USA > Indiana > Porter County > Counties of Porter and Lake, Indiana : historical and biographical > Part 60
USA > Indiana > Lake County > Counties of Porter and Lake, Indiana : historical and biographical > Part 60
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Secret Orders .- The McLelland Lodge, 357, was instituted at Wheeler, in Porter County, some time prior to 1866, and moved to and established in Hobart in the year 1866. The charter members were : Will- iam Decoursey, W. M. ; Daniel S. Curtis, S. W .; P. P. Gordon, J. W. The first members other than these were William Cogswell, George W. Bond, Sidney S. Reed, Charles DeFrance, James McAffee, Jr., John Mathews, F. Rentz, Harley H. Curtis, James Adams, James Halsted,
530
HISTORY OF LAKE COUNTY.
Andrew Walton, J. Black, H. J. Ellis, Andrew Harrison, D. Sanders, I. C. Pinney, W. H. Rifenburg, N. Wright, S. Cantwell, D. B. Collings, J. G. Earle, W. W. Pierce, G. W. Arnold, F. D. Bowen, William Devon- shire, Thomas Harrison, C. H. DeFrance, N. H. Ferrin, L. Ames, M. Bullock, M. Shinnebarger, J. E. Bowers. The present officers are : P. P. Gordon, W. M. ; J. H. Ostrander, S. W .; J. Mathews, J. W .; G. Stocker, Treasurer; M. W. Jory, Secretary ; J. E. Mander, S. D. ; William Ensign, J. D. ; J. Richardson, Tiler. The present membership is sixty-five.
Earle Lodge, I. O. O. F., was organized July 29, 1869. Its lodge number is 333. The charter members were J. S. Meister, P. P. Gordon, M. M. Robinson, W. Lyne, John G. Earle, N. Hull, T. J. Strong and William Devonshire. The present officers are: William H. Rifenburg, N. G. ; J. M. Whitmore, V. G. ; M. W. Jory, R. and P. Secretary ; Will- iam Scholler, Treasurer ; Z. Collman, Ward. ; R. Randham, Conductor ; F. Kleeson, I. G .; J. A. Brown, R. S. N. G. ; E. B. Roper, L. S. N. G .; A. Ammerman, R. S. V. G .; S. S. Foster, L. S. V. G .; H. Ches- ter, L. S. S .; F. Selfton, R. S. S. The membership at present is forty- six.
Schools and Teachers .- The first school in Hobart Township was not taught until after 1845. This was taught at Hobart in a small frame house built of oak, sawed at the Hobart Mill. This schoolhouse is still standing, being now occupied as a dwelling by the Widow Ramsey. In 1858, there were only four schoolhouses in the township-one at Lake Station ; one at Hobart, one two and one-half miles west of Hobart, and one two miles east of Hobart. All of these were frame, and the one in Ho- bart was very small and built by voluntary labor. Wages at that time were about $1 a day, and the teacher was expected to board around or else pay board from that sum. There are at present seven buildings in the township, three of which are brick. The new brick in Hobart was built in 1877, and cost about $10,000. It is a neat square structure with stone trimmings, two stories high with a basement. There is a good grove on the east, south and west, and a neat white fence in front. The last Principal in District No. 1 was Henry E. Kern; Mattie Gatsby was his Assistant. In District No. 2, C. Whitfield was Principal ; W. W. Truesdell taught the intermediate department, and Myrtie Briggs (now Mrs. Spencer), taught the primary room. In District No. 3, Mary Sul- livan taught the last school ; in No. 4, Mary A. Wort ; in No. 5, Charles Gadsby ; in No. 6, Mary E. Edwards, and in No. 7, Mary Rifenburg.
Growth .- From 1836 to 1840, the settlement was slow, and those who came found great difficulty in getting along. The panic of 1837, and the fever and ague, united with many other things to obstruct im-
Dr. Harvey Petitone
531
HOBART TOWNSHIP.
provement. In 1850, a large number of settlers came in, and in 1852 the swamp lands were sold, and they were taken rapidly. From that time on the settlement has been quite steady and rapid. The wonderful growth and extension of Chicago has enhanced the value of the land in the northern part, until the poorest land in the township is the highest in price. In this connection, it may be well to speak of a swindling scheme that was practiced upon the unsophisticated. It is or was known as Bax- ter's Addition to Chicago, and would, if it had worked, have extended the radius of Chicago some thirty miles. This " addition," of nothing to nothing, is put down in the plat book as "Being a subdivision of the west half of the southeast quarter of Section 14, Township 36, Range 8 west," and was recorded by James Baxter June 25, 1873. The land, or rather the mud and water, was subdivided into about eight hun- dred lots, and the streets (or canals) are marked Center, Park, Prairie and Wabash avenues, and Adams, Washington, Division and Monroe streets. About four hundred and eighty-eight lots were sold, 'or repre- sented as being sold ; some of them bringing, or represented as bringing, large sums of money. One bona fide purchaser came out to see his newly-acquired city property ; he landed at Liverpool. The addition was about half a mile west of the mouth of Deep River, on the Calumet. He was asked if he could swim. "No." "Have you got a boat ?" " No." "Then you had best not venture to seek your land, for it is mostly under water, and what is not was pre-empted by muskrats and bullfrogs long years before the enterprising Baxter thought of attaching it to Chicago." But the man was bound to see it; so he boldly waded in and found, as he expressed it, " That he had one of the softest things that a man ever got into." He returned to the city a sadder, wetter and wiser, if not a richer, man. It is said that he found many houses upon his lots, but they were muskrat houses.
Of a like nature was what was known as Shaw's Subdivision. Per- haps it never attracted much attention, except of those who were swindled by the land sharks who concocted the scheme. It appears of record as follows : Shaw's Subdivision of the east half of the north quarter of the west half of the west half of the southwest of Section 16, Township 36, Range 7 west of Second Principal Meridian, by Charles A. Shaw. The plat shows Deep River sweeping in majestic curve through a city of metropolitan appearance, which was located just east or south- east of Lake Station, or in the air around there somewhere, or perhaps just on paper. The plat shows River, Shaw, Center, Grove, Nichols and Lake streets, with Broadway and Earle avenues. Many of these swin- dling schemes have been planned and executed by Chicago parties. As a rule it is not the people who live in the vicinity where the plat is laid
FF
532
HISTORY OF LAKE COUNTY.
that get taken in, but the uninitiated man of means who starts out to get rich by speculating in town or city lots.
Dr. Davis, who came in 1835; George Earle and family, in 1836; Mr. Edwards, in 1835; William Heverland, in 1836; Fredrickson, Davis and Chatman, proprietors of Liverpool, in 1835 ; J. V. Johns. in 1836, and Samuel Sigler and family, are among the first settlers of what is now Hobart Township.
CHAPTER VII.
BY G. A GARARD.
NORTH TOWNSHIP-ITS NATURAL WEALTH-THE CROOKED CALUMET-
LAKES OF THE TOWNSHIP-AN IMPORTANT FUTURE HARBOR-RISE AND PROGRESS OF EDUCATION AND RELIGION-TOWNS, ALIVE AND DEAD- EXTENT OF INDUSTRIES - VILLAGE OF HAMMOND -THE TOLLESTON CLUB.
THE Township of North is peculiar in many respects. Lying as it does at the south end of Lake Michigan and indented as it is by this great saltless sea, one would naturally suppose that it would have been thickly settled before the central and southern parts of the county were settled at all. In ancient times civilization sought the sea. Settle- ments were always made on the coast before people thought of moving inland ; but, since the iron horse began to speed his chariot over the land, man's dominion has not stopped at the shore but has stretched inland to the heart of the continent. With about twenty-five miles of a coast line and almost fifty miles of a navigable stream ; with nine railroads and three navigable lakes, why should North Township be to-day, to a great extent, an unimproved and sparsely populated region ? The answer comes from its numerous marshes, sand hills and sterile soil.
.
Boundaries, etc .- On September 5, 1849, the boundaries of North Township were fixed as follows : Commencing at the point where the Calumet River crosses the line dividing the counties of Lake and Porter ; thence down the center of said river to the point where it crosses the line dividing Ranges 8 and 9 west; thence south on the said range line to the southeast corner of Section 36, Township 36, Range 9 west ; thence west on the north line of the township of St. Johns to the Illi- nois State line; thence north along said line to Lake Michigan ; thence eastwardly along said lake shore to the line dividing the counties of Lake and Porter ; thence south on said line to the place of beginning. The elections were ordered held at the house of Albert Spear, he being appointed Inspector. On September 7, 1860, George Earle presented a petition signed by himself and others to have the following territory set
533
NORTH TOWNSHIP.
off to Porter County : Commencing at the southeast corner of Section 4, Township 35, Range 7; thence running west to the southeast corner of Section 3, Township 36, Range 8; thence west to the line between ranges 8 and 9; thence north on said line to Lake Michigan ; thence east along said lake to the line dividing Lake and Porter Counties; thence south to the place of beginning. The consideration of the petition was postponed to a future meeting The question came up in December, but was again postponed. After due consideration in March, 1861, the petition was denied and dismissed.
Tavern and Other Licenses-In 1833, a family named Bennett kept tavern at the mouth of the Calumet. In 1834, a family named Berry kept tavern on the lake beach, and the widow, Hannah Berry, kept tav- ern there for a year or two after the county was organized. In Septem- ber, 1837, an election of North Township was ordered to be held at the house of Bucklin and Murdock, and in January, 1838, the place was changed 'to Abner Stilson's. About this time Vincent Mathews was granted a license to run a ferry across Deep River. In 1838, Oscar L. Robinson was granted a license to keep a tavern on Sand Ridge at $15 a year. In May, 1838, it was ordered by the County Commissions, " That the ac- count and report of Francis Barney, Supervisor of Road District No. 1 of North Township, by which it appears that of 100 days' work due in the district he has caused sixty-eight days to be worked, and for which he charges twenty-six days' extra service, be not allowed." In November, 1838, George Earle was licensed to keep tavern ; $15 a year was the price paid for the privilege.
Owing to the facts that a number of changes were early made in the boundaries of the township, that it was originally very much larger than at present, and that most of the few who settled first in what in now North, have died or moved away, no satisfactory list of old settlers can be given. The settlers in this region have been largely transients ; at least, to a much greater extent than in the other townships of the county. Instead of a list of early settlers, we append a list of the tax- payers of North, as shown on the Lake County Tax Roll of 1839-a book that is now crumbling to dust.
The non-residents are marked N. R. as on the book : Amzi Ains- worth, A. P. Andrews, N. R .; Ay-be-naub-be, Ash-kund, James Burnes, Don C. Berry, Epaphrous P. Butler, John Ball, Russel Butler, Beniah Barney, Francis Barney, Blake and Turner, N. R .; Preston Blake, John Benson, Be-si-alı, Ben-ack, Ebenezer Dustin, Ebenezer Dustin, Jr., John C. Davis, N. R .; Richard Earle, N. R .; George Earle, David Fowler, John Foster, Henry Frederickson, David Gibson, E. Haskins, Charles Haywood, Nathan P. Hopkins, Hurst, Stephen Jones, Theo-
534
HISTORY OF LAKE COUNTY.
dore D. Jones, Levi D. Jones, Levi Jones, J. V. Johns, Daniel Jack- son, N. R .; Abraham Muzzell, Allen Mulkins, James Mundell, Henry Magee, William Merrill, Dudley Merrill, Elijah Martin, John Markins, Charles D. Mathews, N. R .; John Mandeville, S. Miller, Joseph Oak- man, Seth Owens, E. D. Owens, O-ca-chee, Charles S. Reeves, Jonas Rhodes, Peyton Russell, Re-re-Now-Saw,- Switzer, N. R .; - Switzer, N. R .; Robert Williams, Charles Walton, Samuel Walton, Charles Woods, James C. Wilcox, Alman Wilder, John Woods, Benijah Wilkinson, Ull-saw, We-saw-et-Lueson, James Wilson, N. R .; Wood and Sanders, George Whitmore.
TOTAL ASSESSMENT.
State.
County.
270 Polls, the tax upon which was.
.$135 00}
$ 135 00
$33,322.92 Land.
100 17}
3 67
13,355.00 Liverpool lots ..
40 16
133 723
39,910.50 personal property.
119 972
1,002 024
It will be remembered that the above list includes a number of names of persons who never lived in the region now known as North Town- ship. The reader will notice a number of Indian names in the list which are readily distinguished by their peculiar spelling and queer com- binations of letters and sounds.
Physical Features .- Almost unquestionably all that is now North Township was at no distant date, geologically considered, the bed of Lake Michigan. Large as the Lake is at present, time was when it was much larger. This land, so recently reclaimed from the waters, has not yet that admixture of vegetable mold that is necessary to fit it for agricult- ural purposes. Most of the enriching growth that has taken place upon this region has been confined principally to the low, wet portions. However, whatever this region lacks that it should have, or has that it should lack, it has unquestionably advantages of location that in time will produce great results. Its features that have been most disadvantageous in the past may be the most advantageous in the future. The opening of the Calumet to navigation has long been talked of, and moves have already been made in that direction ; and Congress, during its last ses- sion, appropriated $35,000 for the improvement of that river in Illinois. From its position, North has a great many railroads crossing it, many of the great trunk lines from the East making their way to Chicago cross its territory. It has many more miles of rail than any other township in the county, and probably as many as any township in the State, and fewer miles of wagon roads.
Although for raising grain and stock this township has amounted to but little, Ballstates, in his history of Lake County, that " It is asserted by good authority that the fruit crop of North amounts to more in a sea- son than the whole grain crop of Centre Township;" but it seems difficult to
535
NORTH TOWNSHIP.
take this for more than an assertion. Huckleberries, cranberries, winter- green berries and aquatic game birds abound.
The Calumet is the only stream of any size in the township. It rises in the northeast part of Porter County, and takes a southwesterly and westerly course through Lake County into Illinois, then returns and re-crosses North Township and empties into Lake Michigan near the northeast corner. Old settlers in the northwestern corner of the town- ship were told by the Indians that in early days no water flowed through the other mouth of the Calumet at South Chicago. The lakes now called Calumet and Wolf, according to their account, had the same outlet then as now, and from that to the Calumet River was a sort of slough or marsh ; through this the hunters and trappers got to dragging, and finally to pushing their canoes, thus beating down the grass and rushes. This channel was much used, and, as it widened and deepened, the waters of the Calumet began to flow through ; as the flow of water decreased at its other mouth, the sand collected, until at the present time it is entirely closed and all the water flows through the South Chicago channel.
On the subject of lakes in North Township, much confusion seems to have arisen and to still exist. Inaccuracies have crept into records and historical sketches. What follows is from a reliable source. It is accord- ing to the account of an old settler who has lived near these lakes for many years and who may be said to be familiar with every foot of water on the lakes, for he has been over them times without number. These lakes are all crowded into the northwest corner of the township, at least all of any importance are. There are many marshes, bogs and ponds scattered over the township, but those that merit the name of lakes are Wolf Lake, Lake George or Mud Lake and Berry Lake. Wolf lake is farthest west and lies on the line between Indiana and Illinois, and is more than half in the former State. There is a tongue of land projecting into this lake from the northeast that reaches almost to its center. Its out- let is Wolf River, which enters the Calumet River between Wolf Lake and Calumet Lake. This is the largest of the three bodies of water. Lake George, or, as it is more commonly called, Mud Lake, lies just east of Wolf Lake. It has a tongue of land entering it from the same point, and extending in the same direction to near its center, as that described for Wolf Lake. Just east of Lake George lies Berry Lake, which is not, as some have stated, an imaginary lake, but is, on the contrary, a beauti- ful sheet of water of about two-thirds the size of Lake George. It is about two and a half miles long and one mile broad at its broadest place. It also has a point of land projecting from the northeast to about its center. It does not empty its waters through the same channel as the other two, but has an outlet of its own that enters Lake Michigan at the
536
HISTORY OF LAKE COUNTY.
Baltimore break-water, east of Whiting. All of these lakes seem to be connected with Lake Michigan, for when it rises they rise. However, it is not to be supposed that there are really any underground channels, but that the soil and subsoil, being of sand and gravel, allow the water to percolate freely, so that, as the waters of the Great Lake ebb and flow, so do the waters rise and fall in these small lakes. Some years ago, there was a steamboat on Lakes George and Wolf, and John Kreuter had the honor of piloting her safely on her first round. It has been proposed at different times to make of Wolf Lake a harbor of refuge for Lake Michi- gan. Before the war of the rebellion, while Jeff Davis was holding office under the United States, he was appointed to explore Lake Michi- gan for a place to locate a naval harbor. In his report, he said of Wolf Lake: "This is the place, and the only place on Lake Michigan for a naval harbor." The people, especially the property holders of the vicinity, are willing to stand by Jeff and the Government at Washington on this opinion. Indeed, it seems clear that a channel could be cut through to the lake at no great expense, and in imagination it is not hard to see hundreds of vessels riding in safety upon the waters of Wolf Lake.
Progress of Education .- Owing to the fact that permanent settlement and improvement were slow in what is now North Township, schools were few and far between in early days. For most of the facts on schools in this township, we are indebted to Mr. A. A. Winslow, and to a series of articles published in his valuable paper, the Tribune, written by D. Mc- Kinney, on the schools of North Township. Under the old system of three Trustees, Benjamin Hopkins, David Gibson and Mr. Johnson or- ganized the first school in the year 1852, at Stahlbaum's, one-fourth of a mile east of his house. This house is a frame, 14x16 feet, and is still standing ; it cost $16, and was sold for $6. Miss Merrill, from the East, was the first teacher ; she received for her work $10 a month, and paid out of this $1.50 a week for board, and walked three miles to school. Thus she had a net gain of $4 a month upon which to draw for books, clothes and incidentals. Two months was the length of the term. Before this, a private school had been taught by Chancey Wilson ; also one by Mr. Ferguson. The former was held at Mr. Wilson's house, and the lat- ter near where Gibson's Station now stands. The second schoolhouse was built in 1854, on the ridge, half a mile west on Frank Palmer's farm. This is on the Ridge road, between Hammond and Hessville. It was first taught by Mr. Ferguson, at $13 a month, for a three months' term. Mr. Ferguson at that time was quite an old man. Frank Hess, and many of the sons and daughters of the old settlers. received their early education here. The following still remember the Old Ridge School : Miss Ann
-
537
NORTH TOWNSHIP.
Watts, Mary Watts, Frank Hess, Frank Gibson, Frank Planer and Miss Susan Kelmage. At the first term, the enrollment was six ; the average attendance two, and one every stormy day, Frank Hess, was the sole at- tendant. The schools of the township made but little progress from 1852 until in 1859, when they came into the hands of Mr. Knoerozer, Mr. Roberts and Mr. Johnson, Trustees. At this time, Joseph Hess was Supervisor and Treasurer. At the election, he received fifty out of fifty- two votes. In 1859, five schools were organized, and there were $500 in the treasury. By reason of two new railroads coming through, this amount increased to $4,000 in one year. In 1860, there were ten schools. From 1860 to 1865, owing to the all-absorbing " civil conflict," but little attention was paid to schools here. In 1865, Prof. Van Derwallia, from France, settled near Tolleston, and started a School of Engineering and Polytechnics. It is stated that he had twenty pupils from twenty States. This school ran about three years, when it was broken up by the Profess- or's accepting a position from the Government. This was the third pri- vate school in the township, and stood where the Tolleston Club House now stands. The Tolleston Schoolhouse was built in 1865. A private school for the common branches had been been taught here before. This school was graded later, and German was taught. Mr. Trinkler, from Germany, had charge of the German Department, and D. Mckinney of the English branches. This Mr. Trinkler went blind and was supported by the county for a time. He died four years ago at Crown Point, of old age. Up to 1878, four deaths from the ranks of the teachers of North Township are chronicled ; they are Lucinda Sherwood, Mr. Wilson, Mr. Trinkler and William Pierce. Since the close of the war, the schools have increased in number and improved in quality. Under the new two- term law of 1878, M. M. Towle was elected Trustee ; with his characteristic vigor he has instilled a spirit of enterprise into the schools. The enumer- ation of 1882 shows the school population of the township to be 1,011, while that of the town of Hammond is 304. During the whole time cov- ered by this sketch, the smallest attendance upon any one day was one, and the largest 150; the smallest school fund, $100, and the largest $7,090; the shortest term taught was two months, and the longest, nine months ; the least number of children sent to school, six ; the greatest number, 900; the smallest salary paid, $10 a month ; the largest, $50.
Churches .- But three or four churches have been built in this town- ship. At Hammond there is a Catholic Church : it is a frame, and cost about $1,500. Mrs. Hohman gave the lot upon which it is located. The first Protestant organization of Hammond dates from February, 1882. It is a Methodist society, and Rev. S. E. Vinal, of Evanston, has had the work of organization. The present members of this young organiza-
538
HISTORY OF LAKE COUNTY.
tion are : S. E. Vinal, Pastor; A. A. Winslow, Sarah Winslow, William Guthrie, John B. Guthrie, D. Nason, Sarah Borsier, A. F. Robinson, Elmira Robinson, Rebecca Goodman (recently deceased), Paulie E. New- man, J. C. Lewis, Benjamin Lewis, Emily Lewis, M. Louisa Glazier, M. V. Swartwood, Mrs. H. E. Swartwood, George P. C. Newman (who is a grandson of Peter Cartwright), Samuel Tinsman, Elizabeth Tinsman, Benjamin B. Glazier, Emma J. Vinal and Mrs. D. Nason, besides four- teen probationers. M. M. Towle has presented the society with a lot, and they expect to build soon. The German Lutheran Church is a strong organization, and began building some time since, but from some dissatisfaction as to location the building was discontinued. There is a German Lutheran Church at Tolleston. There has, for many years, been a German Lutheran society at Hessville. A Sabbath school has been here maintained for a long time. There are several Sabbath schools held in schoolhouses in different parts of the township.
The Towns and their Industries .- Although the township has a dozen railroads, there are but few towns of any note; in fact, only three that can claim the name town. They are Hammond, Tolleston and Clarke. There are several crossings, a few small places, such as Hessville, and that is the extent of the collected population. The remaining population is scattered far and wide over a broad area. Whitney is a station on the Michigan Southern Railroad. It contains about a dozen families, most of whom are engaged in railroad work. Miller, a station on the same road, is much like Whitney: It has a schoolhouse and has had a small store. Gibson's Station is still smaller. There are only about half a dozen families here. Pine Station and Whiting Station are both simply stations and nothing more. Hessville is of more importance. Joseph Hess was the founder and has done much for those who have settled in the vicinity, especially for those who, because of poverty, most needed help. The first store was opened in 1858. Quite a large school and Sabbath school are here maintained. This has the name of a peaceable, prosper- ous village. In the town of Clarke, harvesting ice is the chief industry. It is situated about a mile from the lake, the roar of which is audible to the inhabitants almost any day. There are two large ice-houses. The Washington Ice Company have just started this year. There are twenty- five or thirty houses and a population of about one hundred and twenty. There is a combined store and saloon kept by Charles Kriewitz. The Postmaster at present is J. Rayder, who has had the office but a short time. Before him, R. J. Roby held it about a year. Charles Kriewitz had it for a short time before him, who was preceded by A. Zuvers. Miss Emma Mott taught the school last term. The population of Tolles- ton is about 300. The country around is thickly settled with railroad
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