Fosston

History

In 1876, the first white settlers came to the Fosston area, arriving in covered wagons, bringing with them a few cattle, oxen, horses and mules. Charles Adair was the first to file a claim on the land, with nine others soon following. Fosston is in sections 3 and 4 of Rosebud Township, and was named after Louis Foss, an immigrant from the Nyttingnes, a village in Sogn og Fjordane county, Norway. The townsite was organized by W. J. Hilligoss, who selected and purchased it in 1884, had it surveyed, platted a four-block area, and built a hotel. Hilligoss died in 1941. The town was named Fosston when Foss moved his store and opened a post office there. The village was incorporated on August 22, 1895. The incorporation papers of Fosston were recorded on June 8, 1889, by the Register of Deeds in Crookston. Fosston was a busy depot on the Great Northern Railway line. Arvid Clementson, Fosston's mayor until his death in 2006, created the legend of "Cordwood Pete" in an effort to promote tourism in Fosston. In what he called a "true story, embellished", Clementson said the complete story of Cordwood Pete was discovered in 2001, when a time capsule was discovered during the demolition of one of Fosston's oldest buildings. Cordwood Pete was said to be the younger brother of famed lumberjack Paul Bunyan. While Paul was a giant, Pete was only 4 feet 9 inches tall. Pete's growth was stunted because he could never get enough flapjacks at the breakfast table with Paul eating everything in sight. According to legend, Paul Bunyan left his home in Bangor, Maine, to make his way in the world, and ended up in the Minnesota north woods, where he excelled as a lumberjack. Tired of being mocked by lumberjacks in Maine for his size, Pete followed Paul to Minnesota, and despite his…

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has an area of , of which is land and is water. Four-lane U.S. Highway 2 serves as a main route in the city.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Trumpeter/Tundra Swan

  Cygnus buccinator Richardson, 1831 · Aves
  178
• Red-winged Blackbird

  Agelaius phoeniceus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  176
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  166
• Canada Goose (canadensis Group)

  Branta canadensis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  158
• Mallard

  Anas platyrhynchos Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  147
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  130
• Song Sparrow

  Melospiza melodia (A.Wilson, 1810) · Aves
  117
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  105

Largest nearby schools

• MAGELSSEN ELEMENTARY
  Elementary · FOSSTON · 343 students · 14.3:1 ratio
• FOSSTON SECONDARY
  High · FOSSTON · 278 students · 16.4:1 ratio