What was turning over the sod for the first time called?
Which animal was the first choice of North Dakota pioneer farmers for doing field work? Which animals were stronger than horses but moved slowly and were sometimes stubborn?
Who generally milked cows and took care of chickens?
Name some horse-drawn implements.
Which machine cut the grain, gathered it into bundles, and tied the bundles with twine?
Which machine separated the kernels of grain from the stalks? What powered this machine?
How many meals a day were served at threshing time? What were they?
What was a separate building that was used during the summer for cooking meals called?
What was the small house on wheels that followed some of the threshing crews called?
What was the structure with openings on the sides for airflow, used for drying corn, called?
What was the type of sled pulled by horses and used to transport materials over fields, grass, snow, and ice called?
Name some of the hardships faced by the pioneers.
What was the blizzard of 1888 called?
What was one of the greatest dangers faced by North Dakota pioneers?
A strip of plowed land surrounding the house was called what?
What three cities had major fire destruction in the 1880s and 1890s? What building material was used to rebuild the business districts of these cities?
What unpredictable animals might attack anyone caught on the open prairie?
What animals followed and watched people from a distance? How many North Dakota pioneers were killed by wolves or coyotes?
Critical Thinking Questions
If the weather is favorable, farmers with tractors can work much longer into the night than the pioneer farmers worked. Explain why pioneer farmers driving horses had to take longer breaks and quit earlier in the evenings than farmers today.
Explain why people did not prepare for the blizzard of 1888 by staying in their houses.
