Orr General Store – Orr, MN
N 48° 03.220 W 092° 49.897
15U E 512547 N 5322279
This general store plays a role in the history of Orr.
Waymark Code: WMPD74
Location: Minnesota, United States
Date Posted: 08/12/2015
Views: 3
This general store plays a role in the history of Orr. Today it appears to be used for storage. A sign tells more about the town and building:
Orr began as a rugged lumber camp in 1905 when Cook and O’Brien constructed a railroad linking their timber holdings to their sawmill in Virginia. To serve their lumberjacks and railroad workers, Cook and O’Brien encouraged William Orr to construct the store, a hotel and other buildings on the east shore of Pelican Lake. Stephen Gheen supplied lumber for the structures from a small sawmill located at his Elbow Falls homestead northeast of the village named for him.
Business at the general, hardware and grocery store began to boom when Cook and O’Brien formed the Virginia and Rainy Lake Company with the Wyerhaeuser Companies, Edward Hines and other large timber holders in 1909. The company employed over 3,000 lumberjacks year-round, and settlers streamed into Orr. They not only purchased supplies and groceries at the Orr General Store and Mercantile, they also found entertainment there. In the store’s upstairs social hall, they attended vaudeville shows, dances and other community events.
William Orr ran the store until 1928 when he sold it to Herman and Selma Lammi who owned it for the next 40 years. Through a succession of owners, this historic store has retained much of its original characters.
Marker Type:: City
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