Stealing the County Seat

Stealing the County Seat. . One of the most enduring legends in Otter Tail County is that Fergus Falls stole the county seat from Otter Tail City, a once thriving town on the eastern shore of Otter Tail Lake., On March 18, 1858, the Minnesota Territorial Legislature established Otter Tail County's boundaries and proclaimed "the county seat is hereby temporarily established at Otter Tail City." The designation became permanent when Otter Tail officially became a county in 1868., In the summer of 1871, ambitious Fergus Falls business leaders challenged Otter Tail City by proposing to form their own county. Exerting considerable political pressure, Fergus Falls convinced the state to establish Holcomb County by taking Range 44 from the yet to be established Wilkin County and 21 western Otter Tail County townships. The issue was brought before voters in November 1871 and defeated 761 to 611., County division, however, did not go away. By late 1871, the Northern Pacific railroad was set to run a line through Otter Tail City. Thinking he could hold out for more money, a single landowner refused to grant the railroad a right of way through his land., Rather than haggle, the Northern Pacific simply packed up and moved the track north through Perham. Otter Tail City was devastated and within days there was an exodus of people and businesses., Realizing that Otter Tail City was no longer a suitable location for the county seat, state legislator E. E. Corliss introduced a bill to move the county seat to Fergus Falls. At the November 1872 general election, voters approved the legislation. The county seat was moved to Fergus Falls., "I have often heard it claimed that county auditor Ole Jorgens went to Otter Tail City in the night and unlawfully took, stole and carried away those records, all of which is maliciously false. The moving of the records was orderly and under the direction of the county commissioners." , E. E. Corliss, Captions: , Otter Tail City, 1858. , Ole Jorgens , E. E. Corliss , Otter Tail County Courthouse, 1895. , Inset: Courthouse after the June 22, 1919 cyclone.