanza farm for their relative Daniel Dodge. Walter was paid $1000 per year along with expenses. The land was used to grow No.1 hard wheat.Mary chronicled her life on the bonanza farm in her diary. The diary provides valuable insights on the life of a woman on a bonanza farm. For instance, Mary wrote that in 1882 there were only 2 buildings on the property but by 1887 there were 27 buildings. She wrote that people could easy mistake the farm for a town, especially if they were to build a saloon. She also writes that one winter the snow was as high as the second story window and, in another entry, that on a clear night it was possible to see the lights of Fargo from the upstairs window.After moving back to Wisconsin in 1889, Mary became ill and passed away in 1890. After her death her granddaughter, Mary Boynton Cowdrey, compiled her diaries into a shortened form, The Checkered Years, which was first printed in 1937. The book is available for purchase in the Bonanzaville gift shop.
Cass County Courthouse
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.
Hagen House
The Hagen house was built in 1897 for Martin Hagen on a farm near Horace, ND. Three generations of the Hagen family lived in the home without running water or electricity. The house boasts a summer kitchen which was used for laundry, cooking, and anything that required a fire so the house wouldn’t become too hot in the summer months. There was a dry sink located in the main house were dishes could be washed in buckets of water since there was no running water.The house still holds many of the Hagen family’s belongings, such as the chest of drawers in the north bedroom, which was made by Martin Hagen in 1898, the clothing in the closet and upstairs bedrooms, the quilts on the beds, and trunks. The home also had an outhouse that was used year round by the many generations. The house along with the summer kitchen and outhouse arrived at Bonanzaville in 1969.
Houston Mansion
The Houston Mansion, a bonanza farm house, was built by David H. Houston in 1881 near Hunter, ND. Houston was a Scottish immigrant who, upon settling in the U.S., became a farmer, poet, and inventor. The elegant house included maple floors, cherry and oak wainscoting, walnut staircase, high ornamental ceilings, and large bay windows. Mr. Houston also had new heating systems with hot air furnaces installed in the basement. This heated the house using metal conduits and air registers. The home even had an indoor bathroom which was uncommon for the time. The original home cost is estimated around $7,000.The home you see today is only half of the Houston Mansion, the part was the Houston families living quarters. The second part of the home housed the kitchen and staffs living quarters. The Houston’s had the home split the moved the servant’s quarters across the road.David Houston is best known for his patent for a roll film apparatus, used to roll film in early cameras. He sold the rights to William Walker for $700. Walker then sold the rights to Eastman Dry Plate and Film Company of Rochester (Eastman Kodak). Conflicts between Eastman and Houston arose and Houston began to sell his improved designs to Eastman’s competitors. However, after his death, Houston's will left his remaining 21 photographic patents to George Eastman.David Houston married Annie Laurie Pencille on April 26, 1888 and together they had one son, David Jr., born in 1889. Eventually the house was moved to Bonanzaville in 1971 along with Arthur Town Hall, the Page Hotel and Brass Rail Saloon, and the Hunter Times building.
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 and Old Abe
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. 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.Outside the Blacksmith shop stands Old Abe, the Case Eagle. Old Abe was chosen by Jerome I. Case to be the trademark of his farm equipment firm in 1865, but Old Abe's story begins during the early years of the Civil War, when a real eagle named Old Abe served as a mascot for Company C of the Eighth Wisconsin Regiment. J.I. Case saw the bird in a parade in 1861 and heard the eagle scream. He never forgot the incident and chose Old Abe to represent his company. Every Case building and every piece of equipment from 1865 until the 1970's had Old Abe's image.Our Old Abe is from the Fargo Case plant and was erected in 1911. In 1977, after a series of mergers, Old Abe was brought to Bonanzaville.
Melroe Tractor Building
This building was constructed to house Bonanzaville's large collection of early tractors. Tractors on display in this building span over 100 years and include manufacturers such as Case, Rumley, Chalmers, John Deere, Fordsons, McCormick Deering and Olivers.
Trangsrud House
The Transgrud House, from the same farm as the Trangsrud Elevator, was constructed around 1871. Amund Trangsrud emigrated from Norway to Cass County in 1870. Seven years later, he married Rikka Myrah and moved into this house where they lived until a larger house was built in 1908. The old house continued to be used as a bunkhouse for hired men during the summer, and was eventually used as storage.Amund and Rikka's grandson, Hank and his wife Joyce, began restoring the house in the early-1980's and donated the house and all its contents, along with a grain elevator, to Bonanzaville in 2009.
Moum Agriculture Building
Early agricultural technology as well as more recent inventions are housed in this building. Farm machinery implements ranging from threshing machines to plows to seeders, walking plow and diesel- driven tractors can be found in this building. The highlights of this building is the very first Steiger Tractor which is housed here, and was at the time of its production the world's largest bulldozer, The first Steiger tractor was built by John Steiger and his sons, Douglass and Maurice, who built it in the barn of their farm northwest of Red Lake Falls, MN.Also in the building is housed Bonanzaville’s Bobcat Machinery collection. On display is a history and evolution of the Bobcat machinery. We have many models of Bobcat throughout the years and many are first editions. Also housed in part of the Bobcat collection is the Melroe machinery that pre-dated Bobcat. These early models started the innovation and success of Bobcat.
Pioneer Fire Hall
The Pioneer Fire Company is a memorial to all firefighters of the area, past, present, and future. Firefighters from Fargo, West Fargo, and Casselton built the fire hall to replicate a fire station of the 1890s for the purpose of preserving and protecting fire fighting memorabilia.When the city council of Fargo chartered the Pioneer Fire Company in 1877, John Haggart was named Fargo’s first Fire Chief. The Haggart family assisted in the financial expenses of the structure.Equipment displayed in the building includes hand pulled “bucket” truck and soda and acid trucks from Davenport, ND. Fargo's first horse drawn hose cart (this item is temporarily on exhibit in the Main Museum), including the original harnesses which hang from the ceiling.. There is Fargo’s 1930 American LaFrance 1000 GPM pumper along with the 1947 pumper and the American LaFrance 100 Aerial.Upstairs there is a living quarters set up like it was during the late 1800s, or the volunteer period, where two men lived in the station to care for the horses. There is a photo display of different fires, personnel, and equipment from the area. There is also the original brass fire pole from the Moorhead, MN Headquarters Fire Station.
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 Cooperative Creamery Association was founded during the Great Depression and managed to survive through those challenging years through to today. This building is a replica of the former creamery located in Kenmare, North Dakota that was originally built in the 1930's. Farmers brought their milk in large canisters to the depot. The trains would then take the cannisters to town and from there brought to the creamery to be emptied. The empty cannisters were then sent back to the depot to be taken back to the farms, usually with a check from the creamery inside. Our building has several original pieces of equipment from Cass-Clay Creamery, including a large old style butter churn and a butter stick cutter.
Law Enforcement Museum
This building was originally constructed in the 1960's for use as the Fargo Auxillary Police Training Center, as well as a storage building for supplies and Auxillary owned vehicles. In its history is has also served as a polling place, a precinct station and as a weight and exercise room for the force. It also has significance as the first Rape Abuse Committee meeting place and a training space for FBI and SWAT teams.The building came to Bonanzaville in 1986 to serve as exhibit space for area law enforcement history. It includes authentic jail cells and a squad car, as well as various uniforms from law enforcements past.
Eagles Air Museum
The Eagles Air Museum had over 20 air crafts on display, dating from 1911 to 1975. The oldest being the 1911 Curtiss Pushers, built 7 years after the Wright Brothers flight in 1903. In 1911 “Lucky Bob” St. Henry of Minot made the first successful flight in North Dakota (Fargo).In the 1930s sixteen-year-old Harold Salut built a Pietenpole “Aircamper” based on the plans that were published in a 1931 issue of Mechanics Illustrated Magazine.The Douglas C-47 was built in 1942 was used in the China- Burma-India theater of World War II. After it was retired by the National Guard in 1968 it was used by four separate governors in North Dakota before being moved to Bonanzaville. Bonanzaville also proudly displays a Vietnam era “Huey” helicopter.
Cook Car
Bonanza farms had large crews of workers who helped with all aspects of farming, from planting to threshing, but women had an impact on bonanza farms as well. They were most often responsible for feeding the crews of 20, 30, or even 50 men. During threshing, crews sometimes moved from farm to farm working and cook cars like this one, and the women who did the cooking, would follow, making sure the men were fed. The menu was kept simple, but it was cooked in large quantities. Typical menus included: Homemade bread, roast pork (up to 15 lbs for one crew!) or fried potatoes, stewed tomatoes, slaw, stewed turnips, peas, corn and gravey, and bushels of beans. For breakfast there was baon, eggs, hash browns, and coffee. Dinner was served at 11:00 am, with lunch at 3:00 pm. Supper was usually cold meats, potatoes, salads, and cake for dessert. This cook car was built in 1904 adn was used near Finley, North Dakota. It was donated by the Bakken family.
Dahl Car Museum
This building houses a collection of over sixty vehicles from the early 1900's of automobiles to more modern vehicles. Many of the vehicles were donated by Eugene Dahl and Lester Melroe who purchased a large collection of automobiles from the Paul Hemp Automobile Museum in Rochester, Minnesota.
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. Watch the video starting at 0:30 to see one of these restored soda jerks in action!
Telephone Pioneers Museum
One of the most popular exhibits at Bonanzaville, the Telephone Pioneers Museum has been a staple here since 1972, when an old Tower City, North Dakota hardware store was converted by the US West Telephone Pioneers, who still care for the building and exhibits today. The museum tells the entire history of telephones, from early switchboards to modern day, with many interactive elements for our guests to try.Early telephones used operators to connect calls. When you picked up your phone, you were connected with an operator, usually a woman, who asked who you wanted to contact. She would then connect you, wait until you were finished, and then disconnect the call.
