West Fargo, North Dakota

Cass County Historical Society invites groups to explore the history of North Dakota and the Red River Valley at Bonanzaville, “Where the Past Meets the Future.” Bonanzaville is home to 40 buildings and 400,000 artifacts on 12 acres just west of West Fargo, North Dakota. The history of America embraces guests through such historic buildings as Fargo’s First House, the Brass Rail Saloon and the Houston Mansion. Guests can also visit the antique car museum, the very first Steiger tractor, an airplane museum and an interactive telephone museum.

Established in 1954 by the Cass Country Historical Society, Bonanzaville has continued to grow and accumulate buildings and artifacts. The size of the main exhibition museum and the pioneer village allows for a unique visitor experience. Bonanzaville staff has also created special events and programming to make each guest’s visit memorable. Through these exhibits, events and programs, groups can see what life was like for some of America’s earliest settlers. In partnership with North Dakota State University, Bonanzaville was able to create a series of walking tours available on the Pocketsights mobile app. These tours encourage guests to step into history provide historic photos, in depth information and videos about all of the buildings located throughout the village.

Bonanzaville offers several special events throughout the year.  These include the July 4^th Celebration, Pioneer Days on August 17 and 18, murder mysteries on select Tuesday evenings in June and July, ghost tours on October weekends, paranormal investigations on October and September weekends and Christmas on the Prairie every December 7. Each event presents a different one-of-a-kind experience that groups will not want to miss. A special treat within the July 4^th Celebration, Pioneer Days and Christmas on the Prairie is that each lets guests experience historic demonstrations from blacksmithing to threshing.

Bonanzaville offers a group tour rate of $8 per person for groups of 10 or larger.  Hours differ seasonally.  From May to the end of August, Bonanzaville is open Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday 12 p.m. to 5 p.m..  The hours for the month of September are Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday 12 p.m. to 5 p.m..  In October, hours are Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.  For more information, phone (701) 282-2822 or visit bonanzaville.org.