A Place to ExploreFergus Falls was
named by Joe Whitford, who was employed by a man named James Fergus to find a
place for a new community in West-Central Minnesota. Finding a waterfall on the
Otter Tail river, Whitford staked out the town in 1857 and named it in honor of
his employer. It seems that Fergus never even visited the place, and in 1870
the town site was sold to one George B. Wright for about a hundred
dollars. Wright immediately built
a dam and a sawmill, and at that point, the town was born. It is too bad for James Fergus, because
today, one hundred and forty years later, this is the place everyone seems
wants to go to on vacation.
Fergus Falls is
called “the gateway” to Otter Tail county, which is sometimes called Minnesota's
“Lakes” area. More than a thousand lakes fill the region – in fact, there are
more lakes in Otter Tail than in any other single county in the United States.
One tenth of all the lakes in Minnesota are here. Fergus is the gateway because
it is the largest town in the county, and it sits on the interstate just two
and half hours from the Twin Cities. If you, like Joe Whitford, are looking for
an ideal spot, a new community, or perhaps a lake home or cabin, then Fergus
Falls is the place to begin your exploration.
By Water and Land
If you live in the
Twin Cities, and you are willing to drive for one hour, you can choose from
almost 100 lakes to visit. If you are willing to drive as much as one hour from
Fergus Falls, you will have more than ten times that number of lakes to
explore, and a total of more than 175,000 acres of water. Even if you wanted to
stay within a mile of the city limits of this small town, you would have a
half-dozen lakes to choose from. Although there are a lot of people who know
all this (and now you know it too), with so much of the wet stuff, there is
plenty to go around. If you like to fish, you should know that even with all
the visitors, the fish are not unduly pressured, and you can find Walleye,
Bass, Northern, Muskie and panfish in very satisfying numbers. If you like to
jet ski, water ski, wakeboard, or otherwise race around the lake at high
speeds, there is more than enough room for you somewhere quite close to Fergus
Falls. For those who prefer water transportation that is “green,” you will find
all sorts of places to paddle your canoe or kayak, or sail your boat or board.
If you are
interested in dry activities as well, you can find a lot to do in Fergus
Falls. The town is filled with
unique shops, art galleries and a variety of restaurants – both locally owned,
and the national chains. You can stroll the river walk, which follows the Otter
Tail river right through downtown. The Central Lakes Bike Path begins in town,
and runs southeast to Osakis. It offers 55 miles of fourteen-foot-wide paved
trail for bikes, in-line skaters and walkers. Running through woods, across
streams and through fields, this trail is a haven for wildlife, and a terrific
way to spend a day or two discovering the area.
A Place to Stay
Awhile
When you need a
place to stay in or near Fergus Falls, your options are almost unlimited. You
can find a cheap locally owned motel just to crash in. The national
“name-brand” hotels are all here too, some of them offering extensive suites. A
few Bed & Breakfast places exist in town, and dotted all around the
surrounding lakes are resorts which range from little locally owned cottages,
to full-service world-class operations.
Everyone knows
that the real-estate market these days is “soft.” What that means is that it is
a little tougher to sell a place for the money you want. But what many people
overlook is that this is the best time to buy. Lakeshore property holds its
value over time. And with the Lakes country being what it is, perhaps now is
the time to see what is out there.
One of the great
things about Fergus Falls is that it is large enough to provide the lake
country with the commercial resources it needs, while, at thirteen-thousand
people, it still feels like a small town. As Pam Partain of the chamber of
commerce says, “It feels like home, whether you live here, or are just
visiting.” Don't make the mistake that James Fergus made. Come see Fergus
Falls, and explore the area for yourself. Who knows, maybe you'll even find a
new home.
