[6][7] Leroy Mahon platted the land and created a settlement for Black families.

In 1888, Leroy and his brother Tom moved to Monroe County, Arkansas for better opportunities.

[8] In about 1900, Leroy changed his surname to Mahon, and in 1911 he platted the town on 40 acres (16 hectares) of his farmland and Black homeowners bought plots and built homes.

Brown established the Fargo Agricultural School, which brought students from across the state and had some financial supporters even outside Arkansas.

The school focused on outreach and community service in Fargo, gravelling the mud roads, bringing electricity and telephone service to the town, and holding an annual farmers' conference that brought hundreds of farmers to the area to share information and knowledge.

Interstate 40 passes 3 miles (5 km) south of Fargo, with access from Exit 216 (US 49).

This was discovered on the TV show Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates Jr. which aired on January 7, 2020.