In its early years, the village of Orion was plagued by several major fires, including the fire of 1862 that destroyed most of its business section. These blazes were fought, usually unsuccessfully, by bucket brigades passing pails of water from the lake or Paint Creek. In the 1890s the first well was sunk just east of the Flint/Broadway intersection, and more wells followed. The Village Hall served as Orion's first fire station, with large arched double doors for the horse-drawn carriage that carried water and hoses to fire sites, while the concrete block building to the west housed the horses and stored feed and hay on its second floor. A tower atop the town hall held a large iron triangle that was rung to summon volunteer firefighters until a siren was purchased in 1920. In 1939, local talent Brace Beemer was the voice of the Lone Ranger radio show, The Wizard of Oz starring Judy Garland premiered, and World War II began.