Fergus Falls is a small city of about 13,000 in west-central Minnesota, the county seat of Otter Tail County — which claims to have over a thousand lakes within its borders. Five of those lakes lie within the city limits itself. If you are driving between the Twin Cities and Fargo, Fergus Falls is the halfway point and a reasonable stop.
The town was founded in 1857 and named by a scout called Joe Whitford after his employer, James Fergus. The Otter Tail River runs through the centre, and a five-block walking path along the riverbank near downtown makes for a pleasant stretch. The downtown has an unusually high concentration of historic buildings including the handsome Otter Tail County Courthouse and the Hotel Kaddatz.
On the hill above town, the hulking brick complex of the Fergus Falls Regional Treatment Center — a 1890s Kirkbride-plan psychiatric hospital abandoned in 2005 — is one of the most striking derelict buildings in Minnesota and draws urban explorers and photographers from across the state.
Beyond the city, the Otter Tail County lakes offer good fishing, swimming, and water sports, and the rolling farmland and wooded hills around the city are attractive for driving or cycling. Fergus Falls is more a base than a destination, but it is an honest and likeable one.