Joe Whitford

Joe Whitford. Town Founder. Joseph Whitford founded the Fergus Falls town site in 1857. Born of Scotch-Irish parents near Montreal, Canada, he came to Minnesota with his brother John. In 1856, Little Falls businessman James Fergus outfitted Joe and sent him to locate a suitable town site along the Red River. When his original claim close to Abercrombie, North Dakota was jumped, Joe followed the advice of Native American acquaintances to seek the "big swift waters" east of there. Seeing the potential of the rapids, Whitford claimed the site and named it Fergus Falls in honor of his employer. James Fergus visited this place in 1859 but never lived here., Whitford built a log cabin, the first structure in town. It was located on what is now called Whitford Street, near the original site of the 1873 Henry Page House., In 1860, Whitford began building flatboats to transport goods from St. Paul and St. Cloud to Fort Gary, now Winnipeg, Canada. He was killed during the U.S.-Dakota War of 1862, near Fort Abercrombie in North Dakota while returning from one of his trips down the Red River. Years later, a Dakota Indian returned Joe's remains, a skull and three ribs, to his brother. John Whitford requested that Joe's remains be buried with him. John died in 1896 and was buried in the North Star Cemetery in St. Cloud. In a Fergus Falls Daily Journal article his son, William Whitford, wrote that John's wishes had been carried out.