Almost half of its residents are of Norwegian descent. Feeling the
effects of an economic depression in their own country in the late
nineteenth century, thousands of Norwegians, exhorted by transportation
companies and influenced by the glowing tales of their countrymen
in the United States, emigrated to North Dakota. Taking advantage of
the free lands opened to homesteading, they became some of the first
farmers in the upper Red River Valley and helped settle Fargo. Those
who made their homes here are today well mingled with the rest of the
population and few of their Old World customs are kept alive with
the exception of the preparation of Norwegian foods such as _lefse_,
_lutefisk_, _fattigmand_, and _flad broed_. (_See_ RACIAL GROUPS AND
FOLKWAYS.) Not forgotten, however, are important national holidays such
as May 17, Norwegian Independence Day, which is celebrated with parades
and appropriate ceremonies. The Norse influence is further seen in the
statues and sculpture of and by noted Norsemen found throughout the
city.
POINTS OF INTEREST
1. THE NORTH DAKOTA AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE, 13th St. at 12th Ave. N.,
occupies a level, 100-acre campus in the northwest outskirts of the
city. The large tree-enclosed square is cut by graveled driveways
curving between rows of hedges, trees, and clumps of shrubbery
connecting the irregularly placed, architecturally heterogenous
buildings.
Under the Enabling Act of 1889 North Dakota, upon entering statehood,
became possessed of a Federal grant of 40,000 acres for an agricultural
college. A year later the first State legislature took advantage of
the earlier Morrill Land Grant Act, and acquired an additional 90,000
acres of Federal lands. Proceeds from these lands, together with
Congressional appropriations, have created an endowment fund that
enables the school to offer courses at a minimum tuition fee and to
conduct extensive agricultural experiments.
A group of only five students under the supervision of eight
instructors gathered October 15, 1890, for the opening classes, held
in quarters rented from Fargo College, but before the end of the term
the enrollment was 122. Elaborate dedication services for the college
were planned in connection with the laying of the cornerstone of the
administration building the following spring. After the program had
begun it was discovered, to the consternation of the participants, that
there was no flag available for the ceremony. A quick-witted student
saved the day by contriving a makeshift pennant from a pair of overalls.
From the entrance at 12th Ave. N. and 13th St., a graveled road makes
a loop through the campus. Past the TENNIS COURTS (R) is a TABLET (L)
of Norwegian granite, in which is set a medallion of Bjornstjerne
Bjornson, Norwegian poet and patriot. Best known as author of the
Norwegian national anthem _Ja vi elsker dette landet_ (Yes, I love
this land), Bjornson was also a prominent exponent of scientific
agriculture. The medallion is the work of Sigvold Asbjornson, Norwegian
sculptor.
ADMINISTRATION BUILDING (R), a two-story red brick and sandstone
structure, shows architectural influence of the Medieval and Romanesque
periods. On the second floor is the LITTLE COUNTRY THEATER, founded
in 1914 as a country-life laboratory by Prof. A. G. Arvold, head of
the department of public discussion and social life. With facilities
available in the average rural community, students are taught to
present entertainments which will provide recreation and education for
the communities in which they expect to live.
The LIBRARY (L), of Classic design, contains nearly 55,000 volumes, and
is a depository for United States Government documents. The ENGINEERING
BUILDING (R), including the engineering and architectural departments,
is a neoclassic structure of pressed brick with sandstone trim. As
the road turns R., SCIENCE HALL, a rambling brick structure, is L.
It houses the schools of science, literature, and education, and the
laboratories of the experimental station where research is conducted
in botany and plant pathology. A three-section GREENHOUSE (L) is
maintained in connection with this department.
The AGRICULTURE BUILDING (L), a three-story tile-roofed structure
showing influences of Roman and Spanish architecture, houses the school
of agriculture, offices of the experimental station, and the extension
division.
Right is the CHEMISTRY BUILDING. FRANCES HALL (L) houses the farm
management division and the school of pharmacy. The DAIRY BUILDING and
the old BARRACKS are R.
At the next curve of the road are the FARM BUILDINGS of the agriculture
division (L and R). Just before reaching 13th St. the road passes the
PHYSICAL EDUCATION BUILDING (L), erected in 1930. It has an indoor
track, swimming pool, and auditorium with seating capacity of 3,600.
Athletic events featured today at the college with its modern gymnasium
and floodlighted football field were impossible during early days at
the school, for even if enough students had been enrolled to allow
football and basketball teams, there was no athletic coach, and lack
of transportation facilities prohibited games with other colleges.
In those days one of the chief pastimes of the students was bronco
busting, facilities for which were readily available.
Right on 13th St. is the MEN'S DORMITORY (R) and the home economics
PRACTICE HOUSE (R). The SCHOOL OF RELIGION (L), of modern design in
white stucco, originally conducted as a branch of Wesley College, has
been turned over to the agricultural college under a 99-year rent-free
lease of its buildings and equipment, together with a charter for
conferring degrees in religion.
Right on a campus road is CERES HALL (R), named for the goddess of
grain, and housing the women's dormitory, gymnasium, and the home
economics department. FESTIVAL HALL (R) is used for R. O. T. C. drill,
college entertainments, proms, and informal dances. The FOOTBALL FIELD
is R. of Festival Hall.
An outstanding organization on the campus is the Gold Star Band which
is part of the college R. O. T. C. unit. Directed since 1902 by Dr.
C. S. Putnam, it participates in special military events, appears at
athletic contests, and has made several tours through North Dakota and
Minnesota.
With its campus on the plains of the Red River Valley where great herds
of buffalo once roamed, it is appropriate that the school should have
the bison as its insignia. The college emblem is a green and yellow
shield (the college colors) bearing the letters "N D" surmounted by a
bison. The traditional Homecoming banquet held each fall features a
bison barbecue.
The college maintains an extension division and experimental stations.
The extension service includes the formation of agricultural clubs in
rural communities and at the college, and administers Federal funds
allotted the State for agricultural education. A primary function
of the experimental department is the study of plant diseases and
the development of disease-resistant grains. H. L. Bolley, a member
of the faculty, discovered the formaldehyde treatment of seed for
the prevention of smut on wheat and other grains and perfected a
wilt-resistant flax while using these experimental facilities.
2. UNITED STATES VETERANS ADMINISTRATION FACILITY (_visiting hours: 2-5
and 7-9 p. m._), 19th Ave. at the NE. edge of the city, is generally
referred to as the Veterans' Hospital. Erected in 1929, the three-story
brick veneer hospital contains 100 beds, 92 percent of which are filled
throughout the year. The grounds cover 50 acres; they are beautifully
landscaped, with sunken gardens, ivy arbor, sundial, and Japanese
gates. A rock garden was partially financed by the "40-and-8," a
veterans' organization.
3. BLACK BUILDING, 114-118 Bdwy., is one of the few buildings in North
Dakota of skyscraper proportions. Designed by Lang, Raugland, and Lewis
of Minneapolis, with Brasseth and Houkom of Fargo as associates, it is
constructed of concrete, steel, and white brick faced with blocks of
Indiana limestone with contrasting black spandrels between the windows.
Consisting of eight floors and basement, it rises 122 feet above the
ground.
[Illustration:
AN EARLY
SCHOOL
(Oliver
County,
1885).]
[Illustration:
ADMINISTRATION BUILDING,
AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE, FARGO]
[Illustration:
THRESHING
_Photo by Kermit Overby_]
[Illustration: SAKAKAWEA, BISMARCK]
RADIO STATION WDAY has its studios on the top floor. The oldest
commercial station in North Dakota, it began to function in May 1922,
operating on 100 watts. In March 1931 it became an associate member
of the National Broadcasting Company, and a number of chain programs,
including several from the agricultural college, have originated in its
studios.
4. FIRST LUTHERAN CHURCH, 619 Bdwy., is of English Gothic architecture,
a modern adaptation of the cathedrals erected in northern Europe
in the sixteenth century. It was designed by Magney and Tussler of
Minneapolis. The interior appointments are simple and severe, following
the traditional arrangement for formal Lutheran services. In an arched
sanctuary is the altar of golden Sienna marble. The congregation
represents a consolidation of two church groups, the Norwegian
Evangelical Lutheran Church founded in Moorhead in 1874 and moved to
Fargo four years later, and St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran, organized
in Fargo in 1903.
5. FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, cor. 8th St. and 2nd Ave. N., in modified
English Gothic style, is of Faribault gray sandstone with slate roof,
in cruciform construction. It was designed by Lang, Raugland, and
Lewis of Minneapolis, with William F. Kurke of Fargo as associate. The
altar was hand-carved by a cousin of Anton Lang, the _Christus_ of the
Passion Play at Oberammergau.
The three-manual pipe organ is a gift of Mr. and Mrs. Norman B.
Black of Fargo. A stained glass window, designed by Homer L. Huntoon
and presented by him in 1932 in memory of his wife and infant son,
contains three panels, the central one of which depicts the sacrifice
of motherhood, showing a young mother with her baby kneeling before an
angel who holds the chalice and host, symbols of redemption. Art and
music are represented in the two side panels.
6. UNITED STATES POST OFFICE AND COURTHOUSE, 705 1st Ave. N., erected
in 1929-30 at a cost of $600,000, is in Italian Renaissance style,
built of reinforced concrete faced with limestone. Ninety tons of steel
were used in the first floor, making it strong enough to support 10
stories in addition to its present three.
7. FARGO'S FIRST HOUSE (_private_), 119 4th St. S., is the home of Mr.
and Mrs. Henry Hector. It was built in 1871 of oak logs cut in what is
now Island Park, and, although used for two years as a hotel, it was
originally intended as the home of A. H. Moore, United States marshall.
8. CASS COUNTY'S FIRST COURTHOUSE, 708 1st Ave. S., has been remodeled
into the DeVolne Flats. This two-story gray frame building has had a
varied existence. Built in 1874, it served for 11 years as the seat of
the county government. It was then moved to the corner of Seventh and
Front Streets and used for a Government land office until October 4,
1886, when the construction of a new Northern Pacific depot made it
necessary that the building be again moved, this time to Eighth Street.
It remained there for a few months, then was sold for $500 and moved to
its present location where it became the first club rooms for the Fargo
Y. M. C. A.
9. MASONIC GRAND LODGE MUSEUM (_open weekdays 9-5_), 501 1st Ave. N.,
houses the Masonic Library, the only lodge library in the State. The
museum includes exhibits ranging from Indian artifacts and historical
relics to religious articles. Fargo's first sewing machine was donated
to the lodge because its owner found it so "noisy to run."
The library specializes in genealogical research for Masonic families.
Originally it was part of the museum and contained only copies of rare
books. The lodge members became interested in a State-wide program of
adult education, and began a lending library of non-fiction books. A
collection of 800 rare volumes, a gift to the library of T. S. Parvin,
secretary of the Iowa grand lodge, was destroyed in the Fargo fire; the
library later bought Mr. Parvin's entire private collection. Important
items include _Orationes Philelphi_ printed in 1491; a collection
of Bibles dating from the time of King Christian III of Denmark
(1503-1559); a copy of the first printed constitution of Freemasonry,
dated 1723; and histories of some of the early guides.
10. MONUMENT TO GANGE ROLF, Bdwy. at 5th Ave. N., stands in the Great
Northern depot park. Rollo, as Gange Rolf was also known, entered
France in 909 with a band of Northmen, and founded Rouen. Two years
later he installed himself Duke of Normandy. His line through William
the Conqueror became the royal house of England in 1066, and the
reigning family of Norway in 1905. The statue, a gift of the Society of
Normandy to the Norse people of America, was unveiled in 1912 on the
1001st anniversary of the founding of Normandy.
11. ISLAND PARK, Bdwy. at Red River, Fargo's first park, was donated
for a recreational center in 1877 by the Northern Pacific Railway. It
was undeveloped until the early 1880's when the city council undertook
the task of landscaping. In the attractive grounds are various athletic
facilities and a building that serves as a community center.
A granite MONUMENT in a fenced plot near the south driveway was
intended for a sundial but was never completed. The oddly phrased
religious sentiments on the sides are by O. W. Lien of Breckenridge,
Minn., donor of the shaft, who said they were dictated to him by a
voice.
Near the west drive is a bronze MONUMENT TO HENRIK WERGELAND, a
Norwegian poet noted for his efforts in opening the doors of Norway
to the Jews and the naming of May 17 as Norwegian Independence Day.
The monument is a gift of the Norwegian people to North Dakota and was
presented during the Wergeland centenary in 1908.
12. OAK GROVE PARK (_tennis courts_, _horseshoe courts_, _playground
apparatus_, _soft-ball diamonds_, _wading pool, picnic facilities_),
on the Red River, has entrances at the E. end of 6th and 7th Aves. N.,
known as South and North Terrace. So sharp are the curves of the river
that at one point one can look from North Dakota west into Minnesota.
Oak Grove covers 39 acres.
13. EL ZAGAL PARK (_private_), 1411 Bdwy., is the property of the El
Zagal Shrine Club. On the nine-hole golf course is the El Zagal Bowl,
a natural amphitheater, used during the summer months for concerts and
dramatic presentations. Programs each year include recitals by the
Amphion Male Chorus of Fargo and Moorhead. North from the park are
North Drive, which follows the Red River, and Memorial Drive, leading
to Edgewood Park.
14. DOVRE SKI SLIDE, 1-1/2 m. N. of 19th Ave. on N. Bdwy., when
completed in 1935, was the highest artificial ski scaffold in the
United States. At its highest point it is 140 feet from the ground.
Reaching their maximum speed at the end of the runway, 300 feet from
the top of the slide, skiers land on a hillside leading to the Red
River, and complete their slide in Minnesota.
15. GOOD SAMARITAN SCHOOL FOR CRIPPLED CHILDREN, 716 7th St. S.,
stands on the site of a log cabin, the birthplace on August 27, 1871,
of Anna Thoresen, later Mrs. Anna Roe, first white girl born in Fargo
and Cass County. The school is housed in the buildings once occupied
by the first college in the city, Fargo College, founded in 1887 as a
Congregational school. The campus and main building had a beautiful
setting overlooking Island Park. A shrinking income closed the school
in 1919. In 1933, sponsored by the Good Samaritan Society, it became
a school for crippled children, a private organization dependent upon
donations from churches, fraternal societies, and other sources. It
operates as a boarding school, with vocational training and academic
courses from the first grade through high school.
16. On the SITE OF THE HEADQUARTERS HOTEL, between Bdwy. and 7th St.
S., N. of the Northern Pacific Railway, stood a large two-story frame
building which was the railroad station, hotel, and social center of
Fargo during its early days. Built by the Northern Pacific in 1872,
the hotel was formally opened April 1 the following year. After a
disastrous fire in 1874 it was rebuilt by Fargo business men at a
cost of $45,000. The new three-story combined hotel and depot was a
prominent landmark, visible for many miles on the flat prairie. Around
it flowed the life and business of the little frontier settlement and
through it filed the men and women who helped make the history of the
West. Its register carried the names of such notables as President
U. S. Grant and Gen. William T. Sherman. Gen. George A. Custer and
Gen. Nelson A. Miles often stayed there on their way to and from
the frontier. A menu preserved from the hotel's Christmas dinner in
1887 lists the following game dishes: "wild turkey, stuffed chestnut
dressing; possum with browned sweet potatoes; partridge with English
bread sauce; baked squirrel; saddle of venison, currant jelly; young
black bear; antelope, game sauce; buffalo steak; reed birds _a la
provencale_; broiled quail on toast"--and any of these for 50 cents.
One of the few buildings to escape the fire of 1893, the hotel burned
in 1899.
17. ST. MARY'S CATHEDRAL, Bdwy. at 6th Ave. N., seat of the diocese
of Fargo since 1891, is a red brick structure showing influences of
Classic and Gothic style. A prominent feature is a 190-foot bell tower
and steeple topped with a bronze cross. On the northeast corner of
the building a small tower forms a niche and canopy for a heroic size
statue of the Virgin Mary. In bas-relief on either side of the east
window over the entrance portals are figures of SS. Peter and Paul. The
cathedral, completed in 1899, was dedicated by Bishop John Shanley,
first Roman Catholic Bishop of North Dakota.
POINTS OF INTEREST IN ENVIRONS
Armour Packing Plant and Union Stockyards, West Fargo, =5 m.= (_see
Tour 8_). Wild Rice River, =7 m.=; Holy Cross Cemetery, =8 m.=
(_see Tour 1_).
GRAND FORKS
=Railroad Stations:= Great Northern, DeMers Ave. bet. 6th and 7th
Sts. N., for G. N. Ry.; Northern Pacific, 202 N. 3rd St., for N. P.
Ry.
=Bus Stations:= Union Station, Dacotah Hotel Bldg., 1st Ave. N.
at N. 3rd St., for Checker and Triangle Transportation Companies,
Northland Greyhound, and Liederbach Lines; Columbia Hotel, 624
DeMers, for Triangle Transportation Co.
=Airport:= Municipal airport, 1 m. W. of city, 1/2 m. S. of US 2,
for Northwest Airlines; taxi fare 75c, time 10 min.
=Taxis:= Fare 25c first m., 10c additional each 1/2 m., 50c to
university.
=City Bus:= Throughout city, to university, and East Grand Forks,
Minn., fare 10c.
=Traffic Regulations:= Left and inside turns permitted at all
intersections. N. 5th St. and Belmont Rd. (US 81) and University
Ave. are through streets. W. from N. 5th St., 60 min. parking limit
from noon to 6 p.m. No U-turn in business district. Traffic signals
on DeMers Ave. at 3rd, 4th, and 5th Sts.
=Accommodations:= 8 hotels; municipal tourist camp, Riverside Park,
NE. outskirts of city.
=Tourist Information Service:= Chamber of Commerce in City Hall,
2nd Ave. N. at 4th St.; Travelers' Aid Bureau (_operating part
time_), Great Northern depot.
=Theaters and Motion Picture Houses:= City auditorium, 5th Ave. N.
at 5th St., and Metropolitan Theater, 116 S. 3rd St., occasional
road shows, local and university productions, concerts; Masonic
Temple, Central High School Auditorium, local and university plays,
concerts; 4 motion picture houses.
=Golf:= Municipal 18-hole course, Lincoln Park, SE. outskirts
of city on Belmont Rd. (_greens fee 40c_); Nodak 9-hole course,
University Ave. at Columbia Rd. (_greens fee 20c for 18 holes_).
=Tennis:= Courts at Riverside and Lincoln Parks, university campus
(_small fee_).
=Swimming:= Outdoor pool, Riverside Park, open June to September,
charge for adults; indoor, Y.M.C.A., 15 N. 5th St.
=Hockey:= Winter Sports Bldg., university; Riverside Park; and 1st
Ave. N. at Washington St.
=Skiing:= 105 ft. and 30 ft. scaffolds at Lincoln Park. Cross
country trails through park and up Red River.
=Tobogganing:= Central Park, S. end of 3rd St., toboggans (_small
hourly charge_); small slides at Riverside and Lincoln Parks.
=Skating:= Winter Sports Bldg., university; lighted outdoor rinks
at Central and Riverside Parks; neighborhood rinks throughout city.
=Trap Shooting:= Grand Forks Sportsmen's Association, range just
outside city limits on University Ave.; Eckman rifle range, 1-1/2
m. N. and 1/4 m. W. of city off US 81.
[Map: CITY OF GRAND FORKS]
=Annual Events:= All-American Turkey Show, City Auditorium, usually
last week in January; Snow Modeling Contest, city parks, January;
Winter Sports Carnival, city parks and Winter Sports Bldg.,
university, 2nd week in February; Carney Song Contest, university
armory, February 21; Flickertail Follies, March; Engineers' Day,
university, 4th Friday in April; Norwegian Independence Day, May
17; Interfraternity Sing, Bankside Theater, university, 4th week in
May; High School Week, university, May; State Fair, fairgrounds,
NW. outskirts of city on US 2, June; Water Carnival, Riverside
Park, July; State Peony Show, June; Harvest Festival, 3rd week in
September; Homecoming, university, October.
GRAND FORKS (830 alt., 17,112 pop.), seat of Grand Forks County, is
named for its situation at the confluence of the Red River of the North
and Red Lake River. The broad low profile of the city, dominated by the
State Mill and Elevator and the radio station towers, is visible long
before it is reached. Even the many trees do not obstruct the view, for
they grow chiefly along the river, roughly paralleling the highway.
Like other small Midwest cities, Grand Forks is a heterogeneous mixture
of nineteenth century and modern architecture. The south part of town,
along US 81 and its neighboring streets, is the finest residential
district. University Avenue, lined with rooming houses and quiet homes,
culminates in an architectural spectacle along Fraternity Row, an
impressive group of houses vying for prominence and grandeur.
Meat packing, milling, and processing of other agricultural products
constitute the city's chief industries. The largest railroad terminal
between St. Paul and Seattle, Grand Forks is headquarters of the
Dakota Division of the Great Northern Railway, the largest division in
the world, containing more than 1,800 miles of main line track. The
Northern Pacific Railway and several truck lines add to the shipping
facilities.
The State university is not only a material asset of the city, but is
a vital part of its intellectual and social life. University musical
and dramatic performances are popular with townsfolk, college parties
and proms are leading society events, and athletic contests draw a
large attendance, not only from the city but from the entire northeast
section of the State.
It is thought that the early French-Canadian explorers of North Dakota
may have given this site the name of Grandes Fourches; by this name it
was commonly known to the French fur traders of the late eighteenth
century. In 1801, under direction of Alexander Henry, Jr., John Cameron
established a North West Company depot here. Where Henry's men traded
furs with the Indians, Grand Forks stands, the second largest city
in the State, and hub of a rich agricultural region in the Red River
Valley.
Nothing is known of the occupants of the first house in Grand Forks, a
tumble-down shack discovered by travelers near the shores of the Red
River in the early 1850's. The site is now occupied by the warming
house of the Central Park skating rink.
In 1868 Nicholas Hoffman and August Loon, carrying mail from Fort
Abercrombie to Fort Pembina, built a log cabin at the present corner of
Eighth Avenue South and Almonte. They used it as an overnight shelter
on the long trip across the prairies.