Fargo's First House

Fargo's First House. . Land claims in Fargo, North Dakota were filed soon after it was determined the railroad would cross at that point. Homesteader A. H. (Harry) Moore entered the Red River Valley area in 1869 and filed one of the earliest claims. Moore built an oak log house by 1871 near the river channel in what is Island Park today with the help of carpenter George Mann., Moore soon had the cabin moved to higher ground due to flooding. The cabin also operated as the Moore and Mann Hotel in its new location. The City of Fargo rented the cabin from Moore in 1875 for $15 a month to use as a jail until a new city jail was built in 1876. The Moore family continued living in the house until 1879 when they moved to Lisbon, ND. Early settler and grocery store owner Henry Hector purchased the house in 1892 and made several updates to the structure. The Fargo Chapter of the Pioneer Daughters formally recognized the house as Fargo's first wooden house in 1939 and the Hector family continued to live there until 1952. The cabin then had multiple owners who divided the house into apartments for rent until the Fargo Moorhead Board of Realtors purchased the house and donated it to Bonanzaville in 1974. Dr. Max Moore, Harry Moore's grandson, and Mrs. Claude Hector, Henry Hector's daughter-in-law, helped pay for moving and restoration. Palmer Forness restored the cabin to its original appearance in 1979., (Captions) Drawing by Clay County, Minnesota artist Orabel Thortvedt featured a layout of Fargo in 1872. Highlighted above is what she labeled the Mann and Moore Log Hotel and this was one of the many uses for Fargo's First House , Fargo's First House, ca. 1950, before it was restored to its original appearance.