Grand Forks in Grand Forks County, North Dakota — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
Alexander Griggs
1838-1903
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, July 16, 2012
1. Alexander Griggs Marker
Inscription.
Alexander Griggs. Considered the Founder of Grand Forks, Alexander Griggs filed the first land plat in the Original Townsite in 1875. Steamboat captain and builder, Griggs was an integral part of the steamboat era. He learned his navigational skills on the Mississippi River and earned his pilot’s license at nineteen. Partnering with railroad magnate, James J. Hill, Griggs established a steamboat enterprise on the Red River of the North and built the Selkirk in 1871. Griggs vigorously promoted the early development of Grand Forks. He founded the Second National Bank, established the gas works, and built the Grand Forks Roller Mill, the first brick city block and a hotel, the Griggs House. Griggs was the city’s third postmaster and was politically active, serving on the City Council, the Board of County Commissioners, the Railroad Commission, the first state constitutional convention, and as Mayor from 1888 to 1889. He left Grand Forks and eventually established another steamship line in 1893, the Columbia and Okanogan Steamboat Company, at Wenatchee, Washington, where he died January 25, 1903.,
Sculpture by Heidi J. Hoy and Nicholas Legeros , Commissioned by the Grand Forks Historic Preservation Commission , Land donated by the County of Grand Forks , Funding provided by the City of Grand Forks, the , North Valley Arts Council, and the , River Forks Commission , Dedicated May 23, 2001.
Considered the Founder of Grand Forks, Alexander Griggs filed the first land plat in the Original Townsite in 1875. Steamboat captain and builder, Griggs was an integral part of the steamboat era. He learned his navigational skills on the Mississippi River and earned his pilot’s license at nineteen. Partnering with railroad magnate, James J. Hill, Griggs established a steamboat enterprise on the Red River of the North and built the Selkirk in 1871. Griggs vigorously promoted the early development of Grand Forks. He founded the Second National Bank, established the gas works, and built the Grand Forks Roller Mill, the first brick city block and a hotel, the Griggs House. Griggs was the city’s third postmaster and was politically active, serving on the City Council, the Board of County Commissioners, the Railroad Commission, the first state constitutional convention, and as Mayor from 1888 to 1889. He left Grand Forks and eventually established another steamship line in 1893, the Columbia and Okanogan Steamboat Company, at Wenatchee, Washington, where he died January 25, 1903.
Sculpture by Heidi J. Hoy and Nicholas Legeros Commissioned by the Grand Forks Historic Preservation Commission Land donated by the County of Grand Forks Funding provided by the City of Grand Forks, the North Valley Arts Council,
Click or scan to see this page online
and the River Forks Commission Dedicated May 23, 2001
Erected 2001 by Grand Forks Historic Preservation Commission.
Location. 47° 55.369′ N, 97° 1.744′ W. Marker is in Grand Forks, North Dakota, in Grand Forks County. Marker can be reached from the intersection of South 4th Street and Bruce Avenue, on the left when traveling north. Marker is located on the Grand Forks County Courthouse grounds, near the northeast corner of the courthouse. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 124 South 4th Street, Grand Forks ND 58201, United States of America. Touch for directions.
1. Captain Alexander Griggs. In 1871 Mr. Griggs went to where Grand Forks is now located, and he entered a claim to the land on which the old town is located, and named the place Grand Forks on account of the junction of the two rivers. He continued to operate a line of boats between Grand Forks and Winnipeg for many years and continued in command until 1890. (Submitted on December 15, 2020, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
2. Alexander Griggs (Wikipedia). He is acknowledged as the founder of the city of Grand Forks, North Dakota and is called "The Father of Grand Forks." Griggs is also the namesake of Griggs County, North Dakota. (Submitted on December 15, 2020, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
3. Captain Alexander Griggs. (An undated portrait of Alexander Griggs, the founder of Grand Forks.) (Submitted on December 15, 2020, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, July 16, 2012
3. Alexander Griggs Statue
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, July 16, 2012
4. Alexander Griggs Marker
( Grand Forks County Courthouse in background)
Credits. This page was last revised on August 5, 2021. It was originally submitted on December 15, 2020, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 194 times since then and 14 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on December 15, 2020, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.