By Tom Hintgen

Otter Tail County Correspondent

The story of Gus Comstock never grows old for many residents of Otter Tail County. On Jan. 11, 1927, county resident Comstock set a world’s record by drinking 85 cups of coffee. 

He set the record in a time span of 6 hours and 30 minutes at the Kaddatz Hotel on Lincoln Avenue in downtown Fergus Falls. This broke the old record of 71 cups of coffee consumed by a resident of Amarillo, Texas. 

Using regular restaurant coffee in 8-ounce cups, Gus downed 15 cups in the first hour starting at 7 a.m. For each cup consumed, a slip of paper was placed in a sealed box. Later in the day a physician checked out Gus. The doctor found almost everything okay, other than a slight increase in temperature for Gus. 

The Daily Journal, after Gus set the world’s record, published the following words of praise.

“Fergus Falls native Gus Comstock achieved a level of fame unequaled in the history of Otter Tail County. What he did required a degree of endurance other people can only dream about.”

The World War I veteran, who ran a shoe business and sold ice cream at county fairs, was the toast of the town and all of Otter Tail County. His accomplishment was also carried in newspapers all across the United States. 

County residents have read various accounts of this world record over the years, but have never found out how many trips Gus made to the restroom during his record-making coffee drinking at the Kaddatz Hotel in downtown Fergus Falls.

The record defined “Guzzling Gus” for the rest of his life in Otter Tail County  and became part of java lore. Comstock was close to 60 years old when he died at the state veterans’ home, Minneapolis, in 1955.