The enigma of Fargo

-
One of my pet interests is seeking answers to the questions nobody asks. One of those questions is "Why is Fargo considered a horrible place around the United States?"
I began my research by reading James Lileks website. The site is not about Fargo, but Lileks is a Fargo native who left and found fame elsewhere, like most North Dakotans these days. There is a great section on old Fargo which features pictures and good commentary. Would you believe the discoverer of P.D.Q. Bach (Peter Schickele) was once a Fargo resident! The other realms of his web space are laugh aloud funny to the core. Bookmark this site!
How does Fargo get a bad rep? Just a few years ago it was named an All-American city for the 2nd time! It can't be that bad.
This is my quest as quixotic as it sounds. My first lead...Native Americans.
It appears this orginal inhabitants of the land chose not to inhabit the Fargo area in the past. They just passed through enroute to some big meetings at Kathio. I'm not even sure they camped in or around Fargo. No evidence of that. Here's the kicker- Fargo was a swampy wetland and stunk. Now I need sources on this one. We'll look at that one later...

Comments

Post a Comment

Notable Posts

So there was this zombie party

-
Image
It was a quiet weekend up here. Well, maybe. Depends on how you appreciated the sound of moaning zombies all over. They can be rather noisome. Fortunately there are guys like McGjervold who can take out a dozen or so of the troublesome undead minions. Went to a party and sure enough, there they were- zombies. Real crazy looking zombies.  And there was the food too. I sampled the fare before I called in McGjervold to clear out the joint with his array of weapons and zombie whooping devices. McGjervold doesn't back down to zombies or their ilk. Afterword we played pool.
Read more

Back to 50s photos: Pontiac Chieftain

-
Image
I n its earlier days, Pontiac featured a Native American on its logo. It may have just been a representation of the famous chief himself, Pontiac although no authentic images of him are known to exist. In the center background you may be able to see a Pontiac Chieftain under a large tree. Pontiac ceased production of the car sometime in the late 1950s. In 1956 they also changed their trademark from the Indian head dress to something more akin to an arrowhead.
Read more

Gumby, Google, Clokey and Hastings. Oh My!

-
Image
This title sounds like a band from the 70s. However, Google has a great interactive doodle today in honor of Art Clokey , creator of green guy Gumby. Clokey would have been 90 today, but he passed away last year. But did you know that the Gumby came from my hometown of Hastings, MN! Indeed I thought this odd too when I saw this fact on a map of Hastings that has hung in the family home for years. Clokey was Californian and seemed to have no connections wtih the North Star State, so I thought this incredulous. I did a little digging and then found my answer in an article in the Star Tribune from October 20th, 2003.  Dick Parker and Heron Marquez Estrada did a the hard work and re-discovered that Echo Plastics of Hastings manufactured millions of Gumby and Pokey toys up to about 1971. So I guess Minnesota can claim the green guy and his red pony after all. Perhaps the state quarter would have been more collectible if it had Gumby an...
Read more