Alexander Griggs (1838–1903) was an American steamboat captain and politician. He is acknowledged as the founder of the city of Grand Forks, North Dakota, and is called "The Father of Grand Forks." Griggs is also the namesake of

Griggs County, North Dakota Griggs County is a county in the U.S. state of North Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 2,306. Its county seat is Cooperstown. History The county was created by the Dakota Territory legislature on February 18, 1881, with territo ...

Early life

Griggs was born on October 27, 1838, in

Marietta, Ohio Marietta is a city in, and the county seat of, Washington County, Ohio, United States. It is located in southeastern Ohio at the confluence of the Muskingum and Ohio Rivers, northeast of Parkersburg, West Virginia. As of the 2020 census, Ma ...

. As a child, Griggs and his family moved to

Beetown, Wisconsin Beetown is a town in Grant County, Wisconsin, Grant County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 734 at the United States Census 2000, 2000 census. The unincorporated communities of Beetown (community), Wisconsin, Beetown, Diamond Grove, Wi ...

, and

Saint Paul, Minnesota Saint Paul (abbreviated St. Paul) is the capital of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County. Situated on high bluffs overlooking a bend in the Mississippi River, Saint Paul is a regional business hub and the center ...

, where he began working on a steamboat.

Career

He first traveled to the confluence of the

Red River of the North The Red River (french: rivière Rouge or ) is a river in the north-central United States and central Canada. Originating at the confluence of the Bois de Sioux and Otter Tail rivers between the U.S. states of Minnesota and North Dakota, it fl ...

and the

Red Lake River The Red Lake River (French: ''Rivière du Lac Rouge''; Ojibwe: ''Miskwaagamiiwi-zaaga'iganiiwi-ziibi'') is a river located in northwestern Minnesota. The river begins on the western side of the Lower Red Lake and flows westward. After passing thro ...

(the site of present-day Grand Forks) in 1870 using

flatboat A flatboat (or broadhorn) was a rectangular flat-bottomed boat with square ends used to transport freight and passengers on inland waterways in the United States. The flatboat could be any size, but essentially it was a large, sturdy tub with a ...

s to carry cargo downstream on the

. During the fall of 1870, Griggs and his crew embarked on another such trip through the confluence area, but were stranded when their boat froze in the icy waters of the Red River one evening. The crew built a small cabin and lived there during the winter of 1870–1871. They soon decided that the area would be a good spot for a new town. Others soon joined Griggs at the site and the community of Grand Forks was formed. Griggs officially platted the town site of Grand Forks in 1875. He also became the fifth mayor of Grand Forks, serving from 1888 to 1889. Griggs was also the city’s third postmaster, served on the Grand Forks City Council, as a Grand Forks County Commissioner, on the

North Dakota North Dakota () is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the indigenous Dakota Sioux. North Dakota is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north and by the U.S. states of Minnesota to the east, So ...

state constitutional convention, and as chair of the territorial Board of Railroad Commissioners. In addition, he founded the Second National Bank, established a gas works, built the Grand Forks Roller Mill, constructed the first brick commercial building in Grand Forks, and opened a hotel (the Grigg House). A statue of Griggs sits on the grounds of the Grand Forks County Courthouse.

Death

Griggs died on January 26, 1903, in

Wenatchee, Washington Wenatchee ( ) is the county seat and largest city of Chelan County, Washington, United States. The population within the city limits in 2010 was 31,925, and was estimated to have increased to 34,360 as of 2019. Located in the north-central part ...

Notes

External links

Website detailing the history of early Grand Forks, North Dakota
- City of Grand Forks Mayors of Grand Forks, North Dakota 1838 births 1903 deaths County commissioners in North Dakota North Dakota city council members North Dakota postmasters 19th-century American politicians {{NorthDakota-mayor-stub