Continental Hotel (1880s)

The Continental Hotel was located on the northwest corner of Broadway and 2nd Avenue N. with Jasper B. Chapin as the proprietor. The grand opening of the three story wood frame building took place on May 12, 1880, with much fanfare including a dance and a supper. The building was painted red, white and blue, with the red band covering the second floor. The hotel was advertised in the 1883 Fargo City Directory as "the largest and finest Hotel in the Northwest. Furnished with all modern improvements. Free buses to and from depot. Terms, $2.50 and $3.00 per day." In 1883 the hotel was purchased by W. A. Kindred, W. A. Yerxa and J. S. Huntington for about $60.000, and they made many improvements to the interior. The Continental Hotel was destroyed by fire on November 18, 1884. The fire started in the wood house, spread to the kitchen, and then the rest of the building. The heat was so intense that it cracked the windows in the Keeney Block across the street.