Laurie’s History

Laurie, Missouri is embraced by beautiful country, rich with history and community and treasured for its summertime recreation.

Early History

The lake area is where the Osage tribe of Native Americans once made their home, and today’s amateur archaeologist discovers that the Osage River and Gravois Creek can still surprise by giving up arrowheads and tomahawks. 

During the Great Depression, Bagnell Dam was completed to generate electricity, creating the Lake of the Ozarks amidst gently rolling hills lush with trees and greenery that would later give way to a resort community.

1937

In 1937, L.M. and William (Buster) Laurie bought an old building on the east side of Highway 5 at Route O and began operating a grocery store and filling station. A year later, Buster Laurie traded a horse for a year’s lease on a building across the road on the west side of Highway 5. This became, and would remain, the Laurie Market.

The market was the only building in the area to have a phone and the only facility with a drilled water well. The Lauries allowed several nearby families to tap into the well, and folks throughout the area would come to the store to use the phone.

1947

In 1947, Tom and Buster Laurie purchased a sawmill and sold it a year later to Les Moore. This small operation grew to become Laurie’s largest business as Moore’s Lumber and Supply.

1961

In 1961, residents of the area petitioned for a post office and chose the name Laurie because of the goodwill generated by the family store over the years.

1966

The town itself was incorporated on June 13, 1966.

Today

Laurie is a fourth-class city located midway between the cities of Versailles to the north and Camdenton to the south. The city has grown to 945 as of the 2010 census