The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1917-01-02
HISTORICAL LETTER NO. 119
tsy Rev. E. E. Saunders, Maplston, N. D.

| frame house in the city that is now
standing.
Hon. N. B. Pinkham. who came from
Wisconsin. to his present homestead
two miles north Of Haggart on the
Sheyenne in April, 1871, told many
interesting incidents regarding the
final location of the crossing OF the
Northern Pacific railway. When he
arrived he was told that all Of the
land open to entry along the Red river
had been taken. A. f. Pinkham, now
residing on Fourteenth street south
arrived from Minneapolis in the fall OF
1871. Jacob Lowell, jr., came from
Maine in the fall of 1870, and located
on the present Grandin farm at Elm
river, and on July 2, 1871, he settled
on his claim on the present townsite OF
Fargo and became the first bona flde
settler Of the city.
Harry Fuller located on section No
IL and III. s. Back took claim a short
distance south. Previous letters have
told Of the contentious between the
several parties who were anxious to
locate on the proposed TOWNSHIP at the
railroad crossing Suffice 1t to say, at
this time, that the first engine reach
ed the Red river, Dec. IL, 1871, with a
snow pillow in charge of Capt. r. HI.
Emerson. Washington Snyder was
and the contractor who built the road
was John Ross. The postoffice was es-
tablished in September as "Centralia,' -
with Gordon j. Keeney as postmaster.
In 1873. the name was changed to
Fargo. -. ..tF
Cass county was organized in the
fall Of 1874. Jacob Lowell, ST., Newton
Whitman and w. III. Leverett, were
the first commissioners; ]. H. Pashley,
,;A adj -
deeds and Clerk III. S. Back, judge of
probate and treasurer; j. L. Lowell,
jr., county attorney, and A. McHench,
county superintendent of schools. In
1874, there were but 240 personal tax
payers in Cass county. The valuation
was but $S1.235. There were only
seventeen names on the real estate tax
list, outside of Fargo. The total value
of real estate property within the city,
was $23,490. In 1885, the valuation of
Fargo city property had increased to
$3,825,950, the value of Cass county
farm land to $7,000,1S0, and the per-
sonal property to $3,014, 800. The home
stead property was not taxable until
final proofs were made. In eleven
years the number Of taxpayers in
creased to 2,SS3.
The growth Of Fargo has from the
first been phenomenal and the city has
always mad DOOSterS, not only Tor
her commercial interests, but her
moral and religious affairs have also
been looked after and advanced. Far
go has for many years had a nation
wide reputation as Convention CITY,"
Many of her first citizens came from
Maine and other states where the liquor
traffic was prohibited and restrained so
that when the time approached for the
adoption Of constitution for the new
state of North Dakota in 1889, that
document was drafted with a statu-
tory law to make it effective by. attor-
ney, and later for twenty years. Judge
Charles A. Pollock, assisted by Hon. r.
M. Pollock, member of the Constitu-
ton convention, both of Fargo, and
introduced into the senate by Sen. HI.
j. Rowe of Casselton, and supported
in the house by Representatives N. M.
Pinkham, our present Judge-elect Hon,
A. T. Cole, and a majority of others Of
both houses. 1t was predicted that
grass would grow on the streets Of
Fargo" but instead. streets were paved
without license money, and prosperity
in business and morals has prevailed