(light guitar music) (upbeat guitar music) - Wow.

37 cents.

All right, I guess I'll have to splurge.

Well, any good road trip requires you to check your vehicle, make sure it's going to get you where you need to go.

Obviously, the oil is the first thing to check.

You know, any good road trip, you should do it in style, right?

Well, my sister and her husband were so kind to loan me their 1968 vintage Ford Mustang convertible.

I love this car because it's never been restored.

It's an original.

Friend of mine told me, he said, "What that car is, it's a survivor."

And I love that term, but it's great that this car is 50 years old and it runs like a top today.

And it's fun to have the top down, by the way, when you're on a road trip on a beautiful day, like today here in Madison.

So we're going to have a lot of fun over the next few days, exploring Minnesota towns, landmarks, quirky, weird things that we're going to see along the way.

You never know what you'll see unless you get in the vehicle and hit the road on an old-fashioned road trip.

I love the town of Madison, Minnesota, and I can't think of a better place to begin our road trip.

As I drive us down Main Street, it's not hard to know why.

This town has all the signatures of middle America: the Grand Theater, a Main Street Bakery, a classic Carnegie library, and maybe the best of all its treasures, the magnificent county courthouse.

All of these combined make for a great town.

As we get out of the car and walk around, we will notice bright blue lamppost banners, a cartoon fish named Lou T. Fisk with the claim of "Lutefisk Capital USA" on each one.

Now I have heard that Madison, Minnesota has a few Norwegians and maybe a Swede or two, but don't we want to know more about this claim of being the Lutefisk Capital?

(comic orchestral music) Lou is actually a large 25-foot-long fiberglass codfish.

Back in 1983, the town of Madison was looking for a mascot and the chamber thought lutefisk would be perfect.

My guess is that they didn't have any competition from any other American towns.

Saying goodbye to Lou, we notice a blue historic sign a short walk away.

Getting closer, it reads "45th Parallel.

You are halfway between the equator and the North Pole."

This town just keeps getting better and better.

It's fun to find little pieces of Minnesota trivia.

As we head north from Madison, let's take highway 75.

The highway is called King of Trails.

Don't you just love that name?

The King of Trails Scenic Byway stretches 414 miles along Minnesota's western border.

I'm sure we can find some great landmarks on or near this road.

Our first stop is just a few miles north of Madison.

The town of Bellingham is what I call a water tower town.

The Bellingham water tower is the older style of tower.

And as we get close, we can see the name and two dates.

Bellingham was platted in 1887 and named for Robert Bellingham, the owner of the original town site.

The last population census in 2010 reported a population of 168 people.

(rhythmic jazz music) Leaving the water tower, let's take a short detour to see an old brick school in the nearby town of Louisburg.

If you thought Bellingham was small, check out this quiet but charming Minnesota farm town.

On the north end of Main Street sits the historic school.

It was built in 1911, and today, is on the state historic register.

Due to some recent vandalism, we can't go inside.

I understand why they have the sign and will always respect the owner's wishes.

That doesn't mean we can't enjoy the landmark from the street.

Imagine the optimistic dreams of folks in 1911, when they invested so much for local education.

(somber piano music) - On any given road trip, it's important to take some time and slow down and relax.

And there's probably not a better place than where I'm at right now: the little town of Louisburg, probably a population of less than 50.

As I sit on the steps of this old country church, I just listen.

In the distance, I can hear a lawnmower.

I can hear some crickets, the mourning doves.

In life, I think we need to do more of that.

Just take time to sit on the steps of an old church and listen.

I'll get back on the road here shortly, but throughout this trip, I want to do more of this: sitting back and taking it with all my senses what Minnesota has to offer.

(slow piano music) - Our next town on our trip is Odessa.

I once heard that the origin of the town name comes from a sad and tragic tale.

The accepted story is that it was named for a young girl, Dessa, who died of diptheria at age three, and the local people were remembered for saying, "Oh, Dessa."

The tower sits on top of a tall hill overlooking the town.

I guess if you rely on gravity to bring you water, this makes perfect sense.

I like water towers, and each one we see on this trip will be unique.

Most of the older ones sit on four legs with a large tank on top.

Some of them even have a nameplate attached to one of the legs.

The plate tells us who built the tower and maybe even a date.

Before leaving town, let's drive by the old lumber building and take some photos of a few long-closed Main Street businesses.

What is the future of towns like Odessa?

(slow orchestra music) Coming into the town of Ortonville at the historical museum is Paul Bunyan's boat anchor.

At a whopping weight of 110 tons, who's going to argue that it is truly the world's largest?

Minnesota is full of Paul Bunyan stories and legends, but this one may be the least known.

I guess Paul loved the sport of fishing and maybe that's how Minnesota became such a fishing-crazed state.

Near the anchor and the museum, there are some other interesting large displays, including a vintage steamer that once plied the nearby lake, called appropriately "Big Stone."

The town of Ortonville dates back to before statehood, and it was named by a man by the name of Cornelius Knute Orton.

Yes, he was Norwegian.

Today, the town is the county seat.

The current courthouse was built in 1901 from local stone called Ortonville granite.

This building is truly a landmark and one of a shrinking number of Victorian-style Minnesota courthouses.

(somber string music) Just down the street, I want to show you the only mission-revival style Carnegie library in Minnesota.

It was built in 1913 and because of the novel idea of free libraries, the folks here in Ortonville made sure everyone knew it.

(upbeat jazz music) Before leaving town, let's take a short drive along the Lake to the site of the Sioux Historic Pavilion.

The old landmark has changed, but today it's still operating and available for large receptions and events.

(gentle guitar music) Our second day on our tour has us going north of the border town of Ortonville.

Let's drive into the small railroad town of Chokio.

The town is named after a Dakota word, meaning "the middle."

I know what some of you are thinking right now: The middle of nowhere.

I've been to the middle of nowhere and Chokio is not it.

I notice a go sign on Main Street, Chokio Hardware, these old buildings with their faded signs are disappearing so fast, I want to get a photo.

(camera clicks) At first, we are the only ones on Main Street, but soon the red Mustang draws some attention.

A couple of old timers want to know about the car.

And after a few minutes, Art Stahn invites us to his machine shop a block away to see his restored tractors.

- If you come down there, you went right by it.

- Yeah.

- There's probably a bunch of these sitting outside, down there.

- Nice.

- I think my son, Steve, is down there.

- What's your favorite one, Art?

- [Art] I don't know.

- You like them all.

I could spend a lot more time with Art.

He's a good storyteller, but the road is calling us on.

(camera clicks) Heading west on Highway 28, we zip by a tiny town that has a great Minnesota name: Johnson.

I'm not sure the population sign is up to date.

We soon arrive in the town of Graceville.

The town was settled by Irish immigrants and named in honor of Thomas Grace, a Catholic Bishop here in Minnesota.

What I love about this town is it has four lakes within the city limits.

Driving along one of the lakes is a nice change of scenery in western Minnesota.

Before our next town of Beardsley, I remember from a past road trip on this stretch, the patriotic grain bins.

Let's stop for a photo.

(camera clicks) There are two or three landmarks that I want you to see in Beardsley.

First, of course, is the water tower.

This one has a name plate mounted to one of the tower legs.

It says "Challenge Company, Batavia, Illinois."

I believe the Challenge Company got its start making windmills back in the 19th century.

I did not know they built water towers, but it certainly makes sense if you think about it.

My favorite landmark in the town is not the water tower, but the historic brick school.

It was built in 1908 and I believed it closed in the 1950s.

As we drive around the block, I'm thinking about that old common phrase, "If these walls could talk."

(schoolchildren talking and playing) As we continue west, we will soon be visiting the hometown of maybe Minnesota's first pioneer.

Of course the town wasn't there when the Browns Valley Man was in the area.

In 1933, a skeleton was discovered in a nearby gravel pit.

It has been carbon dated to be approximately 9,000 years old.

Browns Valley sits in that big hump that juts into South Dakota on the southern tip of Lake Traverse.

At the state border, I want a photo of the sign indicating the continental divide.

Yesterday, we stood on the 48th parallel in Madison.

And now today we stand on another interesting geographical spot.

We will drive north of Lake Traverse, enjoying the breeze coming off the lake as we head to our next county seat town, Wheaton.

As a Minnesota photographer, I'm always on the lookout for the next good camera subject.

It's becoming more rare to find a farmer putting up traditional hay bales.

Let's pull in and ask if we can take a few pictures.

The newly painted red barn only adds to the scene.

It's lunchtime and the best places to eat in small-town America are always known by the locals.

Even though it's a warm day, who can resist the hot roast beef or as some call it, the beef commercial.

Our third courthouse on our trip, so far, isn't as grand as the one in Madison or in Ortonville, but let's take a look anyway.

We have seen a lot of small towns so far on our trip, but now I am excited to take you to Minnesota's smallest town.

It's called Tenney.

From what I remember, it only has a population of two.

Where is it?

The map says it should be right here.

The streets are still here, but everything is gone.

Let's drive into downtown Tenney.

The only sounds are coming from the nearby grain elevators.

Tenney is no more.

Sorry about that.

I was hoping the town was making a comeback.

We will cross the county line and make our way to the Wilkin County seat of Breckenridge.

Breckenridge, Minnesota and Wahpeton, North Dakota, are the first twin towns on the Red River.

The best landmark in Breckenridge is clearly the courthouse.

Built in 1928, one year before the crash of Wall Street.

Two things I like about this courthouse is the eagle above the main door, and the words that run along the top of the entire building: "To none will we delay, to none will we deny right or justice."

After a night in Fergus Falls, I'm anxious to get back on the road, exploring more interesting landmarks.

The weather went from a blazing 95 degrees to a rain-threatened 65.

Let's keep the top down on the Mustang as long as the rain holds out.

Avoiding the freeway, let's head to Rothsay to see the world's largest prairie chicken.

As we come into the small farming town, I am reminded of an old blacksmith building I photographed years ago.

I hope it's still standing.

We're in luck.

Although it needs a little TLC, I'm glad to show it to you.

Only the general store rank higher in importance to frontier towns in the 19th century.

The local blacksmith-forged farm tools of various sorts made horseshoes and sharpened blades.

The Johnson blacksmith's shop in Rothsay stayed open until 1986 and today the building stands as a reminder of days gone by.

(gentle guitar music) The clouds are getting darker, but let's get to the prairie chicken.

It's bigger than I thought it would be.

The plaque says it stands 18 feet tall and weighs 9,000 pounds.

What I think is most interesting is this landmark was built to remind visitors of the importance of prairie wildlife and habitat.

(guitar music) Crossing into Clay County, we will soon arrive in the town of Barnesville.

The town is bigger than Rothsay, but it still has that small-town feel as we drive down Main Street.

A couple of blocks from downtown, I want to show you what might be the most interesting house in Western Minnesota.

It's called The Stone Castle.

This Queen Anne style of house is truly a landmark.

It was built in 1898 by a local doctor by the name of Robert Patterson.

It was said to have been built with stones that Dr. Patterson accepted from his patients in lieu of payment.

I like that, but I'm not so sure it would work today.

Before leaving Barnesville, I want to get a photo of the old jail building.

You just don't find these little treasures unless you take the time to explore small-town America.

Just outside of Barnesville, let's get the top up on the Mustang.

The rain is about to hit.

I'm hoping it will stop before we arrive in Moorhead for a fun surprise.

Every road trip deserves a stop for some fun treats.

And I'm here in Moorhead, Minnesota at a Dairy Queen.

But what makes this Dairy Queen so special?

It's the home of the Dilly Bar.

And I'm standing in front of the world's largest Dilly Bar.

In 1955, the owner of this Dairy Queen, his name was Robert Litherland discovered the Dilly Bar by accident.

He was dipping some soft serve ice cream in some chocolate and he raised it up and he said, "Now that's a dilly."

And here I am.

I'm not sure which one I want to eat first, but I know I'm going to eat them.

Aren't they great?

And they're hand dipped right here, where the Dilly Bar started, and then it branched out all over the country.

And everybody knows Dairy Queen because of the Dilly Bar.

I'm ready to get the top down again on the car.

Let's check the map for the best route to our next site.

But before leaving Moorhead, let's do a drive-by of a historic auditorium built in 1936 by the WPA.

Two young architects, their names are on the cornerstone, designed the building.

What I like about the story is that they had local farmers donate rocks they removed from their fields.

If you look up towards the front corners of the building, you will see two faces.

Are they the architects?

(intense string music) Another stone treasure isn't far away that I think is well worth a stop.

Between the towns of Dilworth and Glyndon is the Gunderson school.

In the same year that the two architects built the auditorium, they were also hired to construct this amazing school.

I love the stonework.

Today, they don't use it as a school, but it continues to be used as a township hall.

We'll now head back to Fergus falls and get ready for tomorrow and another fun day of exploring.

Our first morning stop in town is one of my favorite landmarks in this part of the state.

Maybe because of its grand size and mysterious history, the Fergus Falls State Hospital complex was built in 1888.

Its design is based on a concept of Thomas Kirkbride, an internationally-recognized mental health practitioner of the time.

During the 1920s, the hospital was averaging nearly 1700 patients.

In 1985, the hospital's name was changed to the Fergus Falls Regional Treatment Center to reflect its new mission of accepting patients with disabilities and chemical dependency.

The Fergus Falls Regional Treatment Center closed in 2005, after gradually moving patients to smaller community-based facilities for two decades.

The state sold the land to the city of Fergus Falls in 2007.

Today its future is somewhat uncertain, but I hope the community saves this piece of local history for years to come.

(somber music) As we drive around the park-like setting, let's ask some local fellows for directions to our next stop, the big otter.

- The big otter?

(mysterious woodwind music) - Driving on the shores of a small lake in town, we can see Otto the Otter in the park.

Otto is the official mascot of Fergus Falls.

Made of concrete, he is roughly 40 feet long and about 15 feet tall.

I love the story.

The Otter was a project that a shop teacher and his students completed in 1972 and was given to the city as a gift for the centennial celebration.

(curious woodwind music) Heading north from Fergus Falls, let's find another world's largest.

We don't need to travel far before we arrive at the big pelican in the great town of Pelican Rapids.

On the banks of the beautiful Pelican River here in Pelican Rapids, I had to stop to see the world's largest pelican.

Actually he has a name, his name is Pelican Pete, and he was built in 1957.

He stands 15 and a half feet tall above the Pelican River.

In 2007, they actually had a birthday party for Pelican Pete.

Over 700 people came out to celebrate this icon in this great Minnesota town.

I love driving through Otter Rail County.

It has almost everything rural Minnesota can offer.

(car drives by) Hundreds of lakes, rich farmland, great old barns, and maybe my favorite: country churches.

(church organ music) (light electric guitar) The water tower in Vergas should let you know our next stop on our trip.

Before finding the world's largest loon, let's stop for lunch.

Right on Main Street is the place to stop.

Billy's was given the honor of being named the best burger in Otter Tail County.

I think you'll agree.

On our trip so far, we've seen two large birds, the prairie chicken and the pelican, but the Vergas loon might be the biggest one yet.

On the shores of Long Lake near town, a 20-foot-tall loon stands watch.

Of course, most know that the Minnesota state bird is the loom, but I'm not sure this one even has a name.

Maybe it's just Looney, the name for the town celebration held each year in August.

(upbeat jazz) South of Vergas, let's spend some time relaxing along the Otter Tail River at a favorite historic site, Phelps Mill.

(upbeat jazz) The mill was built in 1888 as a local wheat milling site.

Remember, Minnesota was at this time, one of the largest wheat-growing states in the country.

Phelps Mill is a great example of nearly a thousand mills in our state during this time.

Unfortunately, most of our historic mills are long gone now.

As we head south from Phelps Mill, we will soon arrive in the town of Battle Lake.

On the side of the road is a large statue of Chief Wenonga.

Apparently he was involved in a battle near this site and today we get the town and the lake named for this historic battle.

(energetic guitar music) One of our last stops for the day will be another big bird.

In the town of Ashby stands the world's largest coot.

It looks like a big black duck, if you ask me.

As we drive into the town of Ashby, it has a good feel for a small Midwest town, maybe because it was named Tree City USA by the Arbor Day Foundation a few years ago.

We have passed several cemeteries on our trip so far, but let's stop at one near the town of Dalton.

The cemetery sits on a small hill, surrounded by wheat and corn.

There's a large memorial stone near the gate that tells us that there was a church here at one time.

As we walk around, let's read some stones and reflect on the life of some early pioneers who came to this area well over a hundred years ago and decided to build a community, with a church being a vital part of that mission.

(somber string music) (gentle string music) Our fifth day on the road begins in the town of Viking pride, Alexandria.

I'm not talking about the Minnesota football team, although there might be some of that here too, but I'm talking about Big Ole, America's biggest Viking.

Standing proudly on the end of Main Street at a whopping 28 feet, Big Ole is a reminder of the belief that Viking explorers came to this area in the 1300s.

We will stop later this morning at the site of a replica stone that proves to some that it's more than a fable.

(gentle string music) Before leaving Alexandria, let's check out the county courthouse.

You may have noticed so far on the trip that I liked these classic old landmarks and here is another treasure.

It was built in 1895 at a cost of $35,000 and is still being used today.

(slow piano music) Just outside of town to the east in a small park is that replica stone I talked about earlier.

It's called the Kensington Runestone.

The original stone is much smaller and is in the museum in Alexandria.

Good thing theu've interpreted the runic writing for us.

According to the stone, in the year 1362, Nordic explorers were in this area.

The stone was discovered by a Swedish farmer near the town of Kensington in 1898.

The farmer's name was Olof Ohman.

So I guess I'm a believer.

Later today, I hope we can make it to the original farm of Olof where the stone was found.

Our next town is a Minnesota favorite.

Osakis has everything one could want in a small town: friendly people, a classic downtown, a beautiful lake, a nice bike trail, but best of all, ice cream.

(easy guitar music) Great, thank you.

Wow.

Today, July 23rd, is National Vanilla Ice Cream Day.

And what better place to celebrate Vanilla Ice Cream Day than in Osakis, Minnesota, at the famous Tip Top drive-in restaurant for an ice cream cone?

I'd encourage you all to come and visit Osakis, Minnesota, but make sure you stop here at the Tip Top.

It's been in business since 1955.

That's really, really cool.

Paralleling the Lake Wobegon bike trail to the east, we will pass through the small town of West Union.

Looking at the road signs, we better have a good map.

(light swing music) Following the interstate, we are heading to Gopher Prairie.

Well, it's not really called that, but in the famous book called Main Street, that was the name of Sauk Centre.

Many of us remember reading Sinclair Lewis' books in school.

So we should check out his boyhood home.

Today, Sauk Centre is a bustling town on Highway 71, which stretches throughout the entire state from Iowa to Canada.

Because of Sinclair Lewis' fame, Sauk Centre is called the Town of the Original Main Street.

Let's park near the Mustang bar and take in some Main Street landmarks.

(soft guitar music) Let's drive south on highway 71 through the heart of Stearns County, rich farmland and windmills for miles.

As if we haven't seen enough big birds on our trip so far, we can't miss the world's largest crow.

In the town of Belgrade, you get the big crow in a really cool location.

In 1988, a large pavilion was built made of 6,000 individually purchased bricks.

It also has flags from all 50 States and many world countries.

As we walk the site, let's see how many state flags we can identify.

Before leaving Belgrade, a stop at the famous meat center is in order.

People have been coming from miles around to get the best cut meats since 1925.

The big cow sign is a local landmark.

(1950s music) A few miles west in the town of Brooten, let's stop for a lunch break.

What better place than the Chuckwagon?

This old fashioned drive-in reminds me of what road trips were like 50 years ago, before fast food franchising.

Before we get to Glenwood, on beautiful Lake Minnewaska, let's make a quick drive through the small town of Sedan.

On Main Street, there's a hand-painted sign that I think you will like.

After seeing the town, I think we will all agree.

Coming down the hill into the town of Glenwood, with the lake on the horizon is memorable.

Let's head down to the lake to see another landmark.

I've had a fun day on the road.

It's nice to be able to sit and relax again, out in front of one of the most beautiful lakes in all of Minnesota.

Here in Glenwood is Lake Minnewaska.

I often wonder about how geographic features like lakes and areas get their names, but this is an interesting tale.

The statue in front of me here is an Indian maiden.

Her name is Minnewaska and it means "she who waits."

And the story, apparently, her true love, the white bear went on a long trip and she waited a long time for him to return.

And that's how she got her name, as she scanned the horizon day after day, waiting for her true love to return home.

We named this Lake Minnewaska after her, and she's here in the town of Glenwood.

So it's great to sit on a bench after a fun day on the road, like I said, and enjoy a legend here in Minnesota.

Going back up that same hill, we will continue west on Highway 55 to the town of Kensington.

I want to end the day visiting another site related to the Runestone we saw earlier in Alexandria.

It seems to be a quiet afternoon at the Runestone Park, but maybe that is best.

We can feel we have the entire site to ourselves.

Not far from his house, Olof Ohman discovered the stone that maybe changed history.

(upbeat guitar music) We begin our last day of the trip in the great Norwegian town of Starbuck.

It was only a matter of time before we hit some of that good old Minnesota road construction.

No worries, we're on vacation, and sometimes a road detour can be more interesting than the original plan.

Coming into town, let's make a quick stop to let our friends know how much fun we're having on our trip.

(dial tone) I can't believe it actually has a dial tone.

Just down the block from the phone booth, let's make a note of the location of the Lake Minnewaska Sasquatch Reporting Station.

You never know what sightings you'll need to report from the back roads of Minnesota.

Before leaving Starbuck, we need to seek two more landmarks.

First is the world's largest lefse.

Back in 1983, the local Lions Club known as the Starbuck Boys, decided to put their town on the map.

Their lefse was huge.

It turned out to be a whopping nine foot, eight inch by seven foot, one inch world record.

That's a lot of potatoes.

Our final stop is in the small park on the shores of the lake.

It's called Hobo Park.

A large statue of a cartoon-like hobo greets us.

According to local legend, during the 1930s, many hobos rode the local railroad into Starbuck looking for work.

If lucky, they worked during the day and at night, would camp here and enjoy the breezes off the lake.

I think I would have enjoyed hanging out with a bunch of good-natured hobos.

(comic music) (upbeat guitar music) In the small hamlet of Terrace on the scenic Chippewa River, sits another historic flour mill, not as old as the one we saw in Phelps Mill a couple of days ago, but I think it's equally impressive.

The mill was built in 1903 and its claim to fame was its production of germ of wheat.

The mill closed in the 1950s, but today the local folks of Terrace work hard to keep this landmark standing as an example of vintage Minnesota agriculture.

Besides the mill itself, the town has a restored schoolhouse and other historic buildings that visitors enjoy during the summer months.

(Mustang drives by) Leaving the Terrace mill, we will continue south through the rolling hills of Pope County.

(ethereal guitar music) Our next town is another Norwegian one.

We just can't seem to get enough, can we?

Maybe Sunburg is the most Norwegian of all, but who really knows?

The town is very small, but I spot a cafe, and I think we should stop for lunch.

Vicky's is perfect, and the special today is a Minnesota tradition: tater tot hot dish and homemade coleslaw.

This trip just keeps getting better and better.

Before leaving town, let's drive down Main Street to see the sites.

Although small, Sunburg has a certain charm and very friendly people.

Yeah, you like the wheels?

- Yeah, yeah.

- I bet you had one of these when you were a little younger.

- Not a Mustang.

- You're a Chevy guy?

- No, no, Ford.

- Always a Ford guy.

- Back when I was young... - Heading back west, we will soon be in another county seat town.

Benson's courthouse certainly makes my top five courthouse buildings in Minnesota.

Let's park in front to get the best view.

I'll grab my camera and we can get a few good photos of this amazing landmark.

It's a weekday, so it should be open.

Benson is the county seat of Swift County.

And what I like about it is that it's a railroad town.

The tracks literally split the town in half.

A few times a day, the town gets to hear the horn and feel the rumble of a passing freight train.

(train honks) Near the tracks, I see a group of elderly men sitting in lawnchairs.

I think I'll go over and ask them about their town.

One thing they tell me, besides who to vote for in November, is that the town armory might be endangered.

So after a few laughs with the guys, I think we should go see this armory landmark before leaving town.

We are now pointed south and it feels good to be back on the open road again.

I can't resist the pull of a country church, so let's stop in for a quick look.

(church organ music) Not far from the church, I can't wait to stop at the C&S Country Store for a cold pop.

Are you kidding me?

The store isn't open today.

Let's pull in and at least take a picture or two of this historic landmark.

We're going to have to stop here on another trip and hopefully it will be open.

I wonder what sort of antiques and collectibles are just waiting to be explored in the old store.

Good excuse for another road trip, right?

We soon arrived in the town amount of Montevideo.

Although the town is good-sized, it still has retained that small-town charm.

It even has an art deco theater marquee called the Hollywood.

Perfect.

About halfway down Main Street is a statue of a man by the name of Jose Artigas.

He is the man recognized for gaining independence for the South American country of Uruguay.

Montevideo is also the name of Uruguay's capital.

In Spanish, the name means "from the mountains, I see."

The local story was that early pioneers enjoyed the views from the town heights, overlooking the Minnesota and Chippewa Rivers.

I do like these great Minnesota stories that you learn from just being on the road.

Just out of town, I want to stop at the Camp Release Historic Marker.

This marker is just one of many throughout west central Minnesota that helps tell the story of the U.S.-Dakota War.

The large obelisk reminds us of the horrors of war, but it also tells the story of the heroic kindness of the Dakota peace faction, who were instrumental in saving the lives of many captured settlers.

Today, the quiet park setting is a good place to get out and stretch your legs after a fun day on the road.

Our trip is nearly over, but I have saved a most interesting landmark for last.

Just outside of Granite Falls is a unique farmstead that's worth a quick visit.

The locals, call it "the million dollar farm."

And from the looks of it, the name seems fitting.

The L-shaped dairy barn with a slate roof is one of the largest in Western Minnesota.

As we look around the old place, one gets a glimpse back to the golden age of agriculture.

The future of this site is somewhat uncertain, but we can hope that before too long, a use can be found to save it.

(somber piano music) Over the past six days, we have put on some miles, haven't we?

I don't know about you, but I'm sad the journey is nearing the end.

I have really enjoyed showing you some of the best landmarks in west central Minnesota.

Of course, there are many that we didn't get to, but that just means we have left some for future adventures.

Thanks for coming along, be safe and continue to enjoy the open road.

(gentle guitar music)