Editing Lake Orion, Michigan (section)

==History==
Judah Church and Moses (or Samuel) Munson were among the first settlers. Munson, who arrived in 1824, built a [[sawmill]] in 1825, and planted the first [[orchard]]. Jesse Decker arrived from upstate [[New York (state)|New York]] with his wife, Mary, in 1825. He was energetic and became "everything to everybody", so that the place soon became known as "Decker's Settlement" and the town "Canandaigua," after [[Canandaigua, New York]], where the settlers originated.<ref name=seeley>Seeley, Thaddeus D. ''History of Oakland County, Michigan.''  Chicago & New York: The Lewis Publishing Company (1912), Vol. I, pp. 440–43.</ref><ref>and the town was called Canandaigua, after Canandaigua, N.Y., where the settlers originated.</ref> The settlement grew into a bustling commercial center with a sawmill, tavern, post office, general store, blacksmith shop, school and cemetery.<ref name="books.google.com">{{cite book|title=Traveling Through Time: A Guide to Michigan's Historical Markers|author=Ashlee, L.R.|date=2005|publisher=University of Michigan Press|isbn=9780472030668|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Xd-mh9r0zEkC|page=335|access-date=December 6, 2014}}</ref>  In 1828, a power dam was built uniting several small lakes and forming the mile-wide Lake Canandaigua, just west of the village.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://michiganhistory.leadr.msu.edu/first-pioneers-of-lake-orion/|title=First Pioneers of Lake Orion|website=michiganhistory.leadr.msu.edu|language=en-US|access-date=October 21, 2018}}</ref>{{citation needed|date=December 2017}}

In 1830, Decker raised the first frame barn in the area, with local Native Americans' help. The first post office was opened in 1832, with Decker as postmaster.<ref name=seeley/> In 1835, the community's name was changed from Canandaigua to Orion, and Lake Canandaigua was renamed Lake Orion. The new name was chosen by the village's attorney, reportedly for the Orion Trees in the area. The same year, the [[Orion Township, Michigan|Township of Orion]] was formally approved by the [[Michigan Territory|Michigan Territorial]] government. Decker became the first Supervisor of Orion, with a salary of $2 a year. By 1836, two persons were licensed to keep taverns in the town, one of whom was Decker.<ref name=seeley/> He was elected to the first [[Michigan House of Representatives]] in 1837 and also served as [[justice of the peace]] for the Orion area.<ref name="books.google.com"/> By 1840 Decker owned {{convert|440|acre|km2}} of land.<ref name="books.google.com"/>

In 1909 a [[Mail jumping|Marine Postal Center]] was established, with mail delivered to over 300 cottages on the lake and islands by boat. Lake Orion was the first town in the United States to have this service.<ref name="lakeorion.org">{{cite web|url=http://www.lakeorion.org/index.php/village-history|title=Village History|publisher=lakeorion.org|access-date=December 6, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141207054927/http://www.lakeorion.org/index.php/village-history|archive-date=December 7, 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In 1929, [[Amelia Earhart]] visited Lake Orion at the invitation of Orion resident and fellow aviator [[William Edmund Scripps]]. While visiting [[Scripps Mansion]], she flew an experimental glider.<ref name="stmarysinthehills">{{cite web|url=http://www.stmarysinthehills.org/about-st-marys/history|title=History &#124;St. Mary's in the Hills, Lake Orion|publisher=stmarysinthehills.org|access-date=December 6, 2014}}</ref> Also in 1929, the village known as "Orion" was officially renamed "Lake Orion."<ref name="k12">{{cite web|url=http://www.lakeorion.k12.mi.us/content_page2.aspx?cid=220|title=Lake Orion Community Schools|publisher=lakeorion.k12.mi.us|access-date=December 6, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141223015235/http://www.lakeorion.k12.mi.us/content_page2.aspx?cid=220|archive-date=December 23, 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Railroads and trails===
The Village of Lake Orion was served by trains on the [[Michigan Central Railroad]] from 1872 to 1976, and the [[Detroit United Railway|Detroit United Railway interurban system]] from 1899 to 1931. Each service had its own track and depot, although both were named "Orion" and in the village near the intersection of [[M-24 (Michigan highway)|M-24]] and Flint Street.<ref name="michiganrailroads">{{cite web|url=http://www.michiganrailroads.com/RRHX/Stations/CountyStations/OaklandStations/LakeOrionMI.htm|title=Station: Lake Orion, MI|publisher=michiganrailroads.com|access-date=December 6, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141111055534/http://www.michiganrailroads.com/RRHX/Stations/CountyStations/OaklandStations/LakeOrionMI.htm|archive-date=November 11, 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref>  Lake Orion also had a [[flag stop]], Rudds Station, on the MCC line east of the village near Clarkston and Kern Roads. Rudds Station served Rudds Mill, a milling operation on [[Paint Creek (Oakland County, Michigan)|Paint Creek]] that produced wheat.<ref name="orionhistoricalsociety">{{cite web |date=2 June 2001 |title=Paint Creek Trail Bald Mountain State Recreation Area Kern & Clarkston Roads, Lake Orion, MI |url=http://www.orionhistoricalsociety.org/Rudd%20Mill%20Marker.htm |url-status= |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924061654/http://www.orionhistoricalsociety.org/Rudd%20Mill%20Marker.htm |archive-date=September 24, 2015 |access-date=16 March 2025 |website=www.orionhistoricalsociety.org |publisher=}}</ref> The MCR line ran from [[Detroit, Michigan|Detroit]] to [[Mackinaw City, Michigan|Mackinaw City]], and the Flint Division of the DUR line ran from [[Royal Oak, Michigan|Royal Oak]] to [[Flint, Michigan|Flint]]. With the automobile's increased popularity and the paving of M-24 in 1929,<ref name="orionhistoricalsociety2">{{cite web |title=Scott Story Page Thirteen |url=http://www.orionhistoricalsociety.org/Scott%20Story/Page%20Thirteen.htm |url-status= |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924061655/http://www.orionhistoricalsociety.org/Scott%20Story/Page%20Thirteen.htm |archive-date=September 24, 2015 |access-date=16 March 2025 |website=www.orionhistoricalsociety.org |publisher=}}</ref> passenger service on the DUR ended in 1931,{{Citation needed|date=October 2022}} and track was scrapped during the 1940s for a [[War effort|World War II metal drive]]. Little remains of the corridor.<ref>[http://www.michiganrailroads.com/RRHX/Railroads/ElectricTraction/DetroitUnitedRailway Detroit United Railway] {{Dead link|date=March 2025}}</ref> The MCR line maintained passenger service until 1950, and freight service continued until the 1970s. The MCC track passed through [[New York Central]] and [[Penn Central]] and operated until 1976, when it was closed after acquisition by [[Conrail]]. The original MCR rails and track east of M-24 were completely removed, and the line from the village south toward [[Rochester, Michigan|Rochester]], now serves as the recreational [[Paint Creek Trail]].<ref name="paintcreektrail">{{cite web|url=http://www.paintcreektrail.org/|title=Paint Creek Trail &#124; Michigan's First Rail-to-Trail|publisher=paintcreektrail.org|access-date=December 6, 2014}}</ref> The line from the village north to [[Oxford, Michigan|Oxford]] exists now only as a narrow path, but still passes over the historic [[National Register of Historic Places listings in Oakland County, Michigan|Indian Lake Road Stone Arch Bridge]], a small [[limestone]] bridge constructed over Indian Lake Road in 1891.<ref name="orionhistoricalsociety3">{{cite web |title=Indian Lake Bridge Project |url=http://www.orionhistoricalsociety.org/Indian%20Lake%20Bridge.htm |url-status= |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121123094539/http://www.orionhistoricalsociety.org/Indian%20Lake%20Bridge.htm |archive-date=November 23, 2012 |access-date=16 March 2025 |website=www.orionhistoricalsociety.org |publisher=}}</ref>

Lake Orion was also served by trains on the [[Grand Trunk Western Railroad]]. The Polly Ann line ran from [[Pontiac, Michigan|Pontiac]] to [[Caseville, Michigan|Caseville]], passing through western Orion Township. Two flag stop stations served Lake Orion on the Polly Ann line. Eames Station was near the intersection of Joslyn and Silverbell Roads, and Cole Station was near the intersection of Joslyn and Clarkston Roads.<ref name="google">{{cite book|title=Lake Orion|author1=Ingram, J.E.|author2=Grove, L.|date=2006|publisher=Arcadia Pub.|isbn=9780738539560|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OioLW2Hq3sQC|page=8|access-date=December 6, 2014}}</ref> A short section of the track was still in use as of 2014, operated by [[Canadian National Railway]] specifically to connect the [[General Motors]] [[Orion Assembly]] plant with the CN main line in Pontiac, but all track north of Orion Assembly was eliminated and removed by 1985. In 1993, a [[rail trail|Rails to Trails]] federal grant was awarded and matched by the [[Michigan DNR|Michigan Department of Natural Resources]], providing more than $728,000 to purchase the [[Right-of-way (transportation)|right-of-way]] from Grand Trunk. The corridor now serves as the recreational Polly Ann Trail, connecting Lake Orion with [[Oxford, Michigan|Oxford]], [[Addison Township, Michigan|Addison Township]], and [[Leonard, Michigan|Leonard]].<ref name="pollyanntrailway">{{cite web|url=http://www.pollyanntrailway.org/|title=Polly Ann Trail|publisher=pollyanntrailway.org|access-date=December 6, 2014}}</ref>

===Amusement park===
[[File:Lakeorionresort.jpg|thumbnail|left|Lake Orion as a [[resort]] and [[amusement park|amusement]] destination in the early 20th century]] Lake Orion was an amusement destination for residents of [[Metro Detroit]] in the first half of the century. The addition of the [[Michigan Central Railroad]] track in 1872 set the stage for Lake Orion as a major summertime resort for those traveling on the line, especially between Detroit and Flint. In 1874, several prominent citizens formed the Orion Park Association to capitalize on the growing number of travelers to the area.<ref name="oaklandcountyhistory.org">{{Cite web |last=Scott |first=Paul M. |title=ORION SINCE 1818 |url=http://oaklandcountyhistory.org/aw-server/rest/product/purl/OCHR/s/4253ca16-8634-4969-a58c-bcf50f6ee0b0 |access-date=16 March 2025 |website=www.oaklandcountyhistory.org}}</ref> They developed a park on the shore of the lake (now Green's Park) near the train depot and operated a steam-powered boat for lake excursions and delivery to Park Island. Over time, the Park Island Amusement Park grew to include a [[penny arcade]], [[carousel]], souvenir booths, refreshment booths, lunch stands, dining rooms, [[dance halls]], and a [[wooden roller coaster]] named "The Thriller."<ref name="lakeorion.org"/>

The swimming beach on the north side of Park Island had both a men's and ladies' [[Public bathing|bathhouse]], a [[waterslide]], and numerous [[diving platform|diving boards]], the highest 42 feet above the water. Lake Orion was stocked annually with [[bass (fish)|bass]], [[Esox|pickerel]], and [[northern pike|pike]], and fishing tournaments and contests were held seasonally. Several double-deck boats, including the "City of Orion," offered lake excursions replete with bands and a dance floor on the upper deck. At night, Park Island was illuminated by strings of thousands of lights.<ref name="oaklandcountyhistory.org"/>

Once a premier destination among vacationers, the park suffered through the [[Great Depression]] and several fires, gradually losing business before closing in 1955. The park was owned by the [[Detroit Edison Company]] (via the purchase of a subsidiary, the Orion Power and Light company) from 1912 until closure. The island and park property were later purchased by a private real estate developer who built homes on the island in the 1960s. In many brochures and newspaper advertisements in the 1910s and 1920s, Lake Orion was advertised to potential travelers as the "Venice of the Middle West," "Paris of Detroit," and "Lake Orion, the One Best Resort".{{citation needed|date=December 2017}}

===Folklore===
The story of the Lake Orion Dragon says that sometime in the 1800s, a group of local children played a prank by building a fake dragon and launching it on the lake. A number of people saw it and soon Lake Orion was known for its dragon. There are competing stories about who made it and how it was built, but most agreed that a Levi A. Wild was responsible.{{Citation needed|date=November 2023}}

"That same year [1894] the Lake Orion 'dragon' made its entrance into Orion history. First seen by two ladies near the present Robert's Rondevoo cove, the animal grew in length as the story grew in listeners. What had started out as an average-sized lake monster was claimed by some to be at least eighty feet long. Detroit and other newspapers joshingly suggested, upon hearing of the behemoth, that Orion residents should 'drink more well-water in the future.'"<ref>{{cite web|url=http://oaklandcountyhistory.org/awweb/pdfopener?md=1&did=88176|title=ORION SINCE 1818|last=Scott|first=Paul M.|date=June 2, 1976|website=oaklandcountyhistory.org|access-date=March 1, 2023}}</ref> The nickname of [[Lake Orion High School]]'s sports teams (the Dragons) derives from this.