USA > Indiana > Cass County > History of Cass County, Indiana, from its earliest settlement to the present time; with Biographical Sketches and Reference to Biographies, Volume I > Part 27
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PLANK ROAD
Under the provisions of an act of the general assembly authorizing the organization of plank road companies, a company was organized in Cass county about 1851 with John W. Wright at its head. At this time only dirt or mud roads existed in Cass county and the Michigan road with its extensive travel became almost impassable in rainy weather. The company organized for the purpose, paved this road with plank, two and a half inches thick and twelve feet long. Wooden girders were laid at each side and in the center of the road and the plank spiked to the girders. It was a fine road for a year or two but the timbers began to decay and the plank curl up and the road became a nuisance to the traveling public, and the cost of maintenance was too great and was unprofitable and the plank road was abandoned about 1856, and for a few years following the road was in a wretched condition owing to the timber still remaining. This plank road extended to Fulton on the north and Deer Creek on the south, but the promoters lost heavily.
Vol. 1-18
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GRAVEL ROADS
In 1867 there was not a gravel road in the county. In June of that year the Logansport & Burlington Turnpike Company was organized with a capital stock of $56,000. The officers were: Thomas H. Bring- hurst, president; Joseph Uhl, vice president; W. H. Brown, treasurer; S. L. Tanguy, secretary ; J. M. Justice, J. C. Merriam, A. J. Murdock, direc -. tors. The company at once graded and graveled the old Michigan road south from Logansport to the county line and later extended it into Carroll county. This was the first gravel road in the county and was of great advantage to the farmers, and although a toll road was highly appreciated. It was a paying investment for the stockholders, but finally yielded to the progressive demand for free gravel roads and passed into the control of the county with other roads about 1891.
MICHIGAN PIKE
This was the second gravel road to be built about 1867-8 when the Logansport & Northern Turnpike Company was organized with a capi- tal stock of $16,000. Asberry Barnett, Tobias Julian, W. E. Haney, F. M. Barnard and B. F. Yantis were the prime movers in the enter- prise. The first year two miles of road was constructed, and later it was extended to Metea, a distance of eight miles. When the city ex- tended its limits, taking in a mile of this road, there was some contention about the matter and the city paid the company an agreed price for the same.
LOGANSPORT AND WESTERN GRAVEL ROAD
This road extends westward on the south bank of the Wabash, and only three or four miles of road was built at a cost of about $7,500. D. D. Neff, Denis Uhl and D. W. Tomlinson were the managers. The company was organized December 12, 1881, and the road constructed soon after.
LOGANSPORT AND WABASH TURNPIKE
This road leads from Taberville east on the south side of the Wabash river, a distance of about five miles. A company under the above title was organized in 1883 with a capital stock of $8,000. The following persons were the managers of the enterprise: C. Minneman, W. P. Louthain, Henry Puterbaugh, Samuel S. Helvie, D. W. Tomlinson, B. F. Louthain, Geo. E. Ross.
LOGANSPORT AND MARION TURNPIKE (PRAIRIE PIKE)
This gravel road extended from the Eighteenth street bridge across the Tabers prairie, a distance of about five miles, and was built in 1882 or 1883. The company was capitalized at $10,000, and A. J. Sharts was the president and W. T. Wilson treasurer.
ROCK CREEK GRAVEL ROAD
A company to build this road was incorporated in 1882 with a capi- tal stock of $10,000, with Robert Carney as president, W. H. Brown secretary and J. J. Stapleton treasurer. The road extends south from Taberville through Washington township.
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PLEASANT GROVE PIKE
This gravel road extends from College Hill due north to the county line, passing through Noble and Harrison townships, a distance of about ten miles, and was constructed about 1877-9. Wm. Reighter, Peter Michael, Jacob Yantis, Daniel Fogelsang and others were the chief stock- holders and managers.
ROYAL CENTER PIKE
About 1880, the Chicago road leading from Logansport to Royal Cen- ter was graveled and became one of the best roads in the county as well as the best patronized.
For twenty-five years-1867 to 1892-eight gravel roads were built out from Logansport in all directions. These roads were constructed by private capital and were toll roads, yet they were a great convenience as well as conserver of time and money to the farmers who were en- abled to haul twice the former load of grain or other products, and at any season of the year. As the years passed the roads became worn out, were not kept up, many complaints were made, farmers were not satisfied to pay toll to travel over such muddy roads and much bad feeling was engendered between the patrons of the road and the control- ling companies. Many exciting, as well as amusing incidents were enacted between the farmers and the tollgate keeper. About forty years ago the Michigan pike had the appearance of pioneer days when ox teams struggled through the mud. Joseph Penrose, a prominent citizen of Bethlehem township, passed the tollgate kept by F. M. Bernard and refused to pay toll, and came on to town. Anticipating trouble on his return, he supplied himself with ax and saw, and being something of an athlete and a boxer, drove up fearlessly to the tollgate, which Mr. Barnard had drawn down when he saw Mr. Penrose coming. The latter stopped his team, deliberately got out and with his saw, with which he was provided, sawed the pole sweep in two, and drove on, leaving the tollgate keeper in anything but a pleasant frame of mind. Such scenes as this were enacted on many of the toll roads, and although the pro- jectors of these gravel roads did a lasting service to the county by their enterprise in not only making better roads, but gradually edu- cating the whole people to higher standards and teaching them the value of good roads, yet there was a feeling and a prejudice against them. This feeling grew and although much of it was not justified, yet it crystallized and bore good fruit and hastened the day of free gravel roads. About 1890 to 1893 all the toll roads were purchased by the county and became free gravel roads. One or two, notably the Pleas- ant Grove pike, against which a judgment was rendered for damages to a Mr. Heil, who had received an injury from some neglect of the com- pany and the latter relinquished the road, but it was in such poor condition that no one would purchase it to satisfy the judgment, and Mr. Heil let it revert to the county. But by purchase or otherwise the county gained control of all the toll roads about twenty years ago.
The little tollhouse at the side of the road, with its superannuated couple on the front stoop, has gone. The "pole and sweep" for closing the highway has disappeared. These roads becoming free and the whole county being taxed for their maintenance and up-keep, was a stimulant to farmers in sections not benefited by these gravel roads to take meas- ures to build other roads. The result has been that within the past twenty years nearly all the principal thoroughfares have been improved either with gravel or stone. In some localities where gravel pits are not
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accessible, it is found as cheap to use crushed stone, especially since the two large stone crushers have been established within the county. In those districts stone is being quite generally used and the results are more satisfactory than gravel. Today every neighborhood in Cass county can be reached over gravel or stone roads that are as smooth and solid as our paved streets, over which the farmer can haul sixty bushels of wheat easier than he could twenty in pioneer days, and that too every day in the year if necessary. Buggies or automobiles can be run with ease and safety at ten to thirty miles per hour. What a change since the Michigan road was first opened up in 1832. It would look very strange to our people today, accustomed, as we are to rapid transit means of locomotion, to see the slow, plodding oxen dragging log wagons or carts around stumps, through the mud, over corduroy roads, which alone existed in Cass county eighty years ago. Heavy loads over these rough highways could be hauled by these strong, patient oxen even better than by horses. Prior to 1860 the making of neck or ox yokes was a regular trade in many communities, and the patient ox was a common sight on the roads and in the towns along the Wabash.
STAGE COACHES
Railroads and transportation companies advertise extensively in this age of rapid transit, but the days of stage coach travel were no less given to the use of printer's ink, and we copy some notices from the Logansport Telegraph, of September, 1845, which illustrate the methods of travel in the days of early Logansport.
"STAGES-WABASH VALLEY ROUTE "LAFAYETTE TO TERRE HAUTE IN THIRTY HOURS
"Stages leave Lafayette for Logansport every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, then by canal to Ft. Wayne, and Toledo on Lake Erie."
"NORTHERN ROUTE
"Coaches leave Logansport for Chicago and Detroit Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, at 1 P. M. Stage office, Ross & Co."
Mr. Riley thus graphically describes these changed conditions in his inimical way :
"Of times when we first settled here and travel was so bad, When we had to go on horseback, sometimes on shank's mare, And blaze a road fer them behind, that had to travel there. But now we go a-trottin', 'long a level gravel pike,
In a big two-hoss road wagon, jest as easy as you like; Two of us on the front seat, and our wimmen-folks, behind, A-settin' in they'r Winsor cheers, in perfect peace of mind!"
Since Mr. Riley wrote the above, automobiles and air-ships have come into use and we might with propriety add the following rhymes to Riley's chimes :
But now the orter-mobile goes chucken down the road, Passin' the two-hoss wagin, as a fox would pass a toad, And still the world's progressin', we haven't reached the goal, 'Till aeroplane excursions are run from pole to pole, And then we'll not be satisfied, 'till stellar orbs we climb, And make old earth a football, to play in the college nine.
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WABASH AND ERIE CANAL
This was a great work of internal improvement and was national in its character, and congress by an act passed March 2, 1827, made pro- vision to assist the State of Indiana to open a canal to connect the waters of Lake Erie with the Wabash and Ohio rivers. When com- pleted this canal extended from Toledo, Ohio, to Evansville, a distance of three hundred and seventy-nine miles.
The survey of the canal was commenced in 1833, several routes being investigated for the purpose of selecting the most available. The legislature of 1834-5 directed other surveys and it was not until 1835 that the final route was established, and in the fall of that year con- tracts for different sections of the canal were let and work began at Ft. Wayne; although some authorities state that the first ground was broken on February 22, 1832, and in 1834 a short section was completed and the first boat launched. Whatever may be these discrepancies in beginning the work, the canal was not completed to Logansport until the fall of 1838, and then only as far as Berkley street, where there was a basin in which the boats were turned around. The lock just west of Berkley street was not then built. The work progressed, and the lock was constructed, the aqueduct across Eel river built, and in 1840 the canal was completed through the city, coming in on what is now Erie avenue, to Fifth street, running north on Fifth to Eel river, crossing that river on an aqueduct, then on northwest to the Vandalia crossing of Sycamore street, thence westward on Water street. The ditch was completed to Lafayette the following year, but it was several years later before it was extended to Evansville on the Ohio river, its ultimate terminus. The opening of the canal created a great excite- ment in Logansport and the whole town turned out to see the first boat that came in on the "raging canal," drawn by three mules, and making five or six miles an hour. Prior to this time all goods had to be brought into the city on wagons or on horseback, and the opening of the canal gave an immense impetus to business. Instead of hauling grain to Michigan City, farmers as far north as Plymouth brought their produce to Logansport to be shipped east over the canal. The result was that provision had to be made to receive this increased trade. Warehouses were built all along the canal to store the grain and other goods. Many of these old warehouses are still standing on Fifth street, a relic of early canal days in 1838-40. The business of the town, up to that time entirely confined to the district west of Third street, now began to grow east to the canal. At the street crossings high overhead bridges were constructed to permit boats to pass under and the grading on either side extended to the alley. About 1860-2 these high bridges were torn out, the street graded to a level and swinging bridges were constructed at all street crossings. The canal was a great boon to the city and all this region of country and carried on its placid waters all the goods and merchandise as well as passengers coming in or going out of the county. It was a great improvement over the pack-saddle or ox-cart, and was a cheap and rapid means of transportation as com- pared with them. But, like many other things, in the onward march of civilization, and the progress of man's ingenuity, its usefulness was superseded by greater facilities afforded by railroads, for transporta- tion, than could be offered by the canal. When railroads were built into Logansport and were fully equipped, they began to take the traffic away from the canal and its trade gradually declined from 1856 until 1875, when the canal was forever abandoned, having fulfilled a great and useful mission for thirty-five years, and but few evidences of this
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once popular and useful enterprise are left to tell the tale. The old warehouses are crumbling and the last vestige of the stone abutments of the aqueduct across Eel river were removed about three years ago. Fifth street is paved and Erie avenue is traversed by the street and trolley cars, where once moved the slow canal packet drawn by the patient mule.
STEAMBOATS ON THE WABASH
Before the settlement of Cass county, missionaries and Indian traders utilized the upper Wabash river for transportation purposes. Their boats, however, were small canoes or flatboats, propelled by oars, and only small articles could be carried, and during the settlement of the county the river at Logansport was too shallow, except in very high water, to be a regular means of carrying trade. There was, however, two, and possibly three, small steamboats came up the Wabash as far as Logansport. Sanford Cox, in his "Recollections of Early Settle- ments," published in 1860, described two trips by steamer from Lafay- ette to Logansport :
"During the June freshet of 1834, a little steamer, called the 'Republican,' advertised that she would leave the wharf at Lafayette for Logansport on a given day. A few of us concluded we would take a pleasure trip on the 'Republican,' the first steamboat to navigate the waters of the upper Wabash. Accordingly we started out under a good head of steam and we made good time until after we passed Delphi, when the boat stuck fast upon a sandbar, which detained us several hours. Other obstructions were met and the passengers and crew would get out in the water and lift, or on shore would pull with ropes. Thus we labored until night overtook us, stuck fast in the bot- tom of the river below Tipton's port. During the night operations were suspended, but next morning all hands began lifting and pulling at the boat, and at length arrived at Georgetown rapids, about seven miles below Logansport. Here still greater obstacles were met. Colonel Pollard and Job B. Eldridge, of Logansport, who had goods on board, were laboring in the water and at the capstan, were particularly anxious that Captain Towe should reach that place, and his boat have the honor of being the first steamer to land at the wharf at Logansport. Several days were spent in fruitless efforts to get over the rapids. All hands, except the women, were frequently in the water up to their waists. The water fell rapidly and prevented the boat from ascending or returning down the river.
"While at this place many Miami and Pottawattomie Indians, of all ages and sexes, visited us. They would sit for hours on the bank in wonderment and surprise at the little steamer puffing and snorting. They would chatter and talk to each other and gesticulate wildly.
"After four days' inefficient effort to proceed, the boat was abandoned by all except the captain and his crew. Two or three weeks after- ward a dozen yoke of large oxen were brought down from Logansport, and the 'Republican' was hauled over ripples and sandbars to Logans- port, and the citizens of that place and surrounding country had the luxury of a steamboat arrival on July 4, 1834, and Captain Towe had the (doubtful) honor of being the commander of the first steamboat that ever made a trip to Logansport; for it cost him his boat, which bilged soon after its arrival in port, and its hull, years afterwards, might be seen lying sunk to the bottom of the Wabash near its con- fluence with the waters of Eel river.
"During the summer of 1835, there was another June freshet and
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the steamboat 'Science' advertised to make a trip from Lafayette to Logansport, Peru and Godfrey's village, above the mouth of the Mis- sissinewa. The boat made good time and we reached Logansport with- out difficulty. There was a large increase of passengers at this point. The Tiptons, Lasselles, Durets, Polks, Johnsons and others turned out for a steamboat excursion to Peru, and their aboriginal neighbors and valuable customers at Godfrey's village. The boat left the wharf at Logansport under a full head of steam to carry it over the rapids a short distance above town. Our gallant boat failed to make the ripple, and after puffing and snorting for two hours, dropped back to the foot of the rapids, where several hundred of the passengers went ashore to walk around the rapids while the steamer made another effort to ascend the rapids. Rosin, tar and sides of bacon were freely cast into the fire to create more steam, but in vain. The boat became unmanageable and darted back toward an island. On seeing this the captain and some of the crew jumped overboard with a cable to make the boat fast to a tree on shore. The keel of the boat, however, at this moment struck a stone, that turned it out into the river, and thus escaped destruction against the island towards which it was rapidly approaching. The captain deemed it prudent to return to Logansport and lighten his load. Over two hundred barrels of salt and flour were taken off the boat, which laid that night at the landing at Logansport, and one hundred or more of the citizens of Lafayette and Delphi shared the hospitality of their neighbors at Logansport. After all the hotels and boarding-houses were filled to overflowing, private houses were thrown open to accommodate those who could not get lodging on the boat, and next morning scores were willing to bear witness to the kindness and hospitality of the citizens of Logansport. Next day the most of the passengers walked around the rapids and the steamer passed over them the first effort. We soon reached Miamis- burg and Peru, two little rival towns on the west bank of the Wabash. The boat passed up to the mouth of the Mississinewa and Godfrey's village, to receive the congratulations and premiums of that old chief, who was highly delighted to receive a visit and who well compensated the captain for his call at his town.
"On the return trip at Peru the Irish who were working on the canal were in the midst of a riot, and threatened to sink the boat if it attempted to land, and some of the passengers were left at that port. The little steamer made a successful return trip to Logansport, safely landed its passengers and proceeded on to Lafayette without incident, making the one and only successful steamboat trip up the Wabash to and beyond Logansport, and the navigation of the Wabash has cer- tainly never added to the material wealth of Logansport and but few of our people of today are aware that our city was ever visited by a steamboat other than some little launch operated above the mill dams."
RAILROADS
We now pass from canal and river navigation to the age of steam and in contrast with the historic Michigan road, with its ox teams and stage coaches, we place the modern railroad with its greater facilities for supplying the demands of the present age for rapid transportation.
The first railroad built in the state was that extending from Madison on the Ohio river to Indianapolis. It was completed through to the latter place in the fall of 1847. Mr. Nowland in his reminiscences of early In- dianapolis, thus describes the first train entering that city: "There were several thousand persons gathered at the Madison depot to witness
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the arrival of the first locomotive and train of cars that ever came to Indianapolis. Jerry Johnson, a unique character, was standing on a pile of lumber, elevated above the rest of the crowd. As the locomotive hove in sight, he cried out at the top of his voice, 'Look out, boys; here she comes, hell on wheels.' As the train stopped, he approached the locomotive; said he, 'Well! well! whoever seed such a tarnal critter? It's wus nor anything I ever hearn on. Good Lord, John, what's this world gwine to come to.' "'
Soon after the opening of the first railroad in the state, the citizens of Cass county began the agitation of railroad building into Logansport and in the year 1848 under the auspices of Williamson Wright, James W. Dunn, George B. Walker and possibly others, a company was incor- porated known as the "Lake Michigan, Logansport & Ohio River Rail- road Company," to construct a railroad from Cincinnati to Chicago. The capital stock was fixed at $1,000,000, divided into shares of $25.00 each. Money, however, was not forthcoming and nothing was done at that time but their efforts bore fruit a few years later under the name of the New Castle & Richmond Railroad, now known as the Richmond & Logansport Division of the Panhandle Railroad. This was the first railroad built into Logansport, and reached here in 1855. At that time the bridge across the Wabash was not built and the depot was on the south side near Burlington avenue. There was a turntable west of the avenue, on which the engines were turned around and the exca- vation for this turntable may yet be seen.
This same company expected to build west and south along the Wabash and did much grading, but never completed the road and the Logansport & Crawfordsville road later acquired their rights. It seems that this end of the line, from here to Kokomo, was first constructed, probably on account of the canal over which material could be shipped. In 1855 the first engine was shipped by way of the canal and was un- loaded at Broadway and the old canal, now Fifth street, and was dragged on hewn timbers by three yoke of oxen, driven by Sam Berry- man, down Broadway to Third and south on Third street across the Wabash river and placed on the track of the first railroad built into Logansport. At that time the Wabash river was spanned by two old wooden bridges, across which the engine was hauled by the ox teams, a feat which would scarcely be attempted with the engines of the pres- ent day.
It was ready for its trial trip by July 4th, and on that day, 1855, a few of the citizens were invited to a picnic, two miles east of town near Taber's prairie. The trip was made successfully but slowly and thus is recorded the first railroad excursion out of Logansport. Mr. Watson Westlake was among the excursionists and before his death related the circumstances to the writer.
THE WABASH RAILROAD
Was the next road to be completed, but at first under the title of Toledo, Wabash & Western, extending from Toledo to St. Louis. As early as 1852 this enterprise was projected but the road was not com- pleted into Logansport until the spring of 1856, the first cars being run to this place on March 20th of that year. There was a turntable just west of Berkeley street while the western extension was being built.
LOGANSPORT & CHICAGO RAILROAD
Now known as the Chicago division of the Panhandle. By resolution of the Lake Michigan, Logansport & Ohio River Railroad Company,
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