 Prior to settlement by Europeans or Americans , the area where the city now sits – at the forks of the Red River and Red Lake River – had been an important meeting and trading point for Native Americans . Early French explorers , fur trappers , and traders called the area Les Grandes Fourches meaning " The Grand Forks " . By the 1740s , Les Grandes Fourches was an important trading post for French fur trappers . A U.S. post office was established on the site on June 15 , 1870 , and the name was changed to " Grand Forks " . Alexander Griggs , a steamboat captain , is regarded as " The Father of Grand Forks " . Griggs ' steamboat froze in the Red River on a voyage in late 1870 , forcing the captain and his crew to spend the winter camping at Grand Forks . Griggs platted the community in 1875 and Grand Forks was officially incorporated on February 22 , 1881 . The city quickly grew after the arrival of the Great Northern Railway in 1880 and the Northern Pacific Railway in 1887 . In 1883 , the University of North Dakota was established , six years before North Dakota was formally recognized as an independent state born from the Dakota Territory . The first half of the 20th century saw steady growth and the development of new neighborhoods farther south and west of Downtown Grand Forks . The 1920s saw the construction of the state @-@ owned North Dakota Mill and Elevator on the north side of the city . In 1954 , Grand Forks was chosen as the site for an Air Force base . Grand Forks Air Force Base brought thousands of new jobs and residents to the community . The military base and the University of North Dakota would become integral pieces of the city 's economy . The second half of the 20th century saw Grand Forks spreading further away from the older part of town . Interstate 29 was built on the western side of the city and two enclosed shopping malls – South Forks Plaza and Columbia Mall – were built on the south side . 
