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Shepperd Arena

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President John H. Shepperd, circa 1930s. [3].

In March of 1952 at the 5th annual North Dakota Spring Market Hog Show, the NDAC Livestock Pavillion was renamed the Shepperd Arena. This building can hold 1,500 people, and it has as well arrival rooms for the livestock and and a meat laboratory. In the 1970s, the arena grew and expanded its meat laboratory. Little International, Shepperd Arena’s biggest event of the year, uses the arena for livestock judging as well as the “Dance In The Chips” Dance to end the weekend. Today, the building is also home for the NDSU Meat Lab facilities, as well as classrooms to teach equine, livestock, and meat classes.[1]

J.H. Shepperd was influential to NDAC’s agricultural and animal husbandry early success. Born on an Iowa farm in 1869, he then went to graduate at Iowa Agricultural College  

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Construction of Livestock Arena, circa Winter 1951-1852 [4].

and then received a Bachelor’s degree in Agricultural science from Iowa State in 1891. In 1893, he went to get a master’s in Agriculture at the University of Wisconsin. It was in that same year that he came to NDAC and was named Professor of Agriculture and the Agriculturalist of the North Dakota Experiment Station. 1906 was when he became dean of the School of Agriculture as well as still an acting professor.

The year 1929 not only effect the United States, but NDAC as well. The crash of the stock market  affected staff numbers, salaries, and standing budgets. When the president of the university left in 1929, Shepperd was named acting president and then was offered the position in March of 1930.  Because of disagreements with the Board of Administration, Shepperd resigned in 1937. J.H. Shepperd expanded the agricultural and meat science departments greatly and influenced its success today.[2]

  1. North Dakota State University. “Shepperd Arena.” Accessed November 3, 2016. https://www.ndsu.edu/alphaindex/buildings/Building::405
  2. NDSU Archives. “Findng Aid to the President John H. Shepperd Papers.”Accessed November 2, 2016. http://library.ndsu.edu/tools/dspace/load/?file=/repository/bitstream/handle/10365/4511/3.8%20-%20President%20Shepperd.pdf?sequence=6
  3. Photo by NDSU Archives, https://flic.kr/p/8oX7sG
  4. Photo by NDSU Archives, https://flic.kr/p/8oTWZx
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The Fargo History Project

The Fargo History Project began in Fall 2012 as part of a Digital History course at North Dakota State University. What started as a class effort to explore Fargo’s early history through archival research has grown into an ongoing, collaborative public history initiative. Students continue to work in libraries, archives, and the community to uncover and interpret the city’s past, contributing research that expands the project in new directions each year.

Over time, the project has moved beyond its original digital format to include a range of public-facing work. Students have produced original documentaries, conducted oral histories, and developed a Fargo history walking tour that invites people to experience the city’s past in place. These additions reflect a broader commitment to making history accessible, engaging, and relevant to public audiences.

Have a story, photograph, or piece of Fargo’s history to share? Send it to us or get in touch—we want to include your voice in the project.

Angela J. Smith is Professor of History and Director of the Public History Program at North Dakota State University. Her work focuses on public history, digital history, and twentieth-century U.S. history, with an emphasis on community-engaged research and making the past accessible to broader audiences.

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The Fargo History Project is a public history initiative produced by students at NDSU. ©North Dakota State University