Visiting The Past

DOWNTOWN FERGUS FALLS MYSTERY TOUR
Join Otter Tail County Historical Society director Chris Schuelke and his cast of characters for the Downtown Fergus Falls Mystery Tour on Thursday, June 6, beginning at 8 p.m. The tour begins in the lobby of the historic River Inn on Mill Street.

Illegal liquor, political scandal, lewd women, ax murders. The sordid history of a major city or that of a quiet town on the prairie? Better known for its abundant churches, geese and well behaved citizens, Fergus Falls also has a dark side that has largely been kept quiet...until now.

Each room or “gallery” of the Conservatory has lots of nooks and crannies, benches and overhangs to play around. One can certainly spend an eternity gazing at the fascinating bouncing Nepenthes. Or one could pretend one was in a magical secret garden deep within the Amazon Rainforest on a fairy finding expedition. I did both.

Making our way to the opposite end of the Conservatory, Tighe and I found ourselves at the current special exhibit: Boomtown: Barbary Coast at the Conservatory of Flowers. As explained on the website, “Get ready to jump ship into San Francisco’s rowdy past as the Conservatory of Flowers presents an all new garden railway display celebrating San Francisco’s gold rush Boomtown days and its infamous Barbary Coast neighborhood.”

I know what you’re wondering. And yes, there is a little section devoted to prostitutes. The special exhibit gallery was filled with little model trains, model ships, and mini-earthquakes. Boomtown looks like a Mr. Roger’s Make Believe version of San Francisco, which is to say that it is awesome and fun and a little bizarre.