Fergus Falls is a city in and the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...

Otter Tail County Otter Tail County is a county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, its population was 60,081. Its county seat is Fergus Falls. Otter Tail County comprises the Fergus Falls micropolitan statistical area. With 1,048 lakes in it ...

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

, United States. The population was 14,119 at the 2020 census.

History

The falls from which the city gets part of its name were discovered by Joe Whitford (a Scottish trapper) in 1856 and promptly named in honor of his employer,

James Fergus James Fergus (October 8, 1813 – June 5, 1902) was a miner, rancher, businessman and politician in Minnesota and Montana. He immigrated as a young man from Scotland and became a naturalized United States citizen. He helped develop the frontier ...

. It is not known whether Fergus ever visited the city, but Whitford did not live to see the city develop, as he was killed during the 1862 Dakota war in western Minnesota. In 1867, George B. Wright was at the land office at St. Cloud and found Whitford's lapsed claim, purchased the land, and built what is now the Central Dam in downtown Fergus Falls around 1871. After Wright died in 1882, his son Vernon moved from

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

to Minnesota and took over his father's interests in the town. Vernon Wright was also one of the two people who established the

Otter Tail Power Company Otter Tail Corporation is an energy company based in Fergus Falls, Minnesota, Fergus Falls, Minnesota. Its main subsidiary is the Otter Tail Power Company. As of 2007, Otter Tail Power Company serves at least 423 towns at retail and delivers powe ...

in 1907. The city was incorporated in the late 1870s and is situated along the dividing line between the former great deciduous forest of the Northwest Territories to the east and the great plains to the west, in a region of gentle hills, where the recent geological history is dominated by the recession of the glaciers from the last great Ice Age, with numerous lakes and small rivers. Two major tornadoes hit Fergus Falls during the early 20th century, the second, the

1919 Fergus Falls tornado The 1919 Fergus Falls tornado was a large and destructive tornado that struck Fergus Falls, Minnesota on Sunday, June 22, 1919. It killed 57 people and is the second deadliest tornado in Minnesota's history (1st was the 1886 Sauk Rapids tornado). ...

, being the greater. The only church edifice left standing after the great cyclone was the predominantly black Baptist church.

21st century

Fergus Falls features many different parks (tallgrass prairie and eastern woodlands), stores, and other tourist attractions. The Union Avenue Bridge spans the

Otter Tail River The Otter Tail River (Ojibwe: ''Nigigwaanowe-ziibi'') is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed June 8, 2011 river in the west-central portion of the U.S. state of Minnesota. I ...

, and was reconstructed in 2004. Just below the bridge is part of scenic River Walk Park, which spans about a mile of the river. The part nearest the Union Avenue Bridge was redone along with the bridge. The town hall was modeled after

Independence Hall Independence Hall is a historic civic building in Philadelphia, where both the United States Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution were debated and adopted by America's Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Fa ...

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

. Its west wing housed the city fire station until the 1970s. Other points of interest include the county museum, Lake Alice, George B. Wright Park, Pebble Lake Golf Course, and Veteran's Memorial Park. Arts in Fergus Falls are booming with a community theater program downtown. Many local and professional artists perform at A Center for the Arts. The city also lends its name to the song "Fergus Falls" by the band

Field Report Field Report is an American folk band from Milwaukee, Wisconsin led by singer/songwriter Christopher Porterfield. The band's name is an anagram of the surname Porterfield. History Chris Porterfield, the leader of Field Report, originally played w ...

on its 2012 self-titled album. Fergus Falls received international coverage in early 2017 and late 2018 after a news article in ''

Der Spiegel ''Der Spiegel'' (, lit. ''"The Mirror"'') is a German weekly news magazine published in Hamburg. With a weekly circulation of 695,100 copies, it was the largest such publication in Europe in 2011. It was founded in 1947 by John Seymour Chaloner ...

'' falsely claimed there was an anti-Mexican sign at the city's entrance and fabricated other things about the town. The story's author,

Claas Relotius Claas-Hendrik Relotius (born 15 November 1985) is a German former journalist. He resigned from ''Der Spiegel'' in 2018 after admitting numerous instances of journalistic fraud. Early life Relotius was born in Hamburg, and grew up in Tötensen wi ...

, admitted to numerous instances of

journalistic fraud Journalism scandals are high-profile incidents or acts, whether intentional or accidental, that run contrary to the generally accepted ethics and standards of journalism, or otherwise violate the 'ideal' mission of journalism: to report news eve ...

. In December 2018 two residents of Fergus Falls, Michele Anderson and Jake Krohn, published a report pointing out the "11 most absurd lies" of the 2017 article. The same month ''Der Spiegel'' also sent a reporter to Fergus Falls to investigate and apologize.

Ethnicity

A strong economic division between later Scandinavian immigrant farmers and the earlier English and Scottish war veterans who retained control of the principal businesses of the city center, the banks, and the increasingly important

, persisted for decades until several generations of ethnic intermarriage and continuing inward and outward migration largely erased the divisions along ethnic lines. The small black community, largely Baptist, which clustered in the Southeast section of the city, gradually dwindled as people departed for larger cities.

Growth

The dams built on the Otter Tail River beginning in the 1880s were powerful economic forces that shaped the area's development. Returning soldiers from the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

settled in the region, mostly as farmers (wheat and corn in the western plains and dairy and hogs in the eastern hills and forests). The importance of the Civil War experience to these early settlers is highlighted by the town's street names: the intersecting principal thoroughfares are Lincoln Avenue and Union Avenue. The oldest parts of the town have streets with names such as Sherman, Sheridan, and Vernon. The early English wave of settlement claimed control of the falls along the Otter Tail River and established the first Episcopalian and Presbyterian churches. HotelKaddatzFergusFallsMN

Immigration

Almost as soon as the foundational structure of the town was laid, an influx of Norwegian immigrants arrived, by way of the Scandinavian migration of

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

and

Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

, often on the Great Northern Railway. Primarily

dairy farmers Dairy farming is a class of agriculture for long-term production of milk, which is processed (either on the farm or at a dairy plant, either of which may be called a dairy) for eventual sale of a dairy product. Dairy farming has a history that ...

, they established numerous Lutheran churches in the area. The Lutheran Brethren (

Church of the Lutheran Brethren of America The Church of the Lutheran Brethren of America (CLBA) is a Lutheran denomination of Christians rooted in a Pietist Lutheran spiritual awakening at the turn of the 20th century. History Origins Following the occurrence of a Pietist spiritual ...

) established an academy in Fergus Falls, which today operates a private high school, theological seminary and mission society, with an office in Fergus Falls. The

pietistic Pietism (), also known as Pietistic Lutheranism, is a movement within Lutheranism that combines its emphasis on biblical doctrine with an emphasis on individual piety and living a holy Christian life, including a social concern for the needy and ...

, low-church Lutherans constituted one cultural center of the Norwegian-German community, while the high-church First Lutheran constituted a separate center, which attracted a more upwardly mobile class of parishioner.

Population growth and loss

After the Interstate Defense Highway System built

Interstate 94 Interstate 94 (I-94) is an east–west Interstate Highway connecting the Great Lakes and northern Great Plains regions of the United States. Its western terminus is just east of Billings, Montana, at a junction with I-90; its eastern ter ...

along the western edge of Fergus Falls in the late 1950s, population mobility increased dramatically, and high school graduates increasingly left the town to attend colleges in Morris, Fargo-Moorhead, or the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul. As farming declined as an occupation and lifestyle, with large-scale commercial farming gradually replacing the family farm system during the second half of the 20th century, the city appeared increasingly destined to become a retirement and nursing community until a new migration of younger

remote work Remote work, also called work from home (WFH), work from anywhere, telework, remote job, mobile work, and distance work is an employment arrangement in which employees do not commute to a central place of work, such as an office building, ware ...

ers moved to the city. The bucolic environment, with abundant sporting opportunities that had long attracted summer vacationers, combined with the relatively low cost of real estate and cost of living have brought people wishing to raise their children away from the comparatively commercialized and higher crime environments of larger cities.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water.

U.S. Highway 59 U.S. Route 59 (US 59) is a north–south United States highway (though it was signed east–west in parts of Texas). A latecomer to the U.S. numbered route system, US 59 is now a border-to-border route, part of the NAFTA superhighway, NAFTA ...

U.S. Highway 52 U.S. Route 52 (US 52) is a major United States highway in the central United States that extends from the northern to southeastern region of the United States. Contrary to most other even-numbered U.S. Highways, US 52 primarily follows ...

and

Minnesota State Highway 210 Minnesota State Highway 210 (MN 210) is a state highway in west-central, central, and northeast Minnesota, which runs from North Dakota Highway 210 (ND 210) at the North Dakota state line (at Breckenridge), and continues east to its east ...

( co-signed); and County Highways 1, 82 and 88 are the main routes in Fergus Falls.

Lakes

Major highways

The following routes are located within the city of Fergus Falls. * I-94

* Otter Tail County Highway 1 * Otter Tail County Highway 82 * Otter Tail County Highway 88

Demographics

2010 census

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...

of 2010, there were 13,138 people, 5,814 households, and 3,262 families residing in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

was . There were 6,342 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 95.5%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

, 1.1%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.8% Native American, 0.7%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 0.4% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 1.6% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 1.6% of the population. There were 5,814 households, of which 25.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.0% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 9.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 43.9% were non-families. 38.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.15 and the average family size was 2.84. The median age in the city was 43.4 years. 21.4% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 22% were from 25 to 44; 25.9% were from 45 to 64; and 22.2% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.0% male and 53.0% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 13,471 people, 5,633 households, and 3,306 families residing in the city. The

was 1,031.5 people per square mile (398.3/km²). There were 5,909 housing units at an average density of 452.5 per square mile (174.7/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 97.02%

, 0.62%

, 0.76% Native American, 0.57%

, 0.01%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe the original p ...

, 0.20% from

, and 0.82% from two or more races.

of any race were 0.91% of the population. There were 5,633 households, out of which 28.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.2% were

living together, 9.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.3% were non-families. 35.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.25 and the average family size was 2.94. In the city, the population was spread out, with 23.0% under the age of 18, 10.0% from 18 to 24, 24.5% from 25 to 44, 20.3% from 45 to 64, and 22.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.6 males. The median income for a household in the city was $31,454, and the median income for a family was $44,280. Males had a median income of $32,051 versus $20,841 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the city was $18,929. About 7.0% of families and 10.8% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 11.4% of those under age 18 and 10.0% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

Fergus Falls is a micropolitan with a diversified economy that includes healthcare, manufacturing, commercial, agricultural, information technology, and utilities. The largest employer is Lake Region Healthcare, an integrated

health system Health, according to the World Health Organization, is "a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease and infirmity".World Health Organization. (2006)''Constitution of the World Health Organiza ...

with a 108-bed hospital, cancer research center, assisted living community, and multiple clinics.

Largest employers

According to the Fergus Falls Economic Improvement Commission's 2015 Community Profile the largest employers in the city are:

Education

Fergus Falls Public Schools Fergus Falls Public Schools (Independent School District No. 544) is a school district headquartered in Fergus Falls, Minnesota. In the 20132014 school year the district had 2,486 students. This increased by 6.4% the 20142015 school year the dis ...

(Independent School District #544) operates public schools. *

Elementary schools A primary school (in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and South Africa), junior school (in Australia), elementary school or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary ed ...

**Adams Elementary (1-2) **Cleveland Elementary (3-4) **McKinley Elementary (K-1) **Prairie Science Class (4-5) **School of Choice, Homeschool Co-op (K-8) *

Kennedy Secondary School Kennedy Secondary School is the combined middle school and high school located in Fergus Falls, Minnesota, United States. It currently serves over 2,000 students and is a part of the Fergus Falls Public Schools system. The official school colors a ...

(5-12), with separate middle and high school divisions, is the sole public secondary school Private schools: *Claire Ann Shover Nursery School (Pre K) *Trinity Lutheran Elementary (Pre K) *Morning Son Christian School (Pre K-6) *Our Lady of Victory School (K-6) *

Hillcrest Lutheran Academy Hillcrest Lutheran Academy is a private Christian school in Fergus Falls, Minnesota. Established in 1916, Hillcrest is affiliated with the Church of the Lutheran Brethren of America. Hillcrest's mission is "to equip students in a Christ-center ...

(9-12)

Higher education Higher education is tertiary education leading to award of an academic degree. Higher education, also called post-secondary education, third-level or tertiary education, is an optional final stage of formal learning that occurs after completi ...

Minnesota State Community and Technical College Minnesota State Community and Technical College (M State) is a public community and technical college with multiple campuses in Minnesota. The college is a member of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system. It offers more than 70 ...

* Lutheran Brethren Seminary * Park Region Luther College (no longer exists)

Arts and culture

Fergus Falls is home to several arts and culture organizations and has a reputation of being a cultural hub in West Central Minnesota. A Center for the Arts building was originally built in 1921 and was home to The Orpheum Theater, producing live theater and vaudeville performances and movies. In the early 1990s, after several decades of change and transition, over $1 million was raised to renovate the theater and A Center for the Arts was founded. The Theater is also home to one of the largest pipe organs in the midwest, the Mighty Wurlitzer Theater Pipe Organ. The Kaddatz Galleries is a nonprofit art gallery located in historic downtown Fergus Falls, whose mission is to foster visual arts education and appreciation, and to maintain a gallery where the works of Charles Beck and other recognized local artists are accessible to the public. The Kaddatz Galleries were founded in 2001 when Artspace bought The Kaddatz Hotel building in partnership with the Hotel Kaddatz Preservation Association. The upstairs of the Kaddatz Hotel Building is home to artist live/work spaces. The Lake Region Arts Council serves 9 counties (Becker, Clay, Otter Tail, Wilkin, Traverse, Stevens, Grant, and Pope) and has its main office in the River Inn Building in Fergus Falls. The Lake Region Arts Council's mission is to encourage and support the arts in West Central Minnesota. Their programs and services are made possible through an appropriation from the Minnesota State Legislature, Legacy Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund and the McKnight Foundation. Springboard for the Arts, a nonprofit artist service organization based in St. Paul, has its only satellite office in the River Inn Building, which serves as an artist resource center. The band

has a song named after Fergus Falls on their eponymous debut album. Lead singer and songwriter, Chris Porterfield, once dated a woman from the town, but the song is actually about a woman he spotted at a downtown Milwaukee music festival. "I saw a girl who was pregnant, and she was with a guy who looked like an asshole," he said. "She looked like she wanted to get out of there. The song was written from her perspective." The song has received critical acclaim.

Media

*Television **

Public, educational, and government access Public-access television is traditionally a form of non-commercial mass media where the general public can create content television programming which is narrowcast through cable television specialty channels. Public-access television was crea ...

*Radio ** 1020 AM KJJK (AM) (Sports), Leighton Broadcasting ** 1250 AM KBRF (Talk), Leighton Broadcasting ** 88.7 FM K204FS (Christian),

CSN International Christian Satellite Network (CSN) International is a Christian radio network based in Twin Falls, Idaho. KAWZ, 89.9 MHz, in Twin Falls is the uplink station, feeding 337 broadcast translators nationwide and 42 full-power radio stations across t ...

** 89.7 FM KCMF (Classical),

Minnesota Public Radio Minnesota Public Radio (MPR), is a public radio network for the state of Minnesota. With its three services, News & Information, YourClassical MPR and The Current, MPR operates a 46-station regional radio network in the upper Midwest. MPR ha ...

** 91.5 FM KNWF (News),

** 96.5 FM KJJK-FM (Country), Leighton Broadcasting ** 99.5 FM KPRW (Adult Contemporary), Result Radio, Inc. ** 103.3 FM KZCR (Adult Album Alternative), Leighton Broadcasting *Newspaper ** '' The Daily Journal'' ** The Midweek Inc

Sports

Fergus Falls is the proud home of the Fergus Falls Otters as well as home to M State - Fergus Falls sports and many other local teams and organizations for children, teens, adults and seniors.

Climate

Twinning

Fergus falls is twinned with: :

Fife Fife (, ; gd, Fìobha, ; sco, Fife) is a council area, historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries with Perth and Kinross (i ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

, United Kingdom :

Hordaland Hordaland () was a county in Norway, bordering Sogn og Fjordane, Buskerud, Telemark, and Rogaland counties. Hordaland was the third largest county, after Akershus and Oslo, by population. The county government was the Hordaland County Municipal ...

, Norway

Notable people

Elmer Ellsworth Adams Elmer Ellsworth Adams (December 31, 1861 – May 24, 1950) was an American businessman, newspaper editor, and politician. Adams was born in Waterbury, Vermont and moved to Fergus Falls, Otter Tail County, Minnesota, in 1878. He graduated from ...

, Minnesota newspaper editor and politician *

Frank Albertson Francis Healey Albertson (February 2, 1909 – February 29, 1964) was an American actor who had supporting roles in films such as ''It's a Wonderful Life'' (1946) and '' Psycho'' (1960). Early life Albertson was a native of Fergus Falls ...

(1909–1964), actor who appeared in over 100 Hollywood movies including ''

It's a Wonderful Life ''It's a Wonderful Life'' is a 1946 American Christmas by medium#Films, Christmas Fantasy film, fantasy drama film produced and directed by Frank Capra, based on the short story and booklet ''The Greatest Gift'', which Philip Van Doren Stern se ...

'' and '' Psycho''. *

Marcus Borg Marcus Joel Borg (March 11, 1942 – January 21, 2015) was an American New Testament scholar and theologian. He was among the most widely known and influential voices in Liberal Christianity. Borg was a fellow of the Jesus Seminar and a major fig ...

, theologian; one of the leaders of the Jesus Seminar *

Peter Brandvold Peter Brandvold is an American western fiction author. Life Born in North Dakota, bestselling western novelist Peter Brandvold has penned over seventy fast-action westerns under his own name and his pen name, Frank Leslie. He is the author of ...

, author * Colvin G. Butler, Minnesota state legislator *

Moses Clapp Moses Edwin Clapp (May 21, 1851March 6, 1929) was an American lawyer and politician. Biography Born in Delphi, Indiana, Clapp moved with his parents to Hudson, Wisconsin. He went to University of Wisconsin Law School and practiced law in Hudso ...

, Minnesota politician *

Donald Cressey Donald Ray Cressey (April 27, 1919 – July 21, 1987) was an American penologist, sociologist, and criminologist who made innovative contributions to the study of organized crime, prisons, criminology, the sociology of criminal law, white-collar c ...

, (1919 – 1987) American penologist, sociologist, and criminologist who made innovative contributions to the study of organized crime, prisons, criminology, the sociology of criminal law, white-collar crime. His work is still used in Fraud investigations today. *

Chad Daniels Chad Daniels is an American comedian. His albums have reached the top 10 on the Billboard comedy charts three times: No. 2 for 2017's ''Footprints On The Moon'', No. 6 for 2019's ''Dad Chaniels'', and No. 7 for 2014's ''Natural Selection''. As o ...

(b. 1975), comedian, "Comedy Central Presents: Chad Daniels" (2008, 1/2 hour TV special) *

Roger L. Dell Roger L. Dell (July 19, 1897 – March 8, 1966) was an American businessman, lawyer, and jurist. Born in Bird Island, Minnesota, Dell graduated from Shakopee High School in Shakopee, Minnesota, in 1916. He received his law degree, in 1920, fr ...

, Chief Justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court *

Richard Edlund Richard Edlund, (born December 6, 1940) is an American visual effects artist and inventor. He was a founding member of Industrial Light & Magic, having already founded Pignose amplifiers, and later co-founded Boss Film Studios and DuMonde VFX. H ...

, multi-Academy Award-winning

visual effects Visual effects (sometimes abbreviated VFX) is the process by which imagery is created or manipulated outside the context of a live-action shot in filmmaking and video production. The integration of live-action footage and other live-action foota ...

artist for his work on ''

Star Wars ''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera multimedia franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop-culture Cultural impact of S ...

,'' ''

The Empire Strikes Back ''The Empire Strikes Back'' (also known as ''Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back'') is a 1980 American epic film, epic space opera film directed by Irvin Kershner from a screenplay by Leigh Brackett and Lawrence Kasdan, based o ...

,'' ''

Raiders of the Lost Ark ''Raiders of the Lost Ark'' is a 1981 American action-adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Lawrence Kasdan, based on a story by George Lucas and Philip Kaufman. It stars Harrison Ford, Karen Allen, Paul Freeman, Ronal ...

,'' and ''

Return of the Jedi ''Return of the Jedi'' (also known as ''Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi'' is a 1983 American epic space opera film directed by Richard Marquand. The screenplay is by Lawrence Kasdan and George Lucas from a story by Lucas, who ...

'' *

Clifford L. Hilton Clifford L. Hilton (December 6, 1866 – April 5, 1946) was an American lawyer. Born in Kenyon, Minnesota, Hilton moved to Fergus Falls, Minnesota in 1879 and graduated from Fergus Falls High School. He received his law degree from Universit ...

, Minnesota Supreme Court justice * Chuck Knapp, Radio Broadcaster *

Charles Lundy Lewis Charles Lundy Lewis (March 8, 1852 – February 11, 1936) was an American jurist. Biography Born in Ottawa, Illinois, Lewis graduated from Oberlin College in 1876. He then studied law and was admitted to the Illinois bar in Chicago, Illinoi ...

, Minnesota Supreme Court justice *

Mary MacLane Mary MacLane (May 1, 1881 – ''c''. August 6, 1929) was a controversial Canadian-born American writer whose frank memoirs helped usher in the confessional style of autobiographical writing. MacLane was known as the "Wild Woman of Butte".Wat ...

(1881-1929), pioneering feminist author, film-maker, and media personality. Her tomboy youth was spent in Fergus Falls from approximately 1884–1889. *

Mark W. Olson Mark Walter Olson (March 17, 1943 – September 12, 2018) was an American economist and bank executive who served as a member of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors from 2001 to 2006. Filling an unexpired term to end on January 31, 2010, he re ...

, former member of Board of Governors of U.S. Federal Reserve *

Cliff Sterrett Clifford Sterrett (; December 12, 1883 – December 28, 1964) was an American cartoonist best known as the creator of the comic strip ''Polly and Her Pals''. Biography Born in Fergus Falls, Minnesota, where his father was a druggist, Cliff Ste ...

(1883-1964), innovative and influential artist and cartoonist *

Dave Theurer David Theurer is a game designer and computer programmer. In 1980, he created the ''Missile Command'' and ''Tempest'' arcade games for Atari, Inc., considered two of the major releases from the Golden age of arcade games. Theurer also designed '' ...

, creator of Atari's

Missile Command ''Missile Command'' is a 1980 shoot 'em up arcade video game developed and published by Atari, Inc. and licensed to Sega for Japanese and European releases. It was designed by Dave Theurer, who also designed Atari's vector graphics game ''Tempest ...

Tempest (video game) ''Tempest'' is a 1981 arcade game by Atari Inc., designed and programmed by Dave Theurer. It takes place on a three-dimensional surface divided into lanes, sometimes as a closed tube, and viewed from one end. The player controls a claw-shaped "bla ...

, and

I, Robot (video game) ''I, Robot'' is an arcade shooter game developed and released in 1984 by Atari, Inc. Designed by Dave Theurer, only a total of 750–1000 arcade cabinets were produced. The arcade machine comes with two games. The first is ''I, Robot'', a multi-di ...

* Peter Van Santen, Minnesota politician and farmer * Walter Wellbrock, Minnesota politician and farmer * Ernest J. Windmiller, Minnesota politician and businessman

City Council

The Fergus Falls City Council holds an Open Forum session from 5:20-5:30 pm in the City Council Chambers. Those wishing to address the City Council regarding an item not on the agenda are asked to completely fill out the Open Forum registration form by noon the day of the City Council meeting. Local city positions besides Mayor are up for election every two years as one Council Member from one of the four wards makes up the city council with the whole council being the Mayor and two council members from each ward. The list below is the recent history of the Mayor of Fergus Falls, MN.

References

External links

City websiteFergus Falls Chamber of CommerceFergus Falls Convention and Visitors Bureau – Visitor Information SiteOtter Tail County Historical Society''Fergus Falls Daily Journal'' Online
{{Authority control Cities in Minnesota County seats in Minnesota Cities in Otter Tail County, Minnesota