Frazee, Minnesota

The community was originally named Detroit and later Third Crossing before adopting its name of Frazee. With Becker County not formally organized until 1871, it was the earliest settlement in the area. The city was officially incorporated on January 6, 1891.[6] It was named after R. L. Frazee, owner of a sawmill.[7]

Frazee was the birthplace of Kieth Engen (1925-2004), a noted operatic bass who had a highly successful career in Germany.[8][9]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.11 square miles (2.87 km²), of which 1.06 square miles (2.75 km²) is land and 0.05 square miles (0.13 km²) is water.[10]

The City of Frazee is governed by the Statutory City Plan A form of government (in Minnesota, 601 cities operate under Plan A). One of the features of this plan is that it removes the clerk from the council and replaces that position with a fourth (or sixth) elected council member. Another feature is that the council appoints the clerk and treasurer for indefinite terms of office. A mayor and four council members are elected to three-year terms. The city council meets on the second Monday of each month in the Fire Hall.[12]

Water tower

The three largest employers in Frazee are Frazee-Vergas Public Schools (160 employees), Frazee Care Center (160), and Daggett Truck Line (102). Daggett Truck Line has been operating for 80 years out of Frazee, carrying refrigerated and dry freight throughout the United States and southern Canada. The company transports frozen foods, snack foods, pet food, produce and manufactured goods from Minnesota to most major cities in the midwest and throughout the United States. These trucks return with processed foods or raw materials for local manufacturers.[13]

Major roads are U.S. Route 10, a four-lane divided highway connecting the twin cities of Minneapolis-Saint Paul to the east and Fargo-Moorhead to the west; and Minnesota State Highway 87, a two-lane secondary road running east from the city.

Frazee is located on the Northern Pacific Railway's former main line, now the Northern Transcon of the BNSF. In 2015, this line was carrying an average of 49 trains per day.[14] Amtrak's Empire Builder runs through town in each direction in the early morning hours; its closest station shop is Detroit Lakes ten miles (16 km) away.[15]

"Big Tom" in 2018

The city is best known as the home of "Big Tom: the World's Largest Turkey."[16] Frazee has long been a part of the turkey industry. In 1984, turkey growers and committee members got together and decided to put up a giant turkey statue to honor the town. At the cost of $20,000 to build, the group commissioned artist Shell Scott to construct the statue which was built on a metal frame and covered in cement, fiberglass, cardboard, and insulation. The statue, named "Big Tom", was finished in 1986 and stood 22 feet (6.7 m) tall earning Frazee the title of "Home of the world's largest turkey."

Due to Big Tom's physical makeup, the statue needed frequent repairs. There were also complaints that Big Tom was not proportioned like a real turkey. The area committee decided that they needed a new Big Tom and commissioned artist Dave Oswald. On July 1, 1998, during the removing process for Big Tom, the statue caught fire from a cutting torch, which was being used to remove the wings.

On September 19, 1998, a new statue arrived in Frazee in three pieces on a flatbed trailer. The new "Big Tom" took eight hours to assemble, standing over 20 feet (6.1 m) tall and 17 feet (5.2 m) wide. It weighs over 5,000 pounds, having 1,000 pounds of steel reinforcement. It has 3,000 to 4,000 separate fiberglass feathers, which took the D.W.O. Fiberglass Company over 2,000 hours to make.

46°43′41″N 95°42′03″W