I'm still here, but 'the year that wasn't' has given me almost no opportunity to get many new pictures.

On to the building in the picture...

Before the mid-1950s, this little building was the main office for Otter Tail Power, along with one other building nearby. The monogram can be seen on the doorway, along with a generator, a wye-connected transformer symbol, and a water wheel on the cornice up above. I'm not sure if the names up above are of industry pioneers or local citizens (Wm. Stanley was the one who came up with the general concept of the present AC transmission / distribution system, but Tesla improved on it with the concept of 3-phase power).

By the 1950s, not only was the office building overcrowded, the city was mulling transferring the municipal electric utility off Otter Tail's system to WAPA's. If that happened, the company would be in an illogical position of being headquartered in a town they didn't even serve, so they put out feelers to nearby retail communities, all of whom began clamoring for the chance of the office (and jobs) coming to town.

At the same time, the company made an offer to the city of Fergus Falls to purchase the municipal system (one of the company's last system purchases), saying if the offer was accepted and they got a franchise, the company would erect a brand new general office building. The issue of the sale and franchise went on the local ballot in the fall of 1953, both measures passed easily, and the present-day main office stands about a block southeast of this location.