ALASKA & CANADIAN ROCKIES

RED RIVER VALLEY is famous in American folklore, songs have been written about it (Gene Autry), even  John Wayne played in the movie "Red River".  The valley runs from Fargo, ND to Winnipeg, Canada.

On our trip to Alaska we stayed 3 nights in East Grand Forks, Mn. at the Red River Recreational Area, a huge RV park developed from a former housing development that had flooded in 1997.

  All houses were destroyed and the area was turned into a massive recreational area with bike and walking trails that is within walking distance to the cinema, restaurants and even a Cabela's Store.

The early traders in the valley used long trains of high wheeled Red River carts to move supplies across the valley.  They faced incredible hardships, but in spite of it all, early European settlers soon turned the virgin prairies into some of the most productive farmland on the earth.

  By 1880s, railroads were operating in the valley and the population exceeded 100,000.  By 1909, four RRs ran north and south and three ran east and west.  In 1887, the Northern Pacific RR moved 25 million lbs. of freight out of Fargo and 15 years later it moved 2.5 billion pounds.  Wheat was king and it helped established Minneapolis as the milling capital of the world.  During the 1880's, the RRs established and sponsored bonanza farms. some as large as 60,000 acres.  The RRs highlighted the tremendous Agricultural potential of the Red River Valley and helped attract settlers.  By 1910. about a half million people lived in the valley.

Back to the flood of 1997 that wiped out the whole city of Grand Forks, Since then the city has been restored and a levy that cost 450 million was built to protect the city from flooding.  The levy is over 40 miles in length, moving over 7 million cubic feet of soil.  The levy was completed in 2007.

Levy Wall with street entrance that can be sealed

This is a great place to stay with an RV, definitely a jewel in the Red River Valley.  As the song says, "From this valley they say you at going"...and tomorrow we will be, going on North to Alaska!

Panaromic view of the RV park