Island Park: Fargo's First Park

Island Park: Fargo's First Park

Fargo, North Dakota 58105, United States

Created By: North Dakota State University

Tour Information

Island Park is Fargo’s oldest park and was the original town site plotted by the Northern Pacific Railroad.

Located at 302 7th Street South, Island Park accommodates a wide variety of visitors. It houses a pool, tennis courts, jungle gym, gazebo, and local parking.

Presently, the park houses three unique statues and a plaza. The first statue, dedicated to Henrik Wergeland, is located near the former pool in the park’s center. The Hope statue, dedicated to families who have lost children and loved ones is just northeast of the Wergeland. The final statue, dedicated to Civil War soldiers, is surrounded by pines and just northwest of the Hope statue.

Gibb’s plaza, located near 7th St, was dedicated to a Robert Gibb, a Scottish immigrant who built a successful local industrial business which is still open today.

Multiple businesses are located near the park and are included in the tour. The pool is located in the northwestern corner. The YMCA is located in the northeast corner of park and provides many amenities. The Stage at Island Park, located in the east section of the park, is an excellent venue for entertainment and lastly, the Fine Arts Building, which houses the Fine Arts Club, is across from the southeastern corner of Island Park. The 100-year-old house is maintained by a year round house tenant.

Please feel free to stop in and ask for additional information about the businesses, clubs, and buildings in the area. Bathrooms and water fountains are located throughout the park and parking is located on the parameter.

Have a wonderful and insightful tour!


Tour Map

Loading Tour

 

What You'll See on the Tour

The Gibb Memorial Plaza was dedicated to the entrepreneurial spirit of Fargo’s founding families. Robert and Jean Gibb donated $50,000 to construct the plaza at the intersection of Sixth Street and first Avenue South. Robert Gibb was a Sc... Read more
The wall of the current Island park pool was built in 1937. It was originally built as a part of the winter sports arena that was built in the location of the current day pool. The arena was built as a part of the Works Progress administrat... Read more
Surrounded now by mature trees, Island Park’s Civil War soldier used to prominently guard the north side of the park. But why a Union soldier in Fargo? North Dakota wasn’t even a state during the Civil War, but as the railroad came to D... Read more
The Angel of Hope, located in Island Park, Fargo, is part of a 150 Christmas Box Angel Statue system scattered across the United States of America. The Angels are gathering places for grieving individuals and families who lost children for ... Read more
5
YMCA of Fargo dates all the way back to 1886. The first location was in the county courthouse and later moved to the corner of Roberts st and First ave N. Built in 1905 and costing $50,000 the facility included a pool, basketball courts, ru... Read more
The Stage at Island Park is the Fargo Moorhead Community Theater (FMCT) that was founded in 1946 and focuses on providing theatrical and educational opportunities to the Fargo community. The Stage is the longest running community theater or... Read more
The Fargo Fine-Arts House is 100 years old and is home to the 105-year-old Fine-Arts Club. The house is located on the corner of Fourth Street and Sixth Avenue South, right next to island park. The house was once Watson Hall, which was part... Read more
The tall statue, located in Island Park, is contributed to the life of Henrik Wergeland, Norway's national poet and a symbol of Norway's independence. He focused on political and religious reforms that changed agriculture and prisons and wa... Read more
A public work project the original Island Park pool was built in the late 1930's. Designed by S. Marius Houkom the original complex included locker rooms on the main level, seating on the pool level, and diving boards, both high and low. T... Read more

 

Leave a Comment

 


 

Download the App

Download the PocketSights Tour Guide mobile app to take this self-guided tour on your GPS-enabled mobile device.

iOS Tour Guide Android Tour Guide

 


 

Updates and Corrections

Please send change requests to changerequest@pocketsights.com.