Bonanza and Cattle
Farms
Essential Idea:
O Bonanza Farms and cattle bonanza integral role in
bringing settlers to the area and its contributions to
the economy
I can Statements:
O I can describe a Bonanza farm and tell the role
these farms had on early farming in the state.
O I can describe who Marquis De Mores and his wife
Medora are and explain the role they played in the
cattle industry in ND.
O I can discuss Theodore Roosevelt's involvement in
the cattle industry in ND.
Bonanza Farming
O Bonanza “hitting it lucky” “big fortune”
O Huge wheat farms, that were supposed to make huge
profits because of their size
O ranging from 3,000 to 75,000 acres in northern
Dakota
O First bonanza farm was established in the Red River
Valley
O Wheat was the only crop raised on these farms
O Used steamboats to ship the wheat
O “Factory Farms”
O Headquarters Farm: divided into divisions: 5,000 acres
1. Superintendent:
-headed each division
-supervised the foreman for each sub-division: 1200-1800
acres
2. Foreman: supervised the workers in the subdivisions
3. Workers-lived in bunkhouses on the farm
O Depression hit the US in the 1890’s-wheat fell to 40 cents a
bushel. So most farm owners quit the business. Farms were
broken up and sold to individual farmers.
Cattle Bonanza
O Wealthy businessmen in the East learned
about the good grazing lands in western
Dakota Territory.
O Largest number of cattle herds came from
Texas “Texas Longhorns”
O 1876: 2,500 heads of cattle brought to ND
O Open range: unfenced land used for grazing
cattle-were branded (marked) for
identification
O A roundup happened every 2 years
O Called the Badlands “Pyramid Park” so it
would sound more appealing
Theodore Roosevelt
O Grew up in a wealthy family in NY City
O Arrived in ND to hunt bison & fell in love with the
beauty of the Badlands
O bought 2 ranches: Elkhorn & Maltese Cross
Ranch, and went into the cattle business
O Maltese cost $14,000
O He had two partners, Merrifield and Ferris who
managed the ranch in TR’s absence
O Became the 26th President of the US (1901-1909)
Marquis de Mores
O Member of a French royal family who ranched in
the Badlands and founded the town of Medora,
named after his wife Medora Von Hoffman.
O Nicknamed the “Crazy Frenchman”
O “Chateau”: 26 room summer house of the
Marquis and his wife Medora
 Built a meat packing plant so he could ship beef to markets in New
York. Meat plant burned down in 1907 & never again opened.
O The Blizzard of 1886-1887 the cattle herds
were wiped out and the ranching business
never recovered.
O 1889 Medora became a ghost town.