The Mill Pond Suspension Bridge in Pelican Rapids grew from a project developed by the local Rotary Club, which approached the village Park Board in 1968 and offered to lead fundraising while aiming to keep costs below $60,000. Mayor Henry Korda, representing the village, and Truman Strand, representing the Rotary Club, then presented an application to the Otter Tail County Commissioners for a foot bridge over the Pelican River linking E.L. Peterson Park with Sherin Memorial Park to enhance and beautify the park system, and after approval fundraising began, with the Rotary making its first donation in October 1970. In the summer of 1973, the Village Council advertised for bids, Resset Construction of Pelican Rapids won the construction bid, Anton Resset and Orville Nettestad directed welding for the railing sections, Rotarians volunteered to paint the railings, Fargo Foundry fabricated other steel parts, and Luther Grotte, head of Otter Tail Power Company's special engineering services department, volunteered as the project's creative head, helping greatly reduce its cost. The suspension bridge was dedicated in August 1975, seven years and $40,000 after the idea first surfaced, with the Rotary Club estimating that another $20,000 in materials and volunteer labor also went into it. Crossing the Pelican River and connecting the north and south sides of town to foot traffic, the bridge also became a place for fishing, observing the Mill Pond and its seasonal changes, linking activities in E.L. Peterson Park and Sherin Memorial Park during Art in the Park, viewing celebrations during Turkey Days, and drawing visitors during the International Friendship Festival, when colorful flags of diverse cultures fly from its railings. Beginning as a dream, it became a symbol of connections within Pelican Rapids.