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Music in Early Fargo

There were a significant number of thespians, musicians, and other artistic entertainers in Fargo between 1880 and the 1893 destruction.  Music and theater entertainment appears to have been a substantial industry in Fargo.  In 1888, according to the directory there were at least two music stores operating in Fargo.[1]  In addition to this, most theaters ran six nights per week and also had daily rehearsals.  The Vau
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Poetry and the Fargo Fire

This is a slideshow video reading of two poems written by an unknown Fargo resident and J.H. Burke following and regarding the Fargo Fire of 1893. Please click the links below to view video presentations of these poems on YouTube. Please click here for a reading of “Untitled.” “Untitled” “In our peaceful, quiet city, (Oh what a change that day would see,) That seventh day of June, Eighteen hun
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Education in Fargo, North Dakota, 1870-1900

The education system in Fargo in the early stages of the city’s development was heavily rooted in, and influenced, by religion. There were educational centers as early as there were churches. In fact, many churches started schools so they could develop their children’s minds in the way they wanted them to be; so the curriculums were filled with references to the Bible and God. The people of Fargo, N.D., w
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Schoolwork

The number of school children that were in the school district of Fargo in the year 1882-1883 is as follows: High School 25, (12 boys and 13 girls) Intermediate, 106 (62 boys and 59 girls) Primary 246 (133 boys and 123 girls)[1]. There were a surprising number of tardies and people who dropped out, for various reasons like: sickness, death, they were wanted on the farm, or they just could not handle the course load f
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Vaudevillian Culture in Fargo

Vaudeville shows were a major form of entertainment in the early years of Fargo.  Records of these theaters are numerous, but  but due to the culturally tabooed art forms played in vaudeville theaters and their association with sinfulness, alcohol consumption, and sex these theaters were minimally mentioned in the press of early Fargo and are mostly noted on accounts of deaths, crime, disturbances, or imposed fees.[1
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Hector House

Two men, Andrew Henry Moore and George Mann, decided to take a chance in Dakota Territory in 1869. They left from Waupum, Wisconsin, and arrived in the Red River Valley the same year. Upon their arrival, all that stood in what would be known as Fargo was a small city of tents occupied by Northern Pacific Railroad personnel and a few soldiers. Fortunately, Mann had experience in carpentry work and it is assumed that h
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