USA > Indiana > Porter County > Counties of Porter and Lake, Indiana : historical and biographical > Part 48
USA > Indiana > Lake County > Counties of Porter and Lake, Indiana : historical and biographical > Part 48
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An example may be presented of the class of transactions referred to above, a few statements being given to make its features intelligible.
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HISTORY OF LAKE COUNTY.
" The Commissioner and Engineer were required to locate and lay out ditches, to make contracts, etc. The Engineer was not required by law to keep a record of his estimates nor to make certificates of estimates from which the Commissioner should issue ditching certificates. Hence there was no check kept by the Engineer upon the arrears of those ditch- ing certificates issued by the Commissioner. Nor does the law require the Commissioner to keep a record of the ditching certificates issued by him, and the committee were unable to find in any case a record of those certificates."
The example selected presents a case that may now be readily under- stood. A contractor assigned a blank ditching certificate to another per- son who filled it up, or had it filled, "in the sum of $2,609.65," and obtained and retained the money, other certificates being issued to the contractor for all the work he had done; thus, in the language of the committee, " fraudulently taking from the Swamp Land Fund the sum of $2,609.65."
The committee even found certificates with forged signatures on which money was drawn. Also they found certificates issued and money paid when no work had been done. They say in regard to two individuals, whom they name, that they believe "from the written testimony and tes- timony not recorded, * a judgment could now be obtained
* * for a sum not less than $20,000 The whole amount of money taken away from this fund, the committee had no means at hand, in this county, for summing up. The difference between the amount actually paid for work done and the whole amount for which these lands sold would probably be that sum.
Those conversant with the facts will sustain the assertion that quite probably $100,000, during those few years of fraudulent or speculative management, passed into the pockets of a few of our public men. And the amount which beyond question passed into the hands of corrupt officials in high position at Indianapolis was by no means small. How large there are no data here on which to base a conjecture. Let it be re- peated that, of this transaction, the lessons are obvious.
The entries of the Wabash Canal land seem to have extended from 1843 to 1856, the certificate of "lands sold in Lake County at the Canal Land Office," at Terre Haute, being dated February, 1857. The amount certified to as having been thus sold is some sixty sections. It thus ap- pears that about two hundred and fifty square miles or sections, one-half the area of the county, were donated by the United States Government for the purpose of internal improvements of Indiana.
In the Constitution of Indiana, Article XIV, Boundaries, it is ordained and declared that the State of Indiana is bounded on the east
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HISTORY OF LAKE COUNTY.
by the western meridian line of Ohio; on the south by the Ohio River from the Great Miami to the Wabash; on the west by the Wabash River till leaving the main bank on a line due north from Vincennes, "thence, by a due north line, until the same shall intersect an east and west line, drawn through a point ten miles north of the south- ern extreme of Lake Michigan; on the north, by said east and west line, until the same shall intersect the first-mentioned meridian line, which forms the western boundary of the State of Ohio." The originators of this west boundary line expected that the northwest corner of Indiana would be on or near the shore of Lake Michigan, but it happens to be some distance out in the lake. The line drawn from the extreme south part of Lake Michigan to the west line of the State is therefore an " In- diana Boundary Line " and a Ten Mile Line, being the bound from which we are to measure ten miles northward into Lake Michigan to find our true northern limit.
In 1828 there was acquired by treaty with the Pottawatomies a strip of land ten miles in width along the northern boundary of Indiana ex- tending, in a narrow strip, to the extreme south limit of Lake Michigan. The northern boundary of the State being then the same as defined by the Constitution, it is evident that the line bounding the southern limit of this first purchase would meet that other line at the south limit of Lake Michigan, and so both would form a continuous straight line. The eastern part of this line in our county is therefore justly called "South Boundary of Ten Mile Purchase."
According to Colton's Map of Indiana, "compiled from United States surveys," a north and south line in Indiana has quite a different direc- tion from a north and south line in Illinois. If our west line had the direction from the Wabash River northward of an Illinois north and south line, South Chicago would be included in Lake County. As it now is, the northern boundary of our county, instead of being the beach line of Lake Michigan. is a line due cast and west on the surface of that lake ten miles north of our noted "Ten Mile Line." All the fish there- fore and fisheries connected with some one hundred and twenty-five miles of Lake Michigan belong, evidently, to the inhabitants of Lake.
An Indian "float " was something like a soldiers' land warrant. When this region was purchased from the Indians, instead of their re- serving certain definite tracts or parcels of land, the United States issued to some of their head men a number of land warrants or docu- ments called " floats," by the possession of which they were authorized to select and own so much land within the purchase, under certain re- strictions. It is said that Section 8, on which Crown Point now stands, was selected by an Indian or his agent, and a float laid upon it;
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HISTORY OF LAKE COUNTY.
but certain influences induced the Land Office Agent at La Porte to slip the float over, in his record, onto Section 17. So 8 was entered, and 17, joining it on the south, passed into the hands of a great fur trader. Floats were laid on only some ten or twelve sections of land in the county, and most of these were near the Calumet.
Mail Routes, etc .- In July, 1836, Congress established a mail route from Toledo via Whitemansville, Lima, Bristol, Carrollton, Elkhart, Mishawaka, South Bend, Terre Coupee, Kankakee, La Porte, Morgan Prairie (Porter County) and across Lake County to Joliet, Ill. Un- doubtedly a station was established in this county. At the same session, a route was extended to La Porte, via Salt Creek, Adela, Van Ness, on the Vincennes road, the head of Hickory Creek, and down such creek to Joliet, Ill. Salt Creek was in Porter County, and Adela was, possibly, in Lake, but this is uncertain. At this time, the route from Indianapo- lis, via Frankfort, Delphi, Monticello, Jasper and Lake Court House, in Porter County (Lake was attached to Porter in 1836), to Michigan City, was established ; as was also the route from Michigan City, via Bailey Town, Deep River, Robinson's Prairie (Lake County) and the crossings of the Kankakee, to Peoria, Ill. In July, 1838, the route from Logans- port, via Winamac, Sherwood's Ferry and Valparaiso, to City West, the last three points being in Porter County, the ferry being on the Kanka- kee, was established. The only post-route extending across the county, prior to 1836, was the Detroit & Fort Dearborn mail, which had been located many years before, and the coaches first ran along Lake Michigan beach, but later through Liverpool, on Deep River, and finally, on the Bradley route. H. S. Pelton was the carrier on the route from La Porte to Joliet, and this, for many years, was the principal mail route for the central and southern parts of the county. The mail from Michi- gan City to Pecria was at first let to be carried in four-horse coaches, but these did not run, and only over a portion of the route-from City West, in Porter County, to West Creek, in Lake County-was the mail carried at all, and that on horseback. The Monticello route also fur- nished the county with mail, the same being carried, a portion of the time, by H. S. Pelton, "but [the route] was afterward found to be through such an interminable wilderness that it was discontinued." Con- gress had not, at that time, studied the geography and history of the Kankakee Marsh, and of the counties of Iroquois, Newton and Jasper. In 1847, there were seven post offices in the county. A mail, carried twice a week from La Porte to Joliet, supplied the Crown Point Office. A mail was carried once a week from West Creek to Valparaiso, and from West Creek to City West. In connection with the mail from La Porte to Joliet occurred the incident of Solon Robinson's killing the bear. The
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HISTORY OF LAKE COUNTY.
mail carrier then was John Church, of Prairie West. He came in with the mail one day and reported that a black bear was on the Sac Trail in advance of himself, and that he had, with his horse, actually driven him into the suburbs of the village. Solon Robinson, the Postmaster, in the words of the informant, "hooted at it." Like the Indian on first hear- ing about railroads and telegraphs, he " poohed " it. Nevertheless, soon after-distributing that mail was not a lengthy task-he took up his trusty rifle and went out. Sure enough, he soon encountered bruin, fired away at him, and soon the villagers learned of the death of their new visitant.
Soon after this-in 1850, and since-the construction of railroads and the location of postal stations within the limits of the county, sup- plied the citizens with daily mail. The Michigan Central established a station at " Lake," in 1850, and a daily hack was started, running from that place to Crown Point. Branches were afterward extended, new railroads appeared, and erelong the postal facilities were scarcely surpassed in the United States.
Statistics .- The census of 1840, taken by Lewis Warriner, of Cedar Lake, furnishes the following information of Lake County : Horses and mules, 324 ; neat cattle, 2,085; sheep, 453; swine, 4,434; estimated value of poultry, $638; bushels of wheat, 15,838; barley, 495; oats, 29,176 ; rye, 10; buckwheat, 924; corn, 27,675; pounds of wool, 481 ; hops, 3; beeswax, 77; bushels of potatoes, 16,583; tons of hay, 1,657 ; tons of hemp and flax, } ; pounds of tobacco, 2,020; dairy products, $5,- 222; stock of two stores, $3,300; value of skins, $356 ; value of tobacco manufactured, $100, one person being employed; two tanneries-sole leather, 425 sides ; upper leather, 300 sides ; five men employed, capital, $2,500; nineteen other dealers in leather, saddlery, etc .; one printing office, one man employed, capital $250; one grist-mill ; four saw-mills, value of mill manufactures, $3,800, twelve men employed, capital, $16,400 ; value of all other manufactures, $1,720, capital, $320; wooden houses, 53; stone or brick houses, 0; male persons under five years, 146 ; from five to ten, 113; ten to fifteen, 118; fifteen to twenty, 80 ; twenty to thirty, 162 ; thirty to forty, 107; forty to fifty, 52; fifty to sixty, 34 ; sixty to seventy, 13; seventy to eighty, 3; females under 5, 130 ; five to ten, 99; ten to fifteen, 73 ; fifteen to twenty, 60; twenty to thirty. 118; thirty to forty, 75 ; forty to fifty, 38; fifty to sixty, 35; sixty to seventy, 8; seventy to eighty, 1; eighty to ninety, 1; 510 engaged in agri- culture ; one in commerce ; seventeen in manufacturing and trading ; five in learned professions or in engineering ; one deaf and dumb; one colored boy ; seven primary or common schools ; 116 scholars ; five per- sons over twenty years unable to read or write. Population of the county in 1840, 1,468 ; 1850, 3,991; 1860, 9,145; 1870, 12,339; 1880, 15,091
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HISTORY OF LAKE COUNTY.
CHAPTER II.
BY WESTON A. GOODSPEED.
LAKE COUNTY BEFORE ITS ORGANIZATION-THE FIRST ELECTION RETURNS- FORMATION OF THE COUNTY-CREATION OF TOWNSHIPS AND OTHER PO- LITICAL DIVISIONS-MISCELLANEOUS PROCEEDINGS OF THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS-THE COUNTY SEAT CONTEST-PUBLIC OFFICIALS-THE FIRST COURT-THE EARLY SCHOOL FUND-THE LIBRARY AND THE SEMI- NARY PROJECTS-THE POOR FARM-THE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY- JAILS AND COURT HOUSES-POLITICS-COUNTY OFFICERS -- STATISTICS.
T THE county of Lake had its first political existence in the month of March, 1835, when the Commissioners of La Porte County, to which both Lake and Porter were then attached, ordered that all the territory of Lake and as far east in Porter as the center of Range 6 west should con- stitute a township, to be known as Ross, named thus for an old settler, who, at that time, had been in the county of Lake one or more years, and who afterward, in 1836, was killed by the fall of a tree. The results of the election of township officers, held at the house of Cyrus Spurlock (in Porter County), with Benjamin McCarty, Inspector, are fully given in the second chapter of the Porter County history accompanying this volume, and need not be repeated here. It will be observed that the names of several old settlers of Lake appear upon the election returns of this first election of any character held in what is now Lake County. This was before Lake had an existence, even in name. On the 28th of January, 1836, the Governor approved the special enactment creating the counties of Lake and Porter, the full text of the act appearing in the chapter referred to above. An organization was ordered for Porter, to which Lake was attached.
At the first session of the Board of Commissioners of Porter County in April, 1836, it was ordered of the territory attached to Porter County on the west (Lake County), that all such territory lying south of the line dividing Townships 33 and 34, should form and constitute a township to be known as Bryant,* and that an an election of one Justice of the Peace should be held at the house of Robert Wilkinson, in that township, on the 30th of April, 1836, Robert Wilkinson, Inspector. It was also
* Itis usually understood in Lake County, and so appears in various published accounts of the early organi- zation by local writers and others, that the county was divided in 1836 into North, Center and South Town- ships, but this is a careless mistake Lake County and a strip of the western side of Porter County were created as Ross Township in March, 1835, by the Commissioners of La Porte County. In April, 1836, as stated above, the Commissioners of Porter County divided Lake into Bryant, Clark and Ross Townships. In April, 1837, when Lake County was organized, the Commissioners divided the county into North, Center and South Townships. What the County of Lake constituted A part of, prior to March, 1835, could not be certainly learned by the writer.
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HISTORY OF LAKE COUNTY.
ordered that all territory lying west of Porter County, and between the line dividing Townships 33 and 34, and the line dividing Townships 34 and 35, should constitute a township to be known as Clark ; and an election was ordered for such township at the house of Charles H. Paine, on the 30th of April, 1836, with William Clark, Inspector. It was further ordered that all the attached territory west of Porter County and north of the line dividing Townships 34 and 35, should constitute a township to be known as Ross, and an election of necessary officers was ordered held at the house of William B. Crook, in such township, on the 30th of April, 1836, with Rollin T. T. Tozier, Inspector.
At the election in Bryant Township, the following persons voted for one Justice of the Peace : Thomas Nolan, Simon Wells, Jesse Bond, Solomon Wilson, Rhesa Nolan, David Bryant, E. W. Bryant, Robert Wilkinson, John Keller, Samuel D. Bryant, Thomas Wiles, Samuel Holstead.
Robert Wilkinson received ten votes, and E. W. Bryant two votes. John Keller, S. D. Bryant, Robert Wilkinson, Clerks of Election ; Thomas Wiles, Lyman Wells, Thomas Nolan, Judges of Election.
At the election in Clark Township, for the same purpose, the follow- ing persons polled their votes : J. W. Holton, Luman Fowler, William Clark, William Myrick, Henry Farmer, Richard Fancher, W. A. W. Holton, Elias Myrick, Thomas Reed, Henry Myrick, Solon Robinson.
Solon Robinson received ten votes, and J. W. Holton one vote.
W. A. W. Holton, Henry Myrick, Clerks of Election ; William Clark, Henry Farmer, William Myrick, Judges of Election.
On the same day, for the same purpose, in Ross Township, the follow- ing men voted : R. T. Tozier, Jesse Pierce, Henry Biddle, William B. Crooks and William S. Thornburgh.
A. L. Ball received five votes.
W. S. Thornburgh, W. B. Crooks, Clerks of Election ; R. T. Tozier, Inspector ; Jesse Pierce, Henry Riddle, Judges of Election.
Formation of County .- By an act of the Legislature, approved on the 18th day of January, 1837, it was declared that Lake should be an independent county after the 15th day of February, 1837, and, on the 8th day of March, 1837, Henry Wells was commissioned Sheriff by the Governor, with full power to order an election of County Commissioners and other necessary officers to administer the affairs of the new county. A Sheriff who had been previously appointed failed to act. In accord- ance with the legal requirements, the Sheriff announced that an election of three County Commissioners, two Associate Judges, one County Re- corder and one Clerk of the Circuit Court, should be held on the 28th day of March, 1837, at the house of Samuel D. Bryant, with E. W.
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HISTORY OF LAKE COUNTY.
Bryant Inspector ; at the house of R. Eddy with William Clark Inspec- tor, and at the house of A. L. Ball with William S. Thornburgh, Inspec- tor. This election was duly held with the following result : Clerk of the Circuit Court-Solon Robinson, 38; D. Y. Bond, 21; L. A. Fow- ler, 17. County Recorder-William A. W. Holton, 50 ; J. V. Johns, 22. Two Associate Judges-William B. Crooks, 51; William Clark, 50 ; Samuel D. Bryant, 28; Horace Taylor, 1. Three County Com- missioners-Amsi L. Ball, 78; S. P. Stringham, 59; Thomas Wiles, 59. The Commissioners cast lots for the long or short terms with the following result : Mr. Ball three years, Mr. Wiles two years, and Mr. Stringham one year.
Miscellaneous Proceedings of the Board of Commissioners .- On the 5th day of April, 1837, the Commissioners, S. P. Stringham, Amsi L. Ball and Thomas Wiles, met at the house of Solon Robinson for the trans- action of business. It was ordered that the county be divided into Com- missioners' districts as follows : District No. 1 to consist of all the terri- tory lying north of the center of Congressional Township 35 in Ranges 8, 9 and 10, and in Range 7, all north of Township 34. District No. 2 to consist of all the territory lying south of the center of Township 35, in Ranges 8, 9 and 10, and in Range 7 south, of Township 35, and all north of the fifth tier of sections (counting from the south side) in Town- ship 33. District No. 3 to consist of all the territory lying south of the north tier of sections in Township 33. At the same time it was ordered that the county be divided into three townships, having the same limits and bounds as the three Commissioners' districts, the one on the north to be known as North, the one in the center to be known as Centre, and the one on the south to be known as South. An election of one Justice of the Peace was ordered held on the 18th of April for Centre Township, on the 25th of April for North Township, and on the 25th of April for South Township, the election in North to be held at the house of A. L. Ball, with John Wood, Inspector ; the election in Centre to be held at the house of Solon Robinson, with Elias Myrick, Inspector, and the election in South to be held at the house then lately occupied by Thomas New- land, with E. W. Bryant, Inspector. Peyton Russell, of Liverpool, was elected Justice of the Peace of North ; Milo Robinson and Horace Tay- lor, of Centre ; and E. W. Bryant, of South. The following officers were appointed : North Township-Constable, John Cole ; Fence View- ers, D. Y. Bond and J. Wiggings ; Overseers of the Poor, John Wood and George Zuvers ; Road Supervisors, Rufus Clough and Francis Bar- ney. Centre Township-Constable, Thomas Clark ; Fence Viewers, William S. Hunt and H. N. Brooks ; Overseers of the Poor, Henry Farmer and William Payne; Road Supervisors, John Toby and J. W.
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HISTORY OF LAKE COUNTY.
Holton. South Township-Constable, Jacob Mendenhall; Fence View- ers, Samuel D. Bryant and Jesse Bond; Overseers of the Poor, John P. Coleman and Elias Bryant ; Road Supervisors, Robert Wilkinson and John P. Coleman. On the second day's session, the following action was taken :
Ordered, That the Clerk call on the Clerk of Porter County and ascertain what amount of revenue has been collected by authority of Porter County from citizens of this county for licenses or other purposes, for any time since the 15th of February last. And if he deem the amount sufficient, he shall make a respectful demand upon the Board of Commissioners of that county to refund such revenue to this county. He shall also ascertain what amount of money may have been collected from citizens of this county during the last year, as State tax, which properly belongs to the inhabitants of the several Congressional Townships as school money, and report to this board at the next meeting.
John Russell was appointed County Assessor, and Milo Robinson 3 per cent Commissioner. A warrant was issued for the arrest of trespass- ers on pine timber in North Township. George W. Edwards, the pine timber trespasser, was brought before the board in May, 1837. His bail was fixed at $1,000. William W. Payne was promised $1, payable April 1, 1839, for one wolf scalp. Vincent Mathews was granted a li- cense to keep a ferry across the Calumet River on Section 13, Township 36, Range 10, upon the payment of $2; also a license to keep a ferry on Deep River at the town of Liverpool was granted Henry Frederickson, John B. Chapman and Nathaniel Davis, $10 ; also a license to keep tav- ern was granted A. P. Bucklin and Foster Murdock, of Liverpool, for $10 a year. Horace Stevens, John Craig and Hannah Berry were granted licenses to keep tavern on the shore of Lake Michigan, and S. J. Cady and David Gibson, the same on the sand ridge in the northern part of the county. William N. Sykes was appointed County Surveyor, and Henry Wells Collector of State and county revenue. The citizens of North Township did not elect a Justice of the Peace as ordered, and the 16th of May was fixed for an election for that purpose. The following Trustees of Congressional Townships were appointed : Township 32 north, Range 9 west-Simon Beedle, John McLain and Horace Wood ; Township 33, Range 9-Jacob Mendenhall, Thomas Wiles and D. M. Dille; Township 34, Range 9-P. S. Mason, David Hornor and Daniel May ; Township 33, Range 8-E. W. Bryant, Eph. Hitchcock and Orrin Smith ; Town- ship 34, Range 8-Joseph P. Smith, J. W. Holton and Milo Robin- son ; Township 35, Range 8-Jonathan Brown, H. D. Palmer and Jerry Wiggins ; Township 34, Range 7-Jeremy Hixon, Thayer and Lindsay; Township 35, Range 7-John Wood, Robert Wilkinson and William Hodson ; Township 36, Range 9-George Whitmore, S. J. Cady and W. N. Sykes. At this time ten county roads were being viewed. Sealed proposals were called for to build bridges over Deep River on Section 16,
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HISTORY OF LAKE COUNTY.
Township 35, Range 7, over the same on or near Section 33, Township 35, Range 8, over Cedar Creek on Section 1, Township 33, Range 9, and over Bull Creek on Section 25, Township 33, Range 10.
In vacation after the first May session, the following books were re- ceived from the State. Four sets of twelve volumes Blackfont's Reports, ten copies of Revised Code, two copies each of 1832, 1833, 1834, and three copies of 1836, General Laws ; forty-five copies of General Laws of 1837, five copies Local Laws of 1837, six copies School Laws of 1837, and eight copies of Journal of Senate and House of Representatives. A. L. Ball was given the contract of building a bridge over Deep River, Section 16, Township 35, Range 7, for $400, S. P. Stringham and Thomas Wiles, Superintendents ; Hiram Nordyke, Harbeson Bones and Jacob Nordyke were given the contract to build the bridge over Deep River on Section 33, Township 35, Range 8, Solon Robinson, Superin- tendent ; contract price $500. Robert Wilkinson was given the contract to construct a bridge over Cedar Creek for $200. N. Hayden was given the contract to build the bridge over Bull Creek for $400. The follow- ing licenses were granted: Stephen Smith, to sell groceries in Centre Township, $5; J. L. Dille, same, in South Township, on Bull Creek. $5; T. M. Dustin, same, in North Township, on Deep River, $5; Robinson & Co., same, with dry goods, in Centre Township, $5; Calvin Lilly to keep a tavern near Cedar Lake in Centre Township, $15, and to sell gro- ceries and dry goods, $5. John Russell was paid $45 for assessing the county. Two hundred dollars of the 3 per cent fund was appropriated to build a bridge across Plum Creek. Two hundred dollars was appro- priated to improve the Michigan City State road. A tax of 1 cent on the dollar for county purposes, 3 cents on the hundred dollars for road purposes, and a poll tax of 75 cents for county purposes, was levied on the 30th of May. A higher tax is usually thought to have been lev- ied, but the Commissioners' records contradict this opinion. S. P. String- ham was appointed agent to receive and disburse the surplus revenue.
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