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The recorded history of Grand Forks in the U.S. state of North Dakota, began with the trade between Native Americans and French fur trappers during the 19th century. About 60 buildings or other historic sites in Grand Forks survive and are recognized among the National Register of Historic Places listings in Grand Forks County.
Grand Forks is the oldest major city in The Dakotas. Prior to settlement by Europeans, the area where the city now sits (at the forks of the Red River and Red Lake River) had been an important meeting and trading point for Native Americans. Early French explorers, fur trappers, and traders called the area "Les Grandes Fourches" (meaning "The Grand Forks"). By the 1740s, Les Grandes Fourches was an important rendezvous point for French fur trappers. This French fur trade continued until the French and Indian War gave Canada to the British. In 1800, British fur trader Alexander Henry the younger, an agent for the North West Company of Montreal, located a temporary camp at Les Grandes Fourches and, in 1808, established a permanent post. By the 1820s, the Hudson's Bay Company and John Jacob Astor's American Fur Company also had operations at the site.
During the mid-19th century, Les Grandes Fourches was a stopping off point for the Red River ox carts which carried goods on the Red River Trails between St. Paul, Minnesota and Fort Garry (now Winnipeg, Manitoba). On June 15, 1870, the first post office was opened and "Les Grandes Fourches" was anglicanized to "Grand Forks". Unlike most cities in North Dakota, the city of Grand Forks does not owe its existence to the arrival of the railroad. Instead, Grand Forks was first an important steamboat port on the Red River of the North. In late 1870, a steamboat captained by Alexander Griggs froze in the Red River at Grand Forks and Griggs and his men were forced to remain there for the rest of the winter. They built a temporary shed to live in for the winter and Griggs seemed to have decided that the area would be a good spot for a town. In the spring, he claimed a nine-acre (36,000 m2) piece of property that would become the townsite and, ultimately, downtown Grand Forks.
A small community quickly developed. In 1875, The Plaindealer, the town's first newspaper, was started by George H. Walsh. In 1879, George Winship started The Herald . The twin cities of Grand Forks and East Grand Forks were first physically connected when, in 1879, Alexander Griggs built a pontoon toll bridge at the present day site of the Sorlie Bridge at DeMers Avenue. The city of Grand Forks was officially incorporated on February 22, 1881. [1]
Grand Forks grew rapidly in its early years. Growth was spurred by waves of immigrants and Americans from the eastern portion of the country, the steamboat traffic on the river, and the coming of the railroad. The St. Paul, Minneapolis, and Manitoba Railway (Great Northern Railway) reached Grand Forks in 1880 and the Northern Pacific Railway came in 1887. The first settlers of Grand Forks were farmers and working men, but merchants and professional people from Minneapolis and other cities soon populated the city. After the arrival of the railroad, old wood-frame buildings were quickly replaced with brick buildings. The Hotel Dacotah, the St. John's Block, and the Security Building - all five stories - dominated the community's skyline and were a sign of a growing city.
In 1883, the University of North Dakota was founded by George H. Walsh before North Dakota was formally recognized as an independent state (born from the Dakota Territory). In 1893, The Diamond Milling Company of Grand Forks started making a new breakfast cereal they called Cream of Wheat, invented by mill employee Thomas Amidon. [2] By the dawn of the 20th century, the city had become the commercial, transportation, educational, health care, entertainment, and cultural center of the region and boasted many amenities usually found in larger cities.
The first half of the 20th century saw steady growth and the development of new neighborhoods farther south and west of downtown. The 1920s saw the construction of the state-owned North Dakota Mill and Elevator on the north side of the city. In 1954, Grand Forks was chosen as the site for an Air Force base. [3] Grand Forks Air Force Base brought thousands of new jobs and residents to the community. The military base and the University of North Dakota would become the two most integral pieces of the city's economy.
The later half of the century saw an increased shift away from downtown and towards the outskirts of the community. The coming of the Interstate Highway System revolutionized the way people traveled throughout the region. Several urban renewal projects tore down sections of the downtown area to make way for public buildings and transportation improvements. New public schools, a new hospital, and many commercial centers were built during this period. The opening of the Columbia Mall on the south side of town in 1978 forever changed the retail scene in the community.
The city was struck by a severe flood in 1997, causing extensive damage. [4] With Fargo upstream from the bulk of the waters, and Winnipeg with its flood control structures, Grand Forks became the hardest hit city in the Red River Valley. During the height of the flooding, a major fire also destroyed eleven buildings in the city's downtown area. One of the buildings destroyed by fire was the office of the Grand Forks Herald , the city's daily newspaper. National media attention and a large donation from McDonald's restaurant heiress Joan Kroc helped speed the city's recovery. Several neighborhoods had to be completely demolished to make way for a massive new dike system. Completed in 2006, the flood wall protects the community from future flooding. This land bordering the Red River is known as the Greater Grand Forks Greenway, a system of parks.
Since the flood, growth and new development has taken place throughout the city. Major projects have included the Alerus Center (concert venue and home of the UND football team), the $100+ million Ralph Engelstad Arena (home of the UND hockey team) on the UND campus, and a number of new commercial projects on the outskirts of town. The city is currently experiencing steady population growth. A large number of homes, townhouses, and apartment buildings have been constructed recently. Most commercial development has taken place along the 32nd Avenue South commercial corridor and around the Ralph Engelstad Arena — an area known as University Village.
Recent issues the city is facing include the Spring 2007 opening of a $50 million Canad Inns hotel and water park complex located adjacent to the Alerus Center, the impact of a realignment at Grand Forks Air Force Base, and economic growth coupled with a low unemployment rate.
Thief River Falls, sometimes referred to as Thief River or abbreviated as TRF, is a city in Pennington County in the northwest portion of the U.S. state of Minnesota. The population was 8,749 at the 2020 census. Thief River Falls is the county seat for Pennington County.
East Grand Forks is a city in Polk County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 9,176 at the 2020 Census, making it the largest community in Polk County.
Grand Forks is the third largest city in the state of North Dakota and the county seat of Grand Forks County. According to the 2020 census, the city's population was 59,166. Grand Forks, along with its twin city of East Grand Forks, Minnesota, forms the center of the Grand Forks, ND-MN Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is often called Greater Grand Forks or the Grand Cities.
The Red River is a river in the north-central United States and central Canada. Originating at the confluence of the Bois de Sioux and Otter Tail rivers between the U.S. states of Minnesota and North Dakota, it flows northward through the Red River Valley, forming most of the border of Minnesota and North Dakota and continuing into Manitoba. It empties into Lake Winnipeg, whose waters join the Nelson River and ultimately flow into Hudson Bay.
The University of North Dakota is a public research university in Grand Forks, North Dakota. It was established by the Dakota Territorial Assembly in 1883, six years before the establishment of the state of North Dakota.
The Des Moines River is a tributary of the Mississippi River in the upper Midwestern United States that is approximately 525 miles (845 km) long from its farther headwaters. The largest river flowing across the state of Iowa, it rises in southern Minnesota and flows across Iowa from northwest to southeast, passing from the glaciated plains into the unglaciated hills near the capital city of Des Moines, named after the river, in the center of the state. The river continues to flow at a southeastern direction away from Des Moines, later flowing directly into the Mississippi River.
The Red River flood of 1997 was a major flood that occurred in April and May 1997 along the Red River of the North in Minnesota, North Dakota, and southern Manitoba. It was the most severe flood of the river since 1826. The flood reached throughout the Red River Valley, affecting the cities of Fargo and Winnipeg, but none so greatly as Grand Forks and East Grand Forks, where floodwaters reached more than 3 miles (4.8 km) inland. They inundated virtually everything in the twin communities. Total damages for the Red River region were US$3.5 billion. The flood was the result of abundant snowfall and extreme temperatures.
The Alerus Center is an indoor arena and convention center in the north central United States, located in Grand Forks, North Dakota. The facility is owned and operated by the city of Grand Forks and opened on February 10, 2001.
The Sheyenne River is one of the major tributaries of the Red River of the North, meandering 591 miles (951 km) across eastern North Dakota, United States.
The Greater Grand Forks Greenway is a huge greenway bordering the Red River and Red Lake River in the twin cities of Grand Forks, North Dakota and East Grand Forks, Minnesota. At 2,200 acres (9 km2), the Greenway is more than twice the size of New York City's Central Park. It has an extensive, 20-mile (32 km) system of bike paths, which are used by bikers, walkers, joggers, and rollerbladers. In 2007, the system was designated as a National Recreation Trail by the National Park Service.
Alexander Griggs (1838–1903) was an American steamboat captain and politician. 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.
University Village is a neighborhood in Grand Forks, North Dakota. It is a part of the University of North Dakota (UND) campus and is located directly north of UND's central campus area. The property comprises 160 acres (0.65 km2) located on the banks of the meandering English Coulee directly off U.S. Highway 2. University Village has been developed as a commercial and residential neighborhood with the Ralph Engelstad Arena as the major anchor and has been called "the most valuable piece of real estate in North Dakota."
Alerus Financial Corporation, marketed as simply Alerus, is a chain of financial institutions headquartered in Grand Forks, North Dakota, with locations in North Dakota, Minnesota and Arizona. Alerus offers banking, mortgage, wealth management, and retirement services.
Downtown Grand Forks is the original commercial center of Grand Forks, North Dakota. Located on the western bank of the Red River of the North, the downtown neighborhood is situated near the fork of the Red River and the Red Lake River. While downtown is no longer the dominant commercial area of the Greater Grand Forks community, it remains the historic center of Grand Forks. An 80.4-acre (32.5 ha) portion was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2005, as Downtown Grand Forks Historic District. Today, downtown Grand Forks is home to many offices, stores, restaurants, and bars.
The Red River flood of 1997 in the United States was a major flood that occurred in April 1997, along the Red River of the North in North Dakota and Minnesota. The flood reached throughout the Red River Valley, affecting the cities of Fargo, Moorhead, and Winnipeg, while Grand Forks and East Grand Forks received the most damage, where floodwaters reached over 3 miles (5 km) inland, inundating virtually everything in the twin communities. Total damages for the Red River region were US$3.5 billion.
The history of Winnipeg comprises its initial population of Aboriginal peoples through its settlement by Europeans to the present day. The first forts were built on the future site of Winnipeg in the 1700s, followed by the Selkirk Settlement in 1812. Winnipeg was incorporated as a city in 1873 and experienced dramatic growth in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Following the end of World War I, the city's importance as a commercial centre in Western Canada began to wane. Winnipeg and its suburbs experienced significant population growth after 1945, and the current City of Winnipeg was created by the unicity amalgamation in 1972.
The Building at 201 S. 3rd St. is a property in Grand Forks, North Dakota that was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.
The Flatiron Building was an historic building in Grand Forks, North Dakota, that was built in 1906 and was destroyed by the 1997 Red River flood. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places, but was removed from the Register in 2004 because it had been destroyed.
The building at 205 DeMers Ave. is a property in Grand Forks, North Dakota that was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. It was destroyed by the 1997 Red River flood, and was officially delisted in 2018.
The First National Bank is a five-story building in Grand Forks, North Dakota, that was built in 1914–15 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. It was built for the Scandinavian-American Bank, but has been identified as the First National Bank building since 1929.