Category
Walking Tour
Garrison Keillor and the Elmer brothers: The History of Prairie Home Cemetery
Under the leadership of Rev. Oscar H. Elmer and a local cemetery association, the Prairie Home Cemetery was founded in 1875. A motivating factor behind forming a cemetery association was that Rev. Elmer’s brother and pioneering Brainerd, Minnesota lawyer John Edgar had drowned in the Sheyenne River after visiting his brother in May of 1874, apparently committing suicide due to suffering from some type of “nerv
Read MoreThree Orphan’s Saloon
North Dakota was admitted to the union in 1889 as a dry state, meaning the sale of alcohol was strictly prohibited. For thirsty Fargo, North Dakota customers, this news was not welcome, as it forced their saloons to close their doors. Luckily for them, Moorhead, Minnesota, in Clay County, was very much still a wet county and would eventually have nearly 50 saloons to offer drinks to the residents of Fargo and Moorh
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 MoreO. J. deLandrecie
O. J. deLandrecie Onesine Joassin deLandrecie, whose name spelt “deLendrecie’s” still shines on the 600 block of Fargo’s Main Avenue. When the name change occurred is unclear, but in later documents Onesine Joassin’s last name changed the spelling to an “e” rather than an “a.” O.J. deLendrecie was the original owner of the deLendrecie’s department store, which was once a cornerstone of Fargo. He was born in Quebec, C
Read MoreEvolution of NDSU’s Mascot
We all know and have come to love Thundar, NDSU’s current mascot, but he hasn’t always been around. In fact, he is a fairly recent mascot in NDSU’s history. In fact, he is third in line of a rich, mascot history. Since NDS is a land-grant school which means our base is in agriculture, our first mascot in the 1890s was the Farmers. It was then changed to the “Aggies” in the early 1900s, using the term “agriculture” as
Read MoreJames F. Buchli
James F. Buchli was born on June 20, 1945 in New Rockford, ND. Buchli calls Fargo, ND his hometown and he graduated from Fargo Central High School in 1963. He eventually moved away from North Dakota in order to earn a degree in Aeronautical Engineering from the prestigious United States Naval Academy in 1967. He then obtained a master’s degree in Aeronautical Engineering Systems from University of West Florida in 197
Read MoreLindenwood Park’s Camping and Shelters
Lindenwood Park’s Camping and Shelters One of Lindenwood Park’s earliest features was the camping area. Later, during Roosevelt’s New Deal era, Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) workers added shelters, walking paths, and modern toilet facilities with potable water. The CCC operated under the army’s control. Camp commanders had disciplinary powers and corpsmen were required to address superiors as “sir.” B
Read MoreS.F. Crabbe
Samuel Crabbe, born in Wisconsin to a merchant and his wife, came to Fargo in 1891. Sam had his civil engineering degree from University of Wisconsin and his first job in Fargo was the paving of Fargo’s first street. Crabbe oversaw Broadway’s “paving” with wooden blocks. As Fargo City Engineer, Crabbe had an office in City Hall and lived a few blocks west of his work. Sam had an interesting hobby ou
Read MoreIsland Park’s G.A.R. Statue
Surrounded now by mature trees, Island Park’s Civil War soldier used to prominently guard the north side of the park. But why a Union soldier in Fargo? North Dakota wasn’t even a state during the Civil War, but as the railroad came to Dakota Territory, it brought with it many veterans looking for a new start, including the man that would chair the Soldiers Monument Committee, Fargo attorney Smith Stimmel. Stimmel was
Read MoreAda Jane Healy-Andrews
Born in Michigan in 1852, Ada Jane Healy, along with her sister Emma, were orphaned when Ada was only 7. Ada’s mom had died in child birth and her father lost his footing moving from car to car and was killed under a train. Ada and Emma grew up in Ann Arbor, MI with their maternal grandmother, Subniet Disbrow and their widowed Aunt Abigail. Perhaps it was growing up in a college town, perhaps it was Subniet’s work as
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