The water power and mill at Oronoco were bought in 1863 by Abraham D. Allis, in partnership with George W. Wirt. Mr. Allis is a native of the state of New York, was a California pioneer in 1849, and moved from there to Waupun, Wisconsin and engaged in the manufacture of wagons. He bought out the interest of Mr. Wirt in the mill and enlarged and improved it, and in 1873 took A. Gooding and D.S. Hibbard, of Rochester, as partners, and built a large mill with eight run of stones, which did a very successful business till November, 1879, when it was burned down, with 30,000 bushels of wheat, at a loss of $90,000. Mr. Allis since that has conducted the business alone, rebuilding the mill on a smaller scale. He has also developed a summer resort. The mill pond has been named Lake Allis; pavilions and cottages have been built; the lake has been furnished with boats, and the grounds, which are very picturesque, are the resort in the warm weather of daily picnic parties from Rochester and other places, and some persons have built cottages and spend the summer there. It has been the summer residence of Drs. W . J. and C. H. Mayo for serveral years past.
... The population of the village by the state census of 1905 was 196. The failure to obtain railroad communication with the world has prevented Oronoco village from becoming the city that nature fitted it for.
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