Bonanza Farms, Railroads, and "Important" White Men: EuroAmerican Settlement of North Dakota

Summary

This is an abstract from the session entitled "In the Sticks but Not in the Weeds II: Historical Whitewashing and Modern Reimagining of Rural America’s Fantasy Past", at the 2025 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

The mythos that exists regarding “settlement” of present-day North Dakota largely revolves around the introduction of the railroad and industrial-scale Bonanza farms that followed. The result is a historical narrative that prioritizes a few key actors, all of whom are white, male, and tied to positions of power within corporations and/or politics. Dependent on a network of seasonal and migrant workers, these farms provide fertile ground for exploring the lived realities of individuals who have fallen victim to the silences introduced during the (re)formation of historical narratives. This paper presents preliminary research from the 4e Farmstead Archaeology Project, aimed at examining daily life on one of the Bonanza farms through archival and archaeological research. Located on a modern-day winery, the authors will specifically share how their findings will serve the public through a variety of community engagement opportunities.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• In the Sticks but Not in the Weeds II: Historical Whitewashing and Modern Reimagining of Rural America’s Fantasy Past   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2025

Keywords

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Nicole Haddow