Marilyn Hagerty: Remembering the Father of Grand Forks
In his obituary in 1903, the newspaper at Larimore eulogized Alexander Griggs as “the Father of Grand Forks.” Written By: Marilyn Hagerty | ×
Dear Dave McFarlane,
I don’t know what you are celebrating down there in Florida. Maybe it’s farewell to winter residents. This could be Alexander Griggs Week in Grand Forks.
You see, way back in April of 1875, Griggs placed a plat of Grand Forks with the register of deeds. I mean – all nine acres.
Also in April 1875, Griggs was appointed a commission to complete organization of Grand Forks County.
When Dan Rylance wrote a history about him for the Herald long ago, he said of all the early “boomers” Griggs was the most deserving of the title – “Father of Grand Forks.”
Lonnie Laffen, a co-founder of JLG Architects and a former Grand Forks state senator, died Wednesday night after a heart attack at age 62.
People who knew Laffen remember him as a fixture of the architectural community and a dedicated public servant to North Dakota and Grand Forks.
âHe was an extremely hard worker and very dedicated to what he believed in,â said Sen. Ray Holmberg, R-Grand Forks. âHe was well-liked, a prince of a guy amongst the legislators.â
Holmberg said Laffen was âvery oriented toward business development and economic growthâ during his time in the Legislature. Laffen, a Republican, was elected to the Senate in 2010 and served there until 2018, when he lost reelection.