This picture of cattle next to Headquarters Hotel certainly makes Fargo appear to be one of the west's early "cattle towns."

Taken by F.J. Haynes prior to 1879, the image to the right is one-half of a stereoview photograph (enlarged and cropped).

The photograph is labeled "Grandin Bros S.H. Derham." I assume the cattle were just unloaded from the train in front of the hotel and were bound for the Grandin Farm.