6/6/2008:
On this day in 1899, the city of Fargo looked ready for a carnival. That's because they were. After planning and preparing, residents were ready for a special festival that was to really kick off the next day. In just five years, it had become something of a state holiday: It was the fire festival.
This three-day festival was not so much of a celebration of fire, as it was a triumphal raspberry blown in the face of chance and fate. It marked the terrible fire that razed down Fargo on June 7 in 1893, destroying the main business portion and a section of the residential area of "the Gateway City of the North" and rendering it to ashes. More than 100 commercial buildings and houses burned, and hundreds of families became suddenly homeless. Miraculously, only one man—Fireman Johnson—died in the fire.
But what doesn't kill you, only makes you stronger. At a suggestion and a parade five years earlier, Fargo's "Phoenix-like rise from the ashes" became more of a jubilant war-cry over the years.
The Record, printed in Fargo, reported, "To many, the idea of celebrating a disaster seemed almost grotesque, but to Fargoans, the big fire of June 1893 has been a blessing in disguise, resulting in the building of a new city on the ashes of the old, which is not only a pride locally, but one of the bright illustrations of the indomitable pluck which is characteristic of the people of North Dakota.
"North Dakota people are exceptionally loyal to all state institutions, they are keen admirers of progressiveness, and ever since this festival began to be observed, those who have encouraged it by their presence have been legion."
People came from everywhere, and the railroads even offered special rates for those within certain distances of Fargo for the festival.
And there were many activities at this fire festival of 1899. There was a run of the local fire department, assisted by the Moorhead department. Secret societies held a parade on the first day. On the second day, there was an Industrial Parade, "a striking illustration of what North Dakota rustle and enterprise will do." Sundry and assorted "olden days" activities, such as baseball, wrestling matches, bicycle parades, and fire crackers took place. There were multiple other little parades, log rolling, band concerts and more.
The people of Fargo proved their motto, "Never Say Die," as well as their gumption and perseverance, through this, their Mardi Gras of the North.
By Sarah Walker
Sources:
The Record, June 1899, Vol. 5 #1, p.5, p.11
The Fargo Forum and Daily Republican, Saturday Evening, June 3, 1899
The Fargo Forum and Daily Republican, Monday Evening, June 5, 1899