Northern Great Plains 1880 - 1920

7/27/2019 Northern Great Plains 1880 - 1920

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Northern Great Plains, 1880-1920

The history of North Dakota is very much tied to its geography and

climate, which is the first topic presented in this overview. The next

topic in our overview deals with the first inhabitants of the region, the

Native Americans, and covers the variety of tribes and their cultures.

Next we delve into the first Europeans in the area and their

explorations and early settlement. As settlement grew, so did the

presence of the United States military, the next topic covered. The

establishment of the military presence paved the way for our next topic,

Dakota Territory and statehood. Unprecedented settlement, our next

topic, followed in the wake of the establishment of Dakota Territory. As

settlement increased and farming proliferated, our next topic, ranching,

was being carried out in the western region of the state. North Dakota

politics and the Nonpartisan League, dynamic and fascinating, is the

next topic covered. Our final topic, contemporary North Dakota, brings

us up to date.

Perhaps in no other state has geography dictated the development of

the state more than in North Dakota. North Dakota comprises an area

of 70,665 square miles (size of the six New England states and New

Jersey), and its geography is seen as four separate regions: the Red

River Valley, the Drift Prairie, the Missouri Plateau, and the Badlands.

The lowest point in North Dakota is 792

feet above sea level at Pembina in the

extreme northeast corner, and the highest

elevation is 3,506 feet above sea level at

White Butte in the southwest portion of t

state. North Dakota has been desc

as a rectangle approximately 335 miles

from east to west and 210 miles from north to south. It is bordered b

Minnesota on the east, Montana on the west, and South Dakota on the

h

ribed

y

e
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south. Its northern border forms part of the international boundary with

Canada, bordering the provinces of Manitoba and Saskatchewan.

North Dakota is considered to have a continental climatecold winters

ult of

n

The Red River Valley region lies along the eastern border with

t. The

The Drift Prairie is the next region westward. It has the second lowest

r

The Missouri Plateau covers the part of North Dakota which lies west

The Badlands, which lie in the southwestern corner of the Missouri Plateau,

e

and hot summers, low humidity, light rainfall, and much sunshine.

Extremes in temperatures may also abound. The climate is the res

North Dakota's location in the geographic center of North America.

There are few natural barriers on the northern Great Plains and the

winds move freely across the plains and account for rapid changes i

temperature.

Minnesota. It has the lowest elevation in the state and is very flavalley is part of the bed of an ancient glacial lake, Lake Agassiz. The

silt of the former lake bottom gives this valley some of the most fertile

soil in the world.

elevation in the state. Some parts of the region are flat while others are

hilly. The entire area is covered by glacial deposits or drift, which give it

rich soil. The area has many small prairie potholes or sloughs where

thousands of ducks and geese nest each year. The geographic cente

of North America is located in this region near the town of Rugby, in the

north central portion of the state, which is approximately 1,500 from the

Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean, Gulf of Mexico, and the Arctic Ocean.

of the Drift Prairie extending to the western border with Montana. It hasthe highest elevation in the state, ranging from 2,000 to over 3,000 feet

above sea level. Much of the region was once covered by glaciers. The

area is hilly and contains minerals like oil and coal.

were not covered by glaciers. Wind and water have carved deep valleys in th

land, and the area features canyons, buttes, and bluffs colored with reds and

browns. Much of the rock in the Badlands is bright red scoria, which is the
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cinders of lignite coal that has burned underground. As the coal burned, the

rock became red.

Prior to the arrival of European explorers and fur traders in North

Dakota, at least seven different groups of Native Americans lived in

what is now North Dakota: the Assiniboine, Chippewa, Mandan,

Hidatsa, Arikara, Cheyenne and Yanktonai (branch of the Dakota). The

Cree also spent time in the area.

Although the Arikara, Hidatsa, and

Mandan spoke different languages,observed different customs, and lived

miles apart, there were numerous

similarities in their buildings and farming

methods. These three tribes, identified

today as the Three Affiliated Tribes, lived in permanent earthen lodges

along the Missouri River in central North Dakota. Primarily they were

farmers who grew corn, sunflowers, pumpkins, beans, and squash.

They hunted buffalo and other animals for extra food and also served

as "middlemen" in trade between other Native Americans.

The Assiniboine called themselves Nakoda (the people) or Nakota (the

generous ones) and were allies of the Cree. Their language is a dialect

of Dakota and they were typically large game hunters and lived in hide

tipis. The Dakota were their bitter enemies and they were considered

quite warlike. They were predominantly located in the northeastern

region of North Dakota and now reside across the border in Canada.

The Cheyenne were originally woodland dwellers, then semi-sedentary

plant growers associated with the Mandan, Arikara and Hidatsa. Later

they moved further west and developed into excellent horsemen and

buffalo hunters, and became, for a while, a great warrior nation. They

were very adaptable and inventive and eventually allied with theDakota.
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The Chippewa were originally forest dwellers, and the southern group

eventually settled in the Turtle and Pembina mountain areas of

northeastern North Dakota. The name Chippewa is the popular

adaptation of Ojibway. As they moved westward they came into conflict

with and defeated the Fox and Dakota who challenged them.

The Dakota are commonly known as Sioux or Dakota Sioux, but the

correct name is Lakota, and the fuller name is Teton Lakota. The word

Sioux is probably from the old Chippewa word for "enemies to the

west." The Dakota were originally a great nation, having three dialects

and seven major bands or council fires. To most non-Indians, the

Dakota are the classic example of the Plains Indian warriors. Ironically,

they were originally a shy forest people driven westward by the

Chippewa. By the mid to late 1800s, after obtaining horses and guns,

they became mighty warriors, driving out all tribes before them and

earning the respect of the whites due to their mastery of military tactics

and war.

The Cree were a huge, diverse band of hunters and occupied a large

part of Canada and parts of extreme eastern North Dakota. They were

friendly with the Chippewa, but fought the Iroquois and Dakota. The

majority of the Cree now live on reservations in Manitoba, Canada.

After signing treaties with the United States government from the

1850s to the 1870s, North Dakota Native Americans were placed on

several reservations. Many tribal members remain on these

reservations still today. There are five reservations in North Dakota,

two of which occupy land in both South and North Dakota. The Spirit

Lake Nation (Devils Lake Sioux) is located at Devils Lake, in east

central North Dakota. The Fort Berthold Reservation is home to the

Three Affiliated Tribes (Arikara, Hidatsa, and Mandan), and lies in the

west-central part of the state along the Missouri River. The Standing

Rock Reservation (Standing Rock Sioux) straddles both North and

South Dakota and is about forty miles south of Bismarck, North Dakota.

The Turtle Mountain Reservation (Chippewa and Metis) is the

northernmost reservation, just below Canada in north central North


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Dakota. The Sisseton Reservation (Sioux) is predominantly in South

Dakota, with just the northernmost edge in southeastern North Dakota.

The first Europeans to see North Dakota came in search of furs and awater route to the Pacific Ocean. One of the first to explore the region

was French Canadian Sieur de La Verendrye in 1738, when France

laid claim to much of North Dakota. He visited one of the Mandan

villages along the Missouri River near present-day Bismarck.

In 1803 the United States purchased this region from France in a

transaction called the Louisiana Purchase. In 1804 President Thomas

Jefferson sent Meriwether Lewis and William Clark to explore this

territory and find a route to the Pacific Ocean. The Lewis and Clark

Expedition wintered with the Mandan and Hidatsa Indians in 1804-

1805. They passed through the region again in 1806 on their return

from the Pacific. Lewis and Clark stayed longer in the region that

became North Dakota than in any other place through which they

traveled. Although many others explored after Lewis and Clark and

recorded their experiences, perhaps the most valuable record was

made by Prince Alexander Philipp Maximilian of Wied-Neuwied

(Prussia) and Karl Bodmer between 1832-1834. The records

Maximilian kept and the world famous paintings by Karl Bodmer during

their winter with the Mandans at the Knife River villages provides an in-

depth glimpse of Native American customs, culture and dress.

After the Lewis and Clark Expedition, therush to establish fur trading posts on the

Missouri River began. The Red River

Valley fur trade in the eastern part of the

state began to boom at about the same

time. Beaver and buffalo furs were among

the most popular items. The Red River

Valley was not part of the Louisiana Purchase, but it was ceded in1818 by the British to the United States.
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During the years of the fur trade, which was dominated by the English-based

Hudson Bay Company, many French traders took Chippewa or Cree wives.

Their children were called Metis (meh-tee). Many Metis lived near Pembina,

located in extreme northeast North Dakota, a major fur trading post and the

first European settlement in North Dakota.

As settlement of the northern Great Plains

increased, United States military presence also

increased to protect settlers. With the

establishment of the Dakota Territory in 1861,trespassing on traditional Native American land

continued and the establishment of military

forts increased. Between 1862 and 1872, the army built eight forts to

protect the settlers and people traveling west, to protect the workers

building the railroads, and to control the Native Americans, primarily

the Dakota.

In 1876, from Fort Abraham Lincoln (five miles south of present day

Mandan, North Dakota) on the banks of the Missouri, Colonel George

A. Custer lead the pursuit of Sitting Bull which ended with the Battle of

Little Big Horn. The increased presence of, and harassment by, the

military, coupled with an endless string of broken treaties with the

Native Americans, led to the military defeat of Native Americans and to

their confinement on reservations.

On March 2, 1861, the Congress of the

United States created the Dakota

Territory, which consisted of the present-

day states of North Dakota and South

Dakota, and most of Montana and

Wyoming. The name was taken from that

of the Dakota. In their language, Dakota
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means "allies." In 1863 the size of the territory was reduced to the area

of North and South Dakota. With increasing immigration and

settlement, by the late 1870s Dakotans felt inadequately represented

by territorial status and began pushing for statehood, either as one

state or two. By the late 1880s, northern Dakota had 19 0,000

residents and southern Dakota had over 340,000, population sizes that

justified statehood.

The Omnibus Bill of February 22, 1889, passed by Congress,

authorized framing of constitutions in Montana, North Dakota, South

Dakota, and Washington. On November 2, 1889, both North and South

Dakota were admitted to the United States. Since President Benjamin

Harrison did not want to show favoritism, after he signed the Act of

Admissions papers for North Dakota and South Dakota, he mixed them

up. Therefore, their order of admissions is listed alphabetically, with

North Dakota the 39th state and South Dakota the 40th state.

Most settlers came to North Dakota for free

or inexpensive land and the chance to farm.

Between 1879 and 1886 over 100,000

immigrants entered northern Dakota territory.

The second massive movement into the

state was between 1898 and 1915 when m

came into the state. While some of the earliest settlers came by ox-

drawn wagons, stagecoaches, or steamboats, the vast majority

on the railroad. Both the Northern Pacific and Great Northern railroads

advertised Dakota in Europe, promoting people to take the railroad

North Dakota and farm the rich land there.

ore than 250,000 persons

came

to

Most new settlers grew wheat, but did not have large farms. They

ral

maintaining trees on the prairie.

either bought their land from the railroad or they homesteaded fede

land. Homesteading involved living on and improving 160 acres of land

for a number of years, after which the settlers got the land for free.They could receive an additional 160 acres of land by planting and
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Large-scale farming occurred in eastern North Dakota from about 18

to 1890, when investors from the

75

eastern United States purchased

huge tracts of rich Red River Valley land. Much of it was acquired from

res.

the Northern Pacific Railway and operated as large farms growing "No.

1 Hard" wheat. These farms ranged in size from 3,000 to 65,000 ac

The farms earned such tremendous profits that they became known

across the United States as bonanza farms. On September 6, 1878,

even President Rutherford B. Hayes visited the bonanza farm of Oliver

Dalrymple near Casselton, North Dakota.

While a wheat bonanza was taking place in eastern North Dakota inthe 1880s, a cattle bonanza was occurring in western North Dakota.

Ranchers brought their cattle from the southern plains into the

d

d,

ising cattle. There were

streams, nutritious grasses which were good

o

a, near Medora. In 1883

. During the next five years

a."

e

of seventy-fivepercent dying. Ranching still continued, but on a much scaled-down

version, and ranchers avoided overstocking.

Badlands, where there was plenty of grass for their herds of cattle an

soon over a half million head of cattle were grazing in the region.

The Little Missouri River Valley, which had

been opened by the Northern Pacific Railroa

was an ideal area for ra

for winter grazing, and ravines and coulees

which provided shelter. The heart of cattle

country was the Badlands, stretching along the

Little Missouri River. The future President The

most famous person who ranched in that are

he bought his first ranch, the Maltese Cross

Roosevelt spent a few months of each year in the area, and kept a

small herd of cattle until 1898. Years later, he said, "I never would have

been President if it had not been for my experiences in North Dakot

The bonanza came to a crashing halt in 1886-1887 when winter cam

six weeks early, with blizzards in mid-November and freezing cold.

Cattle died by the tens of thousands, with estimates

dore Roosevelt was the


9/18

From the time North Dakota was first settled,

farmers disliked having to deal with out-of-state

banks, grain companies, and railroad companies.

They also disliked the power these businesses

held in North Dakota politics. Farmers felt that

they were not being treated fairly. In 1915

) in

wnership of grain

of their problems.

outsiders.

1919 and built a state-

still in operation

1925,

because of internal disagreements and the economic depression of the

farmers formed the Nonpartisan League (NPL

North Dakota. NPL members thought that state o

elevators, flour mills, and banks would solve many

They trusted their own state more than they did

North Dakota began a state-owned bank in

owned mill and elevator in 1922, both of which are

today. Through the election of 1916 they took control of state

government but lost much of their power beginning in 1920. The NPL

did not solve as many farm problems as they had hoped. By

early 1920s, the NPL had lost much of its power.

Agriculture always has been and will continue to be the strength of

North Dakota. North Dakota produces more barley, sunflower seeds,

and flaxseed than any other state; ranks number two in wheat

production; and ranks among the leading producers of oats, rye, and

sugar beets. Beef cattle also are important to the economy. Croplandand pastures cover about 90 percent of

operating in 14 western counties, and

today it still remains an important export.

the state's total land area.

The state has tried to diversify its

economy. In the early 1950s oil was

discovered in the western part of the

state. By the 1970s oil wells were


10/18

The state also has been using mo

1950s. Lignite coal is used to genera

electric power. Today, North Dakota h

resources in the United States. In 1

economic development commission tha

to the state. Industry has grown and creat

North Dakotans, but attracting industry rem

state lies so far from the nation's urban centers.

In July of 1997, a report based on FBI crime statistics ranked North

Dakota as the safest state in the nation, with the lowest violent crime

rate. Another report in July of 1997, from the Children's Rights Council,

ranked North Dakota as the best state to raise children. Their rating

was based on nine factors, including rates of high school graduates,

re of its

te over 90 percent of the state's

olds 80 percent of all lignite

957 North Dakota established an

t has worked to attract industry

ed thousands of jobs for

ains difficult because the

crime and divorce.

coal resources since the


11/18

Most people viewing the farming images in the Fred Hultstrand and

F.A. Pazandak collections are probably not familiar with the various

farm implements shown and their functions. Through the combination

of text and images, we hope the viewer will gain a better understanding

of the farming process, especially as it was on the northern Great

Plains between 1880 and 1920.

Since the images in these collections were made, farming and farm

machinery have continued to evolve. The threshing machine has given

way to the combine, usually a self-propelled unit that either picks up

windrowed grain or cuts and threshes it in one step. The grain binder

has been replaced by the swather which cuts the grain and lays it on

the ground in windrows, allowing it to dry before being harvested by a

combine. Plows are not used nearly as extensively as before, due in

large part to the popularity of minimum tillage to reduce soil erosion

and conserve moisture. The disk harrow today is more often used after

harvesting to cut up the grain stubble left in the field. Although seed

drills are still used, the air seeder is becoming more popular with

farmers. Today's farm machinery allows farmers to cultivate many

more acres of land than at the time the images in these collections

were taken. As of 1998, the average North Dakota farm is about 1,300

acres compared to 460 acres in 1920, and the number of farms has

dropped from almost 78,000 in 1920 to a little under 30,000 today.


12/18

Moldboard PlowFor a farmer to be able to plant different crops on his land, it is first

necessary to eliminate the natural vegetation. This is initially

accomplished through the use of a moldboard plow. The moldboard

plow has one or more metal shares which cut into the ground, and

overturn the surface vegetation. This action exposes the underlying

layer of soil humus, and begins the decomposition of the overturned

plant material. Moldboard plows are inherently required on unbroken

land, for without one, a farmer would not be able to plant a viable crop

on his land. The competition from the undesired natural vegetation

would starve the crop for necessary nutrients, and as a result the yield

of the farmer's crop would be drastically reduced. The plowing process

oftentimes occurs twice a year, once in the spring and once in the fall.

While spring plowing is accomplished to break up the soil for spring

planting, fall plowing is usually done to destroy plant diseases and

insects that use the previous year's crop as their sustenance.


13/18

Disk HarrowAfter a field has been plowed, it still needs to be smoothed out and

leveled before it can be planted. With two gangs of individual round

disks, a disk harrow chops the sod furrows into smaller pieces. This

further damages the original vegetation's root system, and begins to

level the field for planting. Depending on the type of sod and plant root

system, it may take several passes by a disk harrow before a field is

smooth and level enough to be planted.


14/18

Grain DrillOnce a field has been adequately leveled, and the sod has been

broken into small enough pieces (or the rocks have been removed if

the case may be), it is ready to be planted by the farmer. The type of

implement that a farmer uses to plant the field depends directly on the

type of crop he is going to plant. If the farmer has decided that he

wishes to plant a grain of some sort on his land, the implement that he

would choose is the grain drill. A grain drill has a series of individual

round disk openers which carve out a small trench for the grain seed to

be dropped into. As the wheels rotate, seed is augered from the seed

hopper, through the seed tubes, and into the small trench. Round trace

chains or spike-toothed drags follow the disk openers, fill in the small

trenches, and bury the seed in the soil.


15/18

Grain inderAfter the grain has reached maturity in the late summer, it needs to be

harvested so that it can be sold by the farmer. There are several

implements that can be used to harvest grain, one of which is a grain

binder. Typically, grain binders were most common in the humid

Midwest where the grain dried unevenly, and it was necessary to have

additional drying before it was threshed. Early grain binders were all

ground-driven and pulled by a team of horses around the field. As the

horses pulled the grain binder forward, the driving wheel was rotated,

which powered the sickle and reel of the grain binder. As the reel

rotated, it bent the grain stalks inward towards the sickle, and the sickle

cut the grain stalks off a few inches above the ground. A cloth canvas

then conveyed the grain to a gear driven knotter which tied several

stalks together into a small bundle. After the grain bundle was tied, it

slid onto the bundle carrier, and was dropped onto the field. Following

close behind, field workers picked up the tied grain bundles and placed

several of them together to form a small tipi, which was called a

"shock." The grain bundles were placed in shocks so that the

unripened grain would have a chance to dry, and so that they would

easily shed water if they were rained on.


16/18

Grain HeaderA grain header was another implement that a farmer had the option of

using when harvesting grain. Typically, headers were most common in

semi-arid grain-growing regions where the grain ripened and dried

more evenly in the field. Essentially, grain headers functioned in the

same way as grain binders except that they lacked a knotter

mechanism to tie the grain stalks into bundles, and they were usually

pushed instead of pulled by a team of horses. Precisely like a grain

binder, as the horses pushed the grain header forward, the driving

wheel was rotated, which powered the sickle and the reel. As the reel

rotated, it bent the grain stalks inward towards the sickle, and the sickle

cut the them off several inches above the ground. A cloth canvas then

conveyed the cut grain up an incline and into an open sided wagon

which was trailing alongside. By eliminating the shocking process,

grain headers drastically increased the efficiency of grain harvesting,

but they could only be used in semi-arid areas where the grain ripened

more evenly.


17/18

Threshing MachineAfter the grain had ripened sufficiently in the shocks, it was ready to be

threshed so that the farmer could sell it. The threshing process, where

grain was removed from the stalks, was accomplished through the use

of a threshing machine. Large farmers usually owned their own

threshing machines, but many times farmers depended on custom

threshermen to do the threshing for them. Regardless of machine

ownership, however, the threshing process required a huge amount of

labor. Each member of the threshing crew had a specific job to

accomplish when the threshing rig arrived.

The steam engineer set it up in a location close to the grain field, orwhere the farmer wished to have the straw blown. Next, the steam

engine was belted up to the threshing machine, and all the pre-

threshing maintenance was completed on the threshing machine.

Concurrently and after the threshing machine was started, a team of

workers called "bundle haulers" went out into the field and loaded

shocks onto a horse-drawn wagon. After the wagon was filled, the

bundle haulers then brought it up to the spot where the threshing

machine was set up.

Soon the threshing machine was started, and men standing on top of

the wagon pitched down the grain bundles into the threshing machine's

bundle feeder. The conveying chain of the bundle feeder then

transported the grain bundles into the threshing machine cylinder

where most of the grain was separated from the stalks. The separated

grain fell to the bottom of the threshing machine, while chaff and dust

was removed by a fan as it descended. An elevator on the threshing

machine then transported the loose grain into a grain wagon parked

nearby or into individual bags, depending on the method that the

farmer preferred. After the straw went through the cylinder, it was

continually battered as it progressed along, ensuring that all the grain

was removed from the stalks. At the rear of the threshing machine,

after the straw had passed over the straw walkers, it was deposited in

a fan housing which propelled the straw through the blower and into

the straw stack. This series of machine processes was repeated


18/18

continuously, until all of the farmer's grain was threshed. Overall, while

there definitely was an immense amount of labor involved in the use of

a threshing machine, it drastically improved the efficiency and capacity

of the threshing process over previous methods.

Documents

Northern Great Plains 1880 - 1920