Category
Built Environment
1880 Fargo: A Growing Town on the Edge of the Great Plains
A slideshow of historical photographs taken in Fargo in 1880.
Read MoreMother Mary John Hughes
The order came to the Dakota Territory, in 1880 under Mother Mary John Hughes to own and run a free school, home, and academy. In the summer of 1882 the Presentation Sisters left for Fargo under the invitation of Father James Stephan and the recommendation of the regional bishop. Mother Mary John Hughes and her order of educators quickly set about teaching catechism lesson in the church while they waited for their pe
Read More“An Ordinance Relating to Lighting”
On April 26, 1901 the Supreme Court of the state of North Dakota, in the case of Robert against Fargo Gas & Electric Co and the city of Fargo, ruled that the contract between the city of Fargo and Fargo Gas & Electric Co was void. This ruling was made by the Supreme Court for reasons that the city charter states that the city cannot make a contract for more than a year.[1] The contract between Fargo Gas &a
Read MoreRepurposing Fargo
Fargo has grown immensely and gone through numerous changes in its 142-year history. Growing from just over 2,500 people in 1880 to over 107,000 today and surviving such natural disasters as fires, floods and tornadoes; nothing has been able to stop Fargo from thriving. Fargo’s downtown has always been a thriving business mecca[1] of the Red River Valley and is a key reason Fargo has survived to be the city it is tod
Read MoreBridges
The history of bridges in the Fargo area is only half the tale. Much like neighbors deciding how to split the cost of labor and materials on a fence, the city of Moorhead had just as much invested into bridge building as Fargo did. Needless to say, the meetings between Fargo and Moorhead officials got heated at times. The back and forth went from petty accusations to downright grudge matches, but in the end it all wo
Read MoreStreets
From the city’s conception, Fargo officials have had to struggle with issues dealing with maintaining and funding the city streets. The wet season brought deep ruts in the sticky North Dakota clay making travel tough and some streets inaccessible. Grading the streets of Fargo began in 1875 and paying for it fell to the citizens. Every male between 21 and 60 years old who was able to work paid with one day’s la
Read MoreSidewalks
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
Read MoreHenry 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
Read MoreThe First Lutheran Church
Like other religious groups, Lutherans populated the landscape in large numbers, which brought about the need for a communal place of worship. Members established a church in which they aptly named First Lutheran Church, located in the area of 400 Roberts Street. The church was built with an open porch and there were several wooden homes built next to this church. As with most of the other early religious structure
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