Ghost town in Minnesota, United States
Garen is an abandoned settlement in Washington County, Minnesota, United States. Garen was located south of Forest Lake, on present U.S. Route 61.
History
Garen was founded after a spark from a Northern Pacific Railway train ignited a fire in a peat bog located there.[1]
Local cattle farmers sued the railway, and as part of the settlement, the railway built a siding with cattle pens so farmers could load cattle into boxcars for shipment to the Saint Paul stockyards.[1][2] A boxcar was used as a station.[1]
The settlement was named for Frank and Sarah Garen, whose farm had been affected by the fire.[1][3]
Garent prospered during the early 1900s, and had a store, and a school that was used as a community center.[2] During the 1930s and 1940s, the Half-Way Inn was located there.[2]
References
Further reading
- Elsie Vogel, The Forest Lake Times; Oct 31, 1991
45°13′30″N 92°58′54″W / 45.22500°N 92.98167°W / 45.22500; -92.98167