“And here ya are, and it’s a beautiful day” (Marge Gunderson)

There are a few things worth mentioning about Fargo, North Dakota.

The city is named after William Fargo, who formed Wells Fargo with his business partner, Henry Wells, in 1852. I retired from their company a few years ago and although the firm has recently lost its way, they have a rich history that began with Mr. Fargo and continues today.

It is also one of the settings for Fargo, among the greatest movies (and subsequent television series) ever made. The film was directed by the Cohen brothers, Joel and Ethan, and takes place in Minnesota and across the state border in Fargo. It includes a classic scene with a wood chipper, one that you will never forget once you’ve seen it.

When we learned that the ACTUAL wood chipper used in the film was on display in the Fargo Visitor Center, we had to add this famous city to our itinerary. We arrived late in Fargo after our adventurous day in Bemidji and awoke the next morning, excited to see this cinematic piece of history. It did not disappoint! The nice Visitor Center staff offered us ear-flap hats to wear as we posed with the wood chipper. It was a great moment for Team Pea as we stood on each side and pretended to operate the chipper. On top of that, the chipper was autographed by the Cohens and the original screenplay was on display. Was it as awesome as we’d imagined? You’re darned tootin’!

As a bonus, we learned that Fargo is Roger Maris’ hometown and that he is buried there. Maris set the major league baseball record for home runs during the 1961 season with 61 of them, breaking Babe Ruth’s single-season record of 60 home runs in 1927. For many years, Maris’ record had an asterisk next to it because he had the benefit of a 162 game season and Ruth set his record in 154 games. Of course, Maris’ record was later exceeded by Sammy Sosa, Mark McGuire, and Barry Bonds, all known cheaters who played during baseball’s steroid era. Simply put, Roger Maris is baseball’s legitimate single season home run record holder. We made a point of visiting his gravesite and paying tribute to him.

Fargo, North Dakota. Who knew it was so cool?