La Farge
On June 9, 1863, the post office La Farge was first located
about one and one-half miles south of the present site of LaFarge.
Before naming the office, Mr. S.W. Green, the first postmaster,
hunted through the whole list of post offices of the United States
and found no office by that name. The name is French and he had
accidentally come across it in some reading and was peculiarly struck
with its strangeness. Mr. Green held the position of postmaster
for thirty years, operating it out of his home.
In 1893 the LaFarge post office was moved to the small
hamlet called DeJean's corners, and the village began its growth.
On February 1, 1895 the "LaFarge House" was opened
as the first hotel. T.L. Belcher was its proprietor.
Like all other villages in which one business follows another,
LaFarge was soon to become a bustle of activity. C.S. Brown was
to open a photography studio, A.W. DeJean & Son a general hardware
store, Hammer Bros. built a stave and heading factory.
LaFarge, though prospering, was in need of a better delivery
system so D.H. Bean worked and was instrumental in having the railroad
extend their services upriver to LaFarge. On October 11, 1897 the
first train, aptly named the Stump Dodger, entered the quiet little
village.
In the year of 1897 this small village was to grow in leaps
and bounds. A physician and surgeon, a drug store, jeweler, the
Griffin Hotel, Miner Bros. Lumber, a livery and feed barn were all
added along with a blacksmith, bakery, meat market, millinery, bakery
and dressmaking shop.
In 1899 the village of LaFarge was officially incorporated.
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