While Fargo was still a rough-and-tumble outpost, one commodity became a steady source of income: divorce. Even when lawmakers put a three-month residency requirement in place, a steady stream of unhappy spouses came to Fargo on the Northern Pacific. Hotels were built so they could live and dine in luxury while waiting three months, and lawyers set up shop to help them navigate the legal waters. The waiting period was one of the most lax in the U.S., and one Fargo judge granted 350 divorces in just one year. The divorce economy faltered in 1899 when the legislature extended the residency requirement to one year; divorce seekers moved westward, and Reno became the new “divorce capital.”
-Intro to Museums Class, 2012
