Category
Walking Tour
S.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
Read MoreErasmus D. Angell
E.D. Angell came to Fargo in August 1881 from New York. Born in 1855 to native New Yorkers who farmed in tiny Lapeer, Erasmus attended local primary schools, Cazenovia Seminary, and Syracuse University, graduating in 1880. He taught for a season at the orphan school in Mansfield, PA before trekking over 1300 miles to Fargo. Upon arrival he worked for a short time as a thresher near Casselton. He then worked for N.K.
Read MoreC. W. Darling and Marcella
Born in East Virgil, New York in 1844, Charles Webb Darling would make his way to the west coast in his lifetime.1 Darling must have been quite the go-getter! After serving in the NY Volunteer Infantry during the Civil War, he married his first wife in 1868. While it appears they headed west together, it wasn’t meant to be. Though no divorce record has been found both Charles and Harriet remarried in the late 1880’s.
Read MoreYMCA of Fargo
YMCA of Fargo dates all the way back to 1886. The first location was in the county courthouse and later moved to the corner of Roberts st and First ave N. Built in 1905 and costing $50,000 the facility included a pool, basketball courts, running track, and weight rooms. The Fargo YMCA location purchased acres of land and created Camp Cormorant, an all-boys camp in 1903. In 1961 YMCA members raised enough money to bui
Read MoreSmith Stimmel Home
Smith Stimmel was born in Ohio in 1842. After joining the military at age 20 during the Civil War he was appointed to the Union Light Guard and assigned to The White House. From December of 1863 until April 14, 1865, Stimmel was a bodyguard to President Lincoln.1 Following Lincoln’s assassination, Stimmel returned home to attend Ohio Wesleyan University, graduating in 1869. He practiced law, married, and was mayor of
Read MoreInterstate Highway 94
As I author this entry, I’m sitting at home on 25th Ave S on a lovely October 2016 evening with the windows open listening to the traffic on I-94 only a few blocks north of me. In 1958, when this section was being constructed, the city hadn’t crept much past 17th Ave S, meaning Lindenwood Park was just south of town. Fargo now stretches down the Red River of the North to 76th Ave South! I-94 was a big deal in ND, wit
Read MoreCass County Courthouse
The first Cass County courthouse was built in 1874 where the current day Northern Pacific railway depot is located. The current Cass County courthouse, at the 3rd Avenue location, opened on July 31, 1906. It was built on the same location as the courthouse before it which burnt down during renovations in 1903. It cost about $141,000 to build, more than double the approximated $50,000. By today’s standards, the buildi
Read MoreWilliam Lemke
William Frederick Lemke, US Congressman and Union Party Candidate for President in 1936 (FDR won) William Lemke led a rather fascinating life as a fringe politician. He was affiliated with North Dakota’s Nonpartisan League, led by former Socialist party members. The NPL dominated state government by 1918 with ideas to improve state services, obtain full suffrage for women, and move towards state ownership of b
Read More