In 1879 James J. Hill took over the struggling St. Paul and Pacific Railroad and set out to create what would become the largest rail system in the nation: the St. Paul, Minneapolis & Manitoba Railway. The St. Paul Railway bridge over the Red River was completed in 1882 and a second railroad entered Fargo. The tracks ran through Fargo about five city blocks north of the Northern Pacific tracks. As the NP rather defined the south end of "downtown" Fargo, so did the St. Paul define the north end. From Fargo, the railroad turned north to Grand Forks and then west. On September 18, 1889, the railroad became known as the Great Northern Railway Company.

The engraving above (circa 1882-1885) depicts the St. Paul, Minneapolis, and Manitoba railway depot in Fargo. It stood approximately where the Great Northern Depot now stands. [The Great Northern Depot, was built in 1906 at 425 Broadway.] The depot caught fire 3 times but was saved. In January 1907, when the new Great Northern depot was opened, it was reported that the old depot was sold to Lehigh Brown of the city engineer's office. A month later, Samuel F. Crabbe, a city engineer, purchased the building and on February 18, after removal of the tower and foundation, had the building moved to Thirteenth Street and Twelfth Avenue north where it was going to be renovated and transformed into one or more dwelling houses. [Research information about the depot courtesy of Andrew Klmaka.]

To the right of the depot, one can see the Lincoln (or Sixth Ward) school, built in 1880 at Fourth Street and Sixth Avenue North. It was a two-story brick building with two rooms and a tower at one corner that was as large as the building itself. It was expanded in 1885, thus helping to this engraving.