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 

CHAPTER X.

TOWNSHIPS -- TOWNS -- VILLAGES.

LAPORTE COUNTY TOWNSHIPS, TOWNS, VILLAGES, EARLY SETTLEMENTS -- PORTER COUNTY TOWNSHIPS, TOWNS AND VILLAGES, EARLY SETTLEMENTS -- LAKE COUNTY TOWNSHIPS, TOWNS AND VILLAGES, EARLY SETTLEMENTS.

LAPORTE COUNTY, KANKAKEE.

Although Phillip Fail erected the first cabin in the original Kankakee Township in 1830, other settlers arrived the same year. Among them were Aaron Stanton, Benjamin Stanton, Richard Harris, John Garrett, Daniel Murray and Emery Brown. In 1831, Ezekial Provolt, David Stoner, Jesse West, Anton Irving, Chapel W. Brown, Jacob Miller, George W. Barnes, Ludlow Bell, Doctor Bowell, James Drummond, J. Austin, Benjamin De Witt, and a man named Miller arrived and many others whose names can not be ascertained. In 1832, Alexander Blackburn, Solomon Aldrich, Myron Ives and Charles Ives, settled in the township and made extensive improvements the first year. During 1832 and 1833 the arrival of settlers was retarded on account of the Black Hawk war, as alarm and confusion prevailed throughout the county through recurring rumors of an attack upon the settlers by the Indians. With the termination of the Black Hawk war, settlers began to pour into the county and Kankakee Township received a large share of them. Among these arrivals about 1833 were Leonard Cutler, Nathan B. Nichols, Joseph Reynolds and Ebenezer Russell. Each newcomer was given a hearty welcome by the settlers and were aided in every way to establish homes and the prosperous neighbors were glad to assist those in need. The settlers were bound together by ties of mutual dependence and protection against the Indians and notwithstanding that they were deprived of many of the comforts enjoyed by people in the older communities, neverthless there was much enjoyment among them. The prairie was a flower garden. Wild fruits were abundant, honey could be easily obtained in the forests and the woods at this period were filled with game.

Presbyterians appear to be the first to hold religious services in the township which were conducted at the cabin of Alexander Blackburn in November, 1832. There were seven members present and the Rev. James Crawford was officiating clergyman. In 1834, a log school house was

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erected on the Michigan road and a man named Emerson was employed as teacher. The original building was destroyed by fire shortly after the school opened and a new frame school house was afterwards erected in the same location. In 1838 occurred the first murder in the county. A man named Scott shot Joshua M. Coplan who was returning from Virginia with $500. After securing the money, Scott disappeared but he was captured, tried and found guilty and hung near LaPorte in June, 1838. In 1835, a postoffice was established at Byron and slowly but surely communication with other settlements and with the outside world was opened. Stores carrying a general stock of goods were established even in the smaller settlements, and two houses for the storage of grain were located. Before the first railroad was built, Byron was a town of considerable importance, but as it was not on the line of the Northern Indiana Railroad the trade and business moved to localities along the line of the road. In this way the town of Rolling Prairie came into being.

The first settler upon the site of Rolling Prairie was Ezekiah Provolt, in 1831, and others gradually located near him. The Northern Indiana Railroad reached Rolling Prairie in 1852 and also LaPorte the same year. W. J. Walker, who was the owner of most of the land in and near Rolling Prairie, gave the village the name of Portland, but for a time the postoffice and railroad station carried the old name of Rolling Prairie. A steam saw mill was built there in 1852 and a grist mill in 1858. The first frame house in Portland was built by W. J. Walker and for a long time was used as a store. In 1854, the Christian denomination erected the first church in the village. The Presbyterians followed in 1857 and the Methodist Episcopal in 1865. The village has become a good center of trade for the prosperous farming section around it. While there was considerable timber in the old township it was early recognized as a great agricultural section. The soil is a rich prairie loam and very productive. In 1925 the assessed valuation of real, personal and corporation property in Kankakee Township was $3,496,801; of steam and electric railroad property, $1,657,410; of telegraph and telephone property, $131,049.

SCIPIO.

Scipio Township, one of the three original ones, was first settled by Adam Keith and family with Lewis Shirley and his mother who arrived in July, 1829. In October, that year, Keith Shirley was born, being the third child born in the county. In the year 1830, the first open saloon in the township was established at Door Village by a man named Welch and his son. Their business was largely with the Indians and the saloon was a pernicious factor in the township. It is stated that the cause of Welch and his son closing the saloon was due to the visit of a party of young braves, who knocked out the heads of the whiskey barrels with their tomahawks

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and emptied the contents of the barrels on the ground. Welch had been diluting the whiskey, which the Indians soon discovered as the same amount of fire water did not have the usual effect upon them as when the saloon was first opened. Daniel Jessup, Joseph Osborne, Arba Heald, John Garwood, Eliza Brown, Stephen Brayton, Hugh McGivens, William Adams, James Anscum, John Gattis, Mr. Whitacre and Mr. Phillips were settlers in 1830 and 1831. Gen. Joseph Orr purchased land and took part in the Black Hawk war the next year. In 1831 occurred the first wedding — Hannah Harris, daughter of Richard Harris, married Adam Keith. In 1832, Chris McClure, Arthur McClure, Lewis Keith, John Broadhead, Peter White and Thomas W. Sale became settlers.

In May, 1832, Henry Owen, the Indian agent in Chicago sent word to the settlers that the Indians had commenced hostilities near Chicago and advised that the settlers prepare for protection against a possible invasion of the settlements by Black Hawk, but the war activities of the Indians was confined largely to the Illinois settlements and there proved to be no occasion for alarm. However, preparations were made for defense and while many of the settlers started eastward to the larger communities, others remained to defend their homes. A fort was built with ditch and earthworks, under the direction of Peter White, and located about a half mile east of Door Village. It was completed in a few days and was manned by nearly fifty of the settlers. Judge Lemon, after the fort was completed, built a block house southeast of Round Grove. General Orr, previously mentioned as having purchased land in the township, on visiting Chicago found that there was no real danger to the settlers in LaPorte County and confidence was restored.

Door Village was established in the midst of a rich farming country in 1836. In the days of the original Scipio Township it did a large business but its nearness to LaPorte lost it the patronage of the growing nearby territory. The first frame house in Door Village was built by Mr. Morrison in 1833 and Hiram Parker located a tavern there and soon there were blacksmith and wagon shops, general stores and a postoffice. In 1840, Chester Heald established a foundry where iron castings were made and he also for a time manufactured threshing machines. Joseph Austin had a spinning wheel factory and a lathe for wood turning, the power, it is said, being furnished by two dogs. A Methodist church was established in 1833 and in 1840 a Baptist church was built. Rev. James Armstrong officiated at the Methodist Church and Elder Spalding was the first pastor of the Baptist Church. On account of its agricultural wealth this territory had much to do with the growth of the city of LaPorte which is described elsewhere. In 1925 the assessed valuation of real, personal and corporation property was $3,335,468; of steam and electric railroads property, $1,366,325; of telegraph and telephone property, $120,673.

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NEW DURHAM.

The first permanent settlers in LaPorte County and New Durham Township were Miriam J. Benedict and her family, Henry Clyburn and Thomas Clyburn who located there in 1829. The township was named by Miriam Benedict after the place of her birth, Durham, New York State. They were quickly followed by Jacob Inglewright, Charles Whitacre and James Whitacre, William H. Shirley and William Garwood. In July, 1829, the first white child in the county was born, Elizabeth Miriam Clyburn, daughter of Henry and Sarah Clyburn. There were many Indian villages in the New Durham Township and the settlers sold much of their surplus crops to the Indians in exchange for furs, which were converted into cash by the agents of the American Fur Company. Alden Tucker and many other settlers made locations in 1831, and notwithstanding the Indian excitement of this period, the year 1832 witnessed the arrival of many settlers, most of whom remained throughout the year, regardless of the tear of an Indian invasion.

In January, 1833, one side of a double log cabin on the farm of William Eahart was devoted to a school. Rachael B. Carter was the first teacher and had eighteen scholars. In 1834, she married a man named Jacobus. There is a story told which showed her thorough knowledge of Indian character. An Indian squaw informed Miss Carter that the Indians intended to kill all the whites as soon as the corn was knee high, and she promptly replied that the white people were well aware of the intentions of the Indians and, taking up a handful of sand, said that soldiers were on their way from the east more numerous than the grains of sand which she then scattered on the ground and that it was their intention to destroy all the Indians before the corn was ankle high. Within twenty-four hours not an Indian could be found in the vicinity and it was many months before any of them returned to the neighborhood.

Although farming was the principal industry, the large tracts of timber laid the foundation for a large lumber business. In 1839, Israel and James Jessup built the first saw mill erected in the township near the present town of Otis. In 1852, Capt. Joe Davis and his son, Caleb Davis, built a steam saw mill in New Durham Township near the village of New Durham. In 1873, Bugbee, Fluff and Palmer built a paper mill on Reynolds’ Creek near Otis on the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railroad. For years this mill did a fine business, manufacturing strawboard. In 1875 another paper mill was erected near Otis by W. F. Catron and others. This was a modern plant for that period, the building being of brick and the machinery propelled by both steam and water power. The first house built on the site of New Durham village was a log cabin erected by Leonard Woods in the year 1834, and in three or four years there was a pros-

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perous village there. General, stores were opened and a hotel was established by Henry Hardin. The usual industries of the early settlement period were carried on in the village — wagon and blacksmith shops, boot and shoe making and tailoring shops.

In 1846, Dr. A. G. Standiford commenced the practice of medicine and was the first physician in that territory. In 1847, the Methodist denomination erected a church in New Durham with Rev. J. J. Cooper as pastor. Previous to this time the Rev. Mr. Parrott had conducted religious services for the Methodists. William B. Weber who had bought out the wagon shop of William S. Medaris in 1850 and also the Amos Perrin blacksmith shop, became shortly known as a large manufacturer of wagons, buggies and plows. In the year 1852, he manufactured one hundred and fourteen wagons and buggies and mounted three hundred steel plows. In 1854, a frame schoolhouse was built in New Durham which was afterwards replaced by a substantial brick building. The postoffice was removed this year from New Durham to Beaver Dam, as New Durham was about to enter the period of decline experienced by all villages not on the line of the new railroad, and the village is now largely a memory. In 1833 Jacob Bryant built a dwelling house and saw mill on the site of Holmesville, but the territory was of no importance until the arrival of the railroad in 1850. In 1852, postoffice was established there which was discontinuedin 1856. In 1853, a warehouse was built by the Michigan Southern Railway Company, and it looked for a time as though the village had a prosperous future, but no great progress was made.

The settlement of Otis, first known as Salem Crossing, was commenced about 1851, although there was no recorded plat of the town until 1870. The Louisville, New Albany and Chicago Railroad gave it the name of La Croix and under this name the town was platted but later it was called Packard and afterwards, officially, Otis. The first settler was Matthias Leberger who arrived in 1851. In 1854, the village had a grocery store and hotel. The usual blacksmith and wagon shops were early established and Dr. Clark R. Warren became the first resident physician. The Methodist Episcopal Church held its first regular services in 1870 and in 1872 immigrants from Poland erected a Roman Catholic church. The railroad made Westville an important town in New Durham Township and it soon absorbed the business of the surrounding communities. The first permanent residence was established by Henry Clyburn in 1836 and the Cattron Brothers built the first store in that part of the town known as the Four Corner in 1848. In 1851 the Westville Free Press was established by L. P. Williams who afterwards became a major in the Union Army. A steam grist mill was built by James Haskell when the railroad was completed in 1853.

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In the year 1855, Jacob J. Mann built a reaper and mower establishment, manufacturing their own patented machine. The Westville Herald was established in May 1856 by C. G. and Alfred Townsend. This newspaper was moved to LaPorte about 1859 and published there by Charles G. Powell. In 1858, a steam grist mill was built by Tobias Miller and, in 1862, a bedstead factory was started by Reynolds, Weaver and Smith. A Methodist Church building was erected in 1853 and was afterwards sold to the Catholics, as a new Methodist Church was built in 1868 from a bequest made by Daniel West, who also gave sufficient funds to the local lodge of Odd Fellows to materially aid in the erection of an Odd Fellow’s Hall. The first Christian Church was built in 1859 and Elder H. C. Leonard was the first pastor. The town was incorporated in 1864 and the first town council members were W. L. Webster, D. C. Standiford and William C. Martin. Mr. Webster was elected president of the council and G. L. Thompson was elected the first clerk. The town has had a steady growth and is a firmly established community. In 1925 the assessed valuation of real, personal and corporation property, not including Westville, was $3,673,505; of steam and electric railroad property — $1,885,455; of telegraph and telephone property — $131,940. Total valuation of Westville property $338,300.

MICHIGAN.

In September, 1833, the county commissioners ordered a division of the old New Durham Township and set aside all of township 37 and 38 to constitute a new township to be called Michigan. The soil of this township consisted almost wholly of sand ridges some of which were at one time covered with a fine growth of white pine timber which had been cut for lumber. In as much as a later division of the original Michigan Township reduced its size so that it consisted of only fourteen whole sections and six fractional sections, the history of the township is really the history of Michigan City as there were but few settlement locations made outside the Michigan City site.

One of the earliest if not the earliest settlement in Michigan Township, outside of Michigan City, was Scott’s Mills where James M. Scott erected a saw and grist mill in 1834. It was the first flouring mill that was built in the township and was located on Trail Creek one and one-half miles from Michigan City site. The mill done a very large and profitable business, the proprietor purchasing his wheat at very low prices and selling his flour as high as $10 per barrel. At about the same period John Walker built the first saw mill in the township and there were a few other settlers who maintained themselves in various ways on locations outside of the Michigan City site. Among them may be mentioned John Cheney, John Ritter, the Shreves, Sanfords and Van Winkles.

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The first view of the Michigan Township territory could not have been a very tempting vision to the first settlers inclined to agriculture, as sand hills and swamps made up the greater part of the township and it would long have remained undeveloped were it not for the harbor site possibilities existing as described in the story of Michigan City and its growth which will be found in another chapter of this history. In 1925 the assessed valuation of real, personal and corporation property, not including Michigan City, was $2,885,264; of steam and electric railroad property — $1,294,825; of telegraph and telephone property — $69,069.

CENTER.

Center Township was set aside from Scipio Township by the county commissioners in 1833. Changes have since occurred in the original boundaries and it now includes part of township 36 and nearly all of township 37. The first settlement was made by Aaron Stanton in March 1830, and he located about two miles north of the City of LaPorte. Phillip Fail came at about the same time, but he removed in the same year to Kankakee Township. William and Stephen Clement arrived in the fall of 1831 and opened a store within the present limits of the City of LaPorte. William Clark preceded them in 1830, but did not bring his family until 1831. In this year also came the Blakes, John B. and Charles Fravel, Wilson Malone, William Stanton and family, Alfred Stanton, the Balls, Londons and Wheelers. Jesse Morgan had arrived earlier, also William and Jesse Bond and John Garwood. Brainard Goff and many others came in 1832.

The north part of Centre Township was well developed and on the south and west were broad reaches of rich prairie land with many sparkling lakes. Col. W. A. Place in 1831 helped to build the first log cabin in LaPorte for George Thomas and it stood near where the depot of the Lake Shore Railroad is now located. With the progress of time, small fruit farms and highly developed market gardens surrounded the LaPorte town site and the usual crops of wheat, corn, oats and potatoes were grown on the farms. As explained in another chapter James and A. P. Andrews with some associates had secured and layed out the LaPorte town site and the history of Center Township is really the history of LaPorte and it is covered fully in another chapter. In 1925 the assessed valuation of real, personal and corporation property, not including LaPorte, was $2,561,786; of steam and electric railroad property — $518,835; of telegraph and telephone property — $93,861.

PLEASANT.

Pleasant Township was set aside from Kankakee by the county commissioners in 1834 and its boundaries were afterwards diminished by the

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formation of Union, Lincoln and Jackson townships, the two northern and two center tiers of sections of township 36 remaining to Pleasant. Originally it was one of the most attractive sections of LaPorte County. Its prairies were rich and flower clad. It had groves of fine trees and numerous small lakes and flowing streams all combined to make it a most inviting spot for settlement. In 1832 James Webster came from Virginia and settled in the township and his son-in-law, James Highley soon joined him. Silas Hale and Oliver Classon made locations in the same year. John Wilson, Andrew Harvey and Asa Owen, Valentine Nicholson and Benjamin Butterworth all made locations in 1833. Ralph Loomis, George S. McCollun and Samuel Stewart arrived in 1834. James VanValkenburgh, George Bosserman, J. G. McCaskey came in 1836. There were also locations made about this time by Griffin Treadway, John I. Crandall, George C. Havens, W. A. Place, W. W. Burhans, Ziba Bailey, D. E. and I. P. Coplin, William Everhart, John V. Rust, G. W. Stewart, J. R. Stewart, Charles W. Wing, Seth Way, Curtis and John B. Fravis and also the Lomax family.

The first effort at holding a school was the cause of considerable friction. The original location decided upon for the building was opposed by a strong minority and after its completion those opposed to the site came in the night and put the building on wheels and moved it to a location which pleased them. The majority favoring the original location, pulled it back a few days later, but a second time it was removed from the site and several journeys as above described were made before the school was said to have a permanent foundation. It is regrettable to be obliged to record that the early settlers in this township failed to see the necessity for schools, in striking contrast to other sections of the county, and it took twenty years of agitation by an active minority before there was a convenient, properly built school house. In 1836 a saw mill was built on the Little Kankakee by a man named Whitmer and a short distance from his mill on the same stream, Root and Graham built another mill. In 1850, the Websters put the third saw mill on the Little Kankakee in this township.

The Little Kankakee runs through the Northwestern part of the township and had a considerable flow of water during the early settlement period. The township early had railroad communication as it was crossed by the Grand Trunk Railroad and also the Lake Erie and Western. Stilwell is a trading center at the junction of the two railroads. The only industry in the township is agriculture and the farms are highly productive. In 1925 the assessed valuation of real, personal and corporation property was $1,797,662; of steam and electric railroad property — $545,750; of telegraph and telephone property — $60,642.

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WILLS.

Wills Township was carved out of the original township of Kankakee in March, 1834 and its boundary afterwards changed, materially reducing it in area. It is claimed the first settler was Asa Warren who located in the township in 1829, although credit is generally given for original locations to John Wills and his sons, Charles, Daniel and John E., who made their home there in 1830. Many other settlers came in 1830, including Andrew Shaw, Joseph Lykins, John Sissany and John S. Garroutte. They were followed in 1831 by many other settlers including James Williams, Matthias Dawson, David Stoner and Doctor Chapman. An incident which occurred in 1831 cast a gloom over the settlers. Mary, wife of John S. Garroutte, had been on an errand of mercy to the Garwood family and on returning was overcome by a snow storm and the next morning was found in the timber frozen to death.

John Hefner, Joseph Starrett, Jacob Gallion, Jesse Willett, Nimrod and Jesse West, and J. Clark all arrived about 1832 or 1833. In 1834 John Bowell and his family came to make their home and with him came Dr. B. C. Bowell, A. C. Bowell and A. J. Bowell, and also the widows Drummond and Miller and in 1835, George Hunt arrived with a family of six sons. Joseph Lykins put up the first frame house in Wills County in 1834. The first trading post was established by an Indian named Rice but this was discontinued in 1836, when Rice went to Kansas with his tribe. The little settlement in which the settlers had congregated and became known as Bootjack, was never surveyed or recorded as a town. In June, 1836, Elder T. Price of Edwardsburg, Michigan and Elder T. Spaulding of LaPorte, organized a Baptist Church at the house of James Hunt and the first members enrolled were James Hunt, John Salisbury, Matthias Dawson, Nancy Hunt, Martha Hunt, Catherine Whitehead, Sarah Mason, Phoebe Hunt, Clarrissa Canada, Sabrina Salisbury, Alsie Dawson, and Martha Whitehead. In the year following, a Baptist Church was built on the grounds of George Belshaw. This log chapel was torn down in 1843 and a new frame church built near the site of the old church where a school house was afterwards erected.

In May, 1837, plats were filed with the county recorder for the Village of Independence, the location being described as the northeast quarter of the southeast quarter of section 28, township 37, north of range 1 west, and also the southeast quarter of the southeast quarter of section 28, township 37, north of range 1 west. Some excitement was created in the village through surveys made for a canal and a railroad and visions of growth and prosperity were in the minds of the settlers. A man named Andrew Fuller started a general store in 1835 and a cabinet store was opened by Elias Axe. In 1836, William C. Pellett bought a trading store

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and also the unsold lots in the town from a man named Baker, who started the store and laid out the town, and a year later he sold all his property to John Vickory and Timothy Losey. In the next few years came the usual blacksmith and wagon shops, boot and shoe stores and tailor establishments. T. Chapman opened the wagon makers shop; John Hampton, the blacksmith shop; William Costello, the tailoring business and a man named Sparrow, the boot and shoe store.

In 1834, Benjamin Galbreath and his son, John, built a grist mill and a saw mill near Independence. The mills were started without a proper study of the amount of water in the stream, and as this was insufficient the mills were torn down. In 1845, Thomas Fisher and Jonathan Dudley built a steam saw mill at Independence which was operated a few years and then sold to Thomas Hooton, James Hooton, Theodore Boardman and David Williams, who moved it to Puddletown. Independence soon went the way of so many other of the original villages established and nothing now remains to indicate its former existence, its business and population having moved to the railroad towns and cities. Puddletown was another hamlet that for a while had a promise of a future. It contained a steam saw mill, school house and several stores, but it not being on the railroad it passed out of existence with other hamlets and villages which failed to get railroad facilities. The surface of Wills Township is rolling, the land is rich and productive and the inhabitants have always been prosperous. In 1925 the assessed valuation of real, personal and corporation property was $1,870,281; of steam and electric railroad property — $489,000; of telegraph and telephone property — $59,591.

SPRINGFIELD.

Springfield Township was organized by the county commissioners in January, 1835, its original boundaries having since been reduced by transfers of part of its territory to Center Township. The first white settler was Judah Learning who settled on the site of the Village of Springville in 1831, and built the first cabin and afterwards the first frame house. Abraham Cormack and Daniel Griffin made locations after Learning, in the same year. In 1832, John Brown, Joseph Pagin and his sons, Erastus Quivey, John Hazleton and Charles Vail became settlers. In 1832 a schoolhouse was built and Emily Learning was the first school teacher. Mr. Vail erected a saw mill at this time. Religious services were conducted in the very early days of the settlement, both the Methodists and Baptists holding regular weekly meetings. In 1833, Erastus Quivey built a mill on section one, which was afterwards known as the Ross mill. Gilbert Rose, Hiram Griffith, John Griffith, Ingraham Gould, Michael Fall, Ezekiel Blue, Abner Ross, Aaron Conklin, John Johnson, Henry S. Allen, John White, A. N. Shippee, Josiah Redding, Mr. Ross, and Mr.

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Lewis established themselves in 1833 and 1834. The first wedding took place in 1835 — Esther Rose marrying Abner Ross.

Jacob Early built a mill on Section 28 which was rebuilt on several occasions and continued in service for a long time. In October, 1835, Charles Vail built a saw mill. During this year Samuel Lehr, John Mason, Lemuel S. Fitch, Alfred Stanton, John Blue and Michael Fall became settlers. Springville became a real live town in the early 40’s, and being on one of the principal Michigan highways it was advertised highly as being on the short line between Niles and Michigan City. A hotel of considerable size was erected and enjoyed a large patronage but the failure of the railroad to go through Springville, settled its future. It practically was non-existent when the Pere Marquette railroad was built near it in later years. Corymbo was another village started at a very early period and for a time was a shipping place for timber but this village has also gone like others. In 1925 the assesed valuation of real, personal and corporation property was $1,742,267; of steam and electric railroad property — $638,300; of telegraph ad telephone property — $65,877.

GALENA.

Galena Township formed in 1836, has its center of population at Hatch’s mill where the postoffice has been located. It has the usual local enterprises associated with a small farming community and is the home of many successful farmers. It was first settled by George W. Barnes in 1833 and he was followed in the next two years by William C. Cummins, Wrightman Goit, Shubal Smith, Richard Miller, Sylvanus James, John F. Torbert, Hiram Bement, Matthew Mayes, Daniel Baldwin, Aurea and Basil Sperry, William Waldruff, Sans H. Austin, Byron Cadwalder, John Morrow, Joshua Jordan, Elijah Bishop, Micajah Jones, John Cooper, Ephraim Cooper, Jesse Jones, Oliver Porter, James Paddock, Charles Francis, Joseph Fuller, James Jones, Abraham Purcell, Joseph Henderson, J. H. Francis, Luke Francis, W. W. Francis, Scipha Foster, Zachariah Teeter, H. E. Smith, Charles Morrow, W. W. Fuller and Hiram Bement, Jr.

Galena Township is a typical American community, law-abiding, and the people are noted for their thrift and success in timber and agricultural pursuits. In 1925 the assessed valuation of real, personal and corporation property was $1,051,155; of steam and electric railroad property — $64,035; of telegraph and telephone property — $4,020.

CLINTON.

Clinton Township was formed from the old New Durham Township in 1836 and it contains some of the best prairie land in the county. Some

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of the early settlers who arrived in 1833, 1834 and 1835 before the organization of the township, were Nathaniel Steel, R. Prather, Levi Reynolds, John Osborne, William Niles, Lemuel Maulsby, Richard Williams, Thomas Robinson, Stephen Jones, a Methodist preacher, William Snaveley, R. R. Richardson, Charles G. and Samuel E. Eaton, Benjamin F. Fogle, Jacob Iseminger, John Reynolds, F. T. and J. S. Hixon, Simeon Tuley, John Small, Matilda Tuley, James Haskell, Jonathan Osborn, John Warnock, Phineas Small, John and Charles Eaton, Hezekiah Robertson, Daniel Robertson, William Eaton, Jacob Iseminger, William Wilson, John Small, James Reeves, Samuel Maulsby, Walter Livingston, L. Richardson, John Clark, John Lewis, Jesse Marshall, John Wilman, Orange Lemon, Benjamin J. Bryant, W. C. Allen, John Iseminger, William T. Harding, Joseph Wright, Thomas Patterson, Richard Williams, Horace Pinney, Abijah Bigelow, David Congdon, Benjamin Maulsby, Luke Ashley, Dr. Philander Loomis, John Bailey, Mr. Heath and Doctor Whitcomb.

The principal centers were Haskell Station — which is the junction of the Monon and Grand Trunk railroads, and Elida Station and Bigelow’s mills. Samuel Brush opened a store in 1855 on the present site of Haskell Station. The store was operated successively by John Ferris, William D. Crothers, Mr. Sopris and Thomas L. Hoadley. It has a postoffice and a grain elevator which for years was operated by Daniel S. Crumpacker, Alida Station was the junction point of the Monon and the Baltimore and Ohio railroads. Bigelow’s mills was located by Abijah Bigelow in 1835 and he afterwards built a grist mill and saw mill there. Although Mr. Bigelow laid out a town and had it incorporated he was not successful in obtaining people to locate there and in 1849 his frame dwelling house was the only one near the mill. After 1840 it slowly but surely began to grow and by 1860, the usual establishments found in a small country village were located there and its grist mill was recognized as one of the best in the county. In 1925 the assessed valuation of real, personal and corporation property was $3,429,781; of steam and electric railroad property — $1,610,045; of telegraph and telephone property — $36,386.

NOBLE.

Noble Township was formed from the original Scipio Township in 1836. It is located on a large and productive up-land prairie and is thickly settled. It has two railroads and is well watered by Mill Creek and small streams, and is prosperous to an extraordinary degree. Among the settlers in the township when it was organized was Obadiah Chambers, Thomas Layman, the McLane family, Michael and Edward O’Hara, Peter, Ira and Warren Burch, Wright and Silas Loving, Isaac Johnson, Jeremiah Perkins, Joseph Starrett, Richard Worrall, Mr. Fowler, Samuel Mitchell, A. G. Webster and A. Logan. Elizabeth McLane married Horace Wood in

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1834 and it was the first wedding in the township. At about this period Henderson Nickell, Dr. S. A. Everts, Timothy Everts, Gustavus Everts, Sydney S. Sabin, Theodore H. Wells, John Barclay, Israel Underwood, John and Richard Goldsmith, and Benjamin Shaw, became settlers.

A village called Belmont was started in 1836 and contained a store, blacksmith shop and a distillery. It promised to be of some importance until Union Mills developed when Belmont passed out of existence. Union Mills and Wellsboro developed into villages of importance. The first house on the site of Union Mills was built by Joseph Wheaton in 1832. A plat of the village was filed for record in 1849 by Robert R. Wrenn, George Butt, Charles Fessenden, Lewis Stevenson, Allen Cummings, Roswell N. Bennett, E. W. Fessenden, Michael O’Hara, B. Elliot, Eudoris Everts and William J. Wheaton. A grist mill had been erected in 1838 but there were only five log cabins in the town for several years. In 1850 it had a cooper shop, blacksmith shop, shoemaker’s shop, wagon shops and a tailoring shop. It also contained a Presbyterian Church. The village gradually grew and in 1858 an Adventist Church was erected and many additional stores and shops had been located. It continued to grow and an addition on the east of the town joined it to Wellsboro, and the two towns have grown together and are practically one.

As Union Mills grew, a Methodist Episcopal Church was erected, a weekly paper was established and with Wellsboro it forms a thriving business center. Wellsboro was laid out in 1875 by Charles F. and Theodore Wells. It is situated at the junction of the Baltimore and Ohio, Grand Trunk and Pere Marquette railroads. In 1925 the assessed valuation of real, personal and corporation property was $3,327,796; of steam and electric railroad property — $1,565,685; of telegraph and telephone property — $53,145.

COOLSPRING.

Coolspring Township is thickly populated. The soil is very rich and particularly adapted for fruit. Farms are small, yet sufficiently productive to maintain the owner. It has excellent railroad facilities as the Monon, Michigan Central, Pere Marquette, and the Lake Erie and Western railroads cross the township. Through the railroads, it has excellent markets for its products at Otis, LaPorte and Michigan City. The only center for business is Waterford, although Beatty’s Corner has a school house, a few resident families and a store. Waterford originally had a saw mill and a distillery which was in operation for many years. It had a postoffice as early as 1838 which was discontinued in 1865. It still contains a Methodist Episcopal and German Baptist Church. Coolspring Township is not a place of activity and is a purely rural community.

Among the citizens who participated in its early development were Hiram Blackman, A. L. Booth, Robert Curran, C. G. Daldren, A. B. Hunt,

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Albert Mudge, Dennis Purvis, G. R. Selkirk, G. W. VanDusen, William Sohn, John Windland, N. W. Blackman, Richard Cross, Amos Tharpe, Ruben Chapin, John Dysard, Augustus C. and M. J. Hubner, Wm. Lum- bard, S. C. Perry, John Zahrn, Rev. L. Fogle, Joseph Eddy, John Ebert, F. M. Taylor, James L. Monahan, B. N. Shreve, and Dr. Jacob H. White. Others who were active in a later period were Jeremiah W. Bevington, Christian Bull, August Cloff, C. Cook, John Cook, Paul Corbly, Robert Curran, Wm. Forrester, Asa Harper, D. L. Jackson, Calvin G. Jenks, George Kepper, John Kieffer, Gustavis F. Lell, Daniel Low, Ziba W. Palmer, Eli. Z. Smith, Sr., A. B. Wolf and Louis Zahrn. In 1925 the assessed valuation of real, personal and corporation property was $2,629,200; of steam and electric railroad property — $496,680; of telegraph and telephone property — $124,080.

HUDSON.

Hudson Township is in the northeastern section of the county, bordering on the state of Michigan on the north and St. Joseph County in the east. Settlers came here as early as 1833 and Lakeport Village located on the eastern shore of Hudson Lake came into existence at an early date and was afterwards renamed Hudson. The first school in Lakeport was built in 1833 and the usual village industries quickly followed and the village became quite a center for trade and was considered even a rival of La Porte from 1835 to 1840.

It was a busy village having two taverns well patronized and it had an important stage line in operation. Farmers came from miles around to do their trading and for a while it seemed as though Hudson was destined to be of some size, but it paid the penalty of all the small communities which failed to obtain direct railroad communication, and New Carlisle three miles away, which was located on the railroad line came into prominence and Hudson began to decline. Most of the trading is now done at New Carlisle in St. Joseph County and there is but little left of Hudson to remind anyone of its former prosperity.

Among the early settlers were John Baker, James C. Bean, James A. Davidson, Joseph Dreliner, Moses Every, Alex Hicks, T. M. Hicks, A. J. Holman, Charles J. Miller, John F. Petre, James Ray, Fleming Reynolds, Col. Edwin G. Towers, A. M. Warren, Seth P. Whitney and John C. Williams. In 1925 the assessed valuation of real, personal and corporation property was $1,464,646; of steam and electric railroad property — $795,850; of telegraph and telephone property — $23,716.

UNION.

Union Township was settled very early, Thomas Stilwell being the first settler. He was followed in 1833 by John Winchell and family, Henry

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Vail, Henry Mann, Henry Davis, Theodore Catlin, Daniel Finley, Mr. Kingsbury, (for whom the village of Kingsbury was afterwards named), Curtis and Joshua Travis and Joseph Callison. In 1834, many others came including William Callison, Charles W. and M. S. Henry, Harrison and Norris J. Winchell, Handy Davis, Joseph G. and Rev. Meade Catlin, Albert P. Lilley, David H. Norton, Nathaniel Thurber, Darius Sayles, John Winchell, William Walbridge, Col. Josiah Groves, Gustavis Evert, (associate judge of the circuit court), Wesley and John Diggins and two brothers named Page.

In 1835 some other settlers arrived and among them were Jacob Early, Dr. Sylvanus Everts, who was the first physician in the township, Timothy Everts and Ephraim Barney. The township was of unusual promise in the early settlement days, and Kingsbury became an important settlement of trade and also the little settlement at Union Center. Kingsbury had a postoffice as early as September, 1839 with Ithream Taylor, post master. The mail route which was bi-weekly, took in Kingsbury, Union Mills, Bigelows Mills and Tassinoug in Porter County. Hanna was placed on the mail route instead of Bigelows Mills when the Bigelow postoffice was discontinued. Kingsbury is located at the junction of the Grand Trunk and Wabash railroads. It has a Baptist Church, general store, and the usual lines of business found in a small Indiana village.

Tracy Station on the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad is a small community with school house, general store, and a Lutheran and a Methodist Church. Among those who are recorded as having assisted in the development of the township at an early date, are L. D. Brand, James V. Cattron, Daniel B. Codings, Robert D. Craft, Edwin S. Ellsworth, G. W. Ewing, Dr. H. M. Ellsworth, Hugh Glasgow, William Goodall, Daniel P. Grover, H. P. Lans, Jacob, John and Michael Moyer, Daniel Shaw, William W. Travis, Dr. W. W. Wilcox, Norris J. Winchell, William H. Winchell, Isaiah Atkins, Charles and John W. Hewson. In 1925 the assessed valuation of real, personal and corporation property was $2,134,200; of steam and electric railroad property — $856,047; of telegraph and telephone property — $18,913.

CASS.

Cass Township had many early locations but it was not until 1839 or 1840 that any settlers made homes there. Among the early arrivals who helped to develop the township were Peter Woodin who was the first permanent settler, Henry Bowman, James O. Burner, Robert Gill- ham, A. J. Shutre, William Smith, James Wilson, William Kimball, John

N. and Francis McCurdy, Dr. John F. Tilden, the first doctor to locate in the township. Dr. Nelson Ward and Mrs. Ward, who was also a doctor of medicine, Jeremiah Wilson, Abraham Eahart, James and

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Thomas Concannon, William Smith, William Batteroon, John Wills, Isham Campbell, Adam Leeper, Bischop Brockway, E. V. Waters, James and Richard Cannon, Augustus W. Vail, Edward Evans, L. M. Shurte and S. B. Rundlett.

Callao was platted in 1859 by William A. Taylor who was the first post master. It is on the line of the Pittsburg, Ft. Wayne and Chicago railroad. A Methodist Church was erected there in 1858. It had some evidence of a town but in as much as the railroad depot was located at Morgan station a half mile west, the postoffice was moved there in 1851 and the business and buildings of Callao was moved to Morgan Station. In the early 60’s Morgan Station flourished, but it declined later with the development of Wanatah.

Wanatah is situated in the open prairie on Hog Creek at the junction of the Monon, Pittsburg, Ft. Wayne and Chicago railroads. It became a great shipping center after the railroads were established and it had a steady growth. The Roman Catholics have a church there and there is also a Methodist Episcopal, German Methodist, German Lutheran and Disciples Church. Wanatah has an important flouring mill which turns out most excellent flour and as the surrounding country produces a large quantity of hay it has been a great market for this product. In 1925 the assessed valuation of real, personal and corporation property was $4,497,100; of steam and electric railroad property — $2,259,533; of telegraph and telephone property — $123,492.

DEWEY.

Dewey Township did not settle as rapidly as some other townships as a large part of it was subjected to overflow from the Kankakee River. Its value as a grazing section was early appreciated and attracted some settlers long before the reclamation of the river lands. Among the early settlers were George P. Shimmel, Jacob Schauer, Lewis and Michael Besler, James Bougee, Elias Osborn and Patrick and Richard Huncheon. Patrick Huncheon was noted among the early settlers and with his brother became the owner of thousands of acres of land which afterwards became the property of the LaCrosse Land Co.

The two business centers of Dewey Township are La Crosse and Wilder’s Station. La Crosse is situated on the junction of five railroads, the Monon, Eastern Illinois, Pere Marquette, Pennsylvania and the Chicago, Cincinnati and Louisville. Its location in the heart of the great reclaimed Kankakee section and its wonderful railroad facilities seems to insure it of a steady and continuous growth to a large center of population and trade.

In 1925 the real, personal and corporation valuation of La Crosse was $685,550; the steam and electric railroad valuation was $238,612; and the

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telegraph and telephone property valuation was $21,000. Wilder’s Station is situated a little over three miles south of La Crosse at the junction of the Monon and New York, Lake Erie and Western railroads. In 1925 the assessed valuation of Dewey Township not including La Crosse, of real, personal and corporation property was $3,653,949; of steam and electric railroad property — $1,686,273; of telegraph and telephone property $201,566.

HANNA.

Hanna Township, like, Dewey, was subject to over-flow from the Kankakee although it had some upland territory which proved attractive to early settlers and Emmanuel West and his two sons, Isaac and Joseph, Nimrod West, William West, Sr., Amsterdam Stewart, Andrew J. Chambers and his three sons, Preston, Obadiah and Andrew J., William Tyner, Charles Strong and Thomas Hunsley made locations on this upland section. Time has justified their faith in the future of the township as the low lands have been reclaimed and the township has now some of the most fertile of farms.

In 1858 the town of Hanna was laid out and recorded. It has excellent railroad facilities, both the Pittsburg, Ft. Wayne and Chicago, and the Pere Marquette railroads having stations there. It has the usual industries and stores associated with a prosperous, small but growing community, and has always been a heavy grain market. A Methodist Church and German Lutheran Church are located there and a fine brick school house. A grain elevator is located at Thomaston Station where the New York, Chicago and St. Louis railroad crosses the Pere Marquette.

Among some of the citizens who aided in developing the township were Noan S. Rowley, and his sons, also Charles David and John E. Wills, George Lawrence, C. J. Bunnell, Thomas Mitchell, George Trimmingham, Erasmus Whitney, James Bellmore, William Williamson, Hiram N. Nelson, B. F. Moore, John Pratt, Clark R. Richards, E. F. Whitney, William Brown, Stephen Frechette, Charles Frechette, David Wills, Charles Wills, Geo. S. Dennison, Lusius Avery, Isaac Lloyd and Dr. Z. T. Horine and E. D. Spehr were practitioners there at an early date. The assessed valuation of real, personal and corporation property in 1925 was $2,986,733; of steam and electric railroad property — $1,599,450; of telegraph and telephone property — $66,588.

PRAIRIE.

Prairie Township, with many fine farms, was formed from Hanna and is sharing in the prosperity which has come through the reclamation of the Kankakee Valley lands in and near the township. In 1925 the assessed valuation of real, personal and corporation property was

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$1,220,258; of steam and electric railroad property, $414,100; of telegraph and telephone property, $20,688.

LINCOLN.

Lincoln Township was settled at an early date, as Levi Little and a man named Mutz made homes on the north side of Fish Lake in 1834. John Vickory and George Sparrow were early locaters, about 1835, and also at this period came Doctor Losey, Carson Siddles, Saunders E. Arbergast and Robert V. Armstrong. A few years later came John Davis, John Dare, Samuel Stevenson, George W. Woodburn, John Andrew, Peter and James Harness with their father, John Divine, John B. MacDonald, Newlove Layborn and many others. Mill Creek was early platted as a village and became a small center of trade situated on the Chicago & Grand Trunk Railroad.

Among the citizens who have done much to develop the township were Benjamin Wing, James Waxhan, E. Thompson, Frederick Stielo, Jacob Snyder, F. M. Rowell, Jacob S. V. Bunton, James H. Davis, B. Burget, and William H. and George W. Collom. In 1925 the assessed valuation of real, personal and corporation property was $1,914,296; of steam and electric railroad property, $895,500; of telegraph and telephone property, $50,756.

JOHNSON.

Johnson Township is also sharing in the prosperity resulting from the reclamation of the Kankakee. It has two railroads, the Lake Erie & Western and the Baltimore & Ohio. Among the early settlers were Maj. John M. Lemon, John Dunn, Samuel Smith, Edward Owens, Sam Harminson, Martin Smith, William Mapes, Charles Palmer, Landon Carlyle, George W. Corner, Jr., William Robinson, Asa Jackson, George Henry, and B. P. and Ira F. Place.

In 1925 the assessed valuation of real, personal and corporation property was $1,366,112; of steam and electric railroad property, $501,368; of telegraph and telephone property, $11,604.

WASHINGTON.

In 1904, the county commissioners received a petition from 132 property owners of Union Township for a division of that corporation — the lower or southern half to be made a separate township and the upper or northern half to. be a new township. The petition asked that the southern half retain the old name — Union township — while the northern half, which contained the important village of Kingsbury, was to be known as Washington township.

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The unwieldy size of the old township, diverse interests and important differences of opinion concerning the construction of new school buildings, bridges and ditches, were the reasons given for the division of the township. The county commissioners granted the petition and thus the new Township of Washington was formed. Its history has already been related in the story of Union Township and in 1925 the assessed valuation of real, personal and corporation property was $2,372,313; of steam and electric railroad property, $1,027,460; of telegraph and telephone property, $34,403.

PORTER COUNTY.

As related previously the county commissioners in April, 1836, divided Porter County into the ten townships of Lake, Jackson, Washington, Pleasant, Boone, Center, Liberty, Waverly, Portage and Union. From time to time changes were made in the boundary lines of these townships and new ones were created. In June, 1836, the citizens of Lake and Waverly townships petitioned the county commissioners for the union of the two townships and the petition was granted and Lake and Waverly townships were united into one township under the name of Westchester. In 1838 all of the territory of Porter County west of the marsh, dividing Morgan and Horse Prairie and between the line dividing townships 33 and 34 and the line dividing townships 34 and 35 was organized as Fish Lake Township. In 1841 the name was changed to Porter. In the same year, township 37 and fractional township 38 was taken from Westchester and erected into a new township called Berry, but this action of the board was later rescinded on petition of many residents of Westchester Township and the territory set aside as Berry Township was restored to Westchester. In 1847 sections one to six, inclusive, and township 36 with all of township 37 and fractional township 38 in range five were taken to form a new township called Calumet. In the same year Westchester Township was reduced in size and the sections taken from it were attached to Portage Township. In 1850 Essex Township was created by taking a strip one and a half miles wide off the east side of Morgan Township. The township was named after Commodore David Porter’s famous war vessel, Essex, which he commanded in 1812. After its creation its boundaries were rearranged and the township altered in size. Pine Township was established in 1852, the territory being taken from Westchester. In 1880, on petition of citizens of Essex and Morgan townships, Essex was abolished and its territory added to Morgan. The history of the present townships follow:

BOONE.

Boone Township was created in 1836 and its boundary lines changed on several occasions. Its area is approximately thirty-six square miles

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and includes fine prairie land and considerable reclaimed land from the shores of the Kankakee. It formerly had fine groves of timber which has largely disappeared and the entire township is under cultivation. The first permanent settlers were Jesse Johnson, Isaac Cornell and Simeon Bryant who located in the township in 1836. They were followed the next year by Thomas Dinwiddie, Absolom Morris, Orrie Jewett, Solomon and James Dilley. At a little later period John Prin, Thomas Johnson, Jennings Johnson, Frederick Wineinger, William Bissel, George Eisley, William Johnson, A. D. McCord, John Moore, John W. Dinwiddie, John Oliver, Amos Andrews, Joseph Land, T. C. Sweeney and E. W. Palmer established themselves in the township. The first election in the township in 1836 was held at the house of Jesse Johnson, seven votes being cast and Jesse Johnson was elected justice of the peace. At a later election the same year John W. Dinwiddie was elected justice of the peace. He received the entire seven votes cast. The first death in the township was that of Harriet Dinwiddie in 1837. In 1837 a log school house was erected and school was taught for a short period during the winter. In July, 1838, a Presbyterian church was organized, it being the first church organized in the county. A larger school house was built in 1840 near the present town of Hebron. Another school house was erected in 1842. Among some of the early teachers were Mary Crossman, Ellen Hemes, Amos Andrews, James Turner, Eliza Russell, Sarah Richards, Rhoda Wallace, George Espy and Alex. Hamilton. An attempt to levy a special tax for the support of free schools in the township was defeated in 1853, four voting for the proposition and ten against it. Until the arrival of the railroad the township increased in population very slowly, but was very much stimulated thereafter and the town of Hebron became a growing center of trade. A man named Bagley built the first dwelling in Hebron which had its beginning in 1844. In 1845 a postoffice was located there and in 1846 Samuel Alyea built the second house and put in a small stock of general merchandise. Later he erected a larger store building and formed a partnership with E. W. Palmer. By a series of additions the village slowly grew in size until 1864 when the railroad was completed to the township. The first brick building was erected by Daniel Sigler for a residence, and Sweeney & Son built the first brick business block in 1875. The first hotel was opened by Samuel McCune in 1849. In 1865 Burrell Pratt opened another hotel known as the Pratt House and later the name was changed to the Bates House. The first newspaper, called the Free Press, was started at Hebron by H. R. Gregory in 1878, but later was removed to Lowell, Lake County, its name having been changed to Local News, prior to its removal. The first physician was Dr. John K. Blackstone, who was followed by Dr. S. R. Pratt, Dr. Andrew J. Sparks and Doctor Sales. The Methodists formed a congregation in the latter part of 1837 and the old style Presbyterian in 1860. The Union

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Mission Church came into being in 1877, and a Congregational church in 1882. In 1886 the town was incorporated. Hebron is a live community and all the prominent national secret orders, fraternal and beneficiary organizations are represented there. Among the business institutions are the Citizens Bank, Hebron Telephone Company, Hebron News, The Commercial Hotel, general stores and other institutions usually found in the trading center of a farming community. Boone Township enjoys transportation facilities through the Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad Company which operates a double track line through the township. The assessed valuation of Hebron in 1925 was $880,520. In 1925 the total valuation, not including Hebron, was $3,250,380.

CENTER.

Center Township was organized in 1836 and a number of changes have been made in its original boundary. Its area is about thirty square miles and the territory is undulating. It is situated on the high point of the Moraine and has several beautiful lakes, the origin of which is fully described in the chapter on geology. Agriculture is the principal industry of the township and the crops are of the same general character throughout the county. Seth Hull was the first white settler in Center Township, establishing his location in 1833. Shortly after Thomas A. E. Campbell made a location near Hull’s but Hull and Campbell sold their claims and left the county about 1835. Benjamin McCarty settled in the township in 1834 and also in the same year came Ruel Starr, Philander A. Paine, Charles Minnick, J. J. Ballard, C. A. Ballard, Alanson Finney and Samuel Shigley. Mr. Shigley built the first saw mill in the township shortly after his arrival. In the first election held in 1836 there were three candidates for justice of the peace, Ruel Starr, G. Z. Salyer, and John McConnell. Thirteen votes were polled, Ruel Starr receiving nine votes, and was declared elected. In an election for a second justice of the peace held in the same year fifteen votes were cast and G. Z. Salyer received eight and was declared elected. In the presidential election in November. 1836, General Harrison received fifty-nine votes and Martin VanBuren forty-five. The population of the county was increasing rapidly and in 1840, four years after the first election, the total number of votes cast was 287. Richard Henthorne and Jane Spurlock were married by the Rev. Cyrus Spurlock on May 5, 1836, it being the first marriage in the township. In 1838 a wool carding mill was erected just south of Valparaiso by a man named Kinsey, and a second carding mill was erected shortly afterwards by Jacob Axe on Salt Creek. William Cheney built a flour mill for William Sage in 1840. Truman Freeman formed a partnership with William Cheney in 1852 and built a flour mill just south of Valparaiso, the site of which is now within the corporation limits of that city. A steam

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tannery was put in operation in 1864 but was destroyed by fire ten years later. There are six school districts in the township and the schools have an excellent standing. In the history of Valparaiso which will be found under cities and towns the further history of the township will be found. In 1925 the assessed valuation of Center Township not including Valparaiso was $3,435,630.

JACKSON.

Jackson Township has an area of about twenty-seven square miles. It originally had a very heavy growth of timber, but like in other counties it has almost disappeared. Situated on the Moraine Belt, the soil seems better adapted for fruit growing and stock raising although in some parts good crops of wheat, oats and corn are raised. Like other counties which lie in the Moraine Belt, the surface is hilly and in some places broken and there are a few small lakes of glacial origin. By some it is claimed the county was named in honor of an old settler, Lemuel Jackson, although others claim it was named after Andrew Jackson, President of the United States when Porter County was organized. As early as 1834, Asahel K. Paine located a claim and built the first cabin in the township. Mr. Paine was shortly after followed by John P. Noble, H. E. Woodruff, Calvin Crawford, Joseph Wright, Johnson Crawford, Samuel Olinger, Lemuel Jackson, E. Castile, William Barnard, Benjamin Maleby and William Eaton. In 1836 the first election for justice of the peace was held at the house of Asahel K. Paine and H. E. Woodruff was elected. In December, 1836, a special election was held at the house of William Eaton to choose a successor to Henry Jackson who had resigned his position as associate justice. Seneca Ball was elected to fill the vacancy, receiving all of the forty votes cast in the election. Many locations were made by settlers the next few years and various enterprises established. A man named Page established a tavern near the Page marsh in 1836 which was discontinued shortly after being opened. Jesse McCord established a blacksmith shop near Clear Lake in 1837. Lemuel Jackson shortly after his arrival built a sawmill which was in operation about 1835 and did a good business for a number of years. Sawmills were also established by Samuel Olinger and Abraham Hall in 1838. A distillery was started by a man named Knox on Coffee Creek and it was in continuous service for many years. Although school was taught at an earlier period the first regular schoolhouse was not erected until 1838 with Jane Jones as the first teacher. In 1846 a second and more pretentious schoolhouse was erected. The town grew slowly but steadily and a large part of the available agricultural land was under cultivation. The village of Jackson Center had a postoffice established there in 1856. E. H. Johnson was the first postmaster. Steamburg was another small village which came into being

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close to the LaPorte County line, but when the Baltimore and Ohio railroad established a railroad station at Coburg in Washington Township nearby in 1875 Steamburg ceased to exist. Sumanville was a railroad station established by the Baltimore and Ohio railroad and a postoffice was established there with Col. I. C. B. Suman as postmaster. Burdick is the most important center of trade in the township. It has the only postoffice. It is located on the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern railroad, has a public school and the usual small village industries. The township has good railroad communication as the Wabash crosses it on the east, the Baltimore and Ohio enters it on the south and the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern crosses the northern section. Jackson Township is a strictly rural community and for that reason its population has practically remained stationary. The total valuation of Jackson Township in 1925 was $2,631,950.

LIBERTY.

Liberty Township was created in 1836 and has an area of twenty-five square miles. Like other sections of Porter County, the land was heavily timbered but very little now remains. It has a few small lakes and is watered by Coffee and Salt creeks. Owen Crumpacker is said to have been the first settler in the township in 1834. He was followed by William Downing, Jerry Todhunter, John Dillingham, E. P. Cole, William Gosset, George Hesing, Asa Zane, Ira Biggs, David Hughart, Solomon Habanz, John White, Abraham Snodgrass, Frederick Wolf, John Sefford, William Calhoun, Daniel Kesler and others. The first saw and grist mill was erected by William Gosset on Salt Creek in 1836 and he also erected the first frame house in the township, which was used for a church and a schoolhouse. A sorrowful event took place in the fall of 1835 when William Hughart’s wife died from shock on account of the visit of some drunken Indians. They tried to enter his home but his wife barred the door. Unable to enter the Indians hacked the door with their tomahawks but left without obtaining entrance. This affair aroused great indignation among the settlers and it was long unsafe for an Indian to be found in that neighborhood. The first marriage was that of Elizabeth Zane to William Hughart in 1836. The first election in Liberty Township took place on April 30, 1836. Peter Ritter received thirteen votes and Thomas J. Wyatt received three votes for justice of the peace and Mr. Ritter was declared elected. Peter Ritter and Samuel Olinger and William Thomas were appointed at this election to lay out a road from Casteel’s mill on Coffee Creek to Gosset’s mill on Salt Creek, and this old road is still in existence. The old Valparaiso and Michigan City plank road was built in 1851 and is now a part of the Valparaiso and Chesterton macadamized highway. The first school in the township was taught by Mrs.

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Sophia Dye in 1836. Another school was held in another section of the township the following year and in 1838 a log schoolhouse was built but it was not until 1856 that the first frame schoolhouse was erected. The county has excellent railway transportation facilities, it being crossed by the Baltimore and Ohio, the Wabash and the Elgin, Joliet and Eastern railroads. The principal village in the township is Woodville, a station on the Baltimore and Ohio railroad. It is a small population and the only postoffice in the county. Crocker is another village located at the junction of the Wabash and the Elgin, Joliet and Eastern railroad. Like other rural townships the population remains about the same and there has been no material change in many years. The total valuation in 1925 was $2,669,580.

MORGAN.

Morgan township was early located and named after Isaac Morgan, one of the first settlers. Among those who made very early locations on or about 1837 were Benjamin Spencer, George, Jacob and John Schultz, John Baum, Abraham Stoner, Samuel and Abraham VanDalsen, Lyman and Elisha Adkins, John G. Keller, Thomas Wilkins, N. S. Fairchild, Archie DeMunn, Elias Cain, John Berry, William Minton, Stephen Bartholomew, Thomas Adams, Miller Parker, Enos Arnold, G. W. Patten, and John E. Harris. It cannot be definitely learned when the first wedding took place, nor when the first white child was born, but the first death occurred in the winter of 1835. A man named Agnew was frozen to death in a snowstorm in trying to join his family who were at David Bryant’s place at Pleasant Grove in Lake County. Tassinong seems to have been the first center of trade in the county and a store was established there by Jesse Harper about 1839. A postoffice was located at Tassinong Grove in 1840 which was afterwards removed to Tassinong. It remained a small trading center for many years with two blacksmith shops, and some other small industries. In 1855 the Presbyterians established a church there although the building was open for service to any denomination. When the Chicago, Cincinnati and Louisville Railroad came through the township, like other villages off of the railroad, Tassinong began to decline and the town of Malden located on the railroad became a thriving little shipping and trading center. Rural free delivery has caused the closing of nearly all post offices in country districts with the exception of the more important trading centers and there is but one postoffice in the township. Just when and where the first school was located in the township is not clear, although a schoolhouse was erected at an early date east of the present town of Malden and another one was erected at Tassinong. Morgan Township has two railroad lines, the Chesapeake and Ohio and the New York, Chicago and St. Louis (Nickel Plate). The population of the county has been practically the same for

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many years. In 1925 the total valuation of Morgan Township was $2,849,530.

PINE.

Pine Township was organized in 1853 and is said to have been named on account of the large amount of pine timber which formerly existed in the northern part of the county. In the early days the township was famous for its timber and game abounded. As would be expected in a section so highly favored with timber, saw mills existed long before the organization of the county, but these have since gone to decay. Several charcoal kilns were in operation and a cheese factory was established in the early ’80s and has been in operation continuously. It is uncertain just when the first schoolhouse was erected but it appears to have been about 1852, and a second schoolhouse was built in 1854. These were frame structures and the first brick schoolhouse was not erected until 1883. The township has the benefit of three steam railroads, the Michigan Central, the Pere Marquette, and the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern. The population is very small and it is doubtful if it will exceed 600. In 1925 the total valuation was $3,248,940.

PLEASANT.

Pleasant Township was established in 1836 and is the largest township in the county, its area being about fifty-six square miles. It is watered by the Sandyhook and Crooked creeks which flow into the Kankakee River at the southern boundary of the township. The Kankakee marshes on the southern boundary were for years a favorite hunting ground for the Indians. John Sherwood is said to have been the first white settler locating in the township with his family in 1834, and William Trinkle, John Jones, Henry Adams, William Billings, John and Joseph Bartholomew, Enoch Billings, Martin Reed, Morris and James Witham, Lewis Comer, John Adams, Charles Allen, Luke Asher, Kisel Coghill, Oliver Coles located in the next year or two. The first election was held at the house of Henry Adams in 1836, Lewis Comer received eleven votes, the total number cast for justice of the peace, and was declared elected. At a later election in 1836 Seneca Ball received nine votes for associate judge and John Adams the same number for justice of the peace.

The first white child born was Henry Trinkle on December 2, 1835. He was the son of William and Gillie Ann Trinkle. The first marriage was that of a Miss Jones to Alexander Wright in 1839 and the first death was that of Jeremiah Sherwood. In 1838 a small log schoolhouse was erected which was followed by a still larger schoolhouse shortly after. About 1847 the first frame schoolhouse was erected. The principal industry is agriculture and the soil is very fertile. Pleasant Township has

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shared in the benefits derived from the reclamation of the Kankakee marshes and the reclaimed land yields the most abundant crops. The Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad, the Chicago and Erie Railroad and the Chicago and Eastern Illinois railroad cross the township, so that it has excellent transportation facilities. Kouts is the only center of importance for trade. It is located at the junction of the Erie and Panhandle Railroad. In the early days it was a great center for hunting and fishing and sportsmen came long distances in the spring and fall to enjoy shooting in the marshes. The town was laid out by Bernard Kouts when the Panhandle was completed and when the Erie reached the city it materially added stimulus and activity to the life of: the village. A postoffice was established there in 1865 with H. A. Wright postmaster. Mr. Kouts erected the first business block and others quickly followed. The Kouts Creamery was established in 1912 and the Betterton Milling Company established a saw and feed mill there. Mr. Kouts made a number of efforts to establish manufacturing enterprises and was an active and farsighted business man. The Porter County Bank renders good banking facilities to the growing village and the township has had a sure and steady growth in population. A Catholic, Christian and Evangelical church are located in Kouts. The assessed valuation of Kouts in 1925 was $974,000. The total valuation of Pleasant Township not including Kouts was $5,012,280.

PORTAGE.

Portage Township was created in 1836 and contains about thirty-six square miles. It borders on Lake Michigan on the north and sand hills with the Little Calumet River valley reduced the agricultural area to the southern section. This prairie is watered by Salt Creek and its tributary streams. The township was first settled in 1834 by Jacob Wolf, Berret Dorr and Reuben Hurlburt. George and Janies Spurlock and Wilfred Parrott made locations later in the same year. They were followed by Benjamin James, S. P. Robbins, Walker McCool, Thomas J. Field, Henry Herold, Griffin and William Holbert, Daniel Whitacre, Francis Spencer, J. G. Herring, George Hume, William Frame, John Hageman, Jacob Blake, Henry Battan, John Lyons and James Connet. The first election was held in April, 1836, twenty-nine votes being cast. The first marriage in the township is said to have been a Miss Dorr to Henry Herald in 1837. The first schoolhouse was built in 1840 and a second schoolhouse shortly after was erected in another part of the township. Some of the early teachers were N. E. Yost, M. L. Ferris, W. E. Hawthorne, Lottie Hewitt and Minnie Spencer. Crisman, named after B. G. Crisman, is located on the Michigan Central Railroad. It is a small center of trade and has postoffice facilities. For many years the only

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store in the township was located in Crisman, it having been established by Isaac Crisman, but afterwards changed ownership a number of times. McCool and Dune Park are small centers of trade with railroad communication. The Lake Shore and Michigan Southern, the Michigan Central, the Wabash, the Elgin, Joliet and Eastern, the Baltimore and Ohio, the Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne and Chicago steam railroads, and the Chicago, Lake Shore and South Bend electric line crosses it. As Portage Township is on the line of manufacturing developments along the southern shore of Lake Michigan it is likely to some day share in the industrial prosperity of the territory farther west on the Lake Shore. In 1925 the total valuation of Portage Township was $7,012,710.

PORTER.

Porter Township was created in 1836 and its boundary lines have been materially changed since originally created. It now has an area of about forty-five square miles. The first locations in the township were made in 1834 and 1835. Among the settlers of that period were Samuel and Isaac Campbell, Newton Frame, David Hurlburt, Isaac Edwards, William McCoy, Ezra Reeves, Morris Carman, Dr. L. A. Cass, William A. Nichols, J. C. Hathaway, William Frakes. Alpheus French, Henry W. Wilson, A. M. Bartel, Jonathan Hough, Wm. C. Shreve, Edmund Hatch, David Dinwiddie, Moses and Horatia Gates, William Robinson, Richard Jones, and Asa Cobb. The first school in the township is said to have been taught by Mrs. Humphrey at her home about 1838. The first postoffice in the township was established at Porter Crossroads in 1844 and was discontinued about 1865. Postoffices were later located at Boone Grove and Hurlburt. Boone Grove is an old settlement and when the Chicago and Erie Railroad reached the village it began to grow. Hurlburt came into existence after the completion of the Chicago and Erie Railroad and is said to have been named alter David Hurlburt, one of the pioneer settlers. Both Hurlburt and Boone Grove are shipping points for rich agricultural sections. Alpheus French was the first Baptist minister and preached the first sermon in the township which now has Presbyterian, Christian and Methodist churches. Porter Township is purely an agricultural township and as such is very highly regarded and has some very prosperous farms. It enjoys railroad communication through the. Chicago and Erie and also the Chesapeake and Ohio. In 1925 the total valuation of Porter Township was $3,429,960.

UNION.

Union Township was created in 1836 and contains about thirty square miles. As it is located on the Morainic belt its surface is rolling and somewhat broken and the soil is better adapted for grazing than for other

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purposes. It is watered by Salt Creek and its branches and while originally had some marsh land this has been drained and brought under' cultivation. The township was settled about 1834 or 1835 and among those who first settled were Wm. P. Blachly, Benjamin McCarty, James Walton, John G. Forbes, Sylvester Forbes, Andrew and Joseph Wilson, Joseph Willey, George W. Turner, E. W. and Noah Fowts and Lewis Walton. The first election in 1836 was held at the residence of George W. Turner. Fifteen votes was the total number cast, all for Joseph Willey for justice of the peace. While the pioneers generally in Porter County townships suffered many inconveniences, they were fortunate by comparison with the pioneers of Union Township who were far removed from grist mills and were obliged to use the most primitive implements in their agricultural pursuits. The first frame house in the township was erected by Thomas Snow on the old Sauk trail in 1833 and he also kept a small stock of goods. In 1835 Oliver Shepherd became the owner and he put on his building a sign, “The Hoosier’s Nest.” It is not known where or when the first school was held. The township today enjoys excellent school facilities. Alpheus French, a Baptist minister, who preached the first sermon in Porter Township is also said to be the first minister, preaching religious sermons in Union Township, holding services in a grove at Blachly’s Corners. Rev. Jacob Colclasier, a Methodist missionary, is said to have held the first Methodist services in the townshipin 1840. The Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne and Chicago, the Grand Trunk and the Chesapeake and Ohio railroads cross Union Township. Wheeler is the only center of trade in the township. It came into being with the arrival of the Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne and Chicago Railroad in 1858. Like most of the rural townships the population has been about stationary for many years. In 1925 the total valuation of Union Township was $3,713,090.

WASHINGTON.

Washington township was created in 1836 and has an area of about thirty square miles. Located on the Moraine it has all the characteristics of that section of Porter County, the soil being more particularly adapted to grazing. As part of its territory includes Morgan prairie it has some very fine farms in that section. William Morgan is claimed to have been the first settler in 1833 and later in the year came Adam S. Campbell, Isaac Morgan, Rufus Van Pool and Reason Bell, all of whom made locations upon Morgan prairie. About 1834 and 1835 the original settlers were joined by Samuel Flint, Jacob Coleman, James Blair, Isaac Werninger, James Baum, Ruel Starr, David S. Holland, Benjamin Saylor, Levi Chamberton, Seth Winslow, W. B. Smith, Michael and Andrew Ault, George B. Cline, Joseph Todd, Henry Rinker, Anthony Boggs, Robert Fleming, John Shinabarger, Peter Cline, Joseph Brewer and Clark

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Babcock. The first election was held in April, 1836, when sixty votes were cast. Henry Rinker was declared elected justice of the peace, receiving 23 votes, W. M. Smith 20 votes, and Peter Cline 17 votes. The first white child born in the township was Reason Bell, Jr., in 1833, and as mentioned in another chapter he was the first white child born in the territory afterwards designated as Porter County. A tavern was opened by David Oakes in 1834 and another tavern was started by John Shinabarger in 1836. The first store was opened by Isaac Morgan in a double log house erected in 1834. Andrew Ault opened the first general store in 1836 being a licensed liquor dealer as well, retail license fee being $10. The first school was taught by Mary Hammond in the winter of 1835 and 1836 and the first schoolhouse was erected in 1836. Among early teachers were Thomas Campbell, Nancy Trim, and Dr. Pagin. Washington Township has four railroad lines, the Grand Trunk, the Baltimore and Ohio, the Pittsburg, Fort Wayne and Chicago, and the New York, Chicago and St. Louis. Coburg near the north boundary and on the Baltimore and Ohio is a small trading center of that section. The population of the county is very small and has been practically stationary for about forty years. In 1925 the total valuation of Washington Township was $3,861,710.

WESTCHESTER.

Westchester Township as mentioned in a previous chapter was created by a union of Lake and Waverly townships. Its boundaries have been changed from time to time until it now has an area of about twenty-three square miles. As its northern border is the shore of Lake Michigan the northern section of the county is largely sand hills, but the southern portion has a fertile soil and well adapted to agriculture. It formerly had a very large growth of timber but portable sawmills have used up nearly all the native timber suitable for lumber. It was in this township that Joseph Bailly first located on the Calumet River in 1822 at the place later known as Bailly Town. In another chapter will be found a most interesting story of the “Old Bailly Homestead,” by Hon. John O. Bowers of Gary. In 1833 Jesse Morgan located in the township and his daughter Hannah was born in 1834. She was the first white child born in the township and the following year William Gosset, Jacob Beck, John Hageman, John Foster, William Frame and Pressley Warnick made locations and brought their families. A short time later came Eli Hendricks, Elhanan Ranks, William Coleman and Alfred Marvin. The first marriage was that of Esther Bailly to Col. John H. Whistler and the first death was that of her brother in 1827. It is said the first school was taught at the home of Jesse Morgan in the winter of 1833 and 1834 and it is said that in 1835 a school was taught near the present town of Chesterton. The

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citizens in the township have been generous in their support of public schools and they now have an excellent public school system with a very fine high school at Chesterton. As early as 1835 the Town of Waverly was surveyed and a considerable sum spent in making improvements, but the original buildings were destroyed by fire. The Town of City West was located near the mouth of Fort Creek about 1835 but failed to attain any growth. Porter was started on the completion of the Michigan Central Railroad and it had a post office until 1872 when it was removed to Hageman, but the following year it was again established at Porter. The newer town of Porter was incorporated in 1908 and at that time was said to have a population of nearly 600. Chesterton is the largest town in the township and next to Valparaiso is the largest in the county. It was originally known as Coffee Creek and a postoffice was established there as early as 1833. The name was changed from Coffee Creek to Calumet. When the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railroad was completed in 1852 it had about sixty inhabitants. The first house in the present Town of Chesterton was a hotel known as the Sieger House and erected by Luther French. In 1874 the first brick building was erected by Young and Wolf. Another hotel known as the Northern Indiana House was built by Leroy Brown in 1855 and about the same period the Central Hotel was moved from City West to Calumet. It was in the early ’80s that the name of the village of Calumet was changed to Chesterton, although not until 1899 was the Town of Chesterton regularly incorporated. At that time it had a population of more than 700 and it is now claimed to be nearly three times this amount. It is generally recognized as a live community. Many of the secret orders have local lodges there and a bank with a capital of $25,000 renders excellent banking facilities. It has well appointed stores and Catholic, Methodist, Lutheran and Swedish Methodist churches. Also a progressive, well edited newspaper the Chesterton Tribune which for forty years was under the management of A. J. Bowser, now of Valparaiso, who recently sold his interest and retired from business. The assessed valuation of Chesterton in 1925 was $2,361,100. Porter was incorporated in 1908 with a population of about 500. It has a commercial club, a large general store, many other mercantile establishments and small industries. There is one Congregational and three Lutheran churches established there. The assessed valuation of Porter Town in 1925 was $1,437,560. Westchester Township has a number of railroads, the Michigan Central, and Lake Shore, and Michigan Southern, the Elgin, Joliet and Eastern and the Pere Marquette steam railroads, with the Chicago, Lake Shore and South Bend electric line all cross the township. The total valuation of Westchester Township not including Chesterton and Portertown in 1925 was $4,606,940.

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LAKE COUNTY.

CALUMET.

Calumet Township was created in 1883 from the western sections of the old North Township and some northern sections of Ross and St. John townships. The village of Ross which was formerly in Ross Township and from which it obtained its name was included within the boundaries of Calumet Township. It is generally accepted that William Ross was the first real settler in Lake County and as the old location is now a part of Calumet township he was therefore the first settler in the Calumet Township territory. The early history of this township territory is a part of the history of Ross, St. John and the old North townships and matters pertaining to its early history will be found in the history of the townships mentioned.

Calumet Township was the heart of the Grand and Little Calumet hunting and trapping grounds and as an industrial section its history begins with the City of Gary. The old Town of Tolleston which was the home of the Tolleston Gun Club and is now a part of Gary, was laid out in 1857. The founders of Tolleston were German Lutheran families who settled there in 1856. In 1857 the Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne and Chicago Railroad was built through the settlement and as it gave promise of growth a postoffice was established in 1860. The town grew very slowly and the workers in the Tolleston community found employment at Hammond and in the New Stock Yards which at that period covered much of the present site of Gary. As a result of the growth of Gary since 1906 a number of small communities have been established outside the Gary city limits, and eventually will become a part of Gary. The workers in these communities are employed at Gary, East Chicago and Hammond.

Griffith is in the extreme southwestern corner of Calumet Township and several railroads cross at this point. Griffith was a boom town in the early ’90s, but it failed in the growth expected by its promoters. It was a small community and largely the home of railroad employees but it is now enjoying substantial progress and must eventually be absorbed by Gary. The assessed valuation of Griffith in 1925 was $3,382,645, and the valuation of Calumet Township not including Griffith and Gary was $2,979,075.

CENTRE.

On account of the Sac trail going through Centre Township it is a somewhat moot question who were the first white persons in the township. It is known that a family named Farwell from Vermont seeking a home in the West spent a few days at the present site of Crown Point in the early part of July, 1833, but continued their journey west to Illinois,

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finally returning in 1836 and locating on West Creek. An attempt at settlement was made just before 1834 as described in the chapter devoted to the early history of Lake County, but the first permanent settlement was made by Thomas Childers near School Grove in October, 1834. Later in the month Solon Robinson arrived and was the first permanent settler upon the site of Crown Point. He was later joined by Henry Wells and Luman A. Fowler who bought the Huntley claims and cabins located the previous year.

In Solon Robinson’s story of the first twelve years of Lake County is related the journey of William Clark and his family coming in wagons from the Wabash in February, 1835, as showing some of the privations and experiences encountered by early settlers. The family were caught in a severe snow storm near the Kankakee River and with the greatest difficulty and suffering, continued their way in the direction of Crown Point. The marshes south of the Kankakee were covered with ice and night overtook them while endeavoring to get across. The weather had been very mild when they started on their journey and they were unprepared for camping out and one of the most severe cold nights was closing in upon them.

They were surrounded by a wide field of ice upon which the already frightened and tired oxen refused to go further and not a tree or stick of firewood was near them. They providentially discovered some logs which had been hauled out upon a little knoll near them, evidently intended for the building of a cabin. A fire was built with the logs and a tent made of the covering of their wagons which gave shelter from the blast which swept over the wide prairie. The next day by diverging ten miles from their course they reached a miserable little hut of an old Frenchman named Shobar who lived with his half Indian family on the Kankakee.

So severe was the weather that they dared not leave their quarters for two days and had to make a road for the oxen across the river by spreading hay upon the ice and freezing it down by pouring on water. The oxen broke through the ice at West Creek and were extricated only after hard labor. Night was coming on and the way was uncertain when to their great joy they came to a guide board with the welcome information: “To Solon Robinson’s five miles north.” The oxen were hurried forward on their journey and late in the night the worn out and half frozen travelers received a hearty welcome around the roaring fireplace in the cabin of Solon Robinson.

The latter part of the initial winter of the settlement in 1834 and 1835 was very severe, the cold weather extending far into the spring and most of the oxen and cows which had been brought to the settlement starved to death or perished with cold. The family of Luman Wells were

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obliged to make a supper of a huge owl and were on the point of roasting a wolf when a supply of provisions arrived. Without proper implements to turn the prairie sod the early settlers turned to old Indian cornfields for garden spots until breaking plows could be obtained.

After the organization of the county in 1837 Milo Robinson and Horace Taylor were elected justices of the peace. The death of Milo Robinson on January 1, 1839, was the first at Crown Point. He had been operating a tavern and was succeeded by Luman A. Fowler who was in turn succeeded by H. S. Pelton who operated the Pelton House until 1846. As the settlements grew the usual industries and trades associated with small communities were established. A temperance society was organized in



1841 by Solon Robinson. Norman Warriner and Hervey Ball, and a big celebration was held on the Fourth of July of that year which was attended by more than 300 men, women and children. A man named Mills erected a large tavern building in 1842 with a store in one end and a saloon in the other and it afterwards became well known as the Rockwell House.

In 1847 Solon Robinson summed up the business of Crown Point as follows: a Presbyterian and Methodist church, two stores owned by H. S. Pelton and William Allton, one hotel owned by Joseph Jackson, one small school house, four physicians, three ministers, two lawyers, blacksmiths, carpenters, etc. The number of families were thirty and the total population about 150. Lewis and Dwyer erected a large two-story frame

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grist mill in 1852. A sawmill was built beside the grist mill but there was insufficient patronage for the mills at Crown Point and they did not long operate. A wagon and carriage factory was founded in 1860 by Joseph Hack and his output was about fifty vehicles each year. This business was continued over a long period and a high quality of work was produced at the plant. A sash and blind factory was started in 1867 and had a prosperous existence for some years.

Harriet Holton taught school at her home in Crown Point during the winter of 1835 and ’36 with three scholars in attendance. In 1846 fifty scholars were in attendance at the frame schoolhouse which had been erected some years previously. The building of a brick schoolhouse of size and appearance was agitated and through the gift of $1,000 by the Sons of Temperance and contributions from other sources, the building was completed. There were four rooms in the building and it proved very satisfactory for school purposes for some time. In 1871 the board of directors of Crown Point purchased the Institute, a private educational institution and it was an important acquisition to the school facilities of the growing community. In 1879 the need of a large and modern school building was apparent and it was authorized to be erected in 1880 at a cost not to exceed $18,000, with a seating capacity of not less than 600 pupils. When finally completed the cost was far more than originally intended but it was a fine structure and a credit to the city.

Grown Point has grown slowly but steadily in population and wealth and is a modern municipality. Its sons and daughters have contributed much to the upbuilding of Lake County and are some of the most influential citizens in Hammond and Gary. The assessed valuation of Crown Point in 1925 was $4,542,440, and the valuation of Centre Township outside of Crown Point was $5,135,045.

CEDAR CREEK.

In 1839 the county commissioners ordered that the original South Township be divided into three townships and Cedar Creek was one of the three created. The southern part of the territory was included in the Kankakee marsh region but the wonderful reclamation projects which have been carried to conclusion in that section have made the former marshes some of the most productive farms in Lake County. The beauty and fertility of Lake Prairie and its great possibilities for homes proved a great attraction to early settlers who made locations in this section as early as 1835.

Among the settlers who arrived in the first few years were Robert Wilkinson, Samuel Halstead, Peter Surprize, Thomas Childers, John Dille, Samuel, Elias and Wayne Bryant, Jesse Cross, John Keller, Joseph Chil-

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ders, John Driscoll, Jonathan Mendenhall, Abraham Nichols, William A. Purdy, John Smith, John Greseal, William Wells, John Distal, John Kile, Reason Kile, John H. Martin, John Kitchel, Nelson Smith, Abram and Horatio Nichols, Jabez Clark, Abraham Lafley, Ira Babcock, Obadiah, Adonijah and Horace Taylor, Ephram Cleveland, Hosea Catlin, Philo Eno, James H. Sanger, Buel Dilly, Hiram Dilly, Addison Clarke, George L. Zebriske, Joseph A. Clarke, William Philbrick, Alexander Hamilton, John Ebbins, Rev. Robert Hyde, H. C., Leander, Adin and John N. Sanger, Alex. McDonald, John Watkins, Shepherd Stephens, John Nephis and Thomas Wells.

Their life was similar to that of the original pioneers in other sections of Northern Indiana and only the spirit of cooperation made it possible to stand the hardships of the first few years. The winters of 1835 and 1836 and 1842 and 1843 were unusually severe and great privations were endured by the settlers. The first birth was that of a child to Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Childers in 1835 and the first death also occurred in Mr. Childers’ family, a girl dying in the same year. The first store was opened by John Dilly near Lowell in 1837, but was in operation only a short time. The first sawmill was built by Israel Taylor in 1837.

That the township was enjoying some growth is shown by the attendance at the first Fourth of July celebration in 1842 where it was estimated 300 took part in the celebration. DeForest Warner started a store at Orchard Grove about 1850 which was continued for a number of years and the postoffice was located in his store. A cheese factory was started in 1878 by Warren Carter and Company of Chicago. It was in litigation shortly after it started operations and finally came into the control of G. W. Hanaley and J. M. Kenney who conducted it for a number of years. In 1839 Benjamin McCarty built a sawmill on Cedar Creek, northeast of Lowell, which was operated for some time, the grinding of wheat being a later addition to the business of the mill. It was partly washed away in 1873 but was rebuilt by H. A. Carson in 1874 and he managed it for some years.

The first school is said to have been held in the dwelling of Thomas Childers and taught by Richard Canon. A second school was later held east of Lowell in a building owned by Simon Sanger. John Robinson is said to have taught school in 1839 at the dwelling of Ephraim Cleveland. The district school was established in 1848 near Lowell and Emily LaFlar is said to have been the first teacher. As the population increased, better school facilities were established in the various school districts although there was no brick schoolhouse excepting at Lowell before 1880. Cedar Creek Township is a purely agricultural section with Lowell as its principal center of business.

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Lowell is a live community and a center of trade for the southern section of Lake County. The assessed valuation of Lowell in 1925 was $1,329,350. Shelby is an enterprising village on the Monon Railroad and is a shipping center of importance to the township. It is in the heart of a district noted for its production of hay and there are many large and well managed dairy farms in its vicinity. It was named after William R. Shelby who laid out the village in 1836. It has the usual lines of business associated with a small progressive community. The assessed valuation of Cedar Creek not including Lowell was $3,855,615 in 1925.

HOBART.

Hobart Township was named after the Town of Hobart which received its name from George Earle whose brother's name was Hobart. It was created by the county commissioners in 1849. The region was originally covered with a very heavy growth of timber but like in other counties in the northern tier, this has long since been cut off. The northern portion of the township is very sandy and to some extent sand 'is found in other parts of the township. It is watered by Deep River and some of its small tributaries.

Liverpool was the first settlement in the township but it is now a memory and its history will be found in the chapter devoted to early Lake County history. The town was purchased by George Earle of Philadelphia in 1836 as well as a large section of country around it. A store was opened in Liverpool in 1840 by a man named Phillips and under successive owners the store was maintained for several years. The first postmaster was Abner Stilson who was succeeded by George Earle who kept the office until 1847 when it was moved to Hobart. The first hotel there was kept by William Heverland. A later hotel was kept by Murdock and Bucklin. A man named Chapman built a third hotel and it was operated by George Zuvers until the town went out of existence. A court house was partially completed but later torn down and floated down the Calumet River to Blue Island and converted into a hotel.

George Earle was the founder of Hobart and the success of the community is a credit to its founder and his son, John G. Earle, who fostered its growth from a single log cabin to a community of great importance in Lake County. In 1849 the town of Hobart was surveyed and platted by George Earle and there have been numerous additions recorded with the growth of the town. It has two steam railroads, the Pennsylvania and the Nickel Plate, also an electric railway and has grown steadily to an important center of trade. George Earle built the first log cabin dwelling and his son, John G., built a fine residence here and made it his home for a number of years. In this home he kept

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a large collection of fine paintings which attracted much attention and they were freely shown to his friends and to his visitors.

Stock raising and dairying were early industries in the northern part of the township and fine crops were raised in the Southern section. A sawmill was established at Hobart in 1845 and some years later a cheese factory was established in which excellent cheese was made. Hobart is a modern business center with two strong banks and is destined to be a large community. Its assessed valuation in 1925 was $4,983,415. Lake Station owes its existence to the building of the Michigan Central Railroad in 1852 and took its name from the county. At this point originates the Joliet cutoff. At a very early date it was a great shipping point as it



was in the center of a rich grain and livestock district, but this business was largely taken from it when other railroads were built through the territory for which Lake Station had been the only shipping point.

In 1908 the name was changed to East Gary and the old Liverpool site was included. It has become a prominent Gary suburb and must eventually become part of Gary. George and William Earle have been active in its development. The new generations of Earles, have the pioneering and development spirit of their ancestors and they have been a great constructive force in Lake County. What has been accomplished in developing East Gary is best shown by its assessed valuation in 1925 which was $2,546,285. Miller Station is located at the crossing of the Michigan Southern and Baltimore and Ohio railroads and was named

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by the Baltimore and Ohio after a wealthy German land owner in that section. At an early date it was the center of a large ice business, the ice being cut mostly on Long Lake and shipped to a Chicago Packing House during the summer season.

About thirty years ago, the Aetna Powder Works were located near Miller Station and employed a large force of men and a great many of whom built homes in Miller Station. Germans and Swedes have been the predominating element in the population. Aetna had an assessed valuation in 1925 of $231,000. New Chicago adjoining East Gary on the south, is another promising development with an assessed valuation in 1925 of $182,000. Outside of the places mentioned the balance of the county has an assessed valuation of $244,540.

NORTH.

North Township has for its northern boundary the southern shore of Lake Michigan with about twenty-five miles of its coast line. Its territory is composed of sand hills, sterile soil and numerous marshes although the latter have been undergoing reclamation and an astonishing change has been made through drainage. The first settlers were a family named Bennett who kept a tavern at the mouth of the Calumet and a year later a family named Berry kept a tavern on the Lake beach. In 1838 George Earle and Oscar L. Robinson were granted separate licenses to operate taverns. The nature of the soil not being attractive to settlers very few permanent locations were made but the taverns did a good business on account of the increasing tide of travel to Chicago and other points west.

The following information is taken from the census report made by Benj. McCarty, Assistant Marshall for Census, 8th, 9th, and 10th days of October, 1850.

North Township in 1850 included not only the present North, but also the greater part of the present Calumet and a part of the present Hobart. From Clarke Road, North Township then, continued east across the county including all territory north of the Little Calumet River and west of the Porter County line.

The total list comprised ninety-seven names in nineteen households, fifty white males, forty-six white females and one colored girl. There were six white persons over twenty who could not read or write, the colored servant at the Gibsons, Catherine Burns, not being listed as an illiterate.

In spite of the showing of “10 Farmers” the statement appears “Farms in North Township (none).”

There were recorded for North Township no “marriages within the year” and no “Scholars attending school within the year” although the county as a whole recorded thirty-four marriages for the other townships and 1,051 scholars in the schools of the other townships.

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The oldest man in the township was John Cloochy, aged 67, a trapper from the Bailly establishment and servant at Maria Gibson Tavern, while the oldest woman was Mrs. Lucy Watkins, aged 72, at the Brass Tavern. The youngest persons were the Gibson baby, Julia, aged four months, and the Scofield baby, Ira, aged eight months.

Not an adult in the township had been born in Indiana, although eighteen of the children had, the oldest native Hoosiers being the cousins, both 11 years old, Elizabeth Gibson, daughter of David Gibson and Elizabeth B. Gibson, daughter of Mrs. Maria N. Gibson.

A total real estate valuation of $2,950 is recorded for eight individuals, seven of them householders:

One weaver’s holdings valued at $50.

Two farmers’ holdings valued at $50 and $300.

Five innkeepers’ holdings valued at $50, $150, $500, $800, $1,000.

The census list shows the following thirty-two surnames with the information grouped under the nineteen householders, abstracted by members of the Gary Public Library staff from a photostat copy of the 1850 records in the possession of the library. A similar list for Hobart Township not abstracted shows 240 persons counted in forty-eight households.

Burns, Catherine — See Gibson, David, household. Probably the same colored woman recorded in the 1840 census of Lake County as in the home of Henry Gibson.
Burris, Thomas, Jane and Mary — See McCarger, James, household.
Butler, John — Farmer, aged 45, born Ohio. His wife, Eliza, born Ohio. Sons: John, aged 14, born Ohio; Newton, aged 12, born Ohio; James, aged 4, born Indiana. Daughters: Jane, aged 10, born Ohio; Emmy, aged 8, born Ohio; Caroline, aged 6, born Ohio; Ann, aged 1, born Indiana.
Brass, Allen H. — Innkeeper, aged 32, born New York; Real Estate valued at $1,000. His wife, Julia, also of New York. Daughters: Cecelia, aged 8, born New York; Olive, aged 1, born Indiana. Son: Oliver H., aged 5, born Illinois. Also: Lucy Watkins, aged 72, born Massachusetts; Oliver S. Watkins, Cooper, aged 29, born New York; Sarah Watkins, aged 20, born New York; Alice De Frees, aged 19. born Germany.
Chapin, Edwin — Laborer, aged 29, born New York. His wife, Mary, born Ohio.
Chitendon, Wm., Charles and Sylvia — See Gibson, David, household.
Cloochy, John — See Gibson, Maria N., household.
De Frees, Alice — See Brass, Allen H., household.
Denny, A. D. — Innkeeper, aged 28, born New York. His wife, Early Ann, born Canada. Real estate valued $800. Francis S. Ford, a farmer, aged 26, born New York. Demosiaz Tenant, a girl of 17, born Canada.

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Ensign, Edwin — Innkeeper, aged 31, born Ohio. Real estate valued at $50. His wife, Eveline, born New York. Daughter: Abigail, aged 5, born Indiana. Sons: Wm. H., aged 3, born Indiana; E. H., aged 1, born Indiana. Also: N. Sprague, sailor, aged 32, born Ohio.
Fleming, Reuben — See Roberts, G. M., household.
Ford, Francis — See Denny, A. D., household.
Gibson, David — Innkeeper, aged 47, born Pennsylvania. His wife, Elizabeth, born Pennsylvania. Daughter: Elizabeth, aged 11, born Indiana. Also: Colored servant, Catherine Burns, aged 25, born Ohio. Also: Wm. Chitendon, laborer, aged 33, born New York; son, Charles, aged 8, born Indiana; daughter, Sylvia, aged 4, born Indiana.
Gibson, Maria N. (widow of Thomas) — Aged 38, born Ireland. Sons: Charles C., aged 14, born Illinois; Wm. F., aged 13, born Illinois. Daughters: Elizabeth B., aged 11, born Indiana; Laura Ann, aged 8, not given; Sarah J., aged 6, born Indiana; Julia, aged 4 months, born Indiana. Also: John Cloochy, aged 67, ‘‘Occupation None,” born Canada.
Fish, Samuel — Farmer, aged 60, born New York. His wife, Catherine, born Pennsylvania. Son: Titus, laborer, aged 20, born Ohio. Daughter: Lavina, aged 17, born New York.
Graham, Miles — See Spears, Albert, household.
Holmes, L. D. — A joiner, aged 34, born New York. His wife, Antoinette, born Ohio. Daughter: Emmy R., aged 1, born Indiana.
Johnson, Michael — Farmer, aged 28, born Ohio. His wife, Judith, also born Ohio. Son: Roderick, aged 2, born Indiana.
Kimball, Richard — Farmer, aged 46, born Maine. His wife, Esther, born Maine. Daughters: Esther, aged 17, born Canada; Anvillia, aged 13, born Illinois; Wilhelmina, aged 6, born Indiana. Son: Richard, aged 14, born Illinois.
Kneazer, Leonard — Weaver, aged 30, born Germany. Real estate valued at $50. His wife, Margaret, born Germany. Daughter: Elisabeth, age 5, born New York.
Lawrence, John — See Spears, Albert, household.
McCarger, James — Innkeeper, aged 35, born New York. His wife, Clarissa, born New York. Son: George, aged 16, farmer, born Canada. Also: Thomas Burris, laborer, aged 31, born Rhode Island. His wife, Jane, born Virginia. Daughter, Mary J., aged 11, born Ohio.
Miller, Samuel W. — Innkeeper, aged 30, born Vermont. Real estate valued at $500. His wife, Susan, born Ohio. Sons: William, aged 8, born New York; John S., aged 3, born Indiana; Charles L., aged 1, born Indiana. Daughters: Hellen M., aged 6, born Illinois.
Morton, Soloman — Farmer, aged 45, born Massachusetts. His wife, Mary

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B., also of Massachusetts. Sons: Smith, aged 21, Charles, aged 16, both born in Ohio.
Roberts, G. M. — Farmer, aged 32, born Pennsylvania. Real estate valued at $300. Also: Reuben Fleming, aged 14, born Canada.
Scofield, S. W. — Blacksmith, aged 33, born in New York. His wife, Sophronia, also of New York. Son: Ira P., 8 months, born Michigan.
Spears, Albert — Innkeeper, aged 31, born New York. Real estate valued at $150. His wife, Laura H., born New York. Daughter: Sarah J., aged 3, born Illinois. Also: Miles Graham, sailor, aged 30, born Vermont; John Lawrence, laborer, aged 60, born Germany.
Sprague, N. — See Ensign, Edwin, household.
Stibes, John H. — Farmer, aged 50, born Germany. His wife, Mary G., born Germany. Daughter: Mary A., aged 15, born Germany. Sons: John H., aged 7, born Germany; John C., aged 7, born Germany; Conrad W., aged 1, born Indiana. Also: Goold Webber, farmer, born Pennsylvania; real estate, $100.
Tenant, Demosiaz — See Denny, A. P., household.
Watkins, Lucy, Oliver, Sarah — See Brass, Allen H., household.
Webber, Goold — See Stibes, John H., household.

The Grand Calumet is the principal stream in the township and its marshes which were once famous hunting and trapping grounds have been largely reclaimed. There are a number of lakes in the township, one of them of considerable size. In view of the fact that there were very few permanent settlers until about 1850 a history of the township schools begins about that period. The first public school was held on Stahlbaum’s farm in the year 1852 and the first teacher was a Miss Merrill. There had been a few private schools taught before this period, one by Chaney Wilson and another by Mr. Ferguson. The second schoolhouse was built in 1854 on Frank Palmer’s farm on the Ridge Road near Hessville. The first enrollment at the old Ridge School was six and on some days only two. In 1859 five schools were organized. In 1860 there were ten schools. In 1865 Professor Van Derwallia opened a school of engineering and polytechnics near Tolleston which was discontinued after three years and the Tolleston Club House was afterwards erected on its site. The Tolleston schoolhouse was built in 1865.

North Township is crossed by ten great railroads with Chicago as the terminal. West Point was one of its pioneer settlements now within the city limits of Hammond. Its name was afterwards changed to Gibson Station and in 1853 a postoffice was established there. The state line slaughter house was a settlement east of West Point which in 1873 became the Village of Hammond, being named after George H. Hammond, who in partnership with Marcus J. Towle established the great beef

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dressing business which made the name of Hammond known everywhere in the United States.

In 1852, Joseph Hess founded the Village of Hessville and he was appointed its first postmaster, holding the office up to the period when Hessville became a part of Hammond. Joseph Hess was a French baker who conducted an. eating house at West Point and which enjoyed a fine reputation. After leaving West Point, he opened a store for the sale of general merchandise and also was engaged in the cattle and stock business, and the business center he established is now an important part of Hammond.

Munster is located in the southwestern part of the township. The original settlers were Dutch who came there from 1855 to 1870 and they and their descendants are nearly all identified with the Dutch Reformed Church. It has been noted for its truck gardens and is a prosperous community. The assessed valuation in 1925 was $2,928,335. Another village is that of Highland about three miles from Munster. The past few years Highland has grown steadily and in 1925 had an assessed valuation of $2,471,475. The remarkable story of the three great industrial cities of Hammond, East Chicago and Whiting on the north shore of the township will be found in another chapter. The remaining unincorporated part of North Township has an assessed valuation of $21,650.

ROSS.

Ross Township was named after the first permanent settler in Lake County and was created in June, 1848. It originally consisted of the whole of Congressional Township 35, range 8 west, and all that part of Congressional township 35 north, range 7 west, lying in the County of Lake. In 1853 the county commissioners transferred sections four, five and six township 35, range 7, to Hobart Township and sections 31, 32 and 33, township 35, range 8, were transferred to Center Township, but in June, 1857, these sections were again transferred back to Ross. In 1833 three northern sections were taken from Ross Township and made a part of the new Calumet Township.

The township is well watered by small streams. The northern portion of the township is somewhat sandy although most of the soil produces good crops. The southern portion is very fine farming country and the township as a whole may be considered as excellent for agricultural purposes. Wiggins Point is generally recognized as the first settlement and named after the first settler, Jeremiah Wiggins, who built a cabin there in 1834. He died two years later and his death was the first in the township. Ebenezer Saxton from Vermont acquired the Wiggins claim in 1838. In 1837, the first marriage took place, Betsy Prentis marrying Lorenzo Beebee.

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Merrillville was founded by Dudley Merrill who bought a claim from one of the preceding settlers. The name of Wiggins Point was changed to Centreville which name it held until 1848 when the postoffice was established and the name was again changed to Merrillville. The first store was established in 1843 by Sam Strait and Dudley Merrill who dissolved partnership after two years in business. The store was maintained by a number of owners successively, finally coming once more into the hands of the Merrills by whom it was operated for many years. The first house in the town was built in 1843 and maintained as a tavern for many years. A wagon factory was in operation for a time and also a tannery for a short period. A distillery was built in 1851 which a few years later was changed into a steam mill. For many years prior to the first white settlement there was an Indian village at Wiggins Point and the territory in the vicinity was a favorite resort for them for many years.

The village grew very slowly having the usual small village industries but improvements were gradually made as the village increased in size and since 1903 it has railroad communication by way of the Chicago, Cincinnati and Louisville Railroad. Outside of Merrillville there are only a few small communities, one of which, Ainsworth on the Grand Trunk Railroad has been for a number of years quite a shipping point for milk. The county is agricultural and the dairy industry is of prominence. The assessed valuation of Ross Township in 1925 was $5,661,310.

ST. JOHN’S.

St. John’s Township comprises forty sections in the western central portion of Lake County and was created in 1848. It is said that St. John’s Township was named after John Hack, the first permanent settler whose good qualities had earned for him among his friends the name of St. John. John Hack settled in the township in 1837 and he was soon followed by other German Catholic families who settled nearby. Among them were the families of Joseph Schmal, Peter Orth, Peter Klein, John Rohrman, Peter Lowerman, Jacob Hermann, Peter Thielan, John Klasen, Michael Adler and Matthias Reeder. In the same year came Henry Sasse, Sr., Henry VanHollen, and Louis Herlitz, who were good German Lutherans, and settled on the west shore of Red Cedar Lake. In 1843 John Hack built a Catholic chapel on his land and it was in service until 1856 when a large brick church was erected and named the Church of St. John. A postoffice was established there in 1846.

St. John Village is a thriving business center in the heart of a rich dairy section and it makes large shipments of milk and creamery products. The descendants of the original Catholic settlers are among the leading citizens of Lake County and have attained prominence in politics and industry. St. John Village had an assessed valuation in 1925 of

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$552,660. A few miles to the northwest of St. John on the Monon line is the Village of Dyer. It was not platted until 1855 although it was settled before 1840. It had a large grain elevator at a very early date which was constantly enlarged and improved. The town gradually grew and in 1882 when the Louisville & New Albany Railroad arrived it had two railroad lines and gave promise of being a large community.

It was fortunate in having A. N. Hart, a retired book publisher, as a citizen, who about 1857 decided that the territory had great future possibilities and located there. It is said he and his descendants realized a very large fortune from the purchase of swamp lands at low prices which he afterwards reclaimed through the Hart ditch and the reclaimed land became very highly productive farms. It is claimed that at one time he owned nearly 20,000 acres of land and the Hartsdale farm of 8,000 acres became famous through the development and improvements made by him. His accidental death in 1883 was a great loss to the community. Dyer is in the heart of a great dairy and agricultural section and its milk and creamery products are extensive. It also had a flour mill for many years and on account of its railway connections — the Monon, the Joliet cut-off, the Michigan Central and the Elgin Belt Line — the products of the district are quickly brought to important markets. The town is a prosperous one and has excellent homes and both Catholic and Protestant churches. The assessed valuation of Dyer in 1925 was $1,367,115.

Hartsdale is the railway station of the Hart estate at the crossing of the Michigan Central and the Pennsylvania railroads. On the original Hart estate there were five railroad stations and about fifteen miles of tracks, as many as eight or nine railroads crossing the land. Schererville is located about three miles east of Dyer and was named after Nicholas Scherer of Prussia, who came when a boy to the town of St. John in 1848. Mr. Scherer began work as a swamp land ditcher, later becoming connected with the Panhandle Railroad, and superintended construction of the Pennsylvania from Richmond, Ind., to Chicago. In 1865 he laid out the town on the just completed Panhandle road and gave it his name. It is a very progressive community, the citizenship being largely Roman Catholic, and it has a very fine Catholic church, St. Michael’s, built in 1874. Its assessed valuation in 1925 was $2,299,890.

St. John’s Township is noted for its good schools and the school houses are substantial structures, and in addition to the public schools, Catholic schools are located at St. Johns, Dyer and Schererville. The first school in the township was taught at St. Johns by Sister Francis of Notre Dame. The second school was taught by Brother Benedict. English and German were always taught in the Catholic schools. The industries in the township are purely agricultural, and in addition to the raising of grain the raising of stock has reached a position of prominence. It is a wonderful

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territory for dairy products and is one of the most prosperous rural townships in Indiana. After these places mentioned the balance of the township has a valuation of $2,541,650.

HANOVER.

In 1835 Dr. Thomas Brown, Jacob L. Brown, David Horner and his sons, Thomas, George, Amos and Levi, journeyed from the Wabash into Lake County, seeking new homes. They were greatly impressed with the territory near Cedar Lake, located some claims, erected log cabins and returned the same year with their families, forming what became known as the Horner settlement on the west shore of Cedar Lake. They suffered many privations during the first and second years, but their surroundings were so attractive that they sent out glowing reports about the territory which soon brought new settlers. In 1837, they were joined by Jacob L. Brown, Darling Church, Aaron Cox, James Farwell, Joseph Kerr, Charles Marvin, Hiram Nordyke, Jacob Nordyke, Sol Russell and John VanVranken. Others followed and by 1839 settlers were numerous. Among the later ones were Hervey Ball, Charles C. Batten, Charles R. Ball. Edward Chase and Joseph Green. In 1838 came the advance guard of German Lutherans — Henry Sasse, Sr., Henry VanHollen, Lewis Herlitz and Herman Doescher, who were largely responsible for the early development of the township. They were followed by many others from their home country until Hanover Township became noted for its sturdy Lutheran citizenship.

In 1838 the first log schoolhouse was erected at Cedar Lake through the influence of Hervey Ball, Aaron Cox and the Nordyke families. In June, 1839, Mrs. Hervey Ball opened a boarding school for advanced students, algebra, Latin and Greek being taught in the school. It was a great institution when its location in the wilderness was considered and its success caused the opening of other private institutions of a similar character. Rev. Francis A. Huffman came to Hanover about 1815 and taught school there for one term. German and English were taught by Mr. Huffman and among his students was Rev. Timothy H. Ball, then a young man, who began the study of German under Mr. Huffman’s instruction. Mr. Huffman was very finely educated and a man of unusual general talent. He removed to Chicago after teaching in Hanover Township and afterwards became lieutenant-governor of Illinois. Not much attention was paid to public schools in the period preceding the creation of the township, but after the passage of the common school law in 1852 a great change took place and district schools were held in all sections of the township.

Hanover Township was created from Centre Township in 1853. The first trustees were George Willey, H. P. Robbins and Henry VanHollen.

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Seth O. Gardner was clerk. Henry Doescher was treasurer and also acted as constable. The first school house in the township, after its creation, was erected at Hanover Centre in 1857 and Henry Sasse, Jr., was the first teacher. The first store in Hanover Centre was opened right after the close of the Civil war by Frank Massoth, who conducted the business for many years. The Massoth store was followed in a few years by a second store owned by C. C. Becker & Co. Hanover Centre gradually grew into a small center of trade until, about 1880, it had the usual small village industries and a postoffice.

The first house in Brunswick was located by Abel Far well about 1841 of 1842. Later Hiram P. Robbins built a dwelling near him and in 1853 Joseph Small built a third house nearby. As there were a great many settlers in the vicinity John H. Heins bought a lot of Abel Farwell and erected a large building for store purposes. On the next lot to him Henry John erected and operated a blacksmith shop. Heins & Lepin opened -a store in 1856 but dissolved partnership in 1857. After the dissolution of partnership, Lepin erected a large frame building and opened a general store which was partially destroyed by fire in 1859. He rebuilt the establishment, enlarged his stock, and sold it to the Waterman Bros., who in 1866 sold it to Herman Beckmann and he conducted the business until his death in 1894. Mr. Beckmann was a great power in the community and was a very progressive citizen. After his death the business was continued under the management of his son, John N. Beckmann.

Brunswick is a live village and an important center of trade for the township. Klaasville was founded by August Klaas, who opened a store there about 1863 and continued the business for a number of years. He settled in that section of the township in 1850 and as the land in the vicinity was excellent for agricultural purposes he was soon surrounded by many settlers. Klaasville is an important little village and a center for business for the rural territory nearby.

As mentioned in a previous chapter a Baptist society was organized at Cedar Lake in 1838 and meetings were held alternately at Centre Prairie, Prairie West and at the homes of some of the settlers. Elder French conducted the services until 1839 when Norman Warriner was licensed to preach — his ordination, in 1840, being the first in Lake County. As the population in the township grew, two other churches were formed from the old church and there was a steady and continuous growth in membership and church activities until about 1856 when most of the members of the original church joined other churches.

The German Lutherans held their first meetings at the homes of some of the settlers, but in 1857 the necessity for a church became so great that a small frame church was erected through contributions amounting to about $650. About 1870 it was decided to build a new frame church and

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this was erected at a cost of about $3,000. The members of this church became some of the solid, substantial inhabitants of the township and their descendants are among the leading citizens in Lake County.

St. Martin’s Catholic Church Society was organized about 1857 in Hanover Centre by Rev. Fr. Nick. The membership grew rapidly and in 1858 it was decided to build a new church, which was finished in 1859, the cost being defrayed by contributions from the members. In 1867 the church was destroyed by fire but a fund was promptly raised for a new church, costing about $2,500, to which improvements have been made from time to time.

St. Anthony’s Catholic Church Society at Klaasville was organized about 1864 and shortly afterwards a frame church was erected costing about $2,000, largely through the efforts of August Klaas. It is said that Rev. Charles Ganzer was the first pastor. In connection with the Catholic churches, Catholic schools were established and the children given the benefit of religious as well as intellectual training. The assessed valuation of Hanover Township in 1925 was $3,356,985.

EAGLE CREEK.

Eagle Creek Township occupies the southeastern corner of Lake County and when organized about one-half of the territory was included in the Kankakee marsh district, which has been almost entirely reclaimed, the Brown ditch being an important factor in the work of reclamation. The rest of the north half of the township is an undulating prairie and at the present time the entire area of the township is devoted to agriculture, the farms being very productive.

The township was created in 1839 from the original old South Township. A list of the early settlers has been difficult to obtain but it is certain that locations were made there as early as 1835 and up to and including 1840 homes were established in the township by Sarah J. Stone, George and Orrin Smith, Joseph Morris, Isaac Bryant, Alex. F. Brown, Michael Pearce, Thomas Duncan and Richard Garvey with their families, Samuel Turner, Mr. Moffard, George Parkinson, O. V. Servis and George Flint. It is not definitely known whether Joseph Morris or Sarah J. Stone was the first settler as both made locations about 1835. In the following five years came Mrs. M. J. Pearce, David Dilley, John Pearce, Alex Nethery, James and George Doak, William Brown, C. S. McGill, John A. Crawford, Judge Clark, who moved from Crown Point; Mrs. Susan P. Dinwiddie, E. Caplin, Thaddeus Williams, John Oliver, Hugh Boyd, John Fisher, Oscar Dinwiddie and James McKnight. Dr. William Dinwiddie was the first physician in the township, arriving about 1844.

The early settlers found plenty of game in the vicinity. Deer were abundant and so numerous that they had to keep constant watch of their

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crops to avoid destruction. Wolves were a constant menace and boldly entered the dooryards and carried off pigs and poultry. Bears were occasionally shot but not common in the neighborhood. The township was part of the territory looked upon by the Indians as their most favored hunting grounds on the Kankakee and they were greatly attached to the entire Kankakee region. When the Indians learned they were to be removed to a Western reservation they wantonly destroyed as much of the game as they could before leaving the region and only threatened action on the part of the white settlers caused the Indians to desist in their work of destruction.

Red Oak Island was a favorite camping ground for the Indians and several hundred were often there at one time. This island was also headquarters for timber thieves for years, who in times of high water cut the valuable timber along the shore and sent it floating down the Kankakee to Momence, Ill. The island had two trading stores kept by two Frenchmen named Bertrand and LaVoire, where both Indians and whites exchanged furs for necessary supplies. John Pearce, who was born in 1841, is said to have been the first white child born in the township, and the first marriage is said to have been that of Polly Garvey to Esidor Prunicorn. A postoffice was established about 1858 west of Hebron and afterwards removed to the house of William Brown but was discontinued after a short period.

It is claimed the first religious services held in the township were at the house of Michael Pearce by the United Presbyterians in 1845, and the first sermon preached by Benjamin Baldrich. For many years during the early settlement period, services were held at private dwellings and at schoolhouses throughout the township. The first school in the township was held in the winter of 1846 and 1847 in a small log house owned by Alfred Bucklew and the first teacher is said to have been Mary A. Thompson. The northern part of the township was noted for its beautiful groves and near them were located the principal early settlements. The settlements became known by the names given to the groves. Of these settlements Southeast Grove and Plum Grove were the most prominent and in these settlements the life of the township has always been largely centered.

The Brown families were among the most prominent citizens in the early days of the township and did much toward advancing its progress and development. In a later chapter will be found some recollections of the late John Brown of Crown Point, who was born in Southeast Grove in 1840 and was one of the leading citizens in Lake County. Other prominent families were the Turners, Dinwiddies and the Pearces. A. Murray Turner of Hammond, one of the leading citizens of Lake County and prominent in its banking and industrial life, is a son of David Turner of

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Crown Point, who was a leader in the development of Crown Point and Eagle Township. The township has always ranked high among the agricultural communities. The assessed valuation in 1925 of Eagle Creek was $2,432,970.

WEST CREEK.

In 1839 the county commissioners set aside West Creek Township from the original South Township and since its creation its boundaries have not been changed. It was named after West Creek, which rises on the south side of the divide and flows southward into the Kankakee River and forms the main drainage for West Creek, Hanover and a part of St. John townships. A large part of the southern section of the township was Kankakee marsh land but most of these lands have since been reclaimed and are now productive farms. The north area has most excellent agricultural soil and contains the far-famed Lake Prairie, which proved very attractive to early settlers.

In 1835 Richard Fancher and Robert Wilkinson, with two nephews, settled on West Creek and were the first settlers in the township. They were followed by many others, including Charles Marvin, Peter Hathaway, Nehemiah Hayden, George Belshaw, Derastus and Henry Torrey, Chancelor Graves, John Kitchell, Heman M. Spaulding, Joseph Jackson, John Michael, William and Benjamin Farley, G. L. Foster and Ruben Chapman. Joseph Jackson, who located his claim in the spring of 1837, opened the first store. In 1838 a log schoolhouse was built and Ursula Ann Jackson, one of the daughters of Joseph Jackson, taught the first school. Her salary was $1 per week and as was the custom in pioneer days she “boarded” without charge among the families in the settlement. Ten years later a second and more commodious schoolhouse was built at Clark Grove.

The first religious services were held by the Methodists in private homes as early as 1840 and the first Methodist church was erected in 1844. This was a modest structure but served the wants of the Methodist community until 1869 when a larger and more imposing church building was erected. The German Methodists erected a church in 1855 and in 1857 Lake Prairie Presbyterian Church was organized and a church building erected in 1861. In 1895 a Christian church was erected. The first settlements in West Creek Township in a few years were in a prosperous condition, as their farms were very productive, but, like other pioneer settlements, they had many difficulties to contend with. For some years the settlers had to go forty miles to the mill at Wilmington and their trading was done in Chicago. The Kankakee marsh lands were difficult to cross and there were no roads of any kind near the marshes. In dry weather the settlers were able to obtain timber and fuel from the

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islands in the marshes and as it was a great hunting and trapping region it was a source of supply for both food and furs.

The township is a purely agricultural and live stock section and like other rural townships its population has not changed materially for many years. Schneider, on the line of the Illinois, Indiana & Iowa Railroad, in the southern part of the township, is a prosperous village and a trade center for the township population. In 1925 the assessed valuation of Schneider was $487,600, and the assesesd valuation of the township with Schneider not included was $4,241,260.

WINFIELD.

Winfield Township was set aside in 1843 from the old Center Township and its original boundaries have been changed on several occasions. It is an excellent dairy section and an abundance of small fruits are cultivated. It is watered by the head streams of Eagle Creek and Deep River and it has a thriving livestock industry. Leroy, on the Pennsylvania line, and Palmer Station, on the Erie line, are shipping points for the township and are substantial villages. Palmer Station was named after Dennis Palmer, who platted the town on his land and was active in aiding the Erie Railroad in obtaining rights of way through the immediate territory. Leroy is growing steadily, has several good stores, a modern schoolhouse and Methodist and United Presbyterian churches. The assessed valuation of Winfield Township in 1925 was $2,581,860.

NAVIGATION OF
HISTORY OF THE LAKE AND CALUMET REGION OF INDIANA

FOREWARD
AN APPRECIATION
CONTENTS
CHAPTER I - Geology and Topography
CHAPTER II - The Mound Builders
CHAPTER III - Days of Indian Occupancy
CHAPTER IV - Early Explorations 
CHAPTER V - Border Warfare
CHAPTER VI - Lake and Calumet Region Becomes Part of United States
CHAPTER VII - After Wayne and Greenville - Tecumseh and the Prophet
CHAPTER VIII - Indian Peace
CHAPTER IX - Early Settlements and Pioneers - County Organization
CHAPTER X - Townships - Towns - Villages
CHAPTER XI - Pioneer Life
CHAPTER XII - The Lake Michigan Marshes
CHAPTER XIII - Agriculture and Livestock
CHAPTER XIV - Military Annals
CHAPTER XV - The Lake and Calumet Region in the World War
CHAPTER XVI - The Newspapers
CHAPTER XVII - The Medical Profession
CHAPTER XVIII - The Bench and Bar in the Lake and Calumet Region
CHAPTER XIX - Churches
CHAPTER XX - Schools
CHAPTER XXI - Libraries
CHAPTER XXII - Social Life
CHAPTER XXIII - The Dunes of Northwestern Indiana
CHAPTER XXIV - Banks and Banking
CHAPTER XXV - Transportation and Waterways
CHAPTER XXVI - Cities
CHAPTER XXVII - Industrial Development
CHAPTER XXVIII - Chambers of Commerce

Transcribed by Steven R. Shook, December 2022

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