09/24/2020
Welcome to the official page for the Community of Loranger, Louisiana! What exactly defines Loranger? Is it our present? Our past? Many would say, our culture lies in our people.
Loranger, Louisiana, "The Coming Town". At least, that's what the general idea was in 1912 when the Loranger Brothers announced the development of their model farm at Loranger, a section sitting just east of "Jesseca". There they invited a large delegation of prospective settlers from Chicago to check out the next big town in hopes of cultivating a future for agriculture in the south.
By June 1913, the Loranger Brothers laid out a town map consisting of 1000 lots and established there a schoolhouse, a commissary, post office, farm house with stables, and a 100 acre "model farm".
The school house was a model for its size, being constructed along modern lines and having three classrooms and an auditorium. It was constructed at the expense of the Loranger brothers.
The model farm was for demonstrating to tourists and visitors the possibilities of the soil on the company's lands. Part of an area referred to as "The Ozone Belt", Tangipahoa Parish was known by the United States government to have some of the healthiest sections of land in the country, which was attributed by the close proximity of the Tangipahoa River. Among the products successfully grown there included every kind of vegetable and farming products, to***co and fruits. The ability to grow these crops virtually year round was something that was uncommon in northern regions since the low temperatures were so extreme, thus making their idea of "the coming town" sound even better to prospective investors.
The plan for building houses in the town of Loranger was mapped out with restrictions. No home costing less than $1,000 was to be permitted for construction. The houses were required to conform to plans drawn by the company's architect, and be predominantly California bungalow style.
After a number of years trying to sell their grand scheme, the Loranger Brothers finally sold their model farm in 1919 to Thomas Mydland, a dairyman of Hammond. As the timber lands were becoming flat, and the push towards farming the land declined, the Loranger Brothers eventually returned to their native Michigan and the town of Loranger evolved on its own.
