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Native American Indians of the Delaware tribe led by Chief
Pipe or Hopocan as referred to by the tribesmen, resided south of present day Orestes near the creek that carries his name.
The tribe had migrated to the region after treaties forced them eastward. The woodlands were full of wild game and the stream
full of fish, perfect for a peaceful camp.
The Treaty of St. Mary's in 1818 gave the tribes three years before having
to be removed from the land. They departed peacefully in 1821 and it is uncertain if Chief Pipe was still alive.
Micajah
Chamness was the first settler in Monroe Township arriving from North Carolina in the spring of 1831. Soon more and more settlers
were arriving. James Ellis settled the land north of Co Rd 1150N. Nathan Lowry settled south of Co Rd 1150N and west of Co
Rd 300W. William Young was south of Co Rd 1150 and east of Co Rd 300. The first log cabin was built by the Enic Reavis family
near the northwest corner of the main intersection of present day Orestes.
Nathan Lowry came to Alexandria from Hollidaysburg,
Pennsylvania and found work at a stockyard. Nathan, a strong minded man, saved his money and was able to purchase 160 acres
of farmland in eastern Monroe Township. He farmed the land and raised cattle to support the family. Brother James became ill
back in Fayette County and Nathan returned to help him on the farm. He only stayed for a short time and returned once again
to Monroe Township in 1874. It was uncertain if Nathan sold his land before leaving, but there was some delay before he was
able to relocate on the land once again on his return.
Once again he settled into farming the land and raising cattle
and had about 500 acres. The Lake Erie & Western Railroad was quickly constructing a railway pushing westward and wanted
to acquire a right of way on Nathans land and they wanted to gain it quickly. Although Nathan had little or no formal education,
he had learned a great deal about the cattle and stockyard business. The experience Nathan gained in Alexandria at the stockyards
made him understand the importance of the railroad and a siding or switch. Negotiations between Nathan and the L.E. &
W. Railroad were sincere and Nathan had no reservations of the rails being on the land, but he demanded that a siding or switch
be constructed as restitution for sacrificing the land he had worked so hard to procure. After much negotiation, the L. E.
& W. agreed to the construction of the switch.
Soon the crews appeared and built up the roadbed placing the ballast
and the ties for the rails to be placed but no siding was ever provided for. The rails were finally placed and coupled but
still no spur was installed for Nathan and his dreams of a switch. The L.E. & W. conveniently moved through Nathans land
and continued westward. The rails finally extended as far as you could see to the east and west but with some disappointment
Nathan felt the siding would still be there for him as soon as the crews returned.
The crews never returned and before
long the Iron Horses thundered through the township and after a time Nathan realized that the L.E. & W. had reneged on
their promise to bring a spur to his property. Being of strong mind and persistent to gain his due, Nathan placed fence rails
and logs across the L.E. & W. Railroad in order to delay the proceedings of the locomotives and gain attention to his
protest for a siding. The railroad continued to roll through his property with crews stopping regularly to remove obstructions
from the path of the trains.
Time and time again this continued and the L.E. & W. finally buckled to the demands
and contractual bindings of the verbal agreement. The railroad tycoons cared little who they stepped on and Nathan was no
exception to the behavior of the companies. The main concern of the rail executives was to move and move fast through the
region regardless of the consequences of written or verbal obligations.
Nathan forced their hand and his persistence
paid off. The siding was finally installed and Nathan received compensation agreed upon in the original agreement. His understanding
of the cattle and livestock business was instrumental in growth in and around the switch and before long interest had grown
to the point that his small stockyard had garnered local support and others in the area were utilizing the grain bins and
stockyards.
His efforts became known as Lowry Switch and as the hamlet grew comfortable with his business, it grew
to become Lowry Station on the maps of Monroe Township in 1880. Nathan died in 1880 and his legend lives on in the stories
of the railroads and times of Orestes and Lowry Station. Nathan is buried in the Lilly Creek Cemetery.
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