USA > Indiana > Elkhart County > A standard history of Elkhart County, Indiana : an authentic narrative of the past, with particular attention to the modern era in the commercial, industrial, educational, civic and social development, Volume I > Part 16
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Against the ice breakers of the first bridge the old Swan, a well known keel boat, was wrecked and the cargo of flour lost in the swift waters. It was during the later part of the '30s that the first dam on the Elkhart River was constructed, but the water power was not used to any extent until years later. Mr. Procter worked on the river in 1842-3 and became familiar with boating. He says that steamboats ran up as far as Bristol as early as 1842, but that the commerce was irregular until about 1845.
From one of the county papers, it is evident, from the following extract, that the trade by way of the St. Joseph, had reached large proportions by 1842: "We learn that on this day a large number of arks laden with 2,200 barrels of flour and nearly 1,000 barrels of pork and highwines passed through the locks of Mishawaka destined for the eastern market. A large proportion of this was from Elkhart county."
GOSHEN PEOPLE REBEL AT OBSTRUCTIONS
But conditions along the Elkhart River and at Goshen were not as favorable as along the St. Joseph and at Elkhart. Illustration taken from a local newspaper of 1842: "The Elkhart river from Hawks' mill, three miles above Goshen to the mouth, might easily be rendered navigable for arks and keel boats. A large number of arks have already left Waterford and Goshen laden with flour, highwines and pork ; but great difficulty and damage have been experi- enced in passing the dams and bridges on the route, and boats have frequently been sunk in the attempt. On Thursday last several of the Vol. 1 -11
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merchants of Goshen, interested in the navigation of the river, as- sembled at Kellogg's dam and proceeded to tear up the new bridge, against which several boats had struck. They were unmolested in the work and desisted only when they had made a free passage for the boats. We understand it is their determination to remove all obstructions, such as mill dams and bridges, peaceably if they can, forcibly if they must; if the grand jury and Circuit Court cannot effect it for them. The next threat is against DeCamps dam : and if the law is not complied with, by the construction of suitable locks, it is certainly as proper for a boatman to tear down a dam as for a traveler to let down a fence built across the highway." So we see that dams across the river were even more often objects of resentment in those days than at present.
ADVENT TO ELKHART OF THE RIVER STEAMBOATS
For four or five years after the advent of the first steamer to the trade of the St. Joseph Valley, Elkhart and the northern portion of the county enjoyed an increased boom in prosperity ; but the fate of even that improved form of transportation was forestalled by the oncoming railroad. The new followed the old so promptly that one might paraphrase the old-world shout of the populace with "The Steamboat is dead! Long live the Railroad !"
The appearance of the first steamboat at the mouth of the Elk- hart, with the exit of river traffic and the introduction of the rail- road to the good people of the city, is thus told by Truth :
"It was a beautiful Sunday morning in the spring of 1844 that the first steamboat came puffing up the river. For days this event had been awaited by the inhabitants of the little village and most of them were down to the bridge to witness the advent. A group of boys playing on the commons were startled when the sonorous whistle sounded, the cattle pricked up their ears and scudded away, as the apparition came in view around the bend of the river. In that crowd of boys was Major James D. Braden and James Smith. Puffing and wheezing the boat came. slowly on, but when the low wooden bridge at Main street was reached, a halt had to be made as the smoke stack could not go under the bridge. A consultation of war was held and the next morning the timbers in the middle span were removed and the boat moved through and up to the warehouses.
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Later the stacks were made with hinges so they could be dropped at the cry of 'Low Bridge.'
"These river steamers were built somewhat on the plan of the lumber carriers on the lakes. They were clear amidships and low, and the engine room was in the stern. Paddle wheels were built on either side, on some boats they were covered and on others exposed. A few of the larger boats could not come this far up the river. The steamers, and keel boats also, only drew about eighteen inches of water when loaded. The Matilda Barney was one of the first steamers to push her nose up the river to this port, although it is probable that the Indiana was the boat that arrived on that eventful Sunday morning. Pioneers will remember the Pocahontas, John Stryker, South Bend, Michigan, Gem, Ruby, Niles and many others of the river craft. These steamers would tow from three to four keel boats and the running of the riffles was accomplished by the means of windlasses with which every boat was provided. With fair luck the trip down the river could be made in three days and from four to five days consumed on the up trip. Mr. Davis says that the most exciting trip that he ever made down the river was early in April of 1848. A man at Three Rivers had built an Ark' eighty feet long and was carrying a colony of young men and women to the settlement at New Buffalo. They had succeeded in reaching Elkhart and the 'Ark' grounded on a sand bar. Mr. Davis was called to pilot them to St. Joe. The current was running swift and four days were consumed in reaching the mouth of the river. Many narrow escapes from sand bars and riffles occurred during that voyage.
"The advent of the railroad sealed the doom of the river traffic and it passed away, never to return. In 1848-9 the Michigan Cen- tral reached Niles, and the road purchased a large number of the keel boats and hauled them up on the banks to rot away. Mr. Davis hauled the first rails to be used in the construction of the present Lake Shore road from St. Joe by boat. They were known as the English 'T' rail and were eighteen feet in length. When the Michigan Southern and Northern Indiana R. R. came in 1851, the day of the steamboat was ended for Elkhart. Many of the old steamers were sold for the Wisconsin river trade and the old Indiana was taken to Chicago, where it was utilized as a river tug ; in fact, it was the first tug to be used on the Chicago river."
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FIRST TRAIN INTO ELKHART VILLAGE
As told by Elkhart Truth: "About four o'clock on a Friday afternoon early in the month of October, 1851, a wood burning engine, hauling a train of flat cars and caboose rolled over the wooden bridge over the Elkhart river and puffed along to the foot of Main street, which was then in the forest south of the village proper. For weeks this event had been the topic of conversation among the inhabitants of the little hamlet and the night previous to the advent of the 'Iron Horse' had been an anxious one. Many people waited all night long in order to be on hand to welcome the incoming train. Captain Chamberlain says that he was one of a party of boys, who, escaping from the confines of the school room, presided over by C. J. Conn, had gone in swimming while awaiting the coming of the train. It had been heralded abroad that the road would run a free excursion to White Pigeon on the following Sunday and people came for miles around to participate in the wonderful event. With an old time passenger coach, a box car and a number of flat cars arranged with planks for seats and crowded with passengers, the train started. One accident occurred to mar the occasion. Calvin Dome, one of the boys of the village, was seated on the top of the box car and by a sudden stopping of the train, he was thrown under the wheels. The injured boy was taken on to White Pigeon and brought back to Elkhart with the excur- sionists. Dr. Chamberlain of Elkhart and Dr. Elliott of White Pigeon attended the injured boy, but he could not survive the shock of his injuries and died the following day. Silas Baldwin was the first local railroad agent in the village."
WILBER L. STONEX ON THE RAILROADS
Wilber L. Stonex, prominent as a lawyer and county attorney, whose mother was the daughter of Thomas Thomas, the first clerk of Elkhart County and well known in its early public affairs, has long taken a deep interest in the historical matters of the region. He has served as president of the Elkhart County Historical Society and has been practically identified with the construction of both steam and electric lines which have served this section of the state. He is therefore qualified to speak with some authority about the railroads which have a bearing on this narrative. For several years
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he collected information on that subject, much of which was put forth in a paper read before the Historical Society in 1899. A condensation of Mr. Stonex' article yields the facts which follow.
SYNOPSIS OF PROGRESS IN THE COUNTY
The progressive spirits of the county soon realized that if the town advanced it must secure other means of transportation than the ox team and the ark, and the village had not passed its first decade before attempts, that proved futile, were made to connect the town with its neighbors by the means of strap rails. With this end in view the Buffalo and Mississippi Railroad Company was organized to run from Toledo to Chicago, passing through Goshen and connecting all of the county seat towns between the two points. The incorporators included William L. Latta, James R. McCord, James H. Barns, Joseph H. Defrees, Johnson Latta, and E. W. H. Ellis of Goshen. On February 21, 1837, the directors of this com- pany met at South Bend for the purpose of making an endeavor to procure funds with which to build the proposed road. In this they failed but the organization was kept alive for many years. Among the directors were Judge Osborne of LaPorte, Judge Stanfield and Schuyler Colfax of South Bend, John Davenport and Joseph Defrees of Elkhart, James H. Barns, E. W. H. Ellis, Milton Mercer and Dr. M. M. Latta, of Goshen.
In 1849 a rival company appeared in the field. It was known as the Southern Michigan Railroad Company. It ran through the southern tier of counties in Michigan and proposed to dip into Indiana on the way to Chicago. Steps were at once taken to block the charter and Joseph H. Defrees and Michael Daugherty were elected to the Legislature from Elkhart County for the purpose of preventing legislation on this charter. In 1850 J. H. Defrees was elected senator and Milton Mercer representative to continue the contest. It failed in the end, as the corporation was able to enlist the support of the citizens of Elkhart, South Bend and LaPorte and secured a charter. The citizens of Goshen were, however, re- warded by the new company absorbing the old charter of the Buffalo and Mississippi road and agreeing to run a spur from Elkhart to Goshen. The citizens purchased and donated to the corporation the tract of land now occupied by its successor, the Lake Shore Company, and erected a roundhouse for the use of the railroad.
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In the fall of 1851 the road reached Elkhart from the east, and during 1852 the spur was built to Goshen. The coming of the first train was a great event in the life of the village, the citizens turned out en masse, bonfires were lighted and a general celebration oc- curred. The roundhouse was abandoned in 1870. To show that the village was benefited by the advent of the railroad the increase in population is noted. In 1850 the town had 780 inhabitants and 1870, 2,053. This spur led to the extension of the Air Line through to Toledo.
After the war Captain Wells, an old railroad man, and Joseph H. Defrees organized a new railroad company for the purpose of pushing a railroad north and south through Goshen. It was known as the Goshen, Warsaw and Wabash Railroad and was put in operation in 1870. The line, as originally planned, would have run through Middlebury to White Pigeon, skirting the southern part of the county and crossing the Baltimore and Ohio and the Wabash railroads. This line is now a part of the Big Four system and runs from Benton Harbor, Michigan, to Indianapolis. It was originally known as the Cincinnati, Wabash & Michigan and was built through the southern part of the county via Goshen and New Paris in 1870. The Wabash road, running east and west, was completed in the winter of 1892-93.
AS PART OF INTERNAL IMPROVEMENTS SYSTEM
Extracts from the paper which throw light upon the foregoing statement of bare facts: "The question which was of the most vital importance to the early settlers of Indiana was the question of transportation. The slow and expensive modes of travel made the development of the resources of the state almost impossible. How fully this was realized can be seen in reading the messages which from time to time the governors submitted to the Legislatures.
"From many special references to the subject I select only a few. In 1815 Governor Posey recommended their careful attention to the improvement of the state roads and highways. In 1818 Governor Jennings urged the adoption of measures for the con- struction of highways and canals and the improvement of the navi- gation of the rivers of the state. In 1826 Governor Ray declared the construction of roads and canals necessary to place the state of Indiana on an equal financial footing with the older states. And
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again, in 1829, he said: 'This subject can never grow irksome, since it must be the source of the blessings of civilized life. To secure its benefits is a duty enjoined upon the legislature by the obligations of the social compact.'"
Up to this time no other means were considered than roads, canals and navigable rivers. But in 1834 railroads were being built and Governor Noble, in speaking of these public improve- ments undertaken by the state, said: "No work should be com- menced but such as would be of acknowledged public utility, and when completed would form a branch of some general system." And he called favorable attention in the same message to the Lawrenceburg & Indianapolis Railroad, for which a charter had already been granted. Along the lines thus proposed the state steadily pushed, and the construction by it of state roads, river improvements, canals and railroads was undertaken on a vast scale. This was forced upon the state by the rivalry of the various parts of the state, each of which demanded its own recognition and none of which was willing to wait. The result was that very soon the state became so heavily involved in debt that its credit failed, and by the year 1839 all work was practically suspended.
But as early as 1836 the state was so heavily burdened with the work already begun that no new lines were projected by it. But the vast system already laid out included all parts of the state and none was neglected. Elkhart County received its proper recogni- tion in the construction of state roads, and a canal was promised it. The latter was to run through the county seat, and was located through Goshen where Rock Run now flows, and would have re- ceived its water supply from the reservoir at Rome City. But with the advent of railroads the canal projects were promptly aban- doned. And when it became apparent that the state would not be able to construct them the people promptly turned to individual enterprise.
"At this day we are amazed at the exhibition of courage and confidence which this involved. In our own time even, with the vast accumulation of wealth in the hands of individuals which is available for profitable investment, the construction of a railroad is an undertaking which no community or individual would seriously consider. What then must have been the faith and courage of our people of that early day of comparative poverty that they could undertake that which we would not? But our wonder is greater
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when we consider that the cost of such enterprises was then vastly greater than the same would cost now. The estimated cost of the Madison & Indianapolis Railroad was not less than twenty-five thou- sand dollars a mile. And the state actually expended $1,493,013 on that road with the result of only twenty-eight miles in operation and twenty-seven miles more nearly but not quite graded. A very much larger sum than would be required now to produce the same result."
BUFFALO & MISSISSIPPI RAILROAD COMPANY
With infinite courage, charter after charter was sought from and granted by the Legislature, for at that time there was no general law for the incorporation of such companies. One of the best con- ceived and most feasible of these projected roads was that which the Buffalo & Mississippi Railroad Company was organized to build. It was to extend from Toledo to Chicago, passing through Indiana so as to connect all of the county seats of the northern tier of coun- ties. This much of its purpose was covered by its charter, and its possibilities were clearly indicated in its name. On the 21st of February, 1837, the directors, William L. Latta and James R. McCord of Goshen; Robert Stewart, of Michigan City, and John Brown, Aaron Staunton, of LaPorte, met at South Bend and began active work to secure the construction of the road. To obtain the necessary funds they ordered that stock subscription books be opened for popular subscriptions on the second Tuesday of March, following, at designated places in Michigan City, LaPorte, South Bend, Elkhart, Goshen, Lima and Steuben. It was evidently the hope of the patriotic projectors of this road that stock enough would be taken to provide the money for constructing the road, or at least for making a good beginning. But the result was disappointing, and nothing of importance came of this effort. Nevertheless the fact remained that without such a road the country it was intended to traverse would never be developed, and its future prosperity de- pended upon it. With so large an issue at stake ultimate success was certain. Impressed with this certainty a few of this little band determined to keep alive their organization, and as their ranks were depleted new men took their places, and year after year they met, elected officers and bided their time. Among these men were Judge Osborne of LaPorte, Judge Stanfield and Schuyler Colfax of South
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Bend, John Davenport and Joseph H. Defrees of Elkhart, James H. Barns, E. W. H. Ellis, Milton Mercer and Dr. M. M. Latta of Goshen. The counties east of Elkhart do not seem to have shared in this hope and work.
In every possible way the friends of the Buffalo & Mississippi endeavored to get their proposed line under construction. In 1846 they even appealed for aid to the General Government through the State Legislature, advancing the argument, among other considera- tions, that "The completion of the road would afford the General Government many facilities in time of war with Great Britain (which even now seems not improbable) for the transportation of arms, ammunitions of war, troops and everything necessary for their comfort and convenience, together with the speedy and expe- ditious dispatches so essential to the safety and effective prosecu- tion of the object of organized armies in a free and independent government like ours."
LAKE SHORE & MICHIGAN SOUTHERN A REALITY
Even this eloquent and patriotic appeal of the State of Indiana in its behalf failed to procure public aid. But about this time a rival company with better financial backing appeared and began the construction of a railroad from Toledo to Chicago through the southern tier of the counties in Michigan. Here was a great danger impending, for if this company, the Southern Michigan Railroad Company, succeeded in the construction of its parallel line connecting its same terminals it would make it impossible for the projectors of the Buffalo & Mississippi Company ever to secure, in the face of such competition, the money required for the construction of their road. Affairs having taken this critical turn, the gallant little band of patriots determined to compel their rival to build their road. This was to be brought about by preventing the granting to it of a charter for the construction of this part of its line which must come into the state at the southern bend of Lake Michigan except upon that condition. To secure this the county was induced to elect able men to the Legislature pledged to labor for this result. In 1849 Joseph H. Defrees and Michael C. Daugherty were elected from Goshen for that special purpose, and in 1850 Mr. Defrees was elected senator and Milton Mercer a representative to continue the contest. But the projectors of the rival company, by coming into this state
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at the northern part of the county and making Elkhart, South Bend and LaPorte points on their line, were able to secure strong local co- operation, and, in spite of the opposition to Goshen, secured. under the name of Northern Indiana Railroad Company, the needed charter. But the new company caused it to be given out that the charter secured by it was in some respects unsatisfactory, and nego- tiations were begun for the transfer to it of the charter and fran- chises of the Buffalo & Mississippi Company. The result was an agreement by which, in consideration of such transfer, the com- pany agreed to extend a spur from Elkhart to Goshen and run at least one train a day between the towns.
Besides this it was also agreed that if the citizens of Goshen would purchase and donate to it the tract of land now owned by its successor, the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Railroad Company, on the east side of Goshen, it would erect and maintain a round house there. The land was donated and the round house erected. In the fall of 1851 the railroad was built into Elkhart, and the year follow- ing saw it extended into Goshen as agreed. We, at this day, can scarcely realize the magnitude of this event and the wild enthusiasm of the people over it. The coming of the first train was celebrated by public meetings and bonfires, and the men to whose perseverance it was due were the heroes of the day.
DIVIDED FAVORS
The securing of the round house at Goshen was considered a very important thing, but when the company located its shops in Elkhart the round house was abandoned. This was in 1870. Be- cause of the careless phraseology of the deed to the company, which failed to make the maintenance of the round house a condi- tion of the title, Goshen lost both the round house and the land. But these were mere incidents. The railroad was the great prize and secured for Goshen all that its projectors hoped for. In 1850 its population was but 780, in 1860 it had increased to 2,053, and its future was assured.
The compulsory construction of the road from Elkhart to Goshen led to its extension east to Toledo, and Goshen thus became a point on the main line, and Elkhart, favorably located at the junction of the two branches, became the natural location for the
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shops of the company, which have contributed more than anything else to the building up of that city.
EXTENSION
Fortunately for Goshen the new company had no special use for the men who had so successfully struggled to secure its road. If it had honored them by making them directors in the new com- pany they might have been satisfied to rest with the honor. But there is a peculiar fascination in railroad work, and the first success of these gentlemen only stimulated them to new efforts in the same line. Accordingly when Captain Wells, after having built a railroad from Kalamazoo to White Pigeon and sold it to the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Railroad Company, came to Goshen to secure the co-operation of its citizens in the construction of a road from White Pigeon to Wabash, through Goshen, he at once availed him- self of the assistance of J. H. Defrees, who became one of the directors and most active workers in the new company, first known as the Goshen, Warsaw, Wabash Railroad Company. This road was speedily constructed from Goshen to Warsaw, and was put in operation in 1870. If completed as originally intended it would have passed through Middlebury and connected at White Pigeon with the road running thence to Kalamazoo. To secure this, Middle- bury voted liberal aid, and it was paid into the county treasury for the company, but the road was not built and the money was returned. The failure to construct this line was a most serious detriment to Goshen, as it would have placed Goshen midway on an important line extending from Grand Rapids to Indianapolis. Its construction was prevented by the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Company which refused to agree to buy it if constructed, as Mr. Wells had been led to believe it would do, and the result was that it broke Mr. Wells financially, and for a time Goshen was its northern terminus. In 1872 the extension of the road to Niles was promised, if cities along the line would aid it and this having been done the extension was quickly made.
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