Red River Valley Genealogical Society

05/05/2026

Another resource for digitized newspapers from our region. Thank you!

Edited post!

https://carringtonlibrary.advantage-preservation.com/

03/28/2026

THE RRVGS LIBRARY WILL BE CLOSED ON FRIDAY APRIL 3 DUE TO GOOD FRIDAY EASTER CELEBRATION.

03/17/2026

We have a copy of this book in our library if you are interested in reading the stories of these pioneers.

🍀 Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day and Women’s History Month with a look at the grit and determination of several Irish homesteaders back in the early 1900s.

March 17 Dakota Datebook:
Edith McGuire was born on this date in 1881 and was just 20 years old when she came to Renville County to stake her claim in 1901. Edith did a lot of her own sod-busting, using a breaking plow hitched to four horses, but she wasn’t as alone as many other women homesteaders; her father and uncle were also homesteading and were able to help her with some of the grueling work of breaking the sod.

Maggie O’Connor was 25 when she began homesteading in Eddy County in 1891. It took her nine and a half years to do it, but she fulfilled her obligations and proved up on this date in 1900. Maggie came from Cork County, Ireland, sometime in the 1880s. She was a nun but, as Sister Anita, she stayed on her claim often enough to comply with the residency requirements. Once she proved up, however, she sold the land to her brother, Tim, and gave the proceeds to her community, the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet in St. Paul.

Sarah Jane Lynch, an Irish woman born in 1870, had several milestones in the month of March. Yesterday was her birthday. She was 33 when she filed her claim in Burke County on March 30, 1903, and she proved up almost exactly three years later, on March 27th.

And, tomorrow is the birthday of Margaret McDermott Jennings, who was also 33 when she filed her claim in Stark County in 1907. Margaret had a tough time of it, arriving in Dakota Territory as a widow with a seven-year-old daughter.

Among other Irish homesteaders were two sisters, Amelia and Lena Brennon, who in August 1907 staked claims near each other in Mountrail County. Each had their own sod house, but they often helped each other with chores and spent the night with one another. Lindgren writes, “Together the two of them survived a winter on their claims. Their diet was limited, often consisting of peanut butter, biscuits and tea. Neither woman cared much for peanut butter in later life.”

(Source: H. Elaine Lindgren, Land in Her Own Name: Women as Homesteaders in North Dakota, 1996)

01/23/2026

Due to the extreme cold Temps and wind the Library will be closed Friday Jan 23

11/18/2025

Mark your calendars! Minnesota & the American Story: 250 Years premieres Thursday, November 20, at 9pm.

Tracing 250 years of American history through the lens of Minnesota’s people and places, this program explores how the Revolutionary War and founding ideals continue to shape our shared story.

💙 This program includes a short feature from Prairie Public, Minnesota's Sea of Grass, which explores the history, ecology, and preservation of Minnesota's prairie.

Watch the preview: youtube.com/watch?v=IVYnWPK4MD0

10/13/2025

Today's Spooky Did you know? is about the Riverside Cemetery the oldest and largest cemetery in Fargo

08/25/2025

For today's did you know? Monday we have a little history of how the city of West Fargo got its name. Just like Fargo, the city began with another name - Haggart but would change names several times over the years.

06/26/2025

Exciting!

About to crack open 1975 Fargo Centennial time capsule at Veterans Memorial Civic Center.

04/29/2025

When it was founded in 1875, 150 years ago, Prairie Home Cemetery was a fitting name for the graveyard just outside of Moorhead, a growing pioneer town.

04/28/2025

UPDATE: “Due to unforeseen circumstances, the opening of this exhibit has been pushed back to Saturday, May 10th and will open alongside our two new permanent exhibits. We hope to see you on Saturday the 10th!” —Bonanzaville - USA

Over 100 years ago, Maren Nelson, Mary Woodward, Annie Houston, and Tillie Hagen called Cass County, ND home. Their houses, once separated by miles, now reside in Bonanzaville’s pioneer village within feet from one another. While they may not have known each other in life, their memories now reside in the same neighborhood, contained within the walls of their former homes.

What was life like for these women in late 19th and early 20th century Cass County? How did factors such as age, gender, social class, and ethnicity shape their lives and what can their experiences teach us about life in a past era? Learn the answers to these questions and more as you take a journey over 100 years back in time and step into the lives of these four women in our new exhibit: Through Their Eyes: The Lives of Women in Cass County (1880-1910).

Join us on Thursday May 1st for the first day of our 2025 season and a first look at this new exhibit. For information about our hours and admission prices, please visit our website www.bonanzaville.org or give us a call at 701-282-2822. We hope to see you soon!