The first settler in Cass county was Martin Schow, who still lives upon the land originally occupied by him near Quincy.

Jacob Lowell, Jr.. is the second oldest settler in the county, and the oldest in Fargo, he located at Elm river in 1870, and in Fargo in April, 1871.
Ole Lee came in April, 1871, and settled upon what is now South Park addition to Fargo.

When filings were made upon the land in and about Fargo settlement was alleged as follows: Jacob Lowell, Jr., July 2, 1871; Charles Roberts, July 8,1871; Harry Fuller. June 15, 1871; Jacob Lowell. Sr., July 5th; A. McHench. July 3d; James Holes, July 2fith; John E. Haggart, August Sth; A. J. Harwood, August 22d: Brad Stevens, October 31st; Pat Devitt. November 25th; A. H. Moore. August 10th.

Charles Roberts is the father of the first child born in Cass county. The only ladies in Fargo up to August, 1871 were Mrs. George Egbert, Mrs. A. McHench, Mrs. Andrew Holes and Mrs. C. A. Roberts. Mrs. A. H. Moore came August 19th.

The Charles Roberts claim is now practically in the heart of the city. Lowell's joins the city. Fuller's is Fuller & Eddy's addition. Sanborn's is one mile out. Gordon J. Keeney reached Fargo July 5. 1871, and in March. 1872, located his claim, which extended from North Pacific avenue to Sixth street, north of the Manitoba depot. and from Broadway to the river. Kenney and Devitt afterward made a joint entry of this land.

Thus in 1871 the foundation of the city was laid, but not until the 18th of October 1873, was the city platted. The survey was made by Joseph E. Turner, and the plat of Forgo was the first instrument tiled for record in the office of the register of deeds of Cass county, January 2, 1874. The next instrument was a warranty deed from John McDonough to Patrick Bond. June 25, 1874.

Cass county was organized in the fall of 1873. Jacob Lowell Sr., Newton Whitman and W. H. Leverett were the first county commissioners. J. H. Pashley was appointed sheriff. Terrence Martin, register of deeds and ex-officio county clerk. H. S. Back, judge of probate and ex-officio county treasurer. J. L. Lowell. Jr., county attorney, and A. McHench, county superintendent of schools. The post office was established in September, as Centralia. and Jordan J. Keeney was appointed postmaster. The name was changed to Fargoo in 1873, and the point never became widely known as Centralia. The Northern Pacific railroad was completed to the bridge at the crossing of the Red river January 1, and was extended west that year about to Steele, and completed to the Missouri river at Bismarck June 5, 1873, but no station was established at Fargo until 1874.

The first house built in Fargo was the house now occupied by Frank Tanner. It was built by J. S. Mann, and afterward occupied by A. H. Moore as a hotel. E. Sweet & Co. built a small office before this which is now owned by Lowell.

The Headquarters hotel was commenced in 1871, completed in 1872, and opened by J. B. Chapin April 1, 1873. The writer accepted the hospitalities of the squatter governor in this house April 3,1873, and that day determined to locate in North Dakota, which he did a month later. The old Headquarters hotel burned in October, 1874, and was rebuilt by N. K. Hubbard and E. S. Tyler within sixty days of the time of the fire. The writer came over the plains from Bismarck to attend the opening in December, 1874, meeting then, as he had before, nearly all the old settlers of Fargo, all of whom were invited to the feast. We were all neighbors in North Dakota in those days. Everybody knew everybody, whether he lived at Fargo, Jamestown. Bismarck, Pembina or Grand Forks. Trains did not run west of Fargo in winter. The writer paid seventy-five dollars in December 1873, for a team to take him from Bismarck to Jamestown, and then drove a span of mules from Jamestown to Fargo. Six days were required for the trip. After reaching Fargo two days more were required to reach St. Paul by rail, a stop over night being made at Brainerd, and then proceeding by way of Duluth next day. This state of affairs continued until 1876.

In December, 1874, the tax rolls of Cass county showed but 240 personal tax payers in Cass county. The total valuation was $81,235.

There were but seventeen names on the real estate outside of the city limits, viz: P. P. Makin. Peter Dalstrom. R. C. Enderson, W. O. LeDuc, James Holes, John Kinnan. Charlemagne Tower, John E. Haggart, E. A. Grant. D. P. Harris, P. Goodman, B. A. Berg & Co., Nels Olson, Tolger A. Woo, John Erickson, N. Whitman and W. G. Goodrich; and but twenty-five on the real estate rolls within the city limits, viz; C. E. Peterson, Terrence Martin, Northern Pacific Railroad Company, A Plummer, Francis Pinkham,. John H. Hanson. P. W. Kennedy. B. A. Berg & Co., J. B. Chapin, C. S. Foster, Chas. Cotter, Bernard Griffin, L. R. Beardsley, E. S. Tyler. A. McHench, D. A. Sanders, J. Lowell, Jr., E. A. Grant, Oscar Smith, George Egbert, A. J. Durham, A. A. Hall, John Cummings. John E. Hnggart and John Burns.

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