HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

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 parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...
of Otter Tail County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 14,119 at the 2020 census, and was estimated to be 14,258 in 2024.


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 is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
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 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, being the greater. The only church edifice left standing after the great cyclone was the predominantly black Baptist church.


21st century

Fergus Falls features different parks, including tallgrass prairie and eastern woodlands, stores, and other tourist attractions. The Union Avenue Bridge spans the Otter Tail River, 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, Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States were debated and adopted by the Founding Fathers of ...
in
Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...
. 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 on its 2012 self-titled album. Fergus Falls received international coverage in early 2017 and late 2018 after a news article in ''
Der Spiegel (, , stylized in all caps) is a German weekly news magazine published in Hamburg. With a weekly circulation of about 724,000 copies in 2022, it is one of the largest such publications in Europe. 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 to numerous instances of journalistic fraud. Early life Relotius was born in Hamburg, and grew up in Töten ...
, 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 Journalism ethics and standards, ethics and standards of journalism, or otherwise violate the 'ideal' mission o ...
. 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 Otter Tail Power Company, 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, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...
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.


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 Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
and
Minneapolis Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...
, often on the Great Northern Railway. Primarily
dairy farmers Dairy Farmers may refer to various companies, brand names, co-operatives or trade unions: * Dairy Farmers, Inc - United States * Dairy Farmers Pty Ltd - Australia * Dairy Farmers of America * Dairy Farmers of Britain * Dairy Farmers of Canada ...
, they established numerous
Lutheran churches Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched the Reformation in 15 ...
in the area. The Lutheran Brethren ( Church of the Lutheran Brethren of America) 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. Although the movement is aligned with Luth ...
, 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 telecommuting, telework, work from or at home, WFH as an initialism, hybrid work, and other terms) is the practice of work (human activity), working at or from one's home or Third place, another space rather than from ...
ers moved to the city. The bucolic environment, with abundant sporting opportunities that had long attracted summer vacationers. The relatively low cost of real estate, cost of living, and a variety of public-school locations have also attracted families to the city.


Geography

According to the
United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...
, the city has a total area of , of which is land and (8.47%) is water.
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 ...
, U.S. Highway 59, U.S. Highway 52, 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 e ...
( 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. *
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 ...
/ U.S. Highway 52 * U.S. Highway 59 *
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 e ...
* Otter Tail County Highway 1 * Otter Tail County Highway 82 * Otter Tail County Highway 88


Climate


Demographics

As of the 2023
American Community Survey The American Community Survey (ACS) is an annual demographics survey program conducted by the United States Census Bureau. It regularly gathers information previously contained only in the long form of the United States census, decennial census ...
, there are 6,404 estimated households in Fergus Falls with an average of 2.09 persons per household. The city has a median household income of $50,865. Approximately 10.7% of the city's population lives at or 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 ...
. Fergus Falls has an estimated 61.4% employment rate, with 27.8% of the population holding a bachelor's degree or higher and 95.5% holding a high school diploma. The top five reported ancestries (people were allowed to report up to two ancestries, thus the figures will generally add to more than 100%) were English (97.5%), Spanish (1.6%), Indo-European (0.5%), Asian and Pacific Islander (0.3%), and Other (0.1%). The median age in the city was 42.0 years.


2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 14,119 people, 6,171 households, and 3,379 families residing in the city. The
population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), 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 geog ...
was . There were 6,731 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 91.21%
White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 1.74%
African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
, 0.86% Native American, 0.79% Asian, 0.06%
Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, 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 th ...
, 0.83% from some other races and 4.51% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 2.46% of the population.


2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 13,138 people, 5,814 households, and 3,262 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 6,342 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 95.48%
White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 1.12%
African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
, 0.81% Native American, 0.66% Asian, 0.02%
Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, 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 th ...
, 0.37% from some other races and 1.55% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 1.56% 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 recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...
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 2000 census, there were 13,471 people, 5,633 households, and 3,306 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 5,909 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 97.02%
White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 0.62%
African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
, 0.76% Native American, 0.57% Asian, 0.01%
Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, 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 th ...
, 0.20% from some other races and 0.82% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people 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
married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...
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 average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...
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 ...
, 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 A health system, health care system or healthcare system is an organization of people, institutions, and resources that delivers health care services to meet the health needs of target populations. There is a wide variety of health systems aroun ...
with a 108-bed hospital, cancer research center, assisted living community, and multiple clinics.


Top employers

According to the City's 2023 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report, the largest employers in the city are:


Education

Fergus Falls Public Schools (Independent School District #544) operates public schools.


Elementary schools

** Adams Elementary (1-2) ** Cleveland Elementary (3-4) ** McKinley Elementary (K-1) ** Prairie Science Class (4-5)


Middle school

** School of Choice, Homeschool Co-op (K-8)


Secondary school

* Kennedy Secondary School (6-12), 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) * Our Lady of Victory School (K-6) * Hillcrest Lutheran Academy (Pre K-12)


Higher education

* Lutheran Brethren Seminary * Minnesota State Community and Technical College * 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 Field Report 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 (sometimes called community-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 special ...
* Radio ** 1020 AM KJJK (AM) (Sports), Leighton Broadcasting ** 1250 AM KBRF (Talk), Leighton Broadcasting ** 90.7 FM K214FP (Christian),
CSN International CSN Radio is a Christian radio network based in Twin Falls, Idaho. KAWZ, 89.9 MHz, in Twin Falls is the uplink station, feeding over 348 broadcast translators and 59 full-power radio stations across the United States, including Alaska and the ...
** 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, KNOW-FM, News & Information, KSJN, YourClassical MPR and KCMP, The Current, MPR operates a 46-station regional radio network in the upper ...
** 91.5 FM KNWF (News),
Minnesota Public Radio Minnesota Public Radio (MPR) is a public radio network for the state of Minnesota. With its three services, KNOW-FM, News & Information, KSJN, YourClassical MPR and KCMP, The Current, MPR operates a 46-station regional radio network in the upper ...
** 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.


Twinning

Fergus falls is twinned with: :
Fife Fife ( , ; ; ) is a council areas of Scotland, council area and lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area in Scotland. A peninsula, it is bordered by the Firth of Tay to the north, the North Sea to the east, the Firth of Forth to the s ...
,
Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
, 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 Munici ...
, Norway


Notable people

* Elmer Ellsworth Adams, 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 Fall ...
(1909–1964), actor who appeared in over 100 Hollywood movies including '' It's a Wonderful Life'' 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 fi ...
, 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, Minnesota politician * Donald Cressey, (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 (b. 1975), comedian, "Comedy Central Presents: Chad Daniels" (2008, 1/2 hour TV special) * Roger L. Dell, 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 V ...
, multi-Academy Award-winning
visual effects Visual effects (sometimes abbreviated as 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 fo ...
artist for his work on ''
Star Wars ''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera media franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and Cultural impact of Star Wars, quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop cu ...
,'' ''
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. Set in 1936, the film stars Harrison Ford as Indiana ...
,'' 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 from a screenplay by Lawrence Kasdan and George Lucas. The sequel to '' The Empire ...
'' * Clifford L. Hilton, 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 (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, 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 Sterr ...
(1883–1964), innovative and influential artist and cartoonist * Dave Theurer, creator of Atari's
Missile Command ''Missile Command'' is a 1980 shoot 'em up video game developed and published by Atari for arcades. Sega released the game outside North America. It was designed by Dave Theurer, who also designed Atari's vector graphics game '' Tempest'' from ...
, Tempest (video game), and
I, Robot (video game) ''I, Robot'' is a shooter video game developed and published by Atari, Inc. for arcades. 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'', ...
* Peter Van Santen, Minnesota politician and farmer * Walter Wellbrock, Minnesota politician and farmer *
Charles Brewster Wheeler Charles Brewster Wheeler (May 3, 1865 – April 11, 1946) was a career officer in the United States Army. An 1887 graduate of the United States Military Academy, he was a veteran of the Spanish–American War, Philippine–American War, and World ...
, U.S. Army brigadier general * Ernest J. Windmiller, Minnesota politician and businessman


City Council

The Fergus Falls City Council meets the first and third Monday of the month at 5:30 pm in the City Council Chambers located at 112 W Washington Avenue 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.


List of mayors of Fergus Falls, Minnesota

The list below is the recent history of the Mayor of Fergus Falls, MN.


References


External links


City of Fergus Falls – official website

Fergus Falls Area Chamber of Commerce

Visit Fergus Falls

Otter Tail County Historical Society

''Fergus Falls Daily Journal'' Online




{{Authority control Cities in Minnesota County seats in Minnesota Cities in Otter Tail County, Minnesota