The Amenia and Sharon land company began in the 1870s after the residents of Amenia, New York, and Sharon, Connecticut lost their wealth due to the railroad bonds became worthless. They exchanged those bonds for land in Cass County, North Dakota. The residents sent stakeholder’s secretary, Eban W. Chaffee to survey the land and they settle on land that is eight miles north of Casselton, North Dakota. The first crop seeded on this new land was wheat and was planted in the spring o 1877.

As the company grew, it continued to purchase more and more land. It would eventually become the largest bonanza farms in the state of North Dakota. When it’s first general agent, E.W. Chaffee died in 1892, his son, H.F. Chaffee took over. He continued until 1912 when he and his wife, Carrie Toogood Chaffee were aboard the HMS Titanic. When the disaster happened, H.F. put Carrie into lifeboat number 4 and she never saw him again. He perished on the Titanic. Once this happened. Amenia and Sharon Land company couldn’t continue. Without a leader and the dropping grain prices due to World War I, the company dissolved, sold its properties to smaller farmers and closed for good in 1922.