'J'W. Fargo' grows at the University of Alberta Botanic Garden.

From a Robert Simonet letter to Percy Wright August 19/1966

"J.W. Fargo better grower and more showy plant in bloom than the other two cultivars."

(The other two Rosa arkansana cultivars having double flowers Mr. Simonet is referencing are 'John Allen' and 'Woodrow', both found growing in Saskatchewan, Canada.)

"A kindly old gentleman, the late J.W. Fargo, led me across a secret ridge crest on his property in the southern tip of the Black Hills, where grew a double wild rose in a colony of perhaps 50 plants. I was told I might dig freely, on condition that I distributed the rare gem under his, the discoverer's name. Sent to the late F.L. Skinner, the noted originator of lilies, roses, and other hardy plants in Dropmore, Manitoba, they were pronounced the best double wild rose he had seen. The flower is larger than the normal single form, having about 40 petals, more than two rows of them large, with inner petals grading to tiny, all opening to show the golden centre. The free-flowering peak is reached in early July. The Fargo rose uses the Rosa arkansana trick of sending up a strong shoot from the ground to prolong its season with a wide corymb opening gradually over many days. The fragrance of this rose is mild and fine."

Claude A. Barr, "Jewels of the Plains". Text reproduced here with permission of publisher.