Laurin - Alder

As a supply center near Alder Gulch, Laurin shared in the $100,000,000 riches of the gulch.

The town was established around a trading post ran by the Frenchman, Jean Baptiste Laurin. Laurin's store prospered because of the supplies carried for the miners and the furs traded with the Indians. Laurin was sometimes called Cicero, or Lorrain.

M. Laurin was a five foot seven inch tall man, weighing in at a grand total of 350 pounds. He was a very shrewd businessman even though he couldn't read or write. It has been estimated that he built an economic empire of $500,000. Another report indicated that he owned all the stores, bridges, and most of the ranches, cattle, horses, and mules from fifty to one hundred miles of the valley. Laurin was also a money lender charging between twelve to thirty-six percent on unsecured loans.

Laurin is most known for Hangman's Tree, the place where two of Plummer's road agents were hanged.

See Alder Gulch.