The City of Pelican Rapids, located in the northwest part of Otter Tail County, was located close to a trail leading from the Minneapolis- St. Paul area, about 200 miles to the southeast, through St. Cloud and Alexandria, to Fargo-Moorhead, which are 45 miles to the northwest. The railroad arrived in Pelican Rapids in 1882, a branch line from Fergus Falls, which was to continue northward. This never happened, however, and the line remained a "dead end" until its removal some 100 years later. The city was incorporated in 1883. Originally the area depended on agriculture, with numerous small farms dotting the countryside. Over the years, the dependence on agriculture has broadened to include processing of farm products, notably turkeys. At the same time, growth has been enjoyed in tourism and a variety of other industry; heavy manufacturing, electronics, wood products, precision machining, etc. By 1990, population was 1,886.