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Lecture 12, "The Continuity of Progress", is was about community life on the Plains. We discussed some images of community life on the Plains such as the Goat Game between Lisbon and Enderlin's basketball teams and the Lindaas barn dance. We also discussed how the settlers organized themselves into communities in the past and how they organized themselves into communities today. In the past communities were organized along railroads. There was the idea of T-towns that were usually "Yankee" dominant. The social organizations in town for men were generally lodges and for women church organizations. The countryside was mostly organized by immigrants and the church was the dominant social center for both men and women. In town communities men and women had separate social agendas, but in the countryside it was more of a mixed social setting. Saturday nights became the time when town and country life would mix together. There would be a lot of trading and buying at stores and a lot of socializing while people waited for their family members. WWII showed a shift in population in Plains communities. The populations shrunk because men went off to fight and women left to work. In the 1950s Plains communities were kid dominated. Once these kids graduated from high school they left these communities. In the 1970s people started having smaller families so the Plains became demographically different. One reason for the decline in farms was the demographic changes that were happening. We also discussed the idea of micropolis on the Plains. These are small towns such as Jamestown or Minot that have all the services that a small town wouldn't have.

I can relate to this lecture because we discussed the idea that people will come back for certain community traditions every year. In my hometown, people always come back for the Fourth of July. There are a lot of traditions that happen like the Fourth of July parade, rodeo, Johnny Holm dance, rodeo fireworks, Art in the Park, and all-class reunion. If I ever move away, I will always come back for the Fourth of July.