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GC 977.201 W59ka 1406385
M. L
GENEALOGY COLLECTION
ALLEN COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY 3 1833 00827 9116
@ PJTaler
HISTORY
OF
WHITLEY COUNTY
INDIANA
-BY- S. P. KALER AND R. H. MARING
ILLUSTRATED
1907 B. F. BOWEN & CO. PUBLISHERS
1406335
PREFACE
All life and achievement is evolution; present wisdom comes from past experience, and present commercial prosperity has come only from past exertion and suffering. The deeds and motives of the men that have gone before have been instrumental in shaping the destinies of later communities and states. The development of a new country was at once a task and a privilege. It required great courage, sacrifice and privation. Compare the present conditions of the residents of Whitley county, Indiana, with what they were one hundred years ago. From a trackless wilderness it has come to be a center of prosperity and civiliza- tion, with millions of wealth, with systems of intersecting railways, grand educa- · tional institutions, marvelous industries and immense agricultural productions. Can any thinking person be insensible to the fascination of the study which dis- closes the incentives, hopes, aspirations and efforts of the early pioneers who so strongly laid the foundation upon which has been reared the magnificent prosperity of later days. To perpetuate the story of these people, and to trace and record the social, political and industrial progress of the community from its first inception. is the function of the local historian. A sincere purpose to preserve facts and per- sonal memoirs that are deserving of preservation, and which unite the present to the past, is the motive for the present publication. The work has been in the hands of a corps of able writers, who have, after much patient study and research. pro- duced here the most complete history of Whitley county, Indiana, ever offered to the public. A specially valuable and interesting department is that one devoted to sketches of representative citizens of this county whose records deserve perpetuation because of their worth, effort and accomplishment. The publishers desire to extend their thanks to these gentlemen who have so faithfully labored to this end. Thanks are also due to the citizens of Whitley county, Indiana, for the uniform kindness with which they have regarded this undertaking and for their many services rendered in the gaining of necessary information.
In placing the "History of Whitley County, Indiana," before the citizens, the publishers can conscientiously claim that they have carried out the plan as outlined in the prospectus. Every biographical sketch in the work has been submitted to the party interested for correction, and therefore any error of fact, if there be any, is solely due to the person for whom the sketch was prepared. Confident that our efforts to please will fully meet the approbation of the public. we are,
Respectfully, THE PUBLISHERS.
SURNAME FILE
INDEX
Formative Period 17
First Animals
18
Oldest Known Rocks. 19
The Laurentian Rocks.
19
The Cambrian Era. 19
The Ordovician Age 20
Trenton Rock 20
The Silurian Ag 21
The Niagara Epoch. 22
The Devonian
Age
24
The Corniferons Epoch. 24
The Genesee Shale
25
Knobstone Epoch 26
The Mitchell Limestone. 27
The Huron Limestone. 27 Rev. Stephen Theodore
Badin
67
Captain Trent. 68 Forty Years Ago. 120
Canals and Railroads. 123
The Wabash Erie Canal. 123
The Pennsylvania Railroad 125 Detroit, Eel River & Illinois
Railroad 128
The Nickel Plate Railroad. 130 The Fort Wayne & Wabash Valley Traction Com-
рапу
130
Public Buildings and Build-
ers
131
First Court House
135
The First Jail. 135
The Present Jail. 135
Postoffices, Postmasters 136
South Whitley
137
Columbia City.
138
Coesse
140
Summit ( Larwill)
141
Hecla ( Popano-Etna).
141
Churubusco 142
Archaeology
85
Collamer
143
The Flora SS
Political History 101
Majorities
102
Congressional
105
ty of Whitley
46
Government's Price of Land
47
tives
Col. William Whitley 48
48
County Auditors 108
County Recorders 109
Treasurers 109
County Coroners 110
County
Surveyors
110
County
Commissioners
110
Probate Judges
111
Circuit Court Judges
111
Early Reminiscences 112 Echo of Seventy Years Ago 114 Comments by John R. An-
derson
115
Another Pioneer's Story. 116
The Carboniferous Era. 28
Location, Size, Geology 32
Blne River Valley
37
The Lakes of Whitley County
38
The Drainage System 38
Elevations 40
Organization and Changes in . County and Town- ships
41
LaSalle, as a Trader. 41
Frontenac Governor Gen- eral of Canada. 41 Turtle and Turtle's Village Seek's Villag 78
Marquette
Discovered the
Mississippi
11
Sieur Courthemanche's Diary of 1681. 12
Governor Alexanders Spotts- wood in 1714. 42
Sir William Johnson. 43 Tony Revarre or White
First Attempt at White Man's Civil Local Gov- ernment 1788
Governor William Henry Harrison's Establishment of Indian Territory, 1800. 45
44
LaBalme's Campaign. 83
75
Charles Seymour 71 Little Turtle's House 72
The Island
73
The Burned Cabins 75
Paige's Crossing 76
77
The Portages or Trails 79
Kilsoquah 79
Me-tek-kah 81
Chief John Owl. 81
Anthony Revarre, Jr., SI
Senators and Representa- 106
Clerks of Court 108
Samuel Smith
Robert Starkweather 48
Otho W. Gandy. 50 County Sheriffs 109
The First Official Act 50
Taxable Property . 50
Location of Columbia City .. 54 Minor Civil Divisions 56
Indian History. 63
The First White Man. 64
The Domain of the Miamis 65
The Origin of the Potta- wattamies 65
Little Turtle. 67
George Crogan. 68
Campaign of Gen. Harmar in 1790 69
Coesse's Wife and Two
Daughters
70
Loon
82
More's Farm 83
Loran (Later Lorane) 144
Thorncreek
145
The Entire Original Coun-
Laud
145
Washington Center.
146
County
Old Settler's Story 118
INDEX.
Fuller's Corners 146
Saturn 146
South
Cleveland.
147
Company F, 100th I. V. I .. 221
Alma
147
Collins
147
Taylor
148
Ormas
148
Peabody
148
Dunfee
148
Raber
149
Tunker
149
Cresco
149
Luther
( Sawdust Hill)
149
-
Bank
228
Sells 149
Wynkoop
150
Columbia City 150
Churubusco
150
Larwill
150
South Whitley
150
The Newspapers 150
Indian Incidents
155
Chino
156
John Turkey 156
Sanford Mosher 156
Joseph Pierce
156
Allen Hamilton
157
John Wauwaessa.
158
Bambookoo
158
The Squaw Buck Trail. 159
Telephones
159
The
Midland
Telephone
Company
159
phone Company. 161
The Old Settlers' Associa- tion and Historical So-
ciety of Whitley County. 163
164
Judge Adair's Address. ... .. The Whitley County Offi- cials' Fraternal ssocia-
tion 169
Medical Profession. 175
Whitley County Medical So- ciety 192
Hell's Half Acre
193
Roads
198
History of Education in
Whitley County
203
Military History.
213
Company E, 17th I. V. I.
218
Company E, 44th I. V. 1 .. 219
Company B, 74th I. V. I .... 219
Company K, SSth I. V. I ... 220
Company D, 129th I. V. 1 .. 221
Company I, 152d I. V. I .... 222
Fifth Indiana Battery (Ar- tillery ) 222
Company G, I. N. G. 223 Richland Township. 373
Cost of the Civil War 225
Banks and Banking. 226
National Banks
227
Columbia City National
First Depositors.
229
Safe Blowing
394
The New Building
229
Oil Wells
395
Cady's Trial for Murder 396
Indian Graves
397
Deaths by Accident or Sui- cide 397
Some of the First Things. 399
Local Names
400
Independent Order of Odd Fellows 401
Modern Woodmen of Amer- ica 402
Free and Accepted Masons 402 Grand Army of the Repub- lic 403
Patrons of Husbandry.
404
Methodist Episcopal Church
at Larwill 405
Union Christian Church ... 406
The
Eel
River
Baptist
Church
407
Smith Township
280
Church
408
Reminiscences
290
Collins
302
Roll of Honor.
303
Keep a Pullin'
303
Churubusco
304
Ladies of the Maccabees of the World 311
Modern Woodmen.
312
Cleveland Township 313
Union Township
316
Hazel Cot Castle.
318
Washington Township 320
Jefferson Township 334
Raccoon Village
344
Public Highways
345
Saw Mills. 346
Postal Affairs.
347
Political Matters
349
Educational Facilities
351
Early Preachers. 360
The Barkdall Murder 363 The Singer Murder. 364 Interesting Incidents 366 The Village of Forest 367 'The Village of Raber 372
The Village of Dunfee. 372
Organizations and Elections 373
First Settler
376
Useful Occupations 355
Summit
389
Township School Library 394
The First National Bank of Columbia City 230
The South Whitley Bank
(John Arnold & Co.) .... 232 The Arnold Criminal Trial. 236 The Bank of Churubusco .. 237 O'Gandy & Co. Bank, South Whitley 239
Foust, Remington & Com-
pany
239
The Provident Trust Com- pany 240
Etna Township.
241
Whitley County Granges. 247
Troy Township 249 Recollections of Early Troy 253 Columbia Township. 255
259
The Bench and Bar
Early Courts
259
Memorabilia
279
The
Wesleyan
Methodist
Larwill Baptist Church at
Larwill
409
The Gutcher Sanitarium 413
Reminiscence
414
Pole Raising
41€
Thorncreek Township
417
Manufacturing Interests
424
Agricultural Conditions
426
Lakes
426
Education
428
Religion
432
Highways
433
Officers
433
A Day of Sport.
434
Hon. Joseph Wilson Adair. 437
Samuel P. Kaler
442
Matthias Slesman
444
Burdette F. McNear.
445
Franklin Pierce Bridge
446
Whitley County Telephone Company 160 The Churubusco Company. 161 The Luther Company .... 161
The Farmers' Mutual Tele-
INDEX.
Rosanna Crider 447
Col. Isaiah B. McDonald .. 448
Ferdinand F. Morsches .. 452 Howard Simmon 519
Edward L. Gallagher 453 James M. Leam 520
Whitney & Luckenbill. 454
Otis W. Stair. 455
Gideon Wright Wilcox 456
Jacob A. Ruch
457
John T. Clapham
458
Cleon H. Foust. 459
John C. Miller 460
Robert Hudson 460
Stephen O. Briggs
461
William H. Magley
462
William A. Clugston 463
Robert F. Hood.
463
James S. Collins 464
Eliza J. Collins 466
Daniel Danicl
467
Asher R. Clugston 468
Clinton Wilcox
469
August Erdmann
470
William Henry Hildebrand. 471
John Hanson
472
Joseph H. Ruch. 473
John W. Waterfall. 474
Oliver H. Diffendarfer 474
John F.
Lawre
475
Emil Doriot 476
Benjamin Raupfer 477
Samuel S. Miller
479
Franklin H. Foust.
480
Isaac Mason Swigart 482
James M. Harrison 483
Frank Meitzler 485
John D. Sherwood. 486
Heber A. Beeson
487
Frank E. Kenner.
487
Thomas R. Marshall 488
Arthur S. Nowels
491
Benton Eli Gates. 492
John Edward North 492
Joseph R. Harrison. 494
Rev. Anthony M. Ellering. . 495
Henry McLallen
496
Jesse A. Glassley 501
Levi M. Meiser 502
Henry D. McLallen. 504
Andrew A. Adams.
505
Vallorous Brown
506
Christopher Judd
572
Fred N. Hunt. 573
Simon W. Hire. 574
Warren R. Wigent.
575
Richard H. Maring.
576
Thomas Gaff. 578
Moses M. Trumbull. 579
DeWitt Noble. 579
George L. Hanes. 582
Caldwell W. Tuttle 583
William F. King.
585
Bernard A. Widup
586
Carl L. Souder.
586
Charles Lemuel DeVault 587
David August Walter. 588
Theodore Garty 589
Adam E. Hively 591
Martin L. Galbreath. 592
Robert R. Scott.
592
George Allen Pontius 594
Lewis Hartm 596
Rev. David A. Workman. 598
James L. Maloney 599
John M. Smith. 600
Martin Kocher. 601
Ovin Boggs 602
John A. Bryan. 603
Lavina Pence Richey
603
James W. Burwell. 604
Jonn W. Claxton 605
John W. Smith. 606
John M. Deem. 607
John A. Presslo
607
George H. Tapy 608
Francis M. Sonday 610
George R. Hemmick 611
Brite D. Hart 612
Isaac Humbarger 612
Louis Festus Metsker
613
Augustus W. Jeffries 615
Samuel E. Geiger.
615
Benjamin F. Magley 616
George W. Ott. 617
William Lewis Deem.
618
William R. Anderson
619
James E. Witham 620
Irving J. Krider 621
Jacob E. Pence. 622
Rev. Charles S. Parker
623
Frederick G. Binder. 624
James M. Crone 625
Joseph J. Pence. 626
David L. Pence. 627
William A. Leech 628
Daniel Zumbrun 629
Albert A. Demoney
630
George Sheckler
G32
George Judd ..
633
Jacob Paulus
634
Henry W. Miller. 515
Charles W. Hively. 517
George W. Miller. 518
Jonathan Monroe Hartman 521
Henry Schrader 522
Henry Vogely 523
Samuel Hively 525
Henry J. Pressle 526
John E. Kates. 527
Alice B. Williams, M. D. 528
Ambrose Gerkin 529
Charles E. DeVine 530
F. Marion Grabie
531
William R. Hively 532
Elisha Swan 532
Frederick Wolfangel.
534
Enos Goble.
535
Octavius Phelps 536
J. W. Smith
537
O. J. Crowel 539
Andrew Kenner 540
Beal F. Taylor 541
James Compton. 542
Sylvester Wilkins
542
Washington Long.
543
David B. Clugston. 544
Thomas T. Pentecost.
546
William Snodgrass 547
I. L. Merriman. 548
Urias Hosler 549
Henry J. Gunder. 550
Francis Marion Wright. 551
Miles W. Bristow 552
Alfred F. Evans 553
Ira Crow.
554
John DeLano. 555
Jones L. Salts 556
William Johnson McConnell 557
John Born 558
Charles C. Weimer 559
David Goff Linvill. 560
Jesse Miller. 563
William C. Long. 565
Benjamin Franklin Cooper 566
Isaac Wynkoop 567
James P. Bills. 568
Wesley Staples. 569
Thomas Estlick 570
John R. Watson
571
Frederick Magley
509
Dorsey Jagger
510
Daniel Pressler
511
Simon J. Peabody
512
Isaac Judd.
635
INDEX.
W. H. Carter. 635
Milo Harshharger.
636
Charles Willard Reese 638
William J. Sell. 638
Hiram L. Foster
639
Benjamin Franklin Shull. . 640
David Miller
642
Robert B. Boyd.
642
William H. Miner
643
John Henry Snyder. 644
John S. Snyder.
645
Samuel H. Flickinger 646
John A. Hammer 647
Henry Sievers
649
Frank E. Miner.
650
Robert Jacob Emerson
651
Thomas L. Hildebrand. 652
John W. Baker
653
Logan Staples. 654
Henry Edson Baker
655
Bayless Lower 655
Francis Marion Magers 656
Elias Lantzer 657
William J. Dunfee. 658
Edmund Jones 659
William C. More
660
Ambrose Kiester.
661
George H. Herrick
663
Herbert B. Clugston. 664
John Henry Zumbrun 664
James Garrison 665
William Henry Betzner 666
Willis Rhodes. 668
Wesley Kiser 668
W. S. Smith. 669
I. R. Conner. 670
Thomas D. Watson 671
Abraham Elder 672
George F. Kisler 674
Daniel Berry 675
John Ummel 676
Joshua N. Anderson. 677
William Brubaker 678
William E. Magley . 679
Elisha Lyman McLallen 679
Benjamin Hively 682
Richard Herron 684
David Hyre 685
William Henry Coolman. 685
John L. Miller 686
Albert D. Webster. 742 C. D. Stickler
A. L. Lancaster. 743
Henry Norris 744
Newton F. Watson.
745
Isaac M. Harshbarger 746
Thomas M. Hughes 747
Benjamin Franklin Thomp-
son 748
Asher D. Hathaway 749
Alexander Goff.
751
John P.
Jacks
752
Aaron Mishler 753
Lewis Mishler. 754
Robert T. Smith 755
Charles E. Weybright 755
Hon. John W. Orndorf. 756
Jonathan Ulrey.
757
Adam S. Warner 758
Henry Sickafoose 759
H. H. Warner. 760
Martin H. Briggeman. 761
David Gable
763
John W. Eastom. 763
Ozias Metz 764
John Kreider. 766
Fred Harshbarger 767
William S. Nickey 768
Perry M. Williamson 769 Henry H. Williamson 770 John Rose Anderson.
Wallace W. Williamson 772
Walling Miller 774
Chester Lotspiech Cone 775 Benjamin H. Domer 777
David Schannep 778
Lewis Huffman. 779
John Huffman
Harry Kreide 780
Owen M. Smith 782
Nelson Keller 783
Thomas Sheckler 784
Lewis H. Keller 785
L. E. Plattner. 786
David Spohnhaner
John F. Bentz. 787
Perry L. Bentz. 788
Ruben F. Judy 789
Francis M. King. 790
Webster Sickafoose
791
George A. Bowers 792
James Collett 794
David V. Whiteleather 795
Alexander More 796 Charles E. Lancaster. 798
Carl Edward Lillich 799
Marcus Gillespie 800
Sylvanus Koontz. 800
David Swan Linvill.
George Boyd
802
Thomas Emery
691
August Licke 692
George W. Co 693
Fred Dreyer 694
Frank E. Cox 695
George Kneller
695
Rufus W. Burns 696
William Sell 697
Josiah Haynes 698
Virgil Hyre
699
D. C. Fisher 700
George W. Laird. 701
Dennis Walter 702
Nathan Roberts ..
703
Henry H. Lawrence. 704
Fletcher Goodrich 706
William H. Hamilton.
Daniel Baker 708
Franklin Shilts 709
William Marsh Bower 709
James M. Smit 710
Henry Huffman
711
John A. Snyder. 712
William Adam Snyder 713
Lewis Halterman. 713
R. B. Bolinger. 714
Gottlieh Kunherger 715
Daniel Fisher 716
John H. Shilts .. 717
Thomas E. Adams
Harcanis C. Leaman 719
Franklin P. Loudy 720
Ernest S. Cotterly 721
James Staples. 722
Alvin M. Hire. 723
Elmer J. Nei. . 724
Michael Lawrence 725
Ephraim Kyler Strong. 726
John W. Brand. 727
John H. Maxwell 729
Daniel Stiles 730
George W. Shroll. 731
George Bauer 732
John Wilson Adams 733
Cyrus Henry Keiser 735
Isaiah W. Johnston 736
William M. Hughes 737
Richard M. Paige 738
Hugo Logan 739
Isaac Brenneman 740
William V. Hathaway 741
Wells Trader Gradless 688
William A. Hauptmeyer. 690
Peter Chavey
691
J. William C. Scott.
803
707
INDEX.
Franklin Hunt .. 804
Albert B. Tucker .. 806
William S. Lancaster. 807
Sylvanus H. Mowrey 844 Jesse Howard Briggs. 808
Hiram B. Whittenberger . 810
George W. Kichler 811
Oscar C. Crowell.
811
Merrit W. Crowell.
SI2
Peter V. Gruesbeck
813
Simon Bennet.
814
Daniel Redman
815
John T. Fry. S16
Edward C. Schoenauer 817
John Magley. 835
Charles F. Marchand. 836 Charles P. Kime. 857
George Wilson Kelsey
819
John F. Mossman
837
Eli L. Eberhard. 839
Oscar Gandy
858
Elmer E. Stites.
859
Franklin Stamets.
821
Leonard R. Schrader
822
David N. Hart. 822
James Washburn 824
Philemon H. Clugston. 825
George H. Fosler. 827
Samuel Frazier Trembley. . S28
Joseph Lawrence William- son 829
Francis E. DePew. 848 Edwin H. Click. 849
Jesse Selleck Oman. 850
Alfred Grace .. 851
William Krider 852
Martin D. Crabill 853
Lewis W. Tennant. 855
David Rouch 856
Rev. Daniel W. Sanders
818
Jacob Kichler
820
James B. Grawcock.
821
Monroe W. Webster 840
David W. Nickey
841
Benjamin Franklin Hull ... 842
George W. Lawrence. 843
Albert Bush 845 Louis W. Emerick. 847
Melvin Blain. 830
William I. Mowrey 831
George Lee 832
Charles Harrison Jones
833
Abraham D. Green 834
William H. Harsman. 857
I. N. Compton
860
WHITLEY COUNTY, INDIANA.
HISTORICAL.
THE FORMATIVE PERIOD.
RY S. P. KALER.
For millions, perhaps trillions of years, as time is estimated, this earth has been moving around its parent orb, the sun, pro- pelled by an unseen and uncontrollable force, always in the same pathway, while un- dergoing wonderful changes in bulk and form. At first a vast, irregular mass of burning gaseous matter thrown off from that sun, about which it ever has and now re- volves, this planet gradually cooled, con- densed and assumed a spheroidal form. Its gaseous elements rearranged themselves to form new compounds, at first liquid, then solid, until in time it came to be a solid globe, or at least one with a solid but uneven crust. The process of cooling and contrac- tion still continued. The ocean of vapor which formed a large portion of the atmos- phere about the planet, condensed and fell and formed an ocean of water which filled the depressions in its crust. Above the rim of this ocean there showed in places large areas of land, bare igneous rock, absolutely devoid of life, as for millions of years the temperature of both rock and ocean re- mained too high for living things. When the mean temperature of its oceanic waters, by continued and oft-repeated evaporation,
cooling and condensation, was reduced to about 150 degrees F., there occurred the grandest event in the history of the planet. In some unknown, unknowable manner, life came to be. Within the waters of its ocean there was brought about a combination of matter, a living thing, which could take from the water and from the air above cer- tain elements, and by their aid increase in size and reproduce its kind. The first lowly parasites upon the face or surface of the planet were thus aquatic plants, algae, fungi and kindred forms. In the course of ages there evolved from them other and higher plants which could live on land, for the de- cay and erosion of the igneous rocks, added to the remains of the aquatic plants thrown upon the beaches of the ocean, produced a soil from which the higher land plants could derive a part of their nourishment. As the centuries and the aeons rolled by, the plants, true parasites that they were, found their way to every part of the planet's surface, on to the tops of the loftiest mountains, into the abysses of the deepest oceans, they made their way; their province being the conver- sion of inorganic matter, earth, air and wa- ter, into a form of food suitable to the needs of a higher type of parasite, which mean- while was coming into existence upon the planet's surface, for as the temperature of
18
WHITLEY COUNTY, INDIANA.
the ocean gradually decreased the era of an- cell. Thus of the two great groups of para- imal life was ushered in. sites upon the surface of the planet, the plant must, per force, have preceded the animal.
The first animals on the planet were also lowly aquatic forms, scarcely differing from the first plants, but possessing a freedom of motion which enabled them to procure a bet- ter supply of air and water. Then evolving into higher and more varied forms as they became adapted to new environments, they spread far and wide through ocean depths and over plain and mountain, until the whole surface of the planet was peopled by them. But, ever and always, from the time the first animal came to be upon the planet, until the last one finally disappears into the darkness of everlasting night, the growth of animal life will depend upon living food prepared by the plant, the motion of animal life upon energy stored within the cells of the plant. The sun, which in the beginning first cast off the matter of which the planet is formed, still controls it. still rules over it and its destinies with an iron will. Both plant and animal parasite must forever bow before its power. Of the vast floods of energy which stream forth from that sun's disk in the form of heat and light, an insignificant frac- tion falls upon the surface of its satellite. Of the minute portion that the planet thus arrests, an equally insignificant part is caught up by the plants and used directly in their growth. Yet, the entire productive force of the living portion of that planet turns on this insignificant fraction of an in- significant fraction. The vegetable cell is thus a store of power, a reservoir of force. It mediates between the sun, the sole foun- tain of energy, and the animal life on the planet. The animal can not use an iota of power that some time, either directly or in- directly, has not been stored in the plant
For thousands of centuries, each type of animal and plant parasite upon the planet was content if it could secure food enough to reach maturity and then a mate to repro- duce its kind. All the energies put forth, all the variations in organ and form, all the adaptations to modified environment, were but means toward the better accomplish- ment of these two ends. Sometimes a type would reach a culmination or highest point. beyond which it could not advance. Then a degeneration would occur along side lines. or, in many instances, even total extinction of the race or group. Finally, after the planet was hoary with age, a race of animal parasites evolved from the lower forms, whose variations were ever concentrated to- ward the head or cephalic region. During untold ages, their brains slowly but surely increased in size until. in time, they became possessed of the power of reason and of ab- stract thought. In that age the "Prince of the Parasites" was born. From then on he began to rule not only the other animal and plant parasites about him, but to discover and control the powerful forces of nature, heretofore wholly latent. As he grew in brain power, he grew in greed and in ego- tism. He came to think that the planet, on which he was but a parasite, was created for him alone; that all other plants and animals were put there for his special benefit, though many of them outdated him by millions of years. He began to modify the surface of the planet in all ways possible, to change, as it were, its every aspect to conform to his ideas. He imagined, vain creature that he was, that he could improve on the works
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WHITLEY COUNTY, INDIANA.
of nature. In time he divided up the entire land surface of the planet by using some- times imaginary lines and again natural boundaries. Acres and sections, townships and counties, kingdoms and empires, states and republics were the terms he used to de- note his subdivisions, and over all lands and seas he proclaimed himself chief ruler-for that planet is the earth-that prince of para- sites is man. To 36,350 square miles of the earth's surface, lying between the imagi- nary lines thirty-seven degrees and forty-one minutes and forty-one degrees and forty-six minutes north latitude, and between eighty- four degrees and forty-four minutes and eighty-eight degrees and six minutes west longitude, man, in time, gave the name "In- diana." How came this area to be where it is? Of what kind of matter is its surface composed? What was its condition at the time of the advent of the white race? These ought to be interesting questions to every resident of the Hoosier state.
The oldest known rocks on the American continent are those of Archaean time, laid down during the Azoic or lifeless aeon of the earth. They are known as the Lau- rentian System of Rocks and consist mainly of coarse granites, thick bedded gneisses and syenites, serpentines, schists and beds of modified sandstones, limestones and clays. They were formed from the debris of other rocks still older than themselves; these in turn having been derived ages ago from those original igneous or primary rocks whose molten sands rose first above the boil- ing floods and cooled and crusted into a chaotic continent. For Archean Time comprised those millions of years which elapsed while the crust of the earth was cool- ing down to a point where life was possible.
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