"Did you say ROTHSAY?"

When northbound on I-94, after passing all of the many Fergus Falls’ exits, you begin to make your way into the mind numbingly boring uniquely beautiful country side of the Red River Valley and as you do one of the first towns to greet you with open arms is the burgeoning community of Rothsay, MN. There you will find a large statue of one of the most bizarre North American Birds that originally migrated from outer space, the Greater Prairie Chicken.

Though probably forgotten by many of Rothsay’s residents, the omnipresence of the looming statue, as you drive into town, is enough to permanently imprint the image of a ’booming’ Prairie Chicken in your head. That way you can blissfully reminisce about it’s bulbous, orange, neck patch until the day you die. I suspect this is what, designer and builder, Art Fosse had in mind when he was creating the bird in 1975 as a contribution to our county’s centennial.

Now, when you rush home with your staged ‘a-giant-prairie-chicken-is-about-to-eat-me’ photos and proud claims to have just visited the prairie chicken capital of the world, keep in mind that Rothsay does not claim to be the ‘Prairie Chicken Capital of the World’. Rothsay doesn’t even own up to the fact that they own the world’s largest prairie chicken(eventhough it does, where are you going to find another one?). The town simply calls itself the ‘Prairie Chicken Capital of Minnesota’. Disappointing? Maybe. Devout? Oh yes. Think of the holiness of this town! A town so in tune with it’s purpose that it has no need to brag about it’s gargantuan bird statue. Instead, Rothsay sits there quietly, humbling offering a 9,000lb game bird to the entire state of Minnesota.