Otter Tail County Historical Society

10/16/2026

NEW BOOK in the GIFT SHOP
A Quilt of Stars
Astronaut Karen Nyberg Stitches a Dream
by Dr. Karen Nyberg and Ann McCallum Staats

What would you do with an impossible dream?

Dr. Karen Nyberg yearned to reach the stars, and when they were finally within grasp, she wanted to share the extraordinary sight with the world. Seeing that the Earth from a distance was like a quilted masterpiece of people and places, she put her skills with needle and thread to use--in space!

When Nyberg lived on the International Space Station, she and NASA invited crafters from around the world to join a project to stitch together a global community quilt. Thousands of people from more than 30 countries stitched quilt squares that were combined to make 28 king-size quilts displayed at the 40th International Quilt Festival in Houston.

With dreamy illustrations from Alida Massari that perfectly capture Nyberg's starry quilt and fun facts about space on every page, A Quilt of Stars is an accurate retelling of Karen Nyberg's true story. This book is an inspiration to those in love with STEM and art, teaching children that anyone with a goal, a community, and a dash of persistence can stitch together a dream.”

Dr. Karen Nyberg is an astronaut, engineer, artist, and mother who, through nearly 30 years of experience in human spaceflight, has developed a deep appreciation for the value of cooperation across diverse ideologies and values to care for our home planet and its inhabitants. Ann McCallum Staats is a former teacher and the award-winning author of over a dozen books. Her latest books include Fantastic Flora: The World's Biggest, Baddest, and Smelliest Plants (Candlewick/MIT Kids Press) along with two books in the Women of Power series: High Flyers and Thrill Seekers (Chicago Review Press). Alida Massari is an Italian artist specializing in illustration for children including picture books and other children's publishing. Massari was born in Rome, where she qualified in art at high school and then went on to complete a specialization in illustration at the European Institute of Design. She finds inspiration for her work from the architectural details of the ancient buildings, from folk traditions and ancient art, describing her work as "modern but with ancient atmosphere."

10/13/2026

📣 Woohoo! OTCHS was "voted a winner by the readers of the Daily Journal in the category of Best Museum / Gallery."

Thank you everyone!

10/09/2026

10/02/2026

STORIES from the HAUNTED MUSEUM

October means one thing at the Otter Tail County Historical Society: the annual "Stories from the Haunted Museum" on Friday, October 23, with shows at 2:00 pm, 5:00 pm, and 7:00 pm.

You must purchase a ticket to attend. Options are as follows:
2:00 pm matinée $10
5:00 pm show $12
7:00 pm show $12

Seating is limited to 50 people per show. Please purchase tickets by 11:00 am Friday, October 23. You may either stop by OTCHS Tuesday-Friday from 10 am-4 pm or purchase them online at www.otchs.org via PayPal. Tickets purchased via our website will be emailed to you. You will receive the tickets at the email address that is attached to your PayPal account. Please direct any questions to LeAnn.

The history of Otter Tail County is filled with shocking, bizarre, and spine-tingling events. Storytellers will present true and accurate accounts of grisly murders and other tales too horrifying to mention. Some of the events have become such a part of local lore that their truth has been obscured. "Stories from the Haunted Museum" is your chance to go beyond the rumors and get the real, gory details.

Do you have the stomach to find out what really happened on the pig farm? Get your tickets before they disappear. Parental guidance is suggested for children under 12.

09/30/2026

The Otter Tail County Historical Society is hosting a tour of the Fergus Falls State Hospital cemetery and Poor Farm cemetery on Saturday, October 17, at 11 a.m. The tour costs $10; meet in the parking lot behind the MN Vets Home in Fergus Falls. Wear appropriate footwear as there is considerable walking.

From the first burial in August 1890 until the last in 1968, 3,254 State Hospital patients were buried in the hospital’s cemetery. Graves were marked by a simple wrought-iron stake with a number in the middle. There was no name, no date, just a number. Yet the people buried there had names and lives. The purpose of the tour is to explore how the State Hospital dealt with death within the context of Thomas Kirkbride’s moral management plan while attempting to humanize those in the cemetery.

We will also walk to the adjacent Poor Farm cemetery. Before any government safety net, individual counties were responsible for the poorest of the poor. From 1881 until 1938, the Otter Tail County Poor Farm provided care and shelter for thousands of people. If an individual died at the Poor Farm and no one claimed them, the county buried them in the Poor Farm cemetery at county expense. Through painstaking research, 155 burials have been confirmed.

If you have any questions regarding the tour, contact the Otter Tail County Historical Society at 218-736-6038. See less

09/30/2026

Thank you, Visit Fergus Falls!

09/28/2026

We think it’s finally time we officially introduce you to Scott Brantner, the new Executive Director of the Otter Tail County Historical Society!

Scott officially joined OTCHS on September 1, and he has already hit the ground running—getting acquainted with the museum, staff, Board, volunteers, collections, and the many responsibilities of his new role. He’s also been making his way around Otter Tail County, visiting communities, making introductions, and learning more about the people, places, and stories that make our county unique.

Scott brings a lifelong interest in history and a wide range of experience as an educator, researcher, traveler, and community-minded leader. He holds a Master’s Degree in History from California State University, Northridge, as well as a post-baccalaureate certificate in Ancient Greek and Latin language and literature from UCLA. His background has taken him from archaeological fieldwork in Italy and Peace Corps service in North Macedonia to teaching history in California and Montana and, most recently, at Minnesota State Community and Technical College in Fergus Falls.

Scott moved to Fergus Falls in 2023 and has grown deeply appreciative of the natural beauty and rich history of Otter Tail County. As Executive Director, he looks forward to building relationships throughout the county and continuing OTCHS’s work to preserve, share, and bring our local history to life.

Want to meet Scott? Mark your calendar for our 99th Annual Meeting!

Join us Saturday, October 3, at 9:30 a.m. at the museum for the Otter Tail County Historical Society’s 99th Annual Meeting, featuring guest speaker Todd Otis and an opportunity to meet our new Executive Director, Scott Brantner.

And, of course, if you see Scott at the museum—or out and about somewhere around the county before then—be sure to say hello!

We’re excited to have him on board and look forward to this next chapter at OTCHS.

Welcome, Scott!

–Jess Torgerson, President, OTCHS Board of Directors

09/28/2026

Fergus Falls community screening of ‘Lost Souls’ explores Minnesota’s mental health history and the people who fought for change

On Thursday, October 15, Pioneer PBS will premiere Lost Souls: Reforming Minnesota’s Mental Health Institutions, a documentary examining Minnesota’s troubled history of institutional mental health care and the people who challenged the system. In celebration of the broadcast premiere, the documentary will also be screened in Fergus Falls, home to one of the state’s largest psychiatric institutions.

The free community screening will take place at The Center for the Arts and will be followed by a question-and-answer session featuring retired Otter Tail County Historical Society Director Chris Schulke, author Susan Bartlett Foote and Lost Souls producers Susan Marks and Dawn Mikkelson of Pioneer PBS.

The documentary traces Minnesota’s state hospital system from the opening of the state’s first asylum in St. Peter in 1866 through the growth of institutions in Rochester and Fergus Falls. The hospitals provided care to thousands of Minnesotans, but overcrowding, chronic underfunding and outdated practices eventually led to calls for reform.

At the center of Lost Souls is Engla Schey, the daughter of Norwegian immigrants who was raised in northern Minnesota. Schey became a mental health rights activist, writing to journalists, churches and others to draw attention to the treatment of patients. Her efforts became part of the first wave of institutional reform in Minnesota.

The film also examines what institutionalization meant for the people inside the hospitals and the families who were left behind. “There was just so much pain in families when a loved one got sent away, and so much shame,” Foote says in the film. “In many cases, the families didn’t want to send them away but couldn’t care for them.”

For Marks, the story is ultimately about the difference individuals can make when they decide to speak up. “I hope viewers will be inspired by the actions of a few people that made such a big difference for the state hospital system,” Marks said. “I also hope all of us can find a way to collectively build a system that supports mental health in Minnesota - leading the nation in greater care and greater compassion.”

The former Fergus Falls State Hospital remains an important part of the community’s history. Lost Souls looks beyond the institution’s buildings to the people who lived, worked and advocated for change within Minnesota’s mental health system.

The Fergus Falls screening offers the community an opportunity to watch that history unfold in a place that was itself central to the story, then continue the conversation with the people who helped bring it to the screen and those who have studied the history firsthand.

Community Screening Lost Souls: Reforming Minnesota’s Mental Health Institutions
Thursday, October 15, 2026 7 p.m. at The Center for the Arts, Fergus Falls
Free and open to the public.

The documentary premieres on Pioneer PBS Wednesday, Oct. 15 at 7 p.m. with rebroadcasts Saturday, Oct. 18 at 7 p.m. and Sunday, Oct. 19 at 1:30 p.m.

Mental health support and information are available through the Minnesota chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI).

How to Watch
Viewers within the viewing area can watch the live program on 10-1, 20-1, 8-1, Dish, DirecTV and Mediacom.

In addition to station broadcasts, viewers in Pioneer PBS’s viewing area can also stream the premiere live at pioneer.org/live, on YouTube TV, Prime Video, Hulu Live,] or via the “Live TV” button on the PBS app and pbs.org.

All specials are also available for on-demand viewing at pioneer.org/specials, the PBS app, Pioneer PBS’s YouTube channel (organized in a curated specials playlist) and on pbs.org/show/pioneer-ptv-specials.

To see more stories from your community, find curated playlists on pioneer.org/pioneer-pbs-playlists.

Support
Due to recent funding cuts to Pioneer PBS and other PBS stations across the nation, shows, particularly the local programming you love, are in jeopardy. Consider becoming a member of Pioneer PBS to support the shows you love. For more information, including how to support Pioneer PBS, visit pioneer.org.

About Pioneer PBS Specials
These programs are made possible by contributions from the voters of Minnesota through a legislative appropriation from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund and members of Pioneer PBS.

About Pioneer PBS
Established in 1966, Pioneer PBS is an award-winning, viewer-supported television station dedicated to sharing stories from rural Minnesota with the world. For nearly 60 years, Pioneer PBS has amplified local voices and reflected the people, places and issues that matter most to our region.

Headquartered in Granite Falls, Minnesota, with towers in Appleton, Worthington and Fergus Falls, Pioneer PBS reaches more than one-million viewers across western Minnesota, the eastern Dakotas and northern Iowa. Our reach extends far beyond our broadcast area. Viewers can stream Pioneer PBS programming anytime, anywhere through our website and the free PBS app, making local stories and programs accessible to audiences across the country and around the world. We are honored to be your television station—the only station in western Minnesota telling your stories. As we celebrate 60 years of storytelling, we invite you to help ensure these stories continue for the next 60 years and beyond.

Learn more at pioneer.org or call 800-726-3178.

More information about the screening can be found HERE: https://www.facebook.com/events/1082939407854693/?rdid=G9xMRaVdW3hnjlIi&share_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fshare%2F19X3PE4Vy8%2F #