Your article is such a wonderful trip down memory lane. You were always a gift to those of us who knew you. My classmate, Paul speaks for many of us. You remain a gift to us today. Thanks for reminding us Fargo kids of that generation what a wonderful place where we spent our youth!
Hi Sally. Great fun to read your article. And fun (he wrote, starting a sentence with AND), because of your writing style which is both economical and vivid. Halloween costumes covered by parkas! You betcha! Anyway…the Central class of 66 and North and others are planning a brief informal reunion in DL and Fargo around Aug 12-14. John Stern and the whole bunch.
NYC: Visited in 1996 and was tossed out of a Korean corner store/bodega for using a fake driver's license to buy beer. "There is no such place as North Dakota..." They asked the two people behind me if they had ever heard of the place. Nope. Fortunately, my friend from Passaic was there to buy for me and make jokes about it all night
“O, fer crips sake”, what a great article. Especially coming from my favorite baby sister! I frequently share with my son and daughter, Jesse and Ali my memories of Fargo.
Having moved to Minneapolis many years ago, your reference to being self liquidating is particularly relevant.
Some of the additional Jewish merchants and business’s that I recall were Weingarten’s Clothiers, Waldorf Bar, owned by “Big Kap” and Cappy’s Off Sales, owned by Cappy Shapiro, rumored to be the local bookie!
Your reference to Bruce Dorfman reminds me of a trip I made to Ashley North Dakota last summer. Why would I go to Ashley? I had read for years about this national historic register site of the Ashley Jewish Cemetery. It’s out in the puckerbrush, off of a county road out in the middle of some farmers field with about 30 of the head stones in reasonably good condition. At the turn of the century there was a small Jewish community there with a little synagogue and a traveling rabbi that made the circuit between Ashley, Bismarck and Aberdeen, South Dakota. (That lesser Dakota) I remember my Dad mentioning something about Jewish farmers around Ashley in the early 20’s. Fun fact, there were close to 800 Jewish homesteaders in North Dakota between 1880 and 1020!
Anyway I was perusing the names of families associated with the community and the only name I recognized was Dorfman. He had something to do with cattle, I believe. Must have been a relative of Bruce.
My own family, Marquisee, had a long history in North Dakota. My grandfather, Jesse arrived in North Dakota from Zsosley Poland at the turn of the century. He was met by an Uncle from Buffalo New York who had a coat factory. The uncle put Jesse and his brother Sim on a train to North Dakota with coats and told them to sell to the Jewish merchants in many of the little towns out there. Jesse met my grandmother, Della at my great grandfather, Mose Bentsen’s store in Lidgerwood, ND. Jesse went on to open his own store in Valley City , where my Dad, Lou Marquisee was born and eventually moved to Fargo where I was born and you babysat! There were some other Marquisee’s (Great Uncle’s) who lived in Grand Forks and Jamestown around 1900 for a short while before moving back to New York.
Your article is such a wonderful trip down memory lane. You were always a gift to those of us who knew you. My classmate, Paul speaks for many of us. You remain a gift to us today. Thanks for reminding us Fargo kids of that generation what a wonderful place where we spent our youth!
Thanks, Terry
Hi Sally. Great fun to read your article. And fun (he wrote, starting a sentence with AND), because of your writing style which is both economical and vivid. Halloween costumes covered by parkas! You betcha! Anyway…the Central class of 66 and North and others are planning a brief informal reunion in DL and Fargo around Aug 12-14. John Stern and the whole bunch.
Love this so much Sally!!
NYC: Visited in 1996 and was tossed out of a Korean corner store/bodega for using a fake driver's license to buy beer. "There is no such place as North Dakota..." They asked the two people behind me if they had ever heard of the place. Nope. Fortunately, my friend from Passaic was there to buy for me and make jokes about it all night
Lovely piece. You can take the girl out of Fargo but…
Sally,
“O, fer crips sake”, what a great article. Especially coming from my favorite baby sister! I frequently share with my son and daughter, Jesse and Ali my memories of Fargo.
Having moved to Minneapolis many years ago, your reference to being self liquidating is particularly relevant.
Some of the additional Jewish merchants and business’s that I recall were Weingarten’s Clothiers, Waldorf Bar, owned by “Big Kap” and Cappy’s Off Sales, owned by Cappy Shapiro, rumored to be the local bookie!
Your reference to Bruce Dorfman reminds me of a trip I made to Ashley North Dakota last summer. Why would I go to Ashley? I had read for years about this national historic register site of the Ashley Jewish Cemetery. It’s out in the puckerbrush, off of a county road out in the middle of some farmers field with about 30 of the head stones in reasonably good condition. At the turn of the century there was a small Jewish community there with a little synagogue and a traveling rabbi that made the circuit between Ashley, Bismarck and Aberdeen, South Dakota. (That lesser Dakota) I remember my Dad mentioning something about Jewish farmers around Ashley in the early 20’s. Fun fact, there were close to 800 Jewish homesteaders in North Dakota between 1880 and 1020!
Anyway I was perusing the names of families associated with the community and the only name I recognized was Dorfman. He had something to do with cattle, I believe. Must have been a relative of Bruce.
My own family, Marquisee, had a long history in North Dakota. My grandfather, Jesse arrived in North Dakota from Zsosley Poland at the turn of the century. He was met by an Uncle from Buffalo New York who had a coat factory. The uncle put Jesse and his brother Sim on a train to North Dakota with coats and told them to sell to the Jewish merchants in many of the little towns out there. Jesse met my grandmother, Della at my great grandfather, Mose Bentsen’s store in Lidgerwood, ND. Jesse went on to open his own store in Valley City , where my Dad, Lou Marquisee was born and eventually moved to Fargo where I was born and you babysat! There were some other Marquisee’s (Great Uncle’s) who lived in Grand Forks and Jamestown around 1900 for a short while before moving back to New York.
Anyway, thanks for the memory revival.
Jed Marquisee
A proud former resident of Fargo