FERGUS FALLS  , a

city and the county-seat of Otter Tail county, Minnesota, U.S.A., on the Red river, 170 M . N.W. of Minneapolis . Pop . (1890) 3772; (1900) 6072, of whom 2131 were foreign-born; (1905) 6692; (1910) 6887 . A large part of the population is of Scandinavian birth or descent . Fergus Falls is served by the Great Northern and the Northern Pacific railways . Situated in the celebrated " park region " of the state, the city possesses great natural beauty, which has been enhanced by a system of boulevards and well-kept private lawns . Lake Alice, in the residential district, adds to the city's attractions . The city has a public library, a county court house, St Luke's hospital, the G . B . Wright memorial hospital, and a city hall . It is the seat of a state hospital for the insane (1887) with about 1600 patients, of a business college, of the Park Region Luther College (Norwegian Lutheran, 1892), and of the North-western College (Swedish Lutheran; opened in 19o1) .

It has one of the finest

water-powers in the state . Flour is the principal product; among others are woollen goods, foundry and machine-shop products, wooden ware, sash, doors and blinds, caskets, shirts, wagons and packed meats . The city owns and operates its water-works and its electric-lighting plant . Fergus Falls was settled about 1859 and was incorporated in 1863 .