The first resident in what is now West Fargo was also Fargo's first sheriff, first fire marshal, and also sponsored the first bill passed by the North Dakota Legislature.
John Eldridge Haggart was born April 19, 1846, to John and Mabel Northrup Haggart on a farm near Ogdensburg, N.Y.
After serving in the Union Army during the Civil War, Haggart got a job in the Pennsylvania oil fields. In 1866, his brother, Gilbert, broke the leg of a competitor in a wrestling match, which angered the promoters. Fearing for his life, Gilbert went into hiding. After Gilbert's disappearance, John returned home to help out on the family farm. When months passed with no word about his brother, John went west to try to find him.
Thousands of people flocked to Colorado looking for gold in the 1860s, but Haggart went there hoping to find his brother. One of his jobs was driving supply wagons for the government. When the gold rush was over in 1870, Haggart took a job in northern Minnesota with the Northern Pacific Railroad. He was part of a crew that reached Oakport, three miles north of Moorhead, in mid-June 1871. The crew couldn't build a bridge across the Red River to continue laying tracks west, so Haggart went into business with Daniel Thompson operating a river ferry. Haggart quit the ferry business and looked for a site to establish a homestead when Thompson died, the victim of a gunfight.
On Aug. 8, 1871, Haggart claimed 640 acres along the Sheyenne River between Fargo and Mapleton. To supplement his income, he bought and sold horses and worked at Jasper Chapin's hotel in Fargo. He soon purchased another 1,300 acres adjacent to his homestead. Fargo was incorporated as a city on Jan. 15, 1875. Haggart won the election for city marshal three months later. In 1881, the title of city marshal was changed to police chief.
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When Cass County was formed on Oct. 27, 1873, Haggart was appointed sheriff and served until 1887. He was also deputy U.S. marshal during that time.
Sheyenne Stockyards, a large cattle operation, was started up near his homestead. To serve the stockyards, a post office was established on his property on June 18, 1874. It closed in 1875 but reopened on July 9, 1883, when more settlements occupied the region. It closed again in 1885 when the mail started being distributed in Fargo.
In 1875, Haggart married a Norwegian immigrant named Birgit Hertsgaard. They had nine children. After a fire hit downtown Fargo on June 27, 1879, Haggart organized a meeting on Dec. 18 that established a fire department. He was elected Fargo's first fire chief on May 3, 1880.
For Haggart, the year 1880 was a time of celebration. The previous fall, he had apprehended a murder suspect in Fort Keogh, Mont. During the trial in Fargo, a friend said he had received a letter from Tombstone, Ariz., mentioning a man named Gilbert Haggart, the long-lost brother who had been given up for dead. They were reunited in March 1880 when Gilbert visited Fargo. Later that year, John Haggart was voted "the most popular man in Fargo."
When the Fargo and Southern Railroad incorporated on June 20, 1881, Haggart was named one of the directors. On July 9, 1883, he became director of the Fargo and St. Louis Air Line Railroad Co.. He was also busy buying up land and was said to have a business interest in 20,000 acres in Foster County, N.D. He also became more actively involved in politics.
North Dakota became a state on Nov. 2, 1889. Haggart was elected from his Fargo district to serve in the state Senate. During that session, he introduced the first bill to be passed, which confirmed in the state constitution the establishment of the North Dakota Agricultural College, now North Dakota State University. He later introduced another bill that provided for an appropriation of $25,000 to construct buildings on the campus.
Haggart served in the Senate until 1898. He was elected president pro tem during the 1895-96 session. Because of his influence in state politics, he was considered one of the "big four" of political bosses along with Alexander McKenzie, Judson LaMoure and Michael McCormack. After his service in the Legislature, Haggart was appointed to the state prison board.
Haggart died Sept. 20, 1905. In 1919, 24 houses were built by the Equity Packing Plant on the land once owned by Haggart, and this community became known as Haggart. When Equity was purchased by Armour in 1925, the new company changed the name of the community to West Fargo.
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"Did You Know That" is a Sunday column that focuses on interesting people, places and events that had an impact on North Dakota, or even the country. It is written by Curt Eriksmoen and edited by Jan Eriksmoen of Fargo. Send your suggestions for columns, comments or corrections to the Eriksmoens at: cjeriksmoen@cableone.net .
