Fargo, Arkansas

Fargo, Arkansas
Town
Location in Monroe County, Arkansas
Coordinates: 34°57′11″N91°10′43″W / 34.95306°N 91.17861°W / 34.95306; -91.17861
Country	United States
State	Arkansas
County	Monroe
Area [1]
• Total	0.47 sq mi (1.23 km2)
• Land	0.46 sq mi (1.18 km2)
• Water	0.02 sq mi (0.04 km2)
Elevation [2]	200 ft (60 m)
Population  (2020) [3]
• Total	57
• Density	124.73/sq mi (48.13/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code	72021 [4]
Area code	870
FIPS code	05-23140
GNIS feature ID	2406490 [2]

Fargo is a town in Monroe County, Arkansas, United States. As of the 2020 United States census it had a population of 57, ^[3] down from 98 in 2010.

History

Main lines and branches of railroads were being built across Arkansas in the late 1880s. By 1898, two of them—the St. Louis Southwestern Railway running roughly north-south, and the Missouri and North Arkansas Railroad (M&NA) running roughly east-west—crossed. A post office with the name Fargo was established at the crossing, but it was not yet a town. In 1911, the two railways built a depot in Fargo. ^[5]

At least 33 settlements formed along the railroad as the M&NA was built, including Fargo, where Leroy Mahon owned the farmland at the railroad crossing. ^{[6] [7]}

Development as a "freedmen's town"

Leroy Mahon platted the land and created a settlement for Black families. In doing so, he created a freedmen's town.

Leroy ("Lee") Washington Mahon was born into slavery as Leroy Stenhouse in 1861 in Greenville County, South Carolina. The surname Stenhouse was the same as their slaveowners. When freed, his parents and their children worked as sharecroppers. In 1888, Leroy and his brother Tom moved to Monroe County, Arkansas for better opportunities. ^[8] In about 1900, Leroy changed his surname to Mahon, and in 1911 he platted the town on 40 acres (16 ha) of his farmland and Black homeowners bought plots and built homes. ^[9]

The first established church in Fargo was called First Baptist and Bethel Presbyterian.

In 1920, Floyd B. Brown established the Fargo Agricultural School, which brought students from across the state and had some financial supporters even outside Arkansas. The school focused on outreach and community service in Fargo, gravelling the mud roads, bringing electricity and telephone service to the town, and holding an annual farmers' conference that brought hundreds of farmers to the area to share information and knowledge. ^[10]

Geography

Fargo is located in northern Monroe County along U.S. Route 49, which leads south 4 miles (6 km) to Brinkley and north 8 miles (13 km) to Hunter. Interstate 40 passes 3 miles (5 km) south of Fargo, with access from Exit 216 (US 49).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 0.47 square miles (1.22 km²), of which 0.02 square miles (0.05 km²), or 3.59%, are water. ^[1]

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1990	140		—
2000	118		−15.7%
2010	98		−16.9%
2020	57		−41.8%
U.S. Decennial Census [11] 2014 Estimate [12]

As of the census ^[13] of 2000, there were 118 people, 41 households, and 31 families residing in the town. The population density was 70.1/km² (180.5/mi²). There were 50 housing units at an average density of 29.7/km² (76.5/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 53.39% White, 45.76% Black or African American, 0.85% from other races.

There were 41 households, out of which 46.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.7% were married couples living together, 19.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.0% were non-families. 17.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.88 and the average family size was 3.34.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 38.1% under the age of 18, 6.8% from 18 to 24, 26.3% from 25 to 44, 19.5% from 45 to 64, and 9.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 29 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.3 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $24,375, and the median income for a family was $28,750. Males had a median income of $19,583 versus $21,250 for females. The per capita income for the town was $8,634. There were 26.5% of families and 30.0% of the population living below the poverty line, including 31.8% of under eighteens and 72.7% of those over 64.

Notable people

Actress and comedian Sasheer Zamata is the great-granddaughter of Leroy Mahon. This was discovered on the TV show Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates Jr. which aired on January 7, 2020.

References

1. "2021 U.S. Gazetteer Files: Arkansas". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved June 22, 2022.
2. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Fargo, Arkansas
3. "P1. Race – Fargo town, Arkansas: 2020 DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171)". U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved June 22, 2022.
4. "Fargo ZIP Code". zipdatamaps.com. 2023. Retrieved January 12, 2023.
5. "Fargo (Monroe County)". Encyclopedia of Arkansas. Central Arkansas Library System. Retrieved March 18, 2024.
6. Handley, Lawrence R. (1974). "Settlement across Northern Arkansas as Influenced by the Missouri & North Arkansas Railroad". The Arkansas Historical Quarterly. 33 (4 (Winter)): 273–292. doi:10.2307/40023291.
7. "Fargo Plat". Encyclopedia of Arkansas. Central Arkansas Library System. Retrieved March 18, 2024.
8. Slave Narratives: A Folk History of Slavery in the United States From Interviews with Former Slaves, Volume 2, Part 6. Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.: U.S. Work Projects Administration, Federal Writers' Project (1936-1938). Retrieved March 18, 2024.
9. "Sasheer Zamata's Great-Grandfather Founded the Town of Fargo" (excerpt). Finding Your Roots. Public Broadcasting System (PBS). Retrieved March 18, 2024.
10. Hill, Jack (Producer) (1994). Reporting for Arkansas: Work Will Win. Arkansas Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) and Special Collections at University of Arkansas Libraries. Retrieved March 16, 2024.
11. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
12. "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2014". Archived from the original on May 22, 2015. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
13. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved January 31, 2008.