For a majority of those years, Fort would put up all those lights with very little help. He prided himself on bringing the Christmas spirit and providing joy to families — especially ones who may not have been able to afford gifts for their children.

“He put a lot of time and effort to bring joy to people,” said Dakota City Mayor Sean Phillips. “He definitely brought a lot of joy in children’s lives.”

The colorful 3-acre display that included a 38-foot tall windmill became a tradition for families in the Humboldt County area. But it also attracted visitors from around the country.

The display began as 21 lights in the shape of a Christmas tree on the side of Fort’s house. It grew and evolved from that simple setup.

Eventually, over 100,000 lights were added. And for many years, cars lined up along Second Street South to see the dazzling display. Gotch Park Road and the Three Rivers Trail at the bottom of the hill also provided a nice vantage point for viewers.

“For a guy that hated Christmas for years, it changed my mind after they started showing up like they have,” Fort told The Messenger in 2019.

Some of the most distinctive decorations included a carousel, a helicopter and an airplane with a 16-foot wingspan complete with Santa Claus in the cockpit.

Fort said his favorite display was the nativity scene.

“Of all the things I built, I like the nativity scene the best of all mostly because I did the construction all by myself or I have help from up above to make sure everything was put into place,” Fort said previously. “I am by no means a skilled carpenter, but those days as I built it didn’t matter. I just knew what to do. First of all, after buying all the figurines of Mary, Joseph and everyone else out in the snow and no place for them to go. I decided to build a shamble of a building of some sort. I wanted some old wood for the manger for this awesome display for Christmas.”

Fort spent the vast majority of his life in Dakota City except for the years he was serving in the U.S. Army. According to Phillips, Fort joined the military at age 16.

“Merlin was a true native of Dakota City,” Phillips said. “Something he told me — he remembered going to school in Dakota City and he would watch the courthouse get built every day out of the west window.”

The Humboldt County Courthouse was built in 1939.

Phillips remembers Fort as a hard worker.

“He always worked hard and would make time to stop and visit with you,” Phillips said. “This is a great loss to the community and he will be truly missed.”

Fort became known for his sometimes brutal honesty. He enjoyed voicing his opinions throughout the town. And he went to great lengths to make sure he was heard. That sometimes had its advantages. Some locals credit Fort with getting Casey’s General Store to come back to town in the 1980s.

In the later years, Fort swore on a number of occasions that it would be the last year for the lights. But each time, he wound up having a change of heart or was convinced to keep them going through generous donations.

During the last few seasons, it became more difficult for Fort to keep the lights on due to cost and health concerns.

The wood began to rot on some of the displays and replacing bulbs cost thousands of dollars.

Fort had a health scare in 2017 after falling on his way up the hill. A pacemaker was implanted that year.

Fort put away his decorations for the last time in 2020. He sold most of the lights to Richard Foth, of Livermore.

He told The Messenger in 2020 that it was, “Time to either quit the women or quit the lights.”

Fort was never shy to share his opinion on current events. He would frequently send letters to The Messenger and other surrounding newspapers expressing his views.

Most recently, his top passion was imploring citizens to get vaccinated in an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19.

Fort often used humor in his letters.

During the toilet paper shortage at the start of the pandemic, Fort wrote, “Mr. Trump could help out more by getting rid of federal officials and flush them down the toilet, both political parties.”

He also wrote poetry in his spare time and enjoyed sharing with others. Fort would often end letters and poems referring to himself as the “Old Man on the Hill.”

In fact, Fort said a poem he wrote titled, “Old Man on the Hill,” described him best. It can be read (below).

A poem Fort wrote it 2010 highlighted the importance of the written word.

He wrote:

A poet once said

But a poem will last forever

Old Man on the Hill

Once upon a time

Because I am the Old Man on the Hill