The Fargo forum and daily republican., 1909-08-09
FARGO, gem CITY
OF NORTH DAKOTA
SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT OF
THE CHICAGO INTER OCEAN
GIVES HIS VIEWS OF THE
GROWING METROPOLIS or THE
FLIcKERTAlL STATE.

Monte Farwell one of the staff cores
pondents of The Chicago Inter Ocean.
In sunday mornings issue Of The In
ter Ocean, Mr.. Farwell presents his
views of The Gate City of North Da~
kota. and the article makes someAyeryi
interesting reading. 1t follows heaoNs
in full:
Large cities are not the rule eaiu3 31T0asff
Dakota, but what they lack in sfze4FheyI
make up in beauty and progress1veressS'
Fargo is a good specimen Of Ehe pre-s
valent North Dakota spirit. II is a;
city of homes, and beautiful ones. ~
Is also an educational center, the NoBthV
Dakota Agricultural college being fo~'
Gated there, and the School of Prahm-'
acy, Fargo college, which has been
literally endowed by DIR. Pearson of
Chicago; the Lutheran cemetery and
the Catholic academy, and two con-
servatories of music. This makes a
pretty good showing for a city of 20,-
BOO inhabitants, and 1t is an indication
of the high intellectual tone Of the
city. In these various institutions
and in the seven fine city school build
lngs. there Is a total of 5,400 students
IN attendance.
Active in Commercial Lines.
II Fargo is active along educational
lines, IT Is equally active on CONNER
cial lines, and it is no exaggeratiOn to
say that in the volume of the trade
transacted here few cities of three and
four times it's size can equal it. There
are six banking houses doing business
here, and the bank clearings for the
past year totaled $32,750,00O, while the
deposits In the banks amounted to $6,-
Doc, 600, There is one building and
loan association in the city, with as
sets of over $54, 100000. The total
financial transactions of the local post
Office amounted to $2,0oO,OOO and the
plans were drawn and accepted were
valued at 100000.
Fargo is located in the famous Red
River valley Of the north, which is
probably the richest agricultural sec
ton on this continent and is the equal
OF the great Nile delta. Here the fin
est wheat known to the world is grown
and all this famous valley, for a dis
tance of 400 miles east and west and
900 miles north and south, is the ma
tural trade territory of Fargo. Before
the wheat and cattle of this country
can reach Chicago or Minneapolis they
must come to Fargo, and it's distance
from Minneapolis (250 miles) makes Il
the commercial market for the stocl
raising and mining lands of North anC
South Dakota, as well a. for western
Minnesota and Montana. From a set
tlement on the boundless prairie th
city has grown to it's present proper
tions, and is destined to grow to still
greater. The people of Fargo believ
In their city, and are proud Of wha
1t has accomplished, and possess
spirit of cheerful optimism that will
carry them far.
As a Distributing Center.
The proximity of the city to the grea
wheat growing section has natural,
made 1t q great point for the dfstribu
tion of agricultural machinery, an
there is probably no other city in tn
country that handles such an enormou
quantity of this class of merchandis
as is handled here. There are twent
wholesale dealers in this class Of good
in the city, and the volume of bushes
months at a time. While this is tn
largest individual industry of the cit
1t is well supplied with commerce.
houses in all other lines. 1t has tw
large wholesale grocery houses. whic
do business all through the west,
wholesale hardware house, a wholesal
drug house, two wholesale harness an
saddlery houses, as we'll as wholesal
houses in many other lines. The bi
Chicago packers maintain branches
the city and do a large distribute
from here.
There is nothing provincial
HrnaclSing of the frontier about Farg
On the contrary 1t is very metropol
tan. The city covers an area of 2,3
acres, and has good water supply,
well lighted by both gas and electrici
and has now under construction a fl
tratton and light plant which w
greatly improve Doth of these publ
utilities. There are fifteen miles
paved streets in the city and for
miles of water mains have been lai
There are thirty five miles of sewe
and twenty-five miles of gas mair
which, with eighteen miles of electr
wire, make the city one OF the be
lighted in the country, there being 2
street lights. During the past ye
the city expended $225,0O0 on pub
improvements.
Churches of All creeds.
From a religious standpoint t
welfare Of the city is well looked a
ter. The city is the see Of the Rom
r,Ar-nasa ard prptaStapf EpicpoT
churches. and there are twenty-fl
churches of various denominations
the CITY. The Young Mems Christi
association has a fine edifice here tt
was erected at a cost of 100000, a
the fraternal orders have large mel
berslip. The Masonic Temple buildi
is the fourth largest exclusive MasoI
temple in the United States. The c
has two excellent daily papers,
sides five weeklies. The sick are ts
en- care of in two large hospite
which are equipped with every sa,
tary facility, and the medical ste
attached to which rank high for pi
fessional skill The stranger conn
to the city can take his choice of q
one of the fifteen hotels, which
noted for their modern comforts 8
the excellence OF the cuisine.
Manufactures Are Needed.
while the city has number
prosperous manufactures. there is
pressing need for more, and they co
do well. For instance. cordage
linen works would find this an
ceIIent field because of the city's cl
proximity to the rich agricultu
- E.