The Chester Fritz Library at the University of North Dakota hosted an intriguing Escape Room event, drawing students into a labyrinth of history and mystery. The event, held in the library’s “fishbowl” area, revolved around the life of Chester Fritz, with a twist of eldritch horror inspired by Brian Urlacher’s book “The Library of Chester Fritz.” 

The story behind the event is the discovery of four lockboxes and a letter from Fritz and his lawyer. The boxes, found during a renovation mishap that led to a hole in the library’s third-floor wall, sparked curiosity among the staff. With the original consultant abandoning the project of opening the lockboxes, a conspiracy board full of clues was left behind, prompting the decision to open the challenge to students and see who could solve the mystery.  

The event initially attracted ten participants, with more trickling in, including myself, alongside two Ph.D. chemistry students and a public health student who comprised my team. The experience began with a letter leading us through Fritz’s global travels, from Hong Kong to Italy, Zurich, and back, almost serving as an autobiographical account of the library’s namesake 

Chester Fritz, a UND graduate, made his mark in Hong Kong in 1915, working in the banking and shipping industries and becoming a member of the prestigious British Hong Kong Club. His adventures spanned remote villages and major cities in Asia, captivating our chemistry students, themselves international students from the region. 

Fritz’s exploits included participating in the Shanghai Paper Hunts, a horse-racing event where he placed or won 22 times between 1926 and 1939. His adventurous spirit was further evidenced by his climb of Mount Fuji in 1936. 

The final part of the escape room challenge involved unlocking a leather-bound notebook. Our team, initially leading, faced an obstacle here, requiring a hint to progress. A final clue led us to a code, unlocking the notebook to reveal a pouch containing a picture of Tractor, Fritz’s racing horse. 

Turning it in provided is with sweet victory, our prize was a choice of treats, from candy bars, chocolates, and Starbursts. The sense of accomplishment was among the team as we successfully navigated through the clues, with the most challenging part being the last. Although they had hoped the prize pool would be a little more luxurious when asked they affirmed that it was a fun exercise, and they enjoyed their experience.  

In a conversation with the Chester Fritz Library outreach team, plans for future events were discussed. They expressed a desire to host similar events around Halloween next year and were open to ideas for future themes. The goal is to raise awareness about the versatile use of the fishbowl space for various events. This escape room event at Chester Fritz Library highlighted the remarkable life of Chester Fritz and his contributions. As the library looks forward to hosting more such events, if you have an idea you would like to share reach out to [email protected].

Davíd Moreno is a Dakota Student General Reporter. He can be reached at daví[email protected].