G.M. Lauridsen was born Gregers Marius Lauridsen on Mar. 19, 1861 in the village of Transbol, near Horne Denmark. With the help of his brother-in-law, Gregers emigrated to Bridgeport, CN in 1880 at the age of 19. G.M. Lauridsen spent 11 years in Bridgeport before he went on a trip around the world. On his trip, he took many photographs and recorded his observations of his experiences. When he returned, he had a small book of his observations printed in Denmark. On his return to Bridgeport, he stopped in San Francisco and was convinced to detour through Port Angeles, WA because it was a thriving city. When he arrived in Port Angeles, it was not the thriving city described to him. But, he purchased 2 lots on the Port Angeles Harbor. After his purchase he met J.P. Christensen, a fellow Dane, and expressed concern about this property. They built a small, make shift, 12 x 8 shack and put a few groceries in it to establish ownership of the property. The store thrived and eventually, put all the other merchantiles out of business. G. M. Lauridsen married Faith O'Brien, of Bridgeport, CN in the fall of 1892. Port Angeles went through some very hard times in 1893-1898. During this time, Lauridsen issued aluminum tokens and it was called "Lauridsen's money". It was widely accepted and used to bolster the community during this time. He sold the store in 1903. Faith O'Brien Lauriidsen passed away 7 Sept. 1916. G.M. Lauridsen married Mrs. Nellie Watson on 30 Nov. 1917. The Lauridsen's were involved in the Community until his death. G.M. Lauridsen passed away 7 Aug. 1940.
Jens Peter Christensen was born Oct. 16, 1865 in Copenhagen, Denmark. He came to Port Angeles in 1890 where he lived for the rest of his life. He married childhood sweetheart Laura Olsen in Port Angeles in 1890. She died in 1949. Mr. Christensen died Dec. 29, 1956.
From the description of Life of late G.M. Lauridsen : chronicles by fellow pioneer / by J.P. Christensen. [1940?] (Washington State Library, Office of Secretary of State). WorldCat record id: 159938945
