Not long before Camas Prairie Railroad service reached here in 1908, rival towns were started on each side of the track. Vollmer began as a rail and business center on the east, and Ilo, an older town a mile away, moved to an adjacent site on the west. Each had separate schools, churches, stores, newspapers, banks, and other businesses. After 12 years of sharp competition, they finally merged into a united community in 1920.