The Coming City

James Fergus's decision not to invest in Fergus Falls, together with the Civil War and Dakota Conflict, stymied development for much of the 1860s. After the Civil War, assistant U.S. government surveyor George B. Wright saw the potential to harness the river for power, quit surveying, purchased the abandoned townsite, and laid it out into lots and blocks. In 1870 he broke ground for a sawmill, constructed a dam, and built a bridge across the river. Wright's faith in Fergus Falls's future led him to offer free lots of land to anyone willing to start a business, and in newspaper advertisements he promoted Fergus Falls as "The Coming City" by extolling its water power and calling the surrounding land "the finest wheat region in the entire west." In 1872 Fergus Falls became the county seat, and the arrival of the railroad in 1879 ensured the town's success by giving settlers and businesses a scheduled line into and out of town.

Fergus Falls, Minnesota · United States