The village of Lake Orion...here's a short version of the historic past.
Philip Bigler and Jesse Decker arrived and purchased a tract of land, where they erected a dam to unite several lakes into 1 large body of water: Lake Orion. They also constructed a sawmill below the present dam site. The waters of Paint Creek powered machines that cut logs into board lumber and ground wheat into flour that was critical to early settlers. In 1832 the sawmill was burned by vengeful Indians (or so the story goes).
In 1854 the name of the town was changed to Orion, though local wags continued to call it Dogway. Some historians have stated that Dogway was a contraction of Canandaigua. Orion was incorporated into a Village in 1859.
When the railroad came in 1872, Orion took rapid strides forward. Travelers discovered the rare beauty of the Village surrounded by lakes. In 1874 a group of men purchased what was later to be called Park Island, constructing a bridge to the mainland, a dance hall, a viewing tower and an amphitheater. Trains made 4 daily trips to the Village, bring 1,000s of people to the area.
The village had 3 major fires in its downtown: 1862, 1874 and 1899. Each time, the town was almost completely destroyed. Each time residents re-built the town.
Park Island became an amusement center, complete with a roller coaster. In 1909 the Marine Postal Center was established, with mail delivered to over 300 cottages on the lake and islands. Orion was the 1st town in the United States to have this service.
In 1919 Main Street was paved, and in 1927 a new school was built. In 1928 the name of the village was officially changed from Orion to Lake Orion. A new well was added in 1930 to offset the dangers of fire, which had plagued the town so many times.
Present day Lake Orion is a mixture of the old and the new, conservative and progressive, fun and hard work. It has truly become a place "Where living is a vacation."
references: village of lake orion, wikipedia, city-data.
Comments(0)