Otter Tail County, Minnesota
Otter Tail County | |
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UTC−5 (CDT) | |
Congressional district | 7th |
Website | ottertailcountymn |
Otter Tail County is a county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, its population was 60,081.[1] Its county seat is Fergus Falls.[2] Otter Tail County comprises the Fergus Falls micropolitan statistical area. With 1,048 lakes in its borders, Otter Tail County has more lakes than any other county in the United States.[3]
History
Native Americans used the area for hunting and fishing, and had permanent dwelling sites. Two
The first European men to enter the county were
Otter Tail City began as a waystation on a fur-trade route between
In 1870, the population of the county was about 2,000. At that time, the principal languages spoken in the county were Norwegian, Swedish, German, and English. By 1875 there was also a sizeable Polish community.[7]
The people of Fergus Falls organized a new county named Holcomb. In 1872, a legislative act abolished Holcomb County, added additional townships to the west, and established Fergus Falls as Otter Tail County's seat.
Early telephone
The Fergus Falls Telephone Exchange Company organized on March 20, 1882, and was in a room at the First National Bank at the corner of Cascade and Lincoln. The system install was very crude. Efforts were made to have telephones installed in the courthouse but commissioners did not feel it was necessary. Eventually a telephone was installed in the auditor's office through a combination of private and public funds. A clerk in the office was tasked with tracking down the officer who was called. The business was sold to the Northwestern Telephone Exchange Company in 1883.[8]
Geography
The Otter Tail River flows south and west through the central and western parts of the county on its way to form the Red River in Wilkin County. It is joined by the south-flowing Pelican River west of Fergus Falls. The Leaf River rises in the county and flows east to its confluence with the Crow Wing River in neighboring Wadena County. The Redeye River flows southeast through the county's northeast section toward its confluence with the Leaf in Wadena. The county terrain consists of rolling hills, heavily wooded through its center section, dotted with lakes and ponds, and carved with drainages and gullies. The available area is devoted to agriculture.[9] The county terrain slopes to the west and south.[10] The highest points on the county terrain are at two different locations: Inspiration Peak, at 1,727 ft (526 m), and Pekan Peak (unofficial name) a summit northeast of the village of Urbank in Folden Township, Section 32, at 1,800 ft (550 m) above sea level.[11] The county has an area of 2,225 square miles (5,760 km2), of which 1,972 square miles (5,110 km2) are land and 252 square miles (650 km2) (11%) are covered by water.[12] Otter Tail is one of 17 Minnesota savanna region counties with more savanna soils than either forest or prairie soils. According to its website, the county contains over 1,000 lakes.
Transportation
Major highways
Airports
- Aerovilla Airport[9] - 2 miles (3.2 km) NW of Perham
- Battle Lake Municipal Airport[14] - 1.6 miles (2.6 km) NNE of Battle Lake
- Fergus Falls Municipal Airport (FFM) - 3.8 miles (6.1 km) W of Fergus Falls
- Henning Municipal Airport (05Y) - 1.1 miles (1.8 km) S of Henning
- Pelican Rapids Municipal Airport (47Y) - 4.6 miles (7.4 km) NNW of Pelican Rapids
- Perham Municipal Airport (16D) - 1 mile (1.6 km) NW of Perham
- Wadena Municipal Airport (ADC) - 3.4 miles (5.5 km) W of Wadena
Adjacent counties
- Becker County - north
- Wadena County - northeast
- Todd County - southeast
- Douglas County - south
- Grant County - southwest
- Wilkin County - west
- Clay County - northwest
Protected areas[9]
- Aastad State Wildlife Management Area
- Amor State Wildlife Management Area
- Bluff Creek State Wildlife Management Area
- Davies State Wildlife Management Area
- Dead Lake State Wildlife Management Area
- Doran State Wildlife Management Area
- Eagle Lake State Wildlife Management Area
- Eastern Township State Wildlife Management Area
- Elmo State Wildlife Management Area
- Folden Woods State Wildlife Management Area
- Glendalough State Park
- Hi-View State Wildlife Management Area
- Inman State Wildlife Management Area
- Inspiration Peak State Wayside Park
- Jensen Memorial State Wildlife Management Area
- Maplewood State Park
- Orwell State Wildlife Management Area
- Otter Tail Prairie Scientific and Natural Area
- Prairie Ridge State Wildlife Management Area
- Valdine State Wildlife Management Area
Demographics
Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
---|---|---|---|
1860 | 240 | — | |
1870 | 1,968 | 720.0% | |
1880 | 18,675 | 848.9% | |
1890 | 34,232 | 83.3% | |
1900 | 45,375 | 32.6% | |
1910 | 46,036 | 1.5% | |
1920 | 50,818 | 10.4% | |
1930 | 51,006 | 0.4% | |
1940 | 53,192 | 4.3% | |
1950 | 51,320 | −3.5% | |
1960 | 48,960 | −4.6% | |
1970 | 46,097 | −5.8% | |
1980 | 51,937 | 12.7% | |
1990 | 50,714 | −2.4% | |
2000 | 57,159 | 12.7% | |
2010 | 57,303 | 0.3% | |
2020 | 60,081 | 4.8% | |
2023 (est.) | 60,626 | [15] | 0.9% |
U.S. Decennial Census[16] 1790-1960[17] 1900-1990[18] 1990-2000[19] 2010-2020[1] |
2020 Census
Race | Num. | Perc. |
---|---|---|
White (NH)
|
54,362 | 90.5% |
Black or African American (NH)
|
843 | 1.4% |
Native American (NH)
|
284 | 0.5% |
Asian (NH)
|
334 | 0.6% |
Pacific Islander (NH)
|
17 | 0.03% |
Other/Mixed (NH)
|
2,025 | 3.4% |
Latino
|
2,216 | 3.7% |
2000 census
As of the
There were 22,671 households, out of which 30.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.1% were married couples living together, 6.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.4% were non-families. 26.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 2.98.
The county population contained 24.9% under the age of 18, 7.2% from 18 to 24, 24.2% from 25 to 44, 24.7% from 45 to 64, and 19.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 100.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.8 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $35,395, and the median income for a family was $42,740. Males had a median income of $30,151 versus $20,930 for females. The
Politics
Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
2020 | 23,800 | 65.39% | 11,958 | 32.85% | 641 | 1.76% |
2016 | 20,939 | 64.43% | 9,340 | 28.74% | 2,221 | 6.83% |
2012 | 18,860 | 59.55% | 12,165 | 38.41% | 645 | 2.04% |
2008 | 18,077 | 55.30% | 13,856 | 42.39% | 754 | 2.31% |
2004 | 19,734 | 61.33% | 12,038 | 37.41% | 406 | 1.26% |
2000 | 16,963 | 59.50% | 9,844 | 34.53% | 1,704 | 5.98% |
1996 | 11,808 | 45.68% | 10,519 | 40.69% | 3,523 | 13.63% |
1992 | 11,074 | 41.52% | 9,176 | 34.41% | 6,420 | 24.07% |
1988 | 14,015 | 56.96% | 10,373 | 42.16% | 216 | 0.88% |
1984 | 15,664 | 61.30% | 9,714 | 38.02% | 173 | 0.68% |
1980 | 15,091 | 57.74% | 9,108 | 34.85% | 1,939 | 7.42% |
1976 | 12,113 | 49.42% | 11,881 | 48.47% | 516 | 2.11% |
1972 | 13,519 | 62.21% | 7,881 | 36.27% | 331 | 1.52% |
1968 | 12,483 | 60.30% | 7,400 | 35.75% | 818 | 3.95% |
1964 | 10,542 | 51.26% | 9,997 | 48.61% | 26 | 0.13% |
1960 | 13,747 | 62.94% | 8,054 | 36.87% | 42 | 0.19% |
1956 | 12,764 | 65.88% | 6,571 | 33.91% | 40 | 0.21% |
1952 | 16,447 | 75.03% | 5,388 | 24.58% | 86 | 0.39% |
1948 | 11,131 | 61.25% | 6,546 | 36.02% | 495 | 2.72% |
1944 | 12,351 | 67.55% | 5,823 | 31.85% | 110 | 0.60% |
1940 | 13,737 | 63.51% | 7,705 | 35.62% | 187 | 0.86% |
1936 | 8,899 | 49.14% | 8,642 | 47.72% | 569 | 3.14% |
1932 | 7,416 | 43.72% | 8,805 | 51.90% | 743 | 4.38% |
1928 | 11,624 | 68.28% | 4,990 | 29.31% | 411 | 2.41% |
1924 | 7,557 | 55.45% | 568 | 4.17% | 5,504 | 40.38% |
1920 | 11,084 | 78.50% | 1,741 | 12.33% | 1,294 | 9.16% |
1916 | 4,328 | 54.33% | 2,858 | 35.88% | 780 | 9.79% |
1912 | 755 | 11.53% | 1,739 | 26.57% | 4,052 | 61.90% |
1908 | 3,964 | 58.07% | 2,320 | 33.99% | 542 | 7.94% |
1904 | 4,642 | 73.69% | 869 | 13.80% | 788 | 12.51% |
1900 | 3,446 | 47.19% | 3,257 | 44.60% | 600 | 8.22% |
1896 | 3,544 | 42.73% | 4,482 | 54.04% | 268 | 3.23% |
1892 | 2,140 | 37.40% | 1,642 | 28.70% | 1,940 | 33.90% |
Otter Tail is a Republican stronghold in
During the Great Depression, there was a communist faction within the county. The areas where the movement was centered are quite desolate today, but in mid-1932 over 900 people were involved in one of the state's communist organizations at what was a historic low point for farmers. The members of the communist party were very active in the New York Mills area of Newton, Leaf Lake, Blowers, Deer Creek and Paddock Townships. They held meetings, recruited members, placed candidates on local and state tickets, and distributed propaganda. They held dances in Heinola, Menahga, and Sebeka where the Soviet hammer and sickle was proudly displayed and ran a summer camp on East Leaf Lake.[23]
By the time Franklin Roosevelt implemented his New Deal programs in the county, the communist movement began to lose steam. In addition, the Winter War in Europe between Finland and the U.S.S.R. soured many Finnish immigrants on communism (Finns had been a large proportion of the local communists). Carl Peltoniemi, a former local communist, said, "The communist movement within the Finnish community basically ended at the start of the Winter War in 1939–1940."
In the
Communities
Cities
- Battle Lake
- Bluffton
- Clitherall
- Dalton
- Deer Creek
- Dent
- Elizabeth
- Erhard
- Fergus Falls (county seat)
- Henning
- New York Mills
- Ottertail
- Parkers Prairie
- Pelican Rapids
- Perham
- Richville
- Rothsay (part)
- Underwood
- Urbank
- Vergas
- Vining
- Wadena (part)
Unincorporated communities
Townships
- Aastad Township
- Amor Township
- Aurdal Township
- Blowers Township
- Bluffton Township
- Buse Township
- Butler Township
- Candor Township
- Carlisle Township
- Clitherall Township
- Compton Township
- Corliss Township
- Dane Prairie Township
- Dead Lake Township
- Deer Creek Township
- Dora Township
- Dunn Township
- Eagle Lake Township
- Eastern Township
- Edna Township
- Effington Township
- Elizabeth Township
- Elmo Township
- Erhards Grove Township
- Everts Township
- Fergus Falls Township
- Folden Township
- Friberg Township
- Girard Township
- Gorman Township
- Henning Township
- Hobart Township
- Homestead Township
- Inman Township
- Leaf Lake Township
- Leaf Mountain Township
- Lida Township
- Maine Township
- Maplewood Township
- Newton Township
- Nidaros Township
- Norwegian Grove Township
- Oak Valley Township
- Orwell Township
- Oscar Township
- Otter Tail Township
- Otto Township
- Paddock Township
- Parkers Prairie Township
- Pelican Township
- Perham Township
- Pine Lake Township
- Rush Lake Township
- Scambler Township
- St. Olaf Township
- Star Lake Township
- Sverdrup Township
- Tordenskjold Township
- Trondhjem Township
- Tumuli Township
- Western Township
- Woodside Township
Education
School districts include:[24]
- Ashby Public School District
- Barnesville Public School District
- Battle Lake Public School District
- Bertha-Hewitt Public School District
- Brandon-Evansville Public Schools
- Breckenridge Public School District
- Campbell-Tintah Public School District
- Detroit Lakes Public School District
- Fergus Falls Public School District
- Frazee-Vergas Public School District
- Henning Public School District
- Lake Park Audubon School District
- Menahga Public School District
- New York Mills Public School District
- Parkers Prairie Public School District
- Pelican Rapids Public School District
- Perham-Dent Public School District
- Rothsay Public School District
- Sebeka Public School District
- Underwood Public School District
- Wadena-Deer Creek School District
- West Central Area School District
See also
References
- ^ a b "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 8, 2023.
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
- ^ "Only in Your State". August 5, 2022.
- ^ Otter Tail County Website "History and Settlement - GIS - Otter Tail County Minnesota". Archived from the original on June 25, 2009. Retrieved April 9, 2009.
- ^ "Minnesota geographic names; their origin and historic significance". [St. Paul] Minnesota Historical Society. 1969.
- ^ "History of the Community". cityofottertail.com.
- ^ "The Great Kashubian Migration". Geni.com. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
- ^ Mason, John W. (1916). Otter Tail County Minnesota: Its People, Industries, and Institutions. Vol. 1. B.F. Bowen & Company, Inc.
- ^ a b c d e f "Otter Tail County · Minnesota". Otter Tail County · Minnesota.
- ^ ""Find an Altitude/Otter Tail County MN" Google Maps (accessed April 26, 2019)". Archived from the original on May 21, 2019. Retrieved April 27, 2019.
- ^ Sandy, John H. "Prominent Peaks in Otter Tail County, Minnesota". Retrieved June 7, 2022.
- ^ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Archived from the original on September 21, 2013. Retrieved October 24, 2014.
- ISBN 978-0-615-50320-2.
- ^ "Google Maps". Google Maps.
- ^ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023". Retrieved March 18, 2024.
- ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 24, 2014.
- ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved October 24, 2014.
- ^ "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 24, 2014.
- ^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 27, 2010. Retrieved October 24, 2014.
- ^ "P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Otter Tail County, Minnesota".
- ^ Leip, David. "Atlas of US Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved October 10, 2018.
- ^ Sullivan, Robert David; ‘How the Red and Blue Map Evolved Over the Past Century’; America Magazine in The National Catholic Review; June 29, 2016
- ^ Tweton, Jerome (1988). The New Deal at the Grass Roots: Programs for the People in Otter Tail County, Minnesota. St. Paul: Minnesota Historical Society Press. pp. 29–31.
- ^ "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Otter Tail County, MN" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 22, 2022. Retrieved July 22, 2022. - Text list