LeRoy History Page
The Town of LeRoy, the Rural
Municipalities’ center, is surrounded by a prosperous sure-crop
agricultural district. The early settlers were mostly a mix of
English, Scottish, Irish and Scandinavian. The first settlers to the
area were the Gregory brothers in 1903.
In 1907, the first school, known as Bog End, was built
½ mile east of the present town site. As the school and the area
were known as Bog End, the Post Office assumed that name as well. In
1921, the Post Office was moved to the town site and was operated by
Harry Hazeldine from his grocery store.
In 1919 planning for a new town site began on SW
13-35-20 W2 (railroad land). The Railroad named the proposed
building site Unwin. When it was made known that a building site was
planned, much interest was aroused regarding business enterprises
and services. Starting from nothing, a lot of construction erupted
and buildings appeared in rapid order for the next few years. The
placement of buildings was dictated and orientated in relation to
the proposed railway track.
The original name of Bog End was not considered by area
residents to be a suitable name, and therefore, Bog End was changed
to LeRoy on January 21, 1920, named in honor of an early settler’s
son. The young man was killed in France during World War I.
Railroad construction began in 1920, and railroad
service commenced in 1921. This activity spurred the development of
the town site businesses and services which emerged to support the
development. The Village progressed rapidly in this era, with
additions of restaurants, grocery stores, a hotel, lumber yards,
banks, garages, elevators, blacksmiths and many other commercial
ventures.
On December 5, 1922 LeRoy was incorporated as a Village
and on March 1st, 1963, became a Town. The Town of LeRoy has grown
over the many years since conception and has succeeded in remaining
a prosperous rural community. LeRoy is well known for its strong
community spirit and ability to accomplish many projects with
success.