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 branching his capital outwards into freighting and hotel keeping. He was known to have lived and opened businesses in Leavenworth, KS, Denver, CO, and Utah. He then followed another Gold Rush into Montana, made his way to Ohio, and then to Brainerd, MN where he met John E. Haggart who was a freighter and a horse dealer offering his services to the North Pacific, and from there following the development of the railroad to Fargo, ND.
Chapin quickly established his success in Fargo, opening a tent hotel-saloon on August 5, 1871. By 1873 he was hired by the Northern Pacific to take over operation of the Headquarters Hotel. In 1879 Chapin opened a market in on Fargo’s East Side, which was reported to have covered areas lying between N.P. Avenue and First avenue North and was also the owner of a large hotel. He also served on the Fargo city council as street commissioner, was an alderman, and also a mason. He was a wealthy man, demonstrated by his funding of large building projects and his offer to purchase a large portion of Fargo north of the railroad for a sum of 33,000 up front in 1879. He was rumored to have earned $500,000 per year.
Chapin was influential on the arts and entertainment industries of Fargo. He was known to have a love of music and provided the Orchestra for the Independence Day Dance in 1873. In 1879 Chapin Hall was built on the corner of the intersection of Broadway and N.P. Avenue. It was one of the earliest Public Halls of Fargo housing a variety of events including those involving arts and entertainment. This hall became the site of performances of famous traveling musicians and actors. It also housed Luger’s Furniture Company on the lower floor. In 1882 the hall was renovated to become Fargo’s first Opera House and Chapin contributed $160,000 towards renovations up until its destruction in the fire of 1893.
The life of Jasper Chapin was lauded in Fargo but was full of scandal. He was known to be a gambler, rumored to have dipped into state treasury, and although he generously donated to church charities he was reported as seldom if ever present in religious ceremonies. After his wife, Julia Chapin, died as an invalid in 1884 he reportedly sank into a deep depression, lost his fortune to creditors, and his remaining assets to the fire of 1893, before ultimately ended his own life in Minneapolis at the age of 72.[1]
Valerie Tescher, Digital History 2012
[1] Masonic Library Staff. Fargo Masonic Files. Fargo: North Dakota institute for Regional Studies, North Dakota State University, 1979. Print.
