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Firsts

Sidewalks

Sidewalks were one of the important issues at the top of the “to-do” list that the Fargo City Council had to stay on top of. Wet weather and sticky North Dakota clay played an important role in the urgency of addressing this issue. Most sidewalks were six feet wide, but streets like Broadway, Northern Pacific Avenue, as well as other streets with heavy foot traffic were equipped with ten-foot sidewalks.[1] In 1875 th
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Henry and Mary Hector

In 1878, Henry Hector, just 17 years old, arrived in the Fargo-Moorhead area at the request of his brother Martin and started a grocery business.[1] He lost his store to a fire in 1882, but successfully rebuilt and continued his business.  He served as the president of the Continental Hose Company and represented the Second Ward on the city council. Henry married the sister of his brother’s wife, Mary Paulson. Henry
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First Car

The first automobile to roll down the streets of Fargo was the Benz Velo, built by Karl Benz, co-founder of Mercedes Benz; it was the first model to have four wheels. Karl’s wife was so happy with his first three-wheeled model that, unbeknownst to him, she took it on a 120-mile round-trip promotional tour, accompanied by two sons and serving as her own mechanic.[1] The “Benz” appeared in a Fargo-Moorhead parade on Ju
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Fargo’s First Theater

The first theater in Fargo was built by John Erickson in 1880.  In 1888 the theater was purchased by Alexander Stern and was located on the second story of the Stern Building.  It burned down in the fire of 1893 but was undoubtedly a rich source of culture for Fargo. The theater featured actors of which many went on to become prominent in their time such as the famous 19th century Italian actor Salvini who played in
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The Fargo Opera House

The Fargo Opera House was a source of pride and a symbol of prestige for the town’s early residents.  In contrast to vaudeville theaters, the Opera House was acceptable for all ages and genders in the community to attend openly.  The building stood on the corner of Broadway and N.P. avenues. It was originally called Chapin Hall and housed the Luger Furniture Company on the first floor.  Initially Chapin Hall wa
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Jasper B. Chapin

Among the prominent names of Fargo’s early history is that of Jasper B Chapin, a hotel tycoon who contributed to a large portion of its building, economic development, religion, and the arts. Chapin was a native of New York and found his way westward into California as a result of the Gold Rush of 1855 which fueled settlement and economic development in US territories.  There Chapin began as a miner, eventually branc
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James Holes Reading

JamesHolesAudio A radio play-style reading of a first-person account of James Holes’ first impressions of Fargo, May 1871. The excerpt is from a speech given at the Washington Club in 1916. Music by Mike and Zach. Zach Jendro, Digital History 2012
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Charles and Matilda Roberts

Charles A. Roberts was a man who burned with the spirit of adventure. His family owned a meat market in Minneapolis, but butchering was not enough to satisfy Roberts. According to his obituary in the Fargo Forum, “Few men have crowded into one short lifetime more wide-flung activities, more romantic adventure, and more constructive effort than his venturesome pioneer spirit impelled him to undertake.” [1] Roberts was
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Roberts and Haggart Families

The Roberts and Haggart families were twined together through marriage and business, and both clans featured prominently in the early history of Fargo. Brooks, Maine-native Samuel G. Roberts arrived in Cass County, North Dakota in January of 1872, making him one of the earliest settlers in the area. He had fought bravely in the Civil War in the Seventeenth Massachusetts Volunteers and the Ninth US Veteran Volunteers,
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Lena Bertha Kopelman

Lena Bertha Kopelman April 29, 1869 – December 3, 1947   “My mother… [was] a wig maker and maker of hair switches and other hair goods. [She] taught us all how to weave human hair and we became  fairly adept at it, but we could never make our fingers fly like our mother did… Kopelman’s Beauty Shop was one of the very first beauty shops in Fargo… Rose, Dorothy and I helped to make the shop
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