As the railroad moved out onto the Great Plains, settlers followed. Small gatherings began to form wherever the railroad workers set up their camps. These rudimentary communities usually started as a collection of tents, with frame buildings gradually taking shape as the neighborhoods became permanent. When the Northern Pacific Railroad crossed the Red River, what would later become a city had a very modest beginning.
Two rival communities put down roots. The settlement “in the timber” perched on the banks of the Red River. The settlement “on the prairie” was located farther west, at the Northern Pacific headquarters. The first frame building was an office for the bridge builders, with the Headquarters Hotel following shortly after. Although there was an intense rivalry between the two groups, one post office was established on October 6, 1871. It was named Centralia.
So how did the town of Centralia grow into the city of Fargo? It is due to a telegram dated on this date in 1871. Railroad executive Thomas Canfield sent a telegram to railroad official J.W. Taylor, who was on-site in Dakota Territory. Canfield informed Taylor that the community was to be named for a financial backer of the railroad. William G. Fargo was a director and financial backer of the railroad, as well as a partner in the Wells-Fargo Express Company.
Railroads had a great deal of influence in the federal government. The request for a change of name went to the Post Office. It was noted that the telegram predated the establishment of the Centralia Post Office. On February 14, 1872, the United States Post Office officially changed the post office name to Fargo. Fargo in the Timber and Fargo on the Prairie merged together and became one Fargo.
Cass County was surveyed and organized the following year. Fargo was designated as the county seat. It had not yet been officially organized, but with a population of about 600, far larger than any other community, Fargo was a logical choice. The Legislature incorporated Fargo in 1875. One hundred thirty-seven Fargo citizens voted on April 5. The mayor and six aldermen were elected. The first official city government meeting took place a few days later, on April 12.
Dakota Datebook written by Dr. Carole Butcher
Sources:
- State Historical Society of North Dakota Foundation. “Today in North Dakota History.” https://www.statehistoricalfoundation.org/todayinndhistory/?&offset=300Accessed 8/30/2026.
- NDSU Archives. “Fargo is Founded.” https://library.ndsu.edu/fargo-history/index217e.html?q=content/fargo-foundedAccessed 8/30/2026.
