The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1906-11-06

ridge in 1876, the pastor Rev. S. Hail
mustered at Wahpeton.
Rev. Hiram N Gates was commits
stoned by our Home Missionary So
citey to work along the line of the N.
r. r. r.. i'm Minnesota. He located
at Detroit, MINI. and i'm 1873 came as
far west as jamestown and Bismarck
and secured temporary buildings and
| found some OF our folks in each of
these places. The Presbyterians
were also on the ground and claimed
the territory as theirs. Our people
gave way and did little TIL 1880 when
Rev Henry Willard also Minnesota
missionary was commissioned to be-
gin work in North Dakota He or
ganized a church at Mandan which
was afterward lost through inabili-
ty to man the field and because 9TH
er denominations crowded into the
town
Rev David Writ came to the state
in 1880 and started work at Sanborn,
Valley City and other places.
| The church at Wahpeton was or
, ganized in April 1881 and at Valley
/, City in August of the same year and
our own church Nov. 2, 1881
The state work till 1882 was cared
for and developed from Minnesota
and under the care Of the superin-
tendent of missions of that state Rev.
l.. II. Cobb. This worthy man who
helped at the beginning died recently
after being secretary of the building
society for over twenty years.
The Home Missionary society APP
pointed Rev. II. G. Simmons as sup
erintendent of missions for North Da-
kota in 1882. He was told Congre-
gationalists had no business in North
Dakota. He soon proved that they
had
He devoted his entire time to the
promotion of Congregational church
work as superintendent till 1894, when
he was elected president of Fargo coll
lege He continued for about three
years as superintendent of missions
and also president of the college,
making fifteen years in ALL Then
Rev. John l.. Male was superintend-
ent for about two years.
Most Of the earlier growth of the
denomination came in the fifteen years
of Mr.. Simmons administration of the
missionary work.
Mention should be made Of the eff
ficient service of the Sunday school
Missionary society. In 1887 Rev. VIM.
Ewing was taken from the pastorate
of Plymouth church in this city to
devote himself to the organization of
Sunday schools and the establishing
of preaching stations. He made
jamestown headquarters and was a
pathfinder" for the feet of Congre-
gationalists for little over four years.
Then came the present superintend-
ent of the Sunday school missionary
work, Rev. e. III. Stickney Up and
down the state of North Dakota he
has been going for fifteen years and
a considerable part of the Congrega-
tional map has been due to his effii-
cient pioneering. All but forty five
of the churches in the state have been
organized since he entered upon the
general work.
Only three ministers now In our
work have been in the state twenty
wears. They are superintendent
Stickney Rev c. A. Mack of Dwight
and Rev. c. H. Phillips of Jamestown
During the first nine years of our
church work in this state from 1881 to
1890 some fifty-five churches were or
ganized 1t was in this period Fargo
college was established. The story Of
Fargo college is an interesting chap
ter alone. At the invitation of this
first church in 1882 meeting was
held in Fargo, with DIR. Barrows of the
Home Missionary society, Rev. j. H.
Morley of Winona, Mimi, and Super
intendent Montgomery and number
of others from Minnesota and North
Dakota present. President strong of
Carleton college gave an address on
Christian academies. In the next
year, 1883, again at the invitation of
this church the meeting of the State
association was held here and eleven
men among them, III. C. Simmons. G..
B, Barnes and r.. S. Beard, signed an
appeal for a college for North Dako-
ia. At that meeting subscriptions
were made amounting to $1,400. for a
college, and 1t is said that most Of
this amount was subscribed by home
missionaries
This period which saw fifty-five
churches and the college started were
years of rapid growth and expansion
for the state
In the next nine years less progress
was made. The tidal wave of settle
ment set In the other way and it was
not easy TO hold the ground occupied
in some of those trying years How
ever about thirty two churches were
organized In that period
The third period does not cover more
than seven years and began with 1899.
Within this period seventy eight
churches have been established and
the Congregational academy at New
Rockford started upon its great carr
Ger.
We pass the twenty fifth mile stone
of our church work in North Dako-
ia with a hundred and sixty churches.
Some few have fallen out of the way.
or this whole number thirty are Ger
man, three Indian and one Scandi-
nayian. though there are several other
Scandinavian churches In close fell
lowship with us whose pastors are
congregational ministers and they are
with us practically, though they are
not counted I'm our year book
Besides these established churches
there are Sunday schools and preach
ing stations to the number OF seventy
five or more where our work Is carried