Granger, Minnesota
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Granger is a hamlet located in Bristol Township of Fillmore County, Minnesota, just north of the Iowa-Minnesota border and adjacent to the village of Florenceville, Iowa.
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[edit] Geography
Granger is located at 49°30'00" North and 92°8'15" West. The Iowa-Minnesota line forms the village's southern border. The Upper Iowa River runs through it. Across the border to the south lies its twin village, Florenceville, Iowa.
[edit] History
The engineers C. H. Lewis and Brown L. Granger surveyed and plotted the land in 1857. This is the same year that the neighboring village of Florenceville was established. The railroad never came to Granger/Florenceville. While several businesses were successfully established, the town failed to take off as hoped and would remain small. In September 1982, Granger celebrated its 125th anniversary along with Florenceville and drew a crowd of over 5000 people.
[edit] Economy
Granger once featured all the services of a full-fledged town: an IGA grocery store, a bank, a post office, a Pure Oil and other gas stations, the Long Branch Saloon and other businesses. The post office closed upon the retirement of its last postmaster. Ike's IGA closed not long after the owner's passing. The Long Branch was destroyed by fire and later reopened across the state line in Florenceville. The Granger State Bank has since closed, leaving the creamery as the only business remaining open in Granger. The economies of Granger and Florenceville are interdependent. The creamery is reputedly the last can creamery in Minnesota. Can creameries are milk handling centers that still receive bulk milk in steel containers, as opposed to delivered in tank or bulk trucks. The creamery is primarily used by the Amish dairy farmers that live in the vicinity.
