History of Whitley County, Indiana, Part 1

Author: Kaler, Samuel P. 1n; Maring, R. H. (Richard H.), 1859-, jt. auth
Publication date: 1907
Publisher: [Indianapolis, Ind.] : B. F. Bowen & Co.
Number of Pages: 940


USA > Indiana > Whitley County > History of Whitley County, Indiana > Part 1


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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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