The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1909-10-09
The Diocese Of Fargo, Episcopal

Fargo is the ecclesiastical center OF
the Protestant Episcopal church Of
North Dakota, being the headquarter:
of the diocese OF Fargo and the home
Of the bishop of this district.
/ The diocese OF Fargo, or as II Ia
sometimes called. the missionary dis
trict OF North Dakota, is coterminious
with the state as a political division
The work in his territory is carried on
by wehty priests. thirty-six lay read
ers, ten OF whom are candidates for
orders. There are eighty congre-
cations within the district with to-
tai Of 2,056 communicates. There are
forty Eight church buildings and
eighteen rectories. Mission work
among the Indians is carried on at
Fort Totten, Cannon Ball, Red Hail,
Turtle Mountain and Fort Berthold.
One Of the principal institutions of the
diocese is Church hall at the state
normal school at Valley City.
Up to within recent years the
growth of the Protestant Episcopal
church in North Dakota has been
rather slow. There were many reasons
to account for this. The people who
originally settled this part of the
country were largely OF foreign birth
and were largely members of either
the Roman Catholic or Lutheran
church. What influx of Americans
there were was largely from those
parts of the country where the Epis-
copal church was not strong. Conse-
quently the gains of the church in this
state have largely been through con-
versions. However, Within the last
few years great strides have been
made by this denomination and excel
lent work is being done on all sides
by 1t.
The present DIOCESAN head is the
Rt Rev. Cameron Mann, d. D., bishop
OF Fargo. To him must be given
credit for the splendid advances the
church has made within the time he
has been in charge of this See. All
over the state many notable advances
have been made both spiritually and
financially. Some idea of what has
been gained is made evident by the
fact that in 1903 all but two Of the
churches Of the state were dependent
for a part of their support upon the
diocese At the present time there
are seven supporting parishes.
History of the Diocese.
While actual church work of the
Episcopal church did not begin in the
territory now comprising North Da-
kota until the Northern Pacific rail-
road crossed the Red river on it's way
to the Pacific coast, the actual Episco-
pal history of the state began back in
1860. In that year the Rt. Rev. J. G.
Talbot was made missionary bishop
of the northwest and included the
present state of North Dakota.
In 1866 the Rev. R. H. Clarkson was
made bishop of the territories of Da-
kota and Nebraska and remained in
charge until 1870, three years after
Nebraska became state, wnen the
diocese of Nebraska was fully or
ganized and Bishop Clarkson was
made diocesan. However, he contin-
ued his care of the Dakotas until 1878
when Rev. w. H. Hare was conse-
Grated bishop of Niobrara. In his Wis
it's to the country he followed mostly
the Missouri river, that being the us.
ual route of travel. and as a conse-
quence he only visited Fargo, Grand
Forks and Wanpeton once.
1t was before the conservation o.
Bishop Hare and while Fargo wa;
still a city of tents, that Rev. j. A
Gilfillan then rector of Brainerd
visited the settlement ana held SER
vices in the tent Of the chief engineer
of the construction. After the conse-
Grafton Of Reverend Hare as bishop Of
the Niobrara, Bishop Clarkson, still
continued a general supervision over
the territory Of Dakota. He sent tc
Fargo in 1873 Reverend Henry, who
gave the mission it's start, although
he remained only a short time.
In October Of 1888 the general con.
vocation of the church granted a Pc
tition Of the clergy and laity of Da-
kota and divided the territory into
two missionary districts, one the mis-
sionary district Of North Dakota and
the other of South Dakota. This il
a most remarkable thing as the divid-
ing line OF the two districts was sci
at the 46th parallel of latitude. In