Railway line existed for nearly a century, began in 1882

Contributed photo
A railway line from Fergus Falls, northward to Pelican Rapids, existed for close to a century, starting in 1882. There were stations along the line in Elizabeth and Erhard.

By Tom Hintgen

Otter Tail County Correspondent

The railroad arrived in Pelican Rapids in 1882, a branch line from Fergus Falls, which was to continue northward. This never happened, however, and the line remained a “dead end” until its removal 100 years later. 

Fergus Falls was incorporated in 1872 and Pelican Rapids was incorporated in 1883. The rail line connecting the two communities, 21 miles apart, was a boost for both freight lines and passenger service.

When rail construction began, in 1881, there were two competing rail lines. The Twin Cities and Manitoba Railroad won out. The line was abandoned a century later, in 1981, under Burlington Northern Railway ownership.

Branch rail lines across the nation during the 1880s and 1990s, such as the line from Fergus Falls to Pelican Rapids, allowed for a continuous flow of freight and passengers. 

By 1893, Minnesota’s rail transportation network had transformed from several pioneer lines to many grids that connected the Red River Valley near Pelican Rapids and Fergus Falls, southern Minnesota and Duluth to the larger national rail transportation network.

The Galloping Goose was a short passenger train which went east and west through Otter Tail County during the 1950s and 1960s, and also north and south from Fergus Falls to Pelican Rapids.