View a flood impact chart for the city of Fargo.
(requires flash)

FARGO, NORTH DAKOTA and MOORHEAD, MINNESOTA

The year 2000 marks the 125th birthday of Fargo/Moorhead. By American standards, it is a young city.

Early Settlement
From 1879 to 1886 over 100,000 European settlers, many from Norway, Germany, and Sweden, came to the Dakota Territory seeking homesteads on the rich black soil. Many businessmen and professionals came from New England and the mid-Atlantic states and added a "Yankee" influence to buildings, mansions, and churches.

By the turn of the Century, farmers began to diversify by raising livestock and growing potatoes, alfalfa and corn in addition to cereal grains.

Transportation
From the 1860's to 1886, steamboats carried freight and passengers on the Red River with as many as sixteen boats working the Red River between Fargo and Winnipeg.

While trade and commerce flourished along the Red River, it was not until the railroad picked Fargo-Moorhead as the crossing for the Northern Pacific Railroad that permanent settlers began moving to the area. The Fargo/Moorhead area soon became known as the Gateway of the West to early homesteaders.

Fargo was named for William G. Fargo, one of the Northern Pacific directors and founder of the Wells-Fargo Express Company. Moorhead was named for William G. Moorhead of Pennsylvania, another NP director.

Commerce
In 1885 the combination of too many lawyers and easy divorce laws made Fargo the place to go for thousands of unhappily married people. While establishing the "residency" required for the Ten Minute Divorce, soon-to-be divorcees stayed in elegant hotels, attended the opera and symphony, and ate at fine restaurants. Adding to this "Reno on the Red" atmosphere was the fact that Fargo became dry in 1889 and Moorhead had the bars, gambling, and prostitution. Free wagon rides were provided by saloon-keepers to transport customers over the Red. In 1915 liquor was also banned in Moorhead.

With Fargo's population at 600, on June 7, 1893 the general fire alarms sounded. Rosa Herzman, discarded ashes behind her grocery store on a windy day and ignited a huge fire that destroyed hundreds of homes and businesses. Viewed as a disaster at the time, the fire would prove to be a blessing. Pre-fire Fargo was constructed of wood-sidewalks and all. Fargo was resurrected with newly designed buildings of brick and stone, new streets, and a water system.

Growth
The 1920's and 30's were a great time of social and technological change. Prohibition was repealed in 1937. The telephone helped relieve the isolation that was once a part of rural life. Improved roads, automobile travel, and farm machinery advances helped revive the local economy following the depression and the drought.

After World War II the FM economy boomed with a retail core to support the city as well as the region's growing population. Both Fargo and Moorhead expanded rapidly to the south as the population increased.

Higher Education is well represented in Fargo-Moorhead. Concordia College, a Lutheran liberal arts college, opened its doors in 1891. Minnesota State University Ð Moorhead provides education and science courses to a diverse student population. North Dakota State University is North Dakota's land-grant university. It offers an extensive array of graduate and undergraduate programs.

Present
The wild and wooly days are gone. Dubbed the Bread Basket of the World, the Sugar Bowl, and recently the Silicon Prairie, the Fargo-Moorhead metropolitan area is home to 170,000 residents and is the hub of a regional distribution system for commerce, manufacturing, education, and health care. (www.ndsu.nodak.edu/fargoflood/)

From April to September the Red River Zoo located along Interstate 94 in Fargo is open daily from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. The zoo features eight acres of fun and exotic animals native to the Earth's Northland. Each lives in an accurate re-creation of its natural habitat. For more information call 277-9240.

Tour the Red River
The Heritage Hjemkomst Interpretive Center has opened its Red River Valley exhibit. The exhibit features a three-dimensional representation of the Red River Valley region. As visitors "walk" through the Red River and its tributaries, the exhibit offers original artifacts, replicas, and descriptive text about settlement of the area. The exhibit will be up for the next 18 months. For more information call 218-299-5511.

FM River Keepers
The River Keeper's 10th Annual Race the Red canoe and kayak races were held Saturday, June 9th. The event was organized by River Keepers and sponsored by Moorhead Amateur Sports Commission. View the race results here.

River Keepers officially christened their new tour boat on the Red River Friday, August 10th. To view the full story along with photos from its inaugural voyage, click here.

Downtown River Plan Moving Forward!
The River Keepers' board of Directors met to develop action steps to move forward on development of the riverfront. The plan developed by the downtown consultants hired by Moorhead and Fargo, Dahlgren, Shardlow & Uban (DSU), was reviewed and additional ideas were discussed. (more)

View the Fargo/Moorhead Photo Gallery.