Garen is an abandoned settlement in Washington County, Minnesota, United States. Garen was located south of Forest Lake, on present U.S. Route 61.
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]
Garen 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]
45°13′30″N92°58′54″W / 45.22500°N 92.98167°W
Municipalities and communities of Washington County, Minnesota, United States | ||
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| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Ghost towns/Neighborhoods | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |