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Sidewalks
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 MoreThomas Canfield
The story of Fargo’s religious development begins not in Fargo itself, but in the neighboring town of Moorhead, Minnesota. Thomas Hawley Canfield was an ambitious young entrepreneur who initially became involved in railroad development in New England. Although Canfield’s primary motivations were not religious, his Episcopalian beliefs shaped how he dealt with his promoting efforts for the railroad.[1] He was a supp
Read MoreFirst Car
The first automobile to roll down the streets of Fargo was the Benz Velo, built by Karl Benz, co-founder of Mercedes Benz; it was the first model to have four wheels. Karl’s wife was so happy with his first three-wheeled model that, unbeknownst to him, she took it on a 120-mile round-trip promotional tour, accompanied by two sons and serving as her own mechanic.[1] The “Benz” appeared in a Fargo-Moorhead parade on Ju
Read MoreEarly Fargo and Alcohol
During the 19th century, the battle over alcoholic beverages was fierce in the United States, and the young community of Fargo was not immune to this social issue. On February 17, 1871, a U.S. Army regiment that had been dispatched from Fort Abercrombie disbanded “Fargo in the Timber,” a collection of shanties and huts that constituted the less affluent section of town. The charges levied against the depo
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
Read MoreThe First Methodist Church, 1874
First, this picture of the First Methodist Church indicates that it was built in a dense growth of older trees. This would indicate that it was taken close to water and not deep into the prairie. Therefore, there was no retreat for the early settlers of Fargo if faced with outside threats. Next, the windows are exposed and remarkably made of stained glass. Not only were the new settlers resilient, but they showed
Read MoreIntroduction to Religion and Architecture in the Community, 1880-1910
The Red River Valley boom began in the 1880s. Heavy immigration, mostly of Scandinavians, Poles, Bohemians, and German-Russians, helped first populate the area. The migration demographics of the West were shaped by the Red River tributary that ran through the Minnesota and North Dakota valley and railroad lines to the newly formed area that we know as Fargo. With the migration of people came the expansion of religion
Read MoreThe Divorce Capital of America
The Dakota Territory was the divorce capitol of the west up until 1899. This was due to the fact that this area was believed to be a place where people could go to start a new life and the legislation echoed this belief. The first legislation gave immediate access to divorces in 1866, but was later lengthened to three months in 1877.[1] With the railroad running through Fargo it was easy for couples to establish r
Read MoreFirst United Methodist
In 1871, Father James Gurley held the first formal Methodist service in Fargo in Pinkham Hall at the corner of Main Avenue and 5th Street. However, it was the Rev. John Webb who organized the first Methodist Sunday school and helped to build the first Methodist Episcopal Church. The land for the church was donated by the Northern Pacific Railway and was 30′ x 50′. It was completed on July 1, 187
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