History of Lake, Porter, and LaPorte, 1927County history published by the Historians' Association . . . .
Source Citation:
Cannon, Thomas H., H. H. Loring, and Charles J. Robb. 1927.
History of
the Lake and Calumet Region of Indiana, Embracing the Counties of Lake,
Porter and LaPorte: An Historical Account of Its People and Its Progress
from the Earliest Times to the Present.
Volume I. Indianapolis, Indiana: Historians' Association. 840 p.
HISTORY OF THE LAKE AND CALUMET REGION OF INDIANA
CONTENTS
xi
CHAPTER I
Geology and Topography -- Geological Formation -- Glacial Period -- Terminal
Moraine -- Valparaiso Moraine -- Elevation and
Drainage............................... 1
CHAPTER II
The Mound Builders -- Mystery of Their Origin -- Implements and Utensils --
Discoveries in Louisiana and Georgia -- Indian Mounds -- Mounds in the Lake
and Calumet Region -- The Youchi Collection of Stone Implements
...................... 6
CHAPTER III
Days of Indian Occupancy -- The American Indian -- Probable Asiatic Origin
-- Algonquins and Iroquois -- The Indiana Tribes -- The Pottawatomies --
Shaubenee -- John B. Chaudonia -- Alexander
Robinson.............................. 12
CHAPTER IV
Early Explorations -- French Missionaries -- Father Marquette -- Father
D'Ablon -- Louis Joliet -- Discovery of the Upper Mississippi -- Death of
Father Marquette -- Robert Cavelier, Sieur de la Salle -- Father Gabriel de
la Ribourde -- Father Hennepin -- Coureurs De Bois -- Discovery of Lake
Michigan -- G. Nicolet -- Father Allouez -- Early Relics -- Nicolas
Perrot............................................. 19
CHAPTER V
Border Warfare -- Wars Between France and England -- French Influence With
Indians -- Transfer of Canada to England -- Conspiracy of Pontiac -- Indians
Capture Important Forts -- Attacks on Border Settlements -- Collapse of the
Conspiracy -- Death of Pontiac -- Indians Succumb to British Influence --
The Revolutionary War -- The Hair
Buyers....................................................... 33
xii
CHAPTER VI
Lake and Calumet Region Becomes Part of the United States -- Colonel George
Roger Clark -- Capture of Kaskaskia and Vincennes -- Clark Defeats the
Shawnees -- Pottawatomies Aid the British -- Attacks on Fort St. Joseph -- A
Spanish Gesture -- Colonies Achieve Their Independence -- Treaty With
Indians at Ft. Harmon -- British Aid Indians in New Border War -- Defeat of
Harmon and St. Clair -- Crushing Defeat of Indians by General Wayne -- The
Treaty of Greenville -- Fur Trading Activities -- Establishment of Fort
Dearborn at Chi-
cago.......................................................................................................
40
CHAPTER VII
After Wayne and Greenville -- Tecumseh and the Prophet -- Long Period of
Peace -- Indian Restlessness in 1905 [sic, 1805] -- Tecumseh -- The Prophet
-- Indian Federation -- Harrison Destroys Prophets Town and Defeats Prophet
-- Battle of the Thames -- Death of
Tecumseh.............................................................
47
CHAPTER VIII
Indian Peace -- Fur Trading Activities -- The Bailly Homestead -- Fort
Dearborn Rebuilt -- The Fur Traade -- American Fur Company -- The First
White Settler -- The Bailly Family
Life................................................................................
58
CHAPTER IX
Early Settlements and Pioneers -- County Organization and County Government
-- Indiana -- Creation of LaPorte County -- LaPorte Made County Seat --
First County Officials -- Development of Michigan City and LaPorte --
Attempts to Change County Seat -- Early Settlers -- Creation of Porter na
dLake Counties -- Portersville (now Valparaiso) Made County Seat of Porter
County -- First Officials -- Early Settlers -- Margaret Jane (Bryant)
Blackstone -- County Court House -- Lake County Before Organization -- Early
Settlers -- Organization of Lake County -- First Officials -- County Court
House -- Superior Court House, Hammond... 81
CHAPTER X
Townships -- Towns -- Villages -- LaPorte County Townships, Towns and
Villages, Early Settlements -- Porter County Townships, Towns and Villages,
Early Settlements -- Lake County Townships, Towns and Villages, Early
Settlements...........................................................................................
102
CHAPTER XI
Pioneer Life -- Making New Frontiers -- Daily Life of the Pioneer -- Travels
of Hariet Martineau in the Lake and Calumet Region -- Noted Pioneers --
Solon Robinson -- John Brown -- Darius P. Blake -- James Monahan -- Annie
Maria Gibson (Gibson
Inn)................................................................................
152
xiii
CHAPTER XII
The Lake Region Marshes -- Animal Life -- Marsh Reclamation -- The Calumet
Region -- Deer Hunting -- Christopher Kimball -- The Tolleston Gun Club and
the Calumet Feud -- John Nimitz -- Death of the Conroys -- The Burns Ditch
-- Kankakee Swamps -- Fur Bearing Wealth -- Pioneer Hunters and Trappers of
the Kankakee -- Reclamation Ditches on the Kankakee -- The LaCrosse
Land
Co...............................................................................................
174
CHAPTER XIII
Agriculture and Livestock -- Agricultural Products of the Lake Region --
County Agents -- Agricultural Extension Service of Purdue University --
Reports of County Agents -- Livestock in the Lake Region -- Dairy
Products.......................... 193
CHAPTER XIV
Military Annals -- Splendid Military Record -- Causes of the War with
Mexico, Civil War and War with Spain -- LaPorte, Porter and Lake County
Volunteers -- Colonel John Wheeler -- War Relief
Organizations............................................... 205
CHAPTER XV
The Lake and Calumet Region in the World War -- The World War -- Public
Sentiment in Lake County Before the War -- Patriotic Demonstrations --
Council of Defense -- Women's Section, Council of Defense -- Hammond, a
Great Center of Enlistment -- American Alliance -- Hammond Liberty Temple --
Conscription Boards and Registration -- Home Guards -- Soldiers Welfare Camp
Organizations -- Liberty Loans -- The Red Cross -- LaPorte County in the
World War -- Porter County in the World War -- Roster of Soldiers from Lake,
LaPorte and Porter Counties -- Gold Star
List......................................................................
216
CHAPTER XVI
The Newspapers -- Early Newspapers in LaPorte County -- Michigan City News
-- Michigan City Dispatch -- LaPorte Herald -- Argus -- Early Newspapers in
Porter County -- Vidette, Valparaiso -- Messenger, Valparaiso -- Chesterton
Tribune -- Early Newspapers in Lake County -- Crown Point Register -- The
Lake County Star, Crown Point -- Hobart Gazette - Hobart News -- Lake County
Times -- Whiting Standard -- Lowell Newspapers -- Gary
Post-Tribune.................... 367
xiv
CHAPTER XVII
The Medical Profession -- Progress in Medicine -- Early Practitioners in
LaPorte County -- The Indiana Medical College -- Early Practitioners of
Porter County -- The First Physicians in Lake County -- The Practice of
Medicine in the Pioneer Period by Dr. Andrew P. Letherman of Valparaiso --
The Lake County Medical Society -- The Porter County Medical Society -- The
LaPorte County Medical Society -- Holy Family Hospital -- St. Anthony's
Hospital -- Michigan City -- The Clinic, Inc. and Clinic Hospital, Michigan
City -- The Valparaiso Christian Hospital -- St. Mary's Mercy Hospital, Gary
-- The Calumet Hospital, Gary -- Methodist Hospital, Gary -- St. Antonio
Hospital and the Illinois Steel Company Hospital, Gary -- St. Margaret
Hospital, Hammond -- East Chicago Hospital -- Lake County Tuberculosis
Sanitorium........................................................................
378
CHAPTER XVIII
The Bench and Bar in the Lake County and Calumet Region -- Bench and Bar of
Lake County -- Lake County Bar Association -- Gary Bar Association -- Bench
and Bar of Porter County -- Bench and Bar of LaPorte County -- LaPorte Bar
Association - Michigan City Bar
Association............................................. 397
CHAPTER XIX
Churches -- Pioneer Church Organizations -- Methodist Episcopal --
Presbyterian -- Baptist -- Roman Catholic -- Lutheran -- Congregational --
Episcopal -- Christian -- Greek Orthodox -- Jewish Congregations -- Churches
not
otherwise
listed....................................................................................
448
CHAPTER XX
Schools -- Foundation of the Public School System -- LaPorte County Pioneer
Schools -- Township Schools -- LaPorte City Public Schools -- Michigan City
Public Schools -- Porter County Pioneer Schools -- Township Schools --
Valparaiso Public Schools -- Valparaiso University -- Lake County Pioneer
Schools -- Crown Point Public Schools -- Hobart Public Schools -- Lowell
Public Schools -- East chicago Public Schools -- Whiting Public Schools --
Hammond Public Schools -- Gary Public
Schools..............................................................................
532
CHAPTER XXI
Libraries -- Origin and Growth of Public Libraries -- Michigan City --
LaPorte -- Valparaiso -- Crown Point -- Whiting -- Hammond -- Gary -- East
Chicago. 578
CHAPTER XXII
Social Life -- National and Local Organizations -- Masons -- Knights of
Columbus -- Elks -- Social Agencies -- St. Joseph's Home for Boys, Hammond
-- The Harris Home for Colored Children, Gary -- Campbell Settlement, Gary
-- Carmelite Orphanage, East Chicago -- Katharine House, East
Chicago..................... 594
xv
CHAPTER XXIII
The Dunes of Northwestern Indiana -- The Dune Area -- The Glacial Period --
Lake Kankakee -- Moraines -- Lake Chicago -- Formation of the Dunes -- The
Great Height and Area -- Sandland by George E. Brown -- Flora of the Dunes
-- The Dunes
Park...................................................................................
599
CHAPTER XXIV
Banks and Banking -- LaPorte County Banks -- Michigan City -- LaPorte --
Hanna -- Union Mills -- Westville -- Wanatah --LaCrosse -- Rolling Prairie
-- Porter County Banks -- Valparaiso -- Chesterton -- Porter -- Kouts --
Lake County Banks -- Crown Point -- Dyer -- Hobart -- East Chicago --
Indiana Harbor -- Whiting -- The Riley Group of Banks -- Smith-Bader Banking
Institutions -- Lowell -- Hammond Banks -- Hammond's Largest Banking
Institution -- Gary Banks -- Building and Loan
Associations..............................................................
622
CHAPTER XXV
Transportation and Waterways -- Pioneer Travel -- The Stage Coach Era -- The
Steam Railroads -- The Automobile -- Permanent Surfaced Roads -- The Dunes
Highway -- Lake Navigation -- Port of Indiana Harbor -- Calumet Seaways
Association -- Realization of a Dream -- Lakes to the Gulf Waterways --
Ocean Ports -- Chicago South Shore and South Bend Railroad -- Gary Railways
-- Northern Indiana Public Service
Company............................................. 662
CHAPTER XXVI
Cities -- Michigan City -- LaPorte -- Valparaiso -- Hammond -- East Chicago
-- Whiting -- Crown Point and Hobart -- Gary -- Early Days of Gary by Hon.
Ora L. Wildermuth -- Early Recollections of Gary by Col. A. P. Melton -- How
We Incorporated the Town of Gary, by Hon. C. Oliver
Holmes....................... 687
CHAPTER XXVII
Industrial Development -- Expansion of Industry in the Calumet District --
History of Iron and Steel -- Steel Wire -- Steel Tubular Products -- Tin
Plate -- Present Day Consumption of Iron and Steel -- Ore Deposits --
Wages Paid in Europe and America -- Gary Industries -- Safety,
Sanitation and Welfare Work -- Hammond Industrial Development -- East
Chicago -- Indiana Harbor Industries -- Crown Point and Whiting Industries
-- LaPorte County Industries -- Michigan City -- LaPorte -- Porter County
Industries -- Valparaiso -- Calumet Region Industries During and After the
War......................................................................
770
CHAPTER XXVIII
Chambers of Commerce -- Crown Point -- Valparaiso -- LaPorte -- Michigan
City -- Whiting -- East Chicago -- Hammond -- Gary --
Chesterton.................... 837
Transcribed by Steven R. Shook, December 2022