Historic Events Mostly Came as Challenges
By the time the 20th century arrived, the small town of Morrison was no stranger to hard times, but citizens always rallied to overcome them. Then, as if Depression-era hard times weren’t challenge enough, the 1930s brought repeated disaster. Disastrous floods in 1933 and 1938 closely followed a fire in 1931. Loss of original buildings and repeated rebuilding changed the physical appearance of the town, but the inhabitants themselves stayed on and stuck it out, only to be hit in 1941 by the call of war, which siphoned off the town’s young men. It must have seemed like “one damn thing after another”…
- Floods
- Fires
On Monday, September 28, 1931, a fire started in the Baker and Smith Garage on main street. It would claim four buildings, including the post office and grocery, a café, and a restaurant, before it was extinguished. The fire was the beginning of a disastrous decade for the town of Morrison, but it was not the first time the town’s survival had been threatened. - Other disasters
Maybe it’s that adversity makes a lasting impression in people’s memories, but other tragic events also made their way into the newspapers and scrapbooks of Morrison’s history. - Good times too!
