Welcome to the official website of Bonanzaville, USA.

 

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Check out Pioneer Village at Bonanazaville and see a vintage Blacksmith Shop, pioneer homes and so much more exhibits of historic significance.

Pioneer Village
Arthur Town Hall:  Built in the 1890s at a cost of $1,000, the city of Arthur, ND held plays, meetings, graduations, and movies in this building.  The stained glass windows are from the Little Theater Company at NDSU.

Blacksmith Shop:  Originally from Tower City, ND, it includes the original furnishings and tools such as the trip hammer and forge.
Buffalo Bandstand:  Bandstands, like this example from Buffalo, ND, were found in most towns in the Nineteenth Century.

Case EagleThis 1911 eagle, known as “Old Abe,” was originally found on the former J.I. Case building on NP Avenue in Fargo.
Cass-Clay Creamery: Replica of a common 1920s small town creamery.  Many of the furnishings are originally from the Kenmare, ND creamery– the last of its kind.
Cass County District Courthouse:  The furniture displayed is from the original Cass County Courthouse and the interior is arranged as it appeared in 1904.  However, this building originally served as the Hagemeister School in Berlin Township from 1930-1956. 
Checkered Years Home:  This home is from a bonanza farm in Mapleton Township.  Mary Dodge Woodward, the first resident of the home, moved it west from St. Paul.  After her death, her granddaughter compiled her diaries into a book entitled The Checkered Years, which is for sale in the gift shop.   
Dobrinz School:  Built in 1895, the school served Mapleton Township well into the Twentieth Century.  The school was named for John Dobrinz, a farmer who lived near the school and father of thirteen of its students.
Drug Store:  The interior of this building displays the furnishings of the former Bjerklie Drug Store in Gilby, ND.
Embden Depot and Train ShedThe depot was built by the Northern Pacific Railroad in 1900.  The train shed houses an 1883 Northern Pacific steam locomotive, caboose, Russell snow plow, and a 1930 eighty passenger coach.  The water tower and column were used by the Northern States Power Plant in downtown Fargo.
Fargo’s First House:  The first permanent house in the Fargo area built by immigrants in 1869 near Fourth Street and Second Avenue South.  It also has served as a jail, hotel, and home to the Martin Hector Family.
Forness Log CabinPatterned after the ranch style log cabins of the Nineteenth Century, this house was moved from rural Fargo and is one of Bonanzaville’s first buildings. 
Furnberg StoreThis building was built in the late 1800s by Christian Furnberg near the train stop at Osgood, ND.  The store provided settlers with necessary supplies and also served as a post office.  The store closed in 1953 after nearly 75 years in business.
Habberstad CabinBuilt by a group of Finnish settlers in 1874, it was originally located northeast of Kindred, ND, on the Sheyenne River.
Hagen House:  Built by Martin Hagen in 1897 near Horace, ND.  four generations lived here without electricity or indoor plumbing.  Of note is the summer kitchen behind the house. 
Houston House:  This beautiful bonanza farm house was built in 1881 by David Houston south of Hunter, ND at a cost of $7,000.  Houston was a Scottish immigrant, farmer, poet, and inventor of the roll film camera.  This was truly an elegant home for its time with maple floors, cherry and oak wainscoting, walnut stairs, and large bay windows. 
Hunter TimesOriginally from Hunter, ND, the newspaper flourished until the 1940s.  Among the machinery on display here is a strip casting machine, hand-operated press, flatbed press, and linotype machine. 
Kathryn DepotThis building is home to the Spud Valley Model Railroad Club which operates a model railroad inside. 
Harness Shop:  From Addison, ND, this building was used for harness repair and oiling, and horseshoe repair.
Land Office BankThis is a replica of a Cogswell, ND building.  The land office was where hopeful new land seekers would file their plots and after proving up their land would receive titles to their property. 
Martinson CabinFormer home of the North Dakota poet and labor organizer Henry D. Martinson.
Brass Rail Saloon and Hotel:  A typical late Nineteenth Century small town hotel, café, and saloon from Page, ND.  This building is furnished just as it was 100 years ago, without indoor plumbing.
Pioneer Fire Company:  Built by area firefighters as a replica of an 1890s station, this building contains several hand pulled carts, one of the original horse drawn wagons of the Fargo Fire Department, and replicated living quarters upstairs.
U-R Next Barber ShopBuilt in 1900 by Buffalo, ND, many of the objects on display are original to the shop, including the back bar and wooden barber chairs.     
St. John’s ChurchBuilt in 1898 near Horace, ND, many furnishings are original including the twelve lamp kerosene chandelier.  The church held services until 1967 when it was donated and relocated to Bonanzaville.  Weddings and services are still held in the church.
Thue-Brink Store:  A general store from Horace, ND, built in 1896 by H. H. Thue and C. O. Brink.  The post office was also part of the building and was operated for 56 years by the Thue Family.
Wheatland Town Hall and JailBuilt in 1905 in Wheatland Township, ND, the building housed two constables, a justice of the peace, and lawbreakers.


 
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