Otter Tail County is a

county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

. As of the 2020 census, the population was 60,081, and was estimated to be 60,884 in 2024. 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 ...

and the largest city is Fergus Falls. Otter Tail County comprises the Fergus Falls micropolitan statistical area. With 1,048 lakes in its borders, Otter Tail County has more lakes than any other county in the United States.

History

Native Americans used the area for hunting and fishing and had permanent dwelling sites. Two Native American tribes were in constant conflict. The Dakota (

Sioux The Sioux or Oceti Sakowin ( ; Dakota/ Lakota: ) are groups of Native American tribes and First Nations people from the Great Plains of North America. The Sioux have two major linguistic divisions: the Dakota and Lakota peoples (translati ...

) were being pushed from their home area by the

Ojibwa The Ojibwe (; syll.: ᐅᒋᐺ; plural: ''Ojibweg'' ᐅᒋᐺᒃ) are an Anishinaabe people whose homeland (''Ojibwewaki'' ᐅᒋᐺᐘᑭ) covers much of the Great Lakes region and the northern plains, extending into the subarctic and thro ...

(Chippewa) during the late 18th and early 19th centuries.

Burial mounds A tumulus (: tumuli) is a mound of earth and stones raised over a grave or graves. Tumuli are also known as barrows, burial mounds, mounds, howes, or in Siberia and Central Asia as ''kurgans'', and may be found throughout much of the world. ...

and artifacts can still be found. Some of the oldest Native American remains were found near Pelican Rapids, Minnesota. The remains, nicknamed Minnesota Girl, were dated at about 11,000 BC. Tordenskjold Monument 01

The first European men to enter the county were French and

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

fur traders The fur trade is a worldwide industry dealing in the acquisition and sale of animal fur. Since the establishment of a world fur market in the early modern period, furs of boreal, polar and cold temperate mammalian animals have been the mos ...

. Efforts were made to set up

trading posts A trading post, trading station, or trading house, also known as a factory in European and colonial contexts, is an establishment or settlement where goods and services could be traded. Typically a trading post allows people from one geograp ...

on the Leaf Lakes and Otter Tail Lake. In the late 19th century, most of the towns were built along the railroad lines. Lumber and agriculture were the major industries in the county at that time. The pine and hardwood forests, transportation system, and markets were instrumental in the development of Fergus Falls into a lumber center. The

Wisconsin Territory The Territory of Wisconsin was an organized and incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 3, 1836, until May 29, 1848, when an eastern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Wisconsin. Belm ...

was established by the federal government effective July 3, 1836, and existed until its eastern portion was granted statehood (as

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

) in 1848. The federal government set up the

Minnesota Territory The Territory of Minnesota was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 3, 1849, until May 11, 1858, when the eastern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the state of Minnesota and the w ...

effective March 3, 1849. The newly organized territorial legislature created nine counties across the territory in October of that year. One of those original counties, Dakota, had a section partitioned off in 1851 to create Cass County. On March 18, 1858, the outgoing territorial legislature created Otter Tail County from areas partitioned from Cass and Pembina, another of the original counties created in 1849. The county was named for Otter Tail Lake and the Otter Tail River. The county was not organized in 1858, nor was a county seat specified. On September 12, 1868, the

legislature A legislature (, ) is a deliberative assembly with the legal authority to make laws for a political entity such as a country, nation or city on behalf of the people therein. They are often contrasted with the executive and judicial power ...

completed the county organization, and specified Otter Tail City as county seat. Otter Tail City began as a waystation on a fur-trade route between

Saint Paul Paul, also named Saul of Tarsus, commonly known as Paul the Apostle and Saint Paul, was a Christian apostle ( AD) who spread the teachings of Jesus in the first-century world. For his contributions towards the New Testament, he is generally ...

and the Red River valley. The settlement was of sufficient size that when the

established a US land office for this part of the territory, the office was sited at Otter Tail City. Thus, the city was named as the seat when the county was organized, but people had begun settling the future Fergus Falls area in 1857, and it grew sufficiently that in fall 1872, the vote was taken to move the county seat there. The Northern Pacific Railroad had initially planned to run a line through Otter Tail City, but complications caused the line to be placed in Fergus Falls, which precipitated the county seat move. The Soo Line later made plans to run a line through Otter Tail City, but when townspeople could not agree on the routing, another route east of the city was constructed. Thus, a new city plat was generated, with the settlement name changing to Ottertail. In 1870, the population of the county was about 2,000. At that time, the principal languages spoken in the county were Norwegian, Swedish,

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

, and English. The people of Fergus Falls organized a new county named Holcomb. In 1872, a legislative act abolished Holcomb County, added additional townships to the west, and established Fergus Falls as Otter Tail County's seat.

Early telephone

The Fergus Falls Telephone Exchange Company organized on March 20, 1882, and was in a room at the First National Bank at the corner of Cascade and Lincoln. The system install was very crude. Efforts were made to have telephones installed in the courthouse but commissioners did not feel it was necessary. Eventually a telephone was installed in the auditor's office through a combination of private and public funds. A clerk in the office was tasked with tracking down the officer who was called. The business was sold to the Northwestern Telephone Exchange Company in 1883.

Geography

The Otter Tail River flows south and west through the central and western parts of the county on its way to form the Red River in Wilkin County. It is joined by the south-flowing Pelican River west of Fergus Falls. The Leaf River rises in the county and flows east to its confluence with the

Crow Wing River The Crow Wing River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed November 29, 2012 tributary of the Mississippi River in Minnesota, United States. The river rises at an elevation ...

in neighboring Wadena County. The

Redeye River The Redeye River is a tributary of the Leaf River (Minnesota), Leaf River, long, in central Minnesota in the United States. Via the Leaf and Crow Wing River, Crow Wing Rivers, it is part of the drainage basin, watershed of the Mississippi River, ...

flows southeast through the county's northeast section toward its confluence with the Leaf in Wadena. The county terrain consists of rolling hills, heavily wooded through its center section, dotted with lakes and ponds, and carved with drainages and gullies. The available area is devoted to agriculture. The county terrain slopes to the west and south. The highest points on the county terrain are at two different locations: Inspiration Peak, at , and Pekan Peak (unofficial name) a summit northeast of the village of Urbank in Folden Township, Section 32, at above sea level. 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 county has a total area of , of which is land and (11.36%) is water. It is the 7th largest county in Minnesota by total area. Otter Tail is one of 17 Minnesota savanna region counties with more savanna soils than either forest or prairie soils. According to its website, the county contains over 1,000 lakes. Ottertail Pie Chart 2016 Wiki Version

Transportation

Major highways

* * * * * * * * * *

Airports

* Aerovilla Airport - NW of Perham * Battle Lake Municipal Airport - NNE of Battle Lake * Fergus Falls Municipal Airport (FFM) - W of Fergus Falls * Henning Municipal Airport (05Y) - S of Henning * Pelican Rapids Municipal Airport (47Y) - NNW of Pelican Rapids * Perham Municipal Airport (16D) - NW of Perham * Wadena Municipal Airport (ADC) - W of Wadena

Adjacent counties

* Becker County - north * Wadena County - northeast * Todd County - southeast * Douglas County - south *

Grant County Grant County may refer to: Places ;Australia * County of Grant, Victoria ;United States * Grant County, Arkansas * Grant County, Indiana * Grant County, Kansas *Grant County, Kentucky Grant County is a county located in the northern pa ...

- southwest * Wilkin County - west *

Clay County Clay County is the name of 18 counties in the United States. Most are named for Henry Clay, U.S. Senator and statesman: * Clay County, Alabama * Clay County, Arkansas (named for John Clayton, and originally named Clayton County) * Clay County, Fl ...

- northwest

Protected areas

Source: * Aastad State Wildlife Management Area * Amor State Wildlife Management Area * Bluff Creek State Wildlife Management Area * Davies State Wildlife Management Area * Dead Lake State Wildlife Management Area * Doran State Wildlife Management Area * Eagle Lake State Wildlife Management Area * Eastern Township State Wildlife Management Area * Elmo State Wildlife Management Area * Folden Woods State Wildlife Management Area * Glendalough State Park * Hi-View State Wildlife Management Area * Inman State Wildlife Management Area * Inspiration Peak State Wayside Park * Jensen Memorial State Wildlife Management Area * Maplewood State Park * Orwell State Wildlife Management Area * Otter Tail Prairie Scientific and Natural Area * Prairie Ridge State Wildlife Management Area * Valdine State Wildlife Management Area

Demographics

As of the fourth quarter of 2024, the median home value in Otter Tail County was $270,005. 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 25,181 estimated households in Otter Tail County with an average of 2.34 persons per household. The county has a median household income of $70,912. Approximately 10.6% of the county'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 ...

. Bowman County has an estimated 61.2% employment rate, with 27.4% of the population holding a bachelor's degree or higher and 94.0% 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 (95.7%), Spanish (2.5%), Indo-European (1.1%), Asian and Pacific Islander (0.1%), and Other (0.6%). The median age in the county was 46.3 years. Otter Tail County, Minnesota – racial and ethnic composition

2024 estimate

As of the 2024 estimate, there were 60,884 people and 25,181 households residing in the county. There were 36,922 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 95.3% White ''(92.0% NH White)'', 1.6% African American, 0.8% Native American, 0.5% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, _% from some other races and 1.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 3.9% of the population.

2020 Census

As of the 2020 census, there were 60,081 people, 25,123 households, and 16,512 families residing in the county. 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 36,506 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 91.39%

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 ...

, 1.42%

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 ...

, 0.54% Native American, 0.56% Asian, 0.03%

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 ...

, 1.80% from some other races and 4.26% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 3.69% of the population.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 57,303 people, 24,055 households, and _ families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 35,594 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 96.12%

, 0.75%

, 0.49% Native American, 0.47% Asian, 0.06%

, 0.89% from some other races and 1.22% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 2.60% of the population.

2000 census

As of the 2000 census, there were 57,159 people, 22,671 households, and 15,779 families in the county. The population density was . There were 33,862 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 97.11%

, 0.29%

, 0.51% Native American, 0.44% Asian, 0.05%

, 0.84% from some other races and 0.78% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 1.67% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 35.5% were of

and 31.2% Norwegian. There were 22,671 households, out of which 30.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.1% 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, 6.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.4% were non-families. 26.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 2.98. The county population contained 24.9% under the age of 18, 7.2% from 18 to 24, 24.2% from 25 to 44, 24.7% from 45 to 64, and 19.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 100.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.8 males. The median income for a household in the county was $35,395, and the median income for a family was $42,740. Males had a median income of $30,151 versus $20,930 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 county was $18,014. About 6.7% of families and 10.1% of the population were below the

, including 12.1% of those under age 18 and 11.1% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

Otter Tail is a Republican stronghold in U.S. presidential elections, having voted for the party's candidates in every election since 1936. The only Democrats to win the county since Minnesota became a state in 1858 have been

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), also known as FDR, was the 32nd president of the United States, serving from 1933 until his death in 1945. He is the longest-serving U.S. president, and the only one to have served ...

in his first election victory, and unsuccessful candidate

William Jennings Bryan William Jennings Bryan (March 19, 1860 – July 26, 1925) was an American lawyer, orator, and politician. He was a dominant force in the History of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, running three times as the party' ...

in 1896. During the

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

, there was a communist faction within the county. The areas where the movement was centered are quite desolate today, but in mid-1932 over 900 people were involved in one of the state's communist organizations at what was a historic low point for farmers. The members of the communist party were very active in the New York Mills area of Newton, Leaf Lake, Blowers, Deer Creek and Paddock Townships. They held meetings, recruited members, placed candidates on local and state tickets, and distributed propaganda. They held dances in Heinola, Menahga, and Sebeka where the Soviet hammer and sickle was proudly displayed and ran a summer camp on East Leaf Lake. By the time Franklin Roosevelt implemented his

New Deal The New Deal was a series of wide-reaching economic, social, and political reforms enacted by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the United States between 1933 and 1938, in response to the Great Depression in the United States, Great Depressi ...

programs in the county, the communist movement began to lose steam. In addition, the

Winter War The Winter War was a war between the Soviet Union and Finland. It began with a Soviet invasion of Finland on 30 November 1939, three months after the outbreak of World War II, and ended three and a half months later with the Moscow Peac ...

in Europe between Finland and the U.S.S.R. soured many Finnish immigrants on communism (Finns had been a large proportion of the local communists). Carl Peltoniemi, a former local communist, said, "The communist movement within the Finnish community basically ended at the start of the Winter War in 1939–1940." In the

Minnesota House of Representatives The Minnesota House of Representatives is the lower chamber of the U.S. state of Minnesota's Minnesota Legislature, legislature. It operates in conjunction with the Minnesota Senate, the state's upper chamber, to write and pass legislation, whic ...

, Otter Tail County is divided into two districts, 8A and 8B. They are represented by Republicans Bud Nornes (8A) and Mary Franson (8B). Districts 8A and 8B make up

Minnesota State Senate The Minnesota Senate is the upper house of the Legislature of the U.S. state of Minnesota. At 67 members, half as many as the Minnesota House of Representatives, it is the largest upper house of any U.S. state legislature. Floor sessions are hel ...

district 8, which is represented by Republican State Senator Bill Ingebrigtsen.

Communities

Cities

* Battle Lake * Bluffton * Clitherall * Dalton * Deer Creek * Dent * Elizabeth * Erhard * Fergus Falls (county seat) * Henning * New York Mills * Ottertail * Parkers Prairie * Pelican Rapids * Perham * Richville * Rothsay (part) *

Underwood Underwood may refer to: People *Underwood (surname), people with the surname Places Australia *Underwood, Queensland, a suburb of Logan City, Australia *Underwood, Tasmania, a locality United Kingdom *Underwood, Devon, a List of United Kingdom ...

* Urbank * Vergas * Vining * Wadena (part)

Unincorporated communities

* Butler *

Carlisle Carlisle ( , ; from ) is a city in the Cumberland district of Cumbria, England. Carlisle's early history is marked by the establishment of a settlement called Luguvalium to serve forts along Hadrian's Wall in Roman Britain. Due to its pro ...

* Dunvilla *

Heinola Heinola () is a town and a municipality of inhabitants () located in the eastern part of the Päijänne Tavastia region, Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to t ...

Luce Luce may refer to: People * Luce (name), as a given name and a surname * Luce (singer) Places * Luče, a town in Slovenia * Luce, Minnesota, an unincorporated community * Luce Bay, a large Bay in Wigtownshire in southern Scotland * Luce ...

* Parkton * Richdale * Topelius * Wall Lake * Woodland Park * Wrightstown

Townships

* Aastad Township * Amor Township * Aurdal Township * Blowers Township * Bluffton Township * Buse Township * Butler Township * Candor Township * Carlisle Township * Clitherall Township * Compton Township * Corliss Township * Dane Prairie Township * Dead Lake Township * Deer Creek Township * Dora Township * Dunn Township * Eagle Lake Township * Eastern Township * Edna Township * Effington Township * Elizabeth Township * Elmo Township * Erhards Grove Township * Everts Township * Fergus Falls Township * Folden Township *

Friberg Township ''Friberg Township is a township in Otter Tail County, Minnesota, Otter Tail County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 774 at the 2000 census. Friberg Township was organized in 1874, and named after Freiburg, Lower Saxony, Freiburg, in ...

* Girard Township * Gorman Township * Henning Township * Hobart Township * Homestead Township * Inman Township * Leaf Lake Township * Leaf Mountain Township * Lida Township * Maine Township * Maplewood Township * Newton Township * Nidaros Township * Norwegian Grove Township * Oak Valley Township * Orwell Township * Oscar Township * Otter Tail Township * Otto Township * Paddock Township * Parkers Prairie Township * Pelican Township * Perham Township * Pine Lake Township * Rush Lake Township * Scambler Township * St. Olaf Township * Star Lake Township * Sverdrup Township * Tordenskjold Township * Trondhjem Township * Tumuli Township * Western Township * Woodside Township

Education

References

External links

Visit Otter Tail County

Otter Tail County – official website

Otter Tail County Historical Society
{{Authority control Minnesota counties 1868 establishments in Minnesota Populated places established in 1868 Minnesota placenames of Native American origin