Grand Forks YMCA

In 1886 the original Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) of Grand Forks was established with the help of six churches in the Grand Fork community. The original YMCA had an attitude that it wanted to support young men in the Christian community and still supports these morals. Throughout the 1900’s the YMCA in Grand Forks has moved throughout a few different building and has had many different renovations to help the YMCA community more. Even with these projects and renovations going on the YMCA has continued to help people live an active life and has continued to support the Grand Forks community. The current YMCA building which was built in 1969 has continued to support the community along with providing a place for physical activity.

During the late 1800’s the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) in Grand Forks was just getting started. A group of Christians thought it would be a good idea to get a YMCA up and running so young men could have a place to pray and sing, along with offering a place to read and a gym. The YMCA was popular among these young men in the community and aimed at promoting fitness, along with social and spiritual engagement.

In the 1904 the new YMCA was constructed on the Fifth Street between Demers and First Avenue North. This building was a three-story building which had a pool, a gym, and still a place for worship. Through many years there were men’s leagues and teams for a few different sports such as basketball, swimming, and bowling who would end up traveling and some would do quite well. The YMCA would also have community events such as treasure hunts, along with orchestral concerts. During World War II the YMCA had become a USO center for service members to connect to their families. After the war (and even before) the YMCA would hold classes for boys to learn, grow, and just try and be the best person they could be.

A new YMCA building opened in 1969. There were many different activities for boys (and now even expanding to girls) such as swimming, floor hockey, baseball, racquetball, and many more. Some community events were things such as summer camps, Swim-a-Thons which would be held in the 1970’s. The new YMCA has gone through a few different renovations to expand and make it even more community friendly by renovating some areas as well as adding things like a women’s health club. The YMCA continuously partners with non-profits to support the community to this day as well. Even up to today the YMCA has been an integral part of Grand Forks and provided a place for people to spend their leisure time doing activities such as working out, swimming, and a place just to hang out with friends to help improve their lives physically and emotionally, as well as a great place for fun.

Fischer, Raymond L., and Carolyn M. Fischer. A Century of Service : the YMCA in Grand Forks, 1886-1986. [Publisher Not Identified], 1986

History of the YMCA.” Grand Forks Herald, Grand Forks Herald, 2 Feb. 2018, https://www.grandforksherald.com/newsmd/history-of-the-ymca.