One Hundred Years of Small Town, U.S.A.
On June 30, 2008 I had the privilege of sitting down to chat with Mayor Ken Olson. Coming from a big city, I was surprised that he was able to move around his schedule to accommodate me. The position of mayor in Laurel is not a fully paid position. Mayor Olson also works in the refinery as a welder, so he is able to understand the situations of many of his constituents within the 1.9 square miles of his town. He also had leadership modeled for him since his father was also mayor of the town.
On August 8, 2008 the town of Laurel will celebrate its centennial. The following is an excerpt from my conversation with Mayor Olson about the changes in Laurel, my text in bold.
What would you say is the best part of Laurel? What are you most proud of?
That question was asked to me when I was running for office. I thought a little bit about it and the answer that I came up with is its people. The people are very down to earth and giving people. They seem to have an inner pride in the community and they always extend themselves. It’s always good to be able to represent something that you really hold as a value. The citizens of Laurel I’ve always valued.
What sets Laurel apart from a larger community?
The idea that we have that small town atmosphere that everyone appreciates. We have the willingness of community to step outside. We certainly have a strong heritage of people but we’re changing and the change is being accepted pretty well.
What are some of the major changes that have happened in Laurel since 1908?
The primary thing would be that Laurel was brought into existence as a confluence of Yellowstone and Parks Fork. The big area of railroad was supposed to be Park City and Park City decided that they didn’t want to have the railroad. The powers that be brought the railroad to Laurel. I’m not sure which year that was, but that was a big change for Laurel. As we move forward, the next big change is the building of the Cenex refinery. It’s brought a lot of good paying jobs and good people. It’s been a steady partner with the city of Laurel for quite a few years and its been a good business. I think with the advent of the adoption of the new high school and middle school has brought a lot of people to recognize that this is a great place to have your kids educated.
The selling of the MRL track to Montana Railways saw 150-200 employees leave the immediate area and Laurel was going downhill due to a lack of people. But then people started coming back in and those that were left with the railroad were being replaced by people who were going back and forth to Billings. This went on for quite a while.
The last two big changes: of course, the bringing in of Wal-Mart brought in a business area. In addition, the refinery adding on a coker in a million dollar project will bring in stability and good paying jobs to Laurel for years to come.
The trains are a big part of the community. You’ve got the Laurel Locomotives high school team and all that. Have you heard of the Don Quixote Project?
Yes.
How would you describe the Don Quixote Project?
Well, it’s a project that Doug’s taken on that has some validity because places like Missoula have crossings that have been because of the amount of work being done. I am afraid I don’t have the background that Doug has into it. I know there’s legal aspects but I’m not up to speed on it. But I know it’s his project and he works hard and I know there’s a lot more work to do on it because it’s very involved. There’s a lot of activity as far as getting people and businesses together to see if they can improve the situation. There’s a lot of factors.
Yeah, because you want the trains coming.
The noise is something that can be, at times, bothersome but yet safety has its concerns and liability for the stations and businesses. So, it’s very complex. To say that there’s an easy answer...I don’t want to go there.
Exactly. How many trains do you think come through?
Oh, boy. Doug would be the one to ask. I would say more than just a few.
At least at night. There’s quite a bit.
Quite a few, quite a few.
Well, I think that gets it. What are some of the big activities that are going to be going on in Laurel for the centennial?
Oh, for the centennial? It’s going to be interesting. On July 5 we’re having the all-class reunion. On August 8 we’re going to try to get together to have a barbecue and some type of celebration. We’re going to have some people in a recognize the day of August 8, 2008 as the hundred-year mark. On August 9 there’s a group of people bringing a re-enactment and narrative on the history of the Lewis and Clark expedition. On the 27th of August we’re having Shakespeare in the Park. We have a lot of things that Laurel promotes. The Arts are one thing that we really haven’t gotten into so the city judge has been active to get Shakespeare in the Park out here on the 27th for those that have that kind of flavor.
Check out the centennial festivities in Laurel, Montana.
July 5 - LHS All Class Reunion
