Bonanzaville USA in West Fargo in Cass County, North Dakota — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)

Site Where Generals Grant & Sheridan Stopped

September 4th, 1883

Photographed by Sandy Sidler, May 10, 2025

1. Site Where Generals Grant & Sheridan Stopped Marker

This tablet no longer marks the site where Generals Grant and Sheridan stopped because the tablet and its boulder was moved from the train depot in downtown Fargo to here.

Inscription. This tablet marks the site where Generals Grant and Sheridan stopped September 4th 1883, with a party enroute west to drive the Golden Spike which completed the Northern Pacific Railroad.

Erected 1938 by Dacotah Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Railroads & Streetcars. In addition, it is included in the Daughters of the American Revolution series list. A significant historical date for this entry is September 4, 1883.

Location. 46° 52.593′ N, 96° 55.751′ W. Marker is in West Fargo, North Dakota, in Cass County. It is in Bonanzaville USA. It can be reached from Main Avenue West (U.S. 10) east of 21st Street NW, on the right when traveling east. Marker is in front of the Embden Depot building in the Bonanzaville USA Historic Museum and Pioneer Village. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1351 Main Ave W, West Fargo ND 58078, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the Red River Valley

and in Greater Fargo Area.

It is also in the American Lewis & Clark Corridor,

on the prairies,

and on

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the Northern Plains.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once Rupert’s Land

and also the Louisiana Purchase.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Trangsrud Elevator (here, next to this marker); Embden Depot (a few steps from this marker); Kathryn Depot (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); U-R Next Barbershop (about 300 feet away); Bjerklie Drugstore (about 300 feet away); UR Next Barber Shop (about 300 feet away); Harness Shop (about 300 feet away); Maier House (about 300 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in West Fargo.

More about this marker. The tablet and its boulder were originally placed at 46° 52.488′ N, 96° 47.417′ W, in Downtown Fargo . It was on Main Avenue (U.S. 10) just east of 8th Street South, on the left when traveling east. It was located near a fountain in the pedestrian plaza on the west side of the old Northern Pacific Railway Depot. The depot is now private property and the new owner had a different vision

Photographed by Sandy Sidler, May 10, 2025

2. Site Where Generals Grant & Sheridan Stopped Marker

This tablet no longer marks the site where Generals Grant and Sheridan stopped because the tablet and its boulder was moved from the train depot in downtown Fargo to here.

for its landscaping.

The tablet is now at Bonanzaville, the Cass County Historical Society's museum complex in West Fargo.

Also see . . .
1. Northern Pacific Railway Company.

The Northern Pacific was chartered by Congress in 1864 to build a line from Lake Superior westward to the Pacific coast. It soon encountered difficulty in finding financial backing for its venture into a mostly unsettled wilderness until the Philadelphia banker Jay Cooke stepped in. In 1873 the railroad was approaching Bismarck, in the Dakota Territory, when Cooke’s bank collapsed. The road went into receivership, and construction stopped for six years. In 1878 the railroad was taken over by Henry Villard, who built it westward to Helena in Montana Territory, where it was connected with the Oregon Railway to Seattle in 1883.

(Submitted on November 2, 2022, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

2. Northern Pacific Railway.

The main line opened all the way from the Great Lakes to the Pacific when former President Ulysses S. Grant drove in the final "golden spike" in western Montana on September 8, 1883. The railroad had about 6,800
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, August 26, 2022

3. Former location of the“ Site Where Generals Grant & Sheridan Stopped” Tablet
Tablet is mounted on large boulder at left. This photograph shows the tablet at its original location the site where Generals Grant and Sheridan stopped on their way west. It and its boulder have been moved to the Bonanzaville USA museum complex in West Fargo.
miles of track and served a large area, including extensive trackage in the states of Idaho, Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, Oregon, Washington, and Wisconsin. The NP merged with other lines in 1970 to form the Burlington Northern Railroad, which in turn merged with the Santa Fe Railway to become the BNSF Railway in 1996.

(Submitted on November 2, 2022, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

Additional commentary.
1. Marker has been moved
This marker was moved to Bonanzaville USA in West Fargo, a museum complex operated by the Cass County Historical Society. The Depot was sold to a private company who decided to change the landscape. The Dacotah Chapter of The Daughters of the American Revolution haf that marker and boulder moved.

— Submitted May 11, 2025, by Sandy Sidler of Fargo, NorthDakota.

Northern Pacific Railway Depot image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, August 26, 2022

4. Northern Pacific Railway Depot

(looking north from Main Avenue • tablet was behind fountain on west/left side of depot)This photograph shows the railroad station currently occupying the site where Generals Grant and Sheridan stopped on their way west. This building was built in 1898 to replace the depot where they stopped in 1883. The tablet is no longer there.

Credits. This page was last revised on May 12, 2025. It was originally submitted on November 1, 2022, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 433 times since then and 41 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on May 11, 2025, by Sandy Sidler of Fargo, NorthDakota. 3, 4. submitted on November 2, 2022, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.