Caron, John, collector
Fargo, N.D. Photograph Collection, [1870s - 2001] (Photo 2006)

1,881 postcards, photographic postcards and photographs
1 lantern slide
10 5x7 in. negatives
196 35mm color negatives

Biography

John Caron is a native of Fargo, N.D., and a graduate of Fargo Central High School and NDSU, where he received his BA in mathematics in 1966. His graduate studies in mathematics, philosophy, and public administration took him to the University of Minnesota, Harvard University, and American University. He has served both in government and private industry as an executive in the field of information technology. One of Mr. Caron's interests is the history of Fargo. He collected photographic and postcard images of Fargo from which he developed a website on Fargo’s history.

Scope and Content

The John Caron Fargo, N.D. Photograph Collection comprises 2088 items documenting the history and development of Fargo, N.D. The photographs in the collection date from the 1870s to 2001. The majority of the items are in postcard format, however there are other photograph formats represented throughout the collection. His collecting of images and information on his hometown led to his developing the web site, Fargo, North Dakota: Its History and Images. The site was first made public on July 4, 2000, yet Mr. Caron continued to enlarge and enhance the site. In 2004 he donated the web site of some 600 individual pages containing over 1,000 images to the Institute for Regional Studies. As part of this donation, Mr. Caron also donated the photographic, book and print resources he had collected to build the entire web site.

The Caron Collection has been organized into six series: Downtown Fargo, Fargo Photographs (Summer 2002), Buildings & Businesses, Education, People, and Topical. Researchers should consult the Contents Listing for a detailed folder-by-folder breakdown to the collection.

The Downtown Fargo Series contains images related to downtown, including aerials, elevated views, panoramic views and photo montages. Scenes taken of the main downtown thoroughfares of Broadway, Main Avenue, N.P. Avenue, First Avenue North, Roberts Street and Seventh Street South, have been organized in their own folders. These street files are organized by building address going from lowest to highest. After each streets file there is a file that contains buildings and businesses which are located on that street. There is a separate file for those buildings and businesses that are not located on one of these main thoroughfares. Of interest in this series is an oversized albumen print of the Stephens & Sears Livery taken in the 1880s by F. Jay Haynes. There are also several stereo views likely taken in the 1870s and 1880s of some downtown streets. They are incorporated into the files based upon address.

The Fargo Photographs (Summer 2002) Series contains over 180 color prints taken by John Caron on a visit to Fargo in the Summer of 2002. As in the Downtown Fargo Series the images are organized by street and address. Images that did not fit under the street criteria are organized alphabetically by the topics: Bonanzaville U.S.A., Fine Arts Clubhouse, Radisson Hotel, School buildings and Statuary. The original negatives are housed in the Institute’s 35mm negative collection.

The images in Buildings & Businesses Series are organized alphabetically by topic or business name. These are buildings and businesses that tend to stand out in importance, or are located out of the downtown area and thus cannot be included in the Downtown Fargo Series. Some of the topics include the Cass County Courthouse, Churches, Fargo City Buildings, Hospitals, Hotels and motels, etc.

The Education Series images have been organized into the following subseries: Business colleges, Fargo College, Private schools, Public schools and North Dakota State University. Under each file, with the exception of North Dakota State University, the photographs are organized alphabetically by building name. North Dakota State University is broken down topically due to the volume of material involved. Within this topical listing there is a building file that lists the campus buildings alphabetically. Of interest in the North Dakota State University Buildings file, are some postcards for which the original negatives also had been collected by Mr. Caron. These negatives are housed in the Institute’s 5x7 negative collection and are cross referenced with the postcards.

The People Series has been divided into three files; Groups, Portraits and Snapshots. In the Groups file there are some formal portraits of letter carriers and police officers. There is also a very nice folio-size portrait of the Fargo postal workers standing on the steps of the old post office building. The Snapshots file contains a series of images taken of people inside and outside the Broadway Café.

The Topical Series is arranged alphabetically by subject. Of interest in this series is an early photograph of a survey party taken in the early 1870s when Fargo was just a tent city. This item is a stereo view taken by Caswell and Davy, photographers from Duluth, Minnesota. There is also a very nice stereo view of a Red River ox cart. The Cemeteries file contains a cabinet photograph of the grave of Johannes J. Westerby (1861-1887) in Riverside Cemetery, Moorhead, Minn. The Events folder contains images of visiting dignitaries including Theodore Roosevelt, Billy Sunday, Charles Lindbergh, William Howard Taft and Prince Gustavus of Sweden. The Tornado – 1957 file contains a series of snapshots taken of the destruction following that storm. There is also a glass lantern slide of a harvesting scene. This is housed in the lantern slide collection.

Description

Aerials (12)

American Life and Casualty Insurance Co.

Broadway—

13 South Broadway (Armory/Auditorium)

114-118 (Black Building)

Main Avenue —

Looking east of Broadway (8)

(High Rise for the Elderly)

N.P. Avenue —

First Avenue North — (17)

Roberts Street — (2)

North Streets -

Avenues –

Topical –

Bowling Alleys (1)

Broadway Methodist

First Presbyterian

City Hall

Hospitals— (92)

Interiors – Unidentified Businesses (3)

Business Colleges (25)

Public Schools (34)

Agassiz

Aerials (13)

Alba Bales House

Entrance Gate and Drive (13)

People Series

Topical Series

Greeting cards (4)

Musicians (3)