1199-1200 HISTORY OF GRATIOT COUNTY. Small Hamlets

Ola is a little station on the Toledo, Saginaw & Muskegon Railroad running east and west through the southern tier of townships in Gratiot County. The road is now a division of the Grand Trunk. Ola is located on section 9, of Washington Township, four and a half miles west of Ashley and two miles east of Pompeii. It dates its existence from 1887, when the railroad was completed. Passenger trains stop only on signal, as its dis­tance of only two miles from Pompeii precludes any plausibility in the idea of considering it a regular station. A small tract was platted December 17, 1888, by Alvin Shaver, proprietor, and placed on record in Ithaca. The record describes the plat as composed of the north half of the west half of the southwest quarter of section 9, containing 40 acres, more or less. The railroad constitutes the northern boundary of the plat.

Ola had a post office as one of its conveniences for several years, but this had to retire before the onward sweep of the rural carrier system. Alvin Shaver was the first postmaster, appointed May 26, 1887. Then came —Fred E. Smith, March 26, 1890; John B. Schofield, February 28, 1894; Samuel Leddick, November 25, 1895; Clark Kinney, January 8, 1896: Napoleon B. Bowker, September 17, 1896; Frank McNitt, May 4, 1899; William H. Smith, May 22, 1900; Frank McNitt, January 2, 1903. Dis­continued December 31, 1904, and mail thereafter furnished from Pompeii. The place has always had a store for the sale of general merchandise. This is now conducted by D. B. Curtis who has been thus engaged here for the past two years. The building is owned by Whitfield De Bar, of Ashley. Mr. Curtis is successor to F. C. Lawrence.