The Fargo forum and daily republican., 1909-05-18
A VISIT TO FARGO
z YEARS Ago
WISCONSIN MAN TELLS OF JUNK.
EFT TRIP IN PIONEER DAYS.
Very Few Buildings Between the
Northern Pacific and Great North
srn Depots-Entertained With "TaIl"
Stories.

Platteville, Wis, May 1910 The
Forum: My first visit to Fargo was
in August, 1882, shortly after what is
now the Great Northern railroad was
built. The Wisconsin Editorial asso-
citation had convened at Hudson, Wis,
and, after a short session they took
a special train for st. Paul, Minneapo-
lis, Lake Minnetonka, Moorhead, Far
go and Grand Forks.
Those were the days when the rail-
roads We'd with each other in favoring
the editorial fraternity, and passes and
special trains, even, were to be had
for the asking.
Our party numbered about 100 per-
sons, and included besides the ladies
and newspaper men proper, some law
yers, college presidents, state officers,
judges and distinguished citizens,
among whom were Gen. Lucius Fair
child, ex-governor and ex-ministers to
Spain; President Bascom, Wisconsin
university; President Chaplin, Beloit
college; Lyon and Cassoday, supreme
court and State Oficers Timme, Nc
Fetridge and Haugen.
morning and breakfasted at the Grand
Pacific hotel, which had been complet-
ed only a week or two before, and
where we were furnished with a most
bushes everywhere from Fargo to
Grand Forks" Cabbage, heads OF
senatorial size, gave forth the fra
GRANGE of the jessamine and honey
suckle to the humming birds as large
as canvas back ducks and clad in all
the prismatic glories of the aurora
borealis." I'VE hatch our own wild
geese, of such dimensions that Wiscon-
sin tenderfeet are liable to mistake
them for winged hippopotami, on lakes
of never freezing rosewater and col
sogne.'
Hon. w. G. Plummer, of The Repub-
lican, followed with fattling speech.
He corroborated the extravagant state
ments made by his friend Col. Donan,
and said he had seen all the pheno-
mena he mentioned with his own eyes
He said the people of the northwest
have a great future before them. The
Norwegian and the Irishman, the
Swede and the German, the Scotchmar
and the Russian, will mix together, and
out of this mixture will come great
appetizing breakfast Everything was
new and Immediately clean, and the
service was equal to any of the bis
| city hotels.
During our stay of three or -four
hours in Moorhead the citizens made
every effort to make our stay Will
them as pleasant as possible. There
was not much of a town there then but
/ the people had great expectations
many of which have since been re.
allied.
We crossed the river on what is now
the Great Northern to Fargo, abou
the middle of the forenoon. The sta
tion stood almost alone in that part o
the town, in fact there were but few
buildings of any kind between the
Great Northern and the Northern Pa.
cific railroads; and the sidewalk, which
was only on one side of the street, was
raised in some places several fee
from the ground and stood on posts.
Our party was escorted to the opers
house where an address Of welcome
was delivered by COL Pat Donan, o.
ex-confederate fame, and one of thu
editors of The Fargo Argus. All who
remember the colonel will recall the
wonderful oratorical extravagances o