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1895 Map of Fargo

Name: 1895 Topographic Map of Fargo
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1964
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1964

About this map

The Red River flows northward through this late nineteenth-century landscape, defining the state boundary between North Dakota and Minnesota. The neighboring rail hubs of Fargo and Moorhead dominate the center of the sheet, where the Northern Pacific and Great Northern railroads intersect to create a regional transportation nexus. The surrounding prairie is carved by winding waterways including the Wild Rice River and Maple River, which supported early agricultural clusters like Horace and Wild Rice.

Genealogists and local historians will find numerous small prairie settlements and sidings established along the burgeoning rail lines. Notable sites include Christine and Wolverton to the south, while the Fargo and Southwestern Branch connects smaller outposts such as Cotters and Haggart. This era captures the Red River Valley as a maturing agricultural frontier, showing the early layout of townships like Stanley, Kurtz, and Moorhead before modern urbanization reshaped the valley.