Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1882-03-15
FERGUS FALLS.
II has the Best Water Power in the
Country.
Already a Great Railroad and Indus
trial Center.
II is Destined to Become one OF the
Most Important Manufacturing
Points in the Northwest.
Preparations for illuminating the
Streets by the Electric Light.
4 TYPICAL AMERICAN CITY,

derful Red River valley is a land of such I'm
paralleled richness, and is filing up SO rapidly
with sturdy settlers that, although its fam,
is world wide, and it is theme upon which
so much has been written, 1t offers such'ma
terial for newspaper writing that the true
Journalist visiting the region feels demand
made upon his pencil that is almost
impossible to resist. For much as has beer
written upon the subject, it is of that nature
that it can never be exhausted. Every few
months the changes taking place within it,
limits are so marked, the development Of
its great resources SO impressive, that tht
record of TO-DAY affords but a slight index tc
progress in the future, and this holds true
with particular force with regard to certain
localities. Take Fergus Falls for instance
After long and wearisome ride on the cars,
the writer selected that point
for the purpose of resting. In
obedience to the instinct of
reportorial inquisitiveness, after recuperation
he was impelled to investigate the present con-
dition and future prospects of the place. II
requires no special gift of provision to predict
authortatively that the position to which
Fergus Falls will attain must be one OF COM
handing eminence. The conditions are such
as must inevitably produce great city. To
enumerate fully these conditions O complete
circle Of agencies would have to be traversed.
The three most moving springs OF its
Transformation are its situation in the
heart of such fertile country as
as railroad center, and its possession of an
immense water power. Besides these perma.
nent impulses which are the internal main
springs and the external pressure, there is the
acquired momentum, which is represented by
its present position IS q manufacturing and
mercantile city.
Fergus Falls is the judicial seat of Otter
Tail county, and is the center of the cele-
brated
"PARK REGION"
In SO calling this section it is NO mere fig.
ure of speech, for it is naturally one of the
most beautiful places on the continent, where
lakes, timber and prairie are so commingled
as to make the locality merit the
appellation of "garden spot of America"
Nearly every quarter section of land has
within its limits wood and water, SO that it
is region admirably adapted for diversified
farming.
DIARIES.
For purposes of raising beef cattle and con-
Quoting diaries proftably, it is q country
without any equal. There are already large
number Of cheese factories in successful oper-
alton, which make an excellent quality of
cheese, all OF which is marketed at Fergus
Falls and vicinity. Corn grows well, as is
proved by crops that have been grown for
the past ten years successfully, without
single failure of crop and au uniform heavy
yield. 1t should be stated that one of the rea-
fA-f &c icf 6oft Inra ,.l.-
and the cold in the fall is moderated by the
many large bodies of water that are found in
this region. 1t should likewise be noted that
these lacustrlne POSSESSIONS are one of the
most beautiful features of the country, and
give an added charm to it for purposes of resi-
dence. While, of course, all the government
lands are now taken, there are yet plenty of
g ands on securing gooSg g0Ga 1r Gnecs a And
it is remarkable That fine land can
be obtained cheaper than in many places
where there is rush immigration, and
consequential excitement in prices.
TIMBER.
Adjacent to Fergus Falls is one of the
largest bodies of fine hardwood timber in the
state. 1t consists of heavy belt that projects,
as It were, cut into the open pralries for hun
dreds of miles. Besides this there are on the
upper waters of the Red river, large tracts of
fine pine lands. Logs from there are brought
down the river and manufactured into lumber
at Fergus Falls.
RAILROAD CENTER.
Fergus is an important railroad center.
it is on the main line of the st. Paul, Mime
apolis & Manitoba road, about halfway
between st. Paul and st. Vincent. The North
ern Pacific, Fergus Falls & Black Hills railroad
has its line completed from Wadena to Fergus
Falls, thus giving the latter place direct out
let to the seabord, ria Duluth. An extension
Of this line is already graded and bridged, and
the iron will be laid as soon as spring "opens
westward to the state line, on its way to the
Black Hills, IT'S miles of which the company
contemplates building this season. This will
open out vast market 10 the products
OF the Hour mills and other industrial enter
prises OF Fergus. The same road also has
branch graded and bridged and ready for the
iron tWenty-iour miles north to Pelican
Rapids. The Manitoba road has likewise
branch to the same place.
There is also projected An extension of the
Wabash and Wabash and Milwaukee systems.
which combinations are anxious to reach out
for the carrying business Of the Red River
valley. Fergus Falls is also the division point
of both the Manitoba and Black Hills roads,
aud has therefore the round houses, machine
shops and division offices. The general offices
OF the Fergus Falls & Black Hills road are
also located here.
Fergus Falls is the point where the Red
river leaves the high rolling lands and makes
a rapid descent to the Red river valley proper.
This descent it is which forms the finest water
power north of Minneapolis. THE power is
Ill concentrated at Fergus, or mile or two
on each side of the town. One great feature
OF the water power is that it is constant III
quality. There are never any ireshe:s; the
level is always uniform, the flow being steady
without variation. Lest this may appear
strange to those used to the periodical fuc-
tuations experienced by nearly all using
natural powers on other rivers it should be
explained that physical laws produce this
happy result. The river flows through more
than twenty lakes just before it reaches Fer
gus, and these
LAKES ACT As RESERVOIRS,
retaining the surplus water in the spring and
holding the heavy rains, SO that the water is
let out gradually during the whole season
In this connection it might also be remarked
that the cothguration of the land produces
naturally what the reservoir sys
lem, that is advocated for the
upper Mississippi river would effect
Notwithstanding the great damage inflicted
from time to time by high water and freshets
in other parts of the state, it is remarkable