2/29/2016:
Cass County is the most populous county in North Dakota. In 2013 it was the 14th fastest growing county in the entire country. It was one of the original counties defined in 1872, and was organized a year later on October 27th. The county was named for General George Washington Cass, president of the Northern Pacific Railroad when Cass County was organized. The county seat has always been Fargo.
The first Cass County courthouse was completed in 1877 at a cost of $76,000. It was a two-story brick building. At the time, brick was an expensive building material. Fargo citizens were determined to have a courthouse that represented the city as a legitimate county seat and the Gateway to the West. The courthouse was used until 1883 when it was moved and used at a YMCA. It was later used as a boarding house and was finally torn down in 1967.
An 1883 Fargo Directory stated that a second courthouse was under construction. This was a much grander building, also made of brick, featuring a tall cupola. The estimated cost was $50,000. It was less expensive than the first courthouse because the cost of brick had come down, but survived for only 20 years, burning down in 1903 when being renovated.
On this date in 1904, an announcement was made seeking bids for a third courthouse, a a two-story building with a basement. It would be built on the foundation of the courthouse that burned, and total cost was not to exceed $80,000.
The new courthouse opened on July 31st, 1906, but the estimate of $80,000 proved to be quite optimistic. The total cost was $141,000. The building is still in use today.
Dakota Datebook written by Carole Butcher
Sources:
Fargo Forum and Daily Republican. 29 February, 1904. “Bids Wanted.”
United States Census Bureau. "http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?src=bkmk" http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?src=bkmk Accessed 22 January, 2016.
Gannet, Henry. The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Washington, DC: Department of the Interior, 1905.
NDSU Archives. “Fargo, North Dakota: Its History and Images.” "http://library.ndsu.edu/fargo-history/?q=content/cass-county-courthouse" http://library.ndsu.edu/fargo-history/?q=content/cass-county-courthouse Accessed 21 January, 2016.[podcast]/media/dakotadatebook/2016/feb/29.mp3[/podcast]
Cass County is the most populous county in North Dakota. In 2013 it was the 14th fastest growing county in the entire country. It was one of the original counties defined in 1872, and was organized a year later on October 27th. The county was named for General George Washington Cass, president of the Northern Pacific Railroad when Cass County was organized. The county seat has always been Fargo.
The first Cass County courthouse was completed in 1877 at a cost of $76,000. It was a two-story brick building. At the time, brick was an expensive building material. Fargo citizens were determined to have a courthouse that represented the city as a legitimate county seat and the Gateway to the West. The courthouse was used until 1883 when it was moved and used at a YMCA. It was later used as a boarding house and was finally torn down in 1967.
An 1883 Fargo Directory stated that a second courthouse was under construction. This was a much grander building, also made of brick, featuring a tall cupola. The estimated cost was $50,000. It was less expensive than the first courthouse because the cost of brick had come down, but survived for only 20 years, burning down in 1903 when being renovated.
On this date in 1904, an announcement was made seeking bids for a third courthouse, a a two-story building with a basement. It would be built on the foundation of the courthouse that burned, and total cost was not to exceed $80,000.
The new courthouse opened on July 31st, 1906, but the estimate of $80,000 proved to be quite optimistic. The total cost was $141,000. The building is still in use today.
Dakota Datebook written by Carole Butcher
Sources:
Fargo Forum and Daily Republican. 29 February, 1904. “Bids Wanted.”
United States Census Bureau. "http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?src=bkmk" http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?src=bkmk Accessed 22 January, 2016.
Gannet, Henry. The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Washington, DC: Department of the Interior, 1905.
NDSU Archives. “Fargo, North Dakota: Its History and Images.” "http://library.ndsu.edu/fargo-history/?q=content/cass-county-courthouse" http://library.ndsu.edu/fargo-history/?q=content/cass-county-courthouse Accessed 21 January, 2016.