History

In 1868, the Spot had its humble beginnings as a gift to George B. and Serena Wright packaged as a federal land grant. In 1870, George B., promoter “extraordinare” and accomplished Minneapolis realtor bought land along the Otter Tail River. This land and its adjacent land, purchased by banker RJ Mendenhall, was the site of the first sawmill on the Otter Tail River. This sawmill was to fuel the growth of the bustling business community of Fergus Falls. George B. generously offered a free business lot to anyone willing to build a storefront in Fergus Falls. During the 1800s and early 1900s, the Spot land was tossed about like a hot potato, changing ownership nearly 25 times.

The site of the Spot, formerly known as Lot 13, Block 11 of the original plat of the City of Fergus Fall, came to life as a 1926 storefront built by HK Grinager. In 1926, a Bowling and Billiards Hall operated by JS Bunker joined the ranks of flappers, Prohibition, Winnie-the-Pooh, the introduction of the Brunswick bowling ball and the publication of the Hemingway’s first important work, The Sun Also Rises (1926).

Little is known about the Bowling and Billiards Hall, until the ‘40s when it became known as the Lincoln Café. The cue sports have enjoyed a 5000-year worldwide history and the Spot has enjoyed a 60-year history in Fergus Falls.

Followers of the billiards game have included an eccentric Mary Queen of Scots who was buried in her billiard table cover in 1586 and our third United States President, Thomas Jefferson, whose Monticello home housed an illegal billiard room. Patrons of the Spot have been served up snooker, 9 ball and pool, with hefty sides of burgers and fried onions until 2002. Much like the cue sports, the Spot has had a checkered past.