‘How Moorhead Got Its Start’: Student shares how transportation kick started our community
Anthropology major to present at Student Academic Conference April 14
By Danielle Rebel
When people began settling in Moorhead, it was a time of ball gowns and waistcoats. Traveling required a much greater effort than it does today. But the course of a century, a lot can change.
In the 1800s, traders in the area used oxcarts to travel and carry their wares. Later came steamboats, trains and automobiles. By the time the 1920s rolled around, Moorhead was looking much closer to what we know it as today — both in infrastructure and transportation methods.
Junior Danielle Lean, anthropology, is presenting at the Student Academic Conference April 14. Her presentation, titled, “Trails, Trains and Trolleys: How Moorhead Got Its Start,” identifies the various means of transportation as each was introduced into early Moorhead, and how each affected the growth of the Minnesota community.
“There were the oxcarts that went through with trading, and then there was a little settlement in this area,” Lean said. “Once trading began, Moorhead became a bigger place and then transportation elevated it to the next level. That’s basically why Moorhead and Fargo are located right here.”
She and her nine classmates in HIST 390, Interpreting History, will each be presenting on an early Moorhead-related topic, specifically looking at events during the 1880s-1920s. From women in early Moorhead to immigration and prohibition, the class aims to educate their audience about why Moorhead is such a unique city.
Lean’s presentation takes us back to a day when transportation meant more than miles per gallon or getting to work on time. Steamboats traveling along the Red River provided a connection with our neighbors to the north, while a single streetcar ran from Fargo to Moorhead, connecting the sister cities.
“I don’t think many people know a lot on the early history of Moorhead,” Lean said. “Hopefully the audience will learn something about why Moorhead is placed here and how it got started. Transportation kick started Moorhead, and Moorhead basically jumpstarted Fargo, too.”
For more information on the Student Academic Conference, visit mnstate.edu/sac.