User:Magnolia677/sandbox
History[edit]
West Fargo began as a whistle stop called "Sheyenne Crossing" on the Northern Pacific Railway, named for the nearby Sheyenne River.[1][2][3]
A post office operated from 1874 to 1885.[1]
The settlement was renamed "Haggartville", and then "Haggart", after the owner of the land, John E. Haggart, a businessman who served as postmaster, U.S. marshall, and first sheriff of Cass County.[1][4] Settlers began arriving in the area, and in 1876 the first school was built, School District No. 6.[4]
Equity Co-op Packing Company was formed by a group of farmer, and the Equity Packing Plant—a meat processing plant—was erected in the settlement in 1919.[4] Twenty-four homes were built, as well as a hotel, restaurant, and general store.[4][5] The Equity company fell into bankruptcy in 1922, and was sold to Armour and Company in 1925, when the settlement's name was changed to "Village of West Fargo".[4] The settlement was a major agricultural processor during the 1930s, and most of the residents were meat packinghouse workers; teams at West Fargo High School continue to be called the "packers".[6] The plant utilized an assembly line to process meat, and its motto stated it used "every part of the animal except the squeal."[5] The plant also produced fertilizer, adhesives, and soap.[5] The meat packing era ended in West Fargo when the Armour plant closed in 1960.[5]
In 1989, the cities of West Fargo and Riverside merged.[4]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c Hoheisel, Nielsen; Tim, Andrew R. (2007). Cass County. Arcadia. p. 82.
- ^ Teigen, Danielle (2017). Hidden History of Fargo. History Press.
- ^ "How West Fargo Came To Be". Cass County. February 23, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f Leith, Petra. "West Fargo: A Brief History". West Fargo Historical Center. Retrieved May 28, 2024.
- ^ a b c d "The Equity Packing Plant". Prairie Public Broadcasting. July 3, 2020.
- ^ Danbom, David B.; Strom, Claire; Grosz, Jennifer; Hallberg, John R. (2002). Fargo, North Dakota 1870-1940. Arcadia. p. 46.