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 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. The settlement grew into a bustling commercial center with a sawmill, tavern, post office, general store, blacksmith shop, school and cemetery. In 1828, a power dam was built uniting several small lakes and forming the mile-wide Lake Canandaigua, just west of the village. 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. 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. Also in 1929, the village known as "Orion" was officially renamed "Lake Orion."
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 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 and Flint Street. 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 that produced wheat. The MCR line ran from
Detroit to
Mackinaw City, and the Flint Division of the DUR line ran from
Royal Oak to
Flint. With the automobile's increased popularity and the paving of M-24 in 1929, passenger service on the DUR ended in 1931, and track was scrapped during the 1940s for a
World War II metal drive. Little remains of the corridor. 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, now serves as the recreational
Paint Creek Trail. The line from the village north to
Oxford exists now only as a narrow path, but still passes over the historic
Indian Lake Road Stone Arch Bridge, a small
limestone bridge constructed over Indian Lake Road in 1891. Lake Orion was also served by trains on the
Grand Trunk Western Railroad. The Polly Ann line ran from
Pontiac to
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. 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
Rails to Trails federal grant was awarded and matched by the
Michigan Department of Natural Resources, providing more than $728,000 to purchase the
right-of-way from Grand Trunk. The corridor now serves as the recreational
Polly Ann Trail, connecting Lake Orion with
Oxford,
Addison Township, and
Leonard.
Amusement park and
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. 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." The nickname of
Lake Orion High School's sports teams (the Dragons) derives from this. ==Geography==