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1897 Map of Fargo

Name: 1897 Topographic Map of Fargo
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1949
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1949

About this map

The Red River of the North serves as the central artery for this late 19th-century landscape, defining the border between Cass County, North Dakota, and Clay County, Minnesota. The twin settlements of Fargo and Moorhead emerge as a critical transportation hub where the Northern Pacific (Main Line) and Great Northern railroads converge. This survey, conducted by Van.H.Manning and H.S.Wallace, captures a transition from river-dependent commerce to a rail-driven agricultural economy.

Away from the urban center, the landscape is organized into distinct townships such as Reed, Oakport, and Holy Cross. Numerous small stations and sidings like Kurtz (Elmer Sta.), Finkle, and Cotters dot the prairie, illustrating the dense network of grain stops required before modern road transport. Waterways like the Sheyenne River and Maple River wind through the western flats, supporting smaller outposts like Horace and Walcott.