Bonazaville, Part 1

 After our time in Gilby, we spent a couple of days in Fargo where we reconnected with teaching friends from our early years and a cousin of Hubbys. We also did some geocaching. Our best find in Fargo was at Bonazaville.

Bonanzaville, USA is owned and operated by the Cass County Historical Society, on 12 acres of land located just outside West Fargo, North Dakota. Our Museum and Village can provide you and your family hours of enjoyment as you learn and explore the History of our Region. The Village has 36 buildings providing an insight into our earliest settlers, how they lived, what they possessed and the challenges they faced.

We did not step into all 36 buildings, but in many of them. This post is about some of the businesses and homes.

Bonazaville is arranged in a town format with wide paved streets.

a Tower City ND hardware store converted to a 

 telecommunications museum

any of these in your life time?

Brass Rail Saloon and Hotel

built in 1889 in Page ND

saloon downstairs; hotel upstairs

no plumbing originally, so water had to be carried in 

and chamber pots carried out

nine sleeping rooms and bridal suite upstairs

the front view of the Houston House

built in 1881 at an estimated cost of $7000

interesting history

look at the side view of the house!

the back half housed the kitchen and staff quarters

walnut staircase

David H. Houston was a farmer, poet and inventor

of photographic equipment 

details of the staircase

the library

the house had a hot air furnace in the basement 

and a bathroom, unusual for 1881

one of the ornamental ceilings

Cass County Courthouse

(the courthouse was re-created in this schoolhouse)

jury seating on the far wall, spectators in the front

original courtroom furnishings from Cass County

Dobrinz School, 1895

I never attended country school, but Hubby said

walking into this one brought back all kinds of memories

in 1869 Fargo was just a community of tents

oak log house built in 1871

was also a jail, a hotel, family home, apartment house

rebuilt in 1979 to its original size and appearance

lamp with a clock in another house

I've never seen one before

More to come...