History of Elkhart County, Indiana; together with sketches of its cities, villages and townships, educational, religious, civil, military, and political history: portraits of prominent persons, and biographies of representative citizens, Part 29

Author:
Publication date: 1881
Publisher: Chicago, C. C. Chapman & co.
Number of Pages: 1192

USA > Indiana > Elkhart County > History of Elkhart County, Indiana; together with sketches of its cities, villages and townships, educational, religious, civil, military, and political history: portraits of prominent persons, and biographies of representative citizens > Part 29

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the true sentiments of your younger brothers, the Miamis, with respect to the great Miami village. We thank you for kindly con- tracting the limits you first proposed, we wish you to take the six miles square on the side of the river where your fort ( Wayne ) now stands; as your younger brothers, the Miamis, wish to inhabit that beloved spot again. You shall cut hay for your cattle where- ever you please, and you shall never require in vain the assistance of your younger brothers at that place. Elder brother, the next place you pointed was Little river, and said you wanted two miles square at that place. This is a request that our fathers, the French or British, never made us : it was always ours. This carrying place has hitherto proved in a great degree the subsistence of your younger brothers; that place has bronght to us in the course of one day $100; we thank you for the trade you promise to open in our coun- try; and permit us to remark that we wish our former traders ( the French ) may be continued and mixed with yours." The genial manners of Wayne, however, won from the Miamis every privi- lege claimed, and led to the establishinent of the first American set- tlements in Northern Indiana. Preceding the treaty of Greenville, a number of French missionaries penetrated this north country, and immediately succeeding its acceptance by the tribes, another and equally zealous band visited every Indian village, and in some of them established missions which have been carried down to the present time, though, as was evident to the early settlers of Elkhart, whatever good the first missionaries implanted among the bands then settled in the county was forgotten or ignored, so that the Indian people in the neighborhood were deeply sunk in all the horrors of their awe-inspiring superstition.

The relief of Fort Wayne, under General Harrison and Colonel Jackson, and the total rout of the English and their Indian allies in 1812, secured the extreme northern lines of the territory now comprised in the State of Indiana; but yet much remained to be done. The routed besiegers of Fort Wayne had found a road to the Indian villages of Assissippi, Obsbenobe and Elkhart, so that the reduction of these dens of treachery became a necessity; accord- ingly Gen. Harrison ordered three flying columns to be sent in pur- suit. Two of these pursuing detachments under Colonels Wells and Jackson scoured the St. Joseph country, and on Sept. 11, 1812, gave up to fire the Indian village of Obsbenobe, then situated near where Benton now stands. Subsequently the unfortunate red men of the district fell before the advance of the patriots, and before the

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HISTORY OF ELKHART COUNTY.

return of the troops to Ohio the supremacy of the American over the British and Indian was well insured.

The United States claimed within a few years about 135,000,000 acres surveyed land : In Missouri, 17,443,429; Ohio, 4,100,493; Indi- ana, 11,456,136; Illinois,17,234,010; Alabama, 22,386,058; Mis- sissippi, 12,904,301; Louisiana, 19,686,526; Arkansas, 14,223,195; Michigan, 14,532,827; and Territory of Florida, 6,729,909.

Together with this acreage of surveyed lands, there were one hun- dred millions of acres of unsurveyed land in these States, to which the Indians laid no claim, and about eighty million acres pertain- ing to the Indian reservations. The fact that Indiana possessed this great public domain, comprising eleven and one-half millions of acres, imbued the early settlers with au idea of immensity, and tended to inspire them with a knowledge of the great future which spread itself before the brave people and told them silently, but truly, that their new land would shortly hold a place among the States.

THE FIRST SETTLERS IN THE NORTH.

The traveler from the North, who sought a way to the prairies of Mongoquanong and Northern Indiana in 1828-'30, had to pursue the tortuous trail made by the fierce Sacs and Foxes from Rock river in Illinois to Malden in Canada, whither they paid an annual visit, to receive the blood-money granted them by the British govern- ment for taking the scalps of Americans during the war of 1812.

To name the settlers on the prairies of Northern Indiana and the adjoining portion of Michigan, who always rendered a welcome and a shelter to the traveler, is not a difficult matter, since they were few and far between: Rice and a few neighbors were lords of the tract round the present town of Lima; Shaeffer was master of Big Prairie; Cutter and Winchell settled on White Pigeon Prairie; Lacey and Walling, at Niles; Coquillard and Navarre, at South Bend; Thompson, at Pokagon; Shields and Macintosh on Young's Prairie; Bertrand, at the Sac ford of the St. Joseph river; Lewis Davis, at the month of the Christiana; Noffsinger, on the banks of the same creek, near its junction with the St. Joseph; and a few French traders who had erected their wigwams near the villages of Waubee Papoose and the neighboring Indian towns. Among the latter was the notorious old Binnack, a French half-breed, who, on the slightest acquaintance with whisky and molasses, brought an infinite amount of trouble to friend and foe; Rosseau, a French trader, who turned

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HISTORY OF ELKHART COUNTY.

his sprightliness of character to rare account, and made himself thor- oughly at home in the wigwams of the red men, even as he did subsequently in the homes of the hospitable pioneers. To follow the romantic career of this Rosseau is beyond the intent of the writer; his social relations with the tribes would revive, in part, the story of Pocahontas, and as such pertains more to the pages of a novel than to those of a county history. He is supposed to have settled on Elkhart Prairie, five miles northwest of the present site of Goshen, in 1815, having for many years before traded among the Indians of this district.

Joseph Noffsinger-the hermit squatter-made a home at the junction of the Christiana and St. Joseph streams as early as 1821, but for some reason, fled away before the tide of civilization which began to flow in 1828. Unlike Rosseau, this man has left his actions shrouded in mystery; in fact, he appeared to the early settlers to be a mystery to himself. That some great crime, or to be more char- itable, some unquenchable sorrow, held possession of his heart is undoubted, since he hated the face of his brother white man and sel- dom tolerated the presence of the Indian. Whatever that crime or sorrow may be, the knowledge of it has died with himself in that wilderness where, doubtless, he succeeded in finding a refuge from the prying eyes of his race, and from intercourse with mnen, who appeared to merit his earnest loathing with all that intensity which Timon of Athens once entertained toward his former associates. Matthew Boyd must have settled here at an early date, since in 1828 he completed the building of a house at the Elkhart Crossing, one-half mile south of the prairie. In 1827 Elias Riggs settled at the edge of the prairie near Boyd and Simpson, and it is supposed that a man named Rush settled at the southwest corner of Pleasant Plain in the fall of 1827. Mr. John H. Violett says that he him- self was the first white child born in Elkhart county that lived, and that the first settlement in the county was made in the fall of 1828. According to the testimony of a Mrs. Wagoman, the wife of this early prospector presented to her husband on May 16, 1828, a son and daughter, thus claiming the honor of being the progenitrix of the first white male and female children native to the soil. Mrs. Susan Wagoman's existence at that period was very bene- ficial if not providential. She was the bosom friend of Mrs. Rush, even before her marriage with Nickerson, and so recently as the year 1879 came before the reunion of old settlers, held at Goshen, to establish the fact that her early neighbor was the first woman

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who gave a couple of Elkhartians to the world. The old lady won her suit by extracting from a majority present an opinion that Isaiah Rush was born within the limits of Elkhart county in May, 1828, and thus gained for himself the enviable precedence of being the earliest native-born citizen, though many are still confident that the honor belongs to J. H. Violett. The Hon. E. M. Chamberlain delivered a beautiful address at a meeting of old settlers, assembled some years ago at Goshen. He referred to those early times, to the first French settlers of the district now known as Elkhart county, and to the first American pioneers," thoughi some bold adventurers," said he, had preceded the pioneers, "the first actual settlers of Elkhart county. The first ripple upon the shore of this then wilderness of the advancing tide of population were a few families who pitched their tents in the neighborhood of the month of the Elkhart river in 1827. Those primitive old settlers, the Pottawatomie Indians, then held this whole region of country in undisturbed dominion, kindled the fires of their wigwams, chascd the bounding deer through the unbroken forest and over the unobstructed prairie, held their infernal orgies, danced their war dance and yelled in hid- eons delight over the agonies of the victims of their cruel rites." With such neighbors, and almost a total absence of the accompa- niments of civilized life, those men contrived to live in peace with their uncouth surroundings, and to draw both health and hap- piness from the fertile soil, for which they searched so long, and discovered after years of weary travel and anxious thought.

CHAPTER II.

NATURAL HISTORY- QUADRUPEDS-BIRDS-REPTILES -- FISHES -- PLANTS.

Of the species of native quadrupeds that once roamed the flowery prairies and wild forests of this county, but few of the smaller remain, and none of the larger. Of the latter we cannot even find a specimen preserved in taxidermy. The buffalo which grazed upon the verdant prairies has been driven westward. With or be- fore it went the beaver, elk, badger, panther, black wolf and black bear. Some animals that were quite numerous have become very rare, such as the gray fox, the catamount, otter, lynx, the beautiful Virginia deer, the opossum, raccoon, mink, muskrat, the common weasel, the small brown weasel, skunk, woodchuck, or Maryland marmot, prairie mole, common shirew mole, meadow and deer mouse, and the gray rabbit. Of squirrels there are the gray tim- ber squirrel, the fox, chipmunk, the large gray prairie squirrel, the striped and the spotted prairie squirrel, and the beautiful flying squirrel. The dark-brown and the reddish bat are common. Other small animals have been found here which have strayed from other localities.

BIRDS.

Of the 5,000 existing species of birds many have sojourned in this county, some temporarily and others for a considerable time. Many migratory species come only at long intervals, and therefore but little is known of them. Most species seen here are migratory between the North and the South.

There is not a more fascinating study than that afforded by our feathered friends. Their free movements through seemingly bound- less space, the joyous songs of many, and the characteristic tones of all, their brilliant colors, their lively manners, and their wonderful instincts, have from earliest ages made a strong impression on the minds of men, and in the infancy of intellect gave rise to many peculiar and mysterious associations. Hence the flight of birds was made the foundation of a peculiar art of divination. Religion borrowed many symbols from them, and poetry many of its orna- ments. Birds avail themselves of their powers of wing to seek sit- nations adapted for them in respect to temperature and supply of food. The arrival of summer birds is always a welcome sign of advancing spring, and is associated with all that is cheerful and delightful, Some birds come almost at the same date annually ; others are more influenced by the character of the season, as mild or severe.

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HISTORY OF ELRHART COUNTY.

The following list is as nearly correct as can be compiled from the available information upon the subject.

Perchers .- This order of birds is by far the most numerous, and includes nearly all those which are attractive either in plumage or in song. The ruby-throated humming-bird, with its exquisite plumage and almost ethereal existence, is at the head of the list. This is the humming bird which is always the delight of the chil- dren, and the only one found in this State. The chimney swallow, easily known from other swallows by its very long wings and forked tail, and which is a true swift, is quite numerous. Of the Whip- poorwill family there are two representatives,-the whippoorwill proper, whose note enlivens the forest at night, and the night-hawk. The belted king-fisher, so well known to the school boy, is the only member of its family in this region. At the head of the fly-catchers is the king-bird, the crested fly-catcher and the wood pewee.

Of the Thrush family are the robin, the wood thrush, Wilson's thrush, the blue-bird, the ruby-crowned and the golden-crested wren, tit-lark, the black and the white creeper, blue yellow-backed warbler, yellow-breasted chat, worm-eating warbler, blue-winged yellow warbler, Tennessee warbler, and golden-crowned thrush. The Shrike family is represented by the great northern shrike, red-eyed fly-catcher, white-eyed fly-catcher, the blue-headed and the yellow-throated fly-catcher. The Swallow family of birds are very numerons in this country. Among them are the barn swal- low, white-bellied swallow, bank swallow, cliff swallow and purple martin. The cedar-bird is the representative of the wax-wing family in America. The genera of the Mocking-bird family are the cat-bird, brown thrush, the house and winter wren. Of the Finch and Sparrow family, the snow bunting and Smith's bunting appear only in winter. The purple finch, the yellow-bird and the lark finch inhabit this county. Of the Passerine genus of this family are the savannah sparrow, the field and the chipping spar- row, the black snow-bird, the tree sparrow, the song sparrow, the swamp and the fox-colored sparrow, the black-throated bunting, the rose-breasted gros-beak and the ground robin. The Titmonse family is represented by the chickadee and the tufted titmouse. There are two species of the Creeper family-the white bellied nut-hatch and the American creeper. The melodious family of Skylarks is rep- resented here by only the common skylark of the prairie. Of the Black-bird family, the rusty black-bird, the crow black-bird, the cow-bird, the red-winged black-bird, the meadow lark, the orchard and the Baltimore oriole, are the most beautiful and brilliant that inhabit this region. The blue jay and the common crow comprise the species of the Crow family.

Birds of Prey .- This order of birds comprises all those, with few exceptions, which pursue and capture birds and other animals for food. They are mostly of large size, the females are larger than the males, they live in pairs, and choose their mates for life. , Most raptorial birds have disappeared. Among them are the golden

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HISTORY OF ELKHART COUNTY.

eagle, which was always rare bnt now no longer seen here; the bald eagle, or properly the white-headed eagle, once quite common, now scarce. Some well-preserved specimens of this genus are in the county. This eagle enjoys the honor of standing as our national emblem. Benjamin Franklin lamented the selection of this bird as emblematical of the Union, for its great cowardice. It has the ability of ascending in circular sweeps without any apparent mo- tion of the wings or the tail, and it often rises in this manner until it disappears from view, when at an immense height, and as if ob- serving an object on the ground, it sometimes closes its wings and glides toward the earth with such velocity that the eye can scarcely follow it, cansing a loud rustling sound like a violent gust of wind among the branches of the forest. The Hawk family has eight or nine species, some but seldom seen, others common. The turkey- buzzard has almost, if not quite, disappeared. It is still abundant further south. Of the Owl genera are several species, though all are but seldom seen because of their nocturnal habits. Among them are the barn owl, the screech owl, the long and the short eared owl, the barred owl, and the snowy owl, the latter being the rarest.

Climbers .- But few of this order remain in the county, the most common of which are the woodpeckers. Of the various kinds of these are the golden-winged, the pileated, the hairy, the downy, the yellow-bellied, red-bellied and the red-headed. The yellow billed cuckoo is occasionally seen; the black-billed cuckoo is rare.

Scratchers .- This order contains but few genera in this county. The wild turkey, the choicest of game, has almost entirely disap- peared, and was the only one of its family that ever sojourned here. In an early day they were in abundance. The chiefest among the Grouse family is the prairie chicken, which, if not carefully protected, mnust ere long follow the wild turkey, never to return. The ruffled grouse, wrongfully called " pheasant," has of late made its appearance. When frightened it takes to flight with a smothered, drum-like noise. It is quite fond of cultivated fields, and, if properly protected and encouraged until it becomes fairly settled, will make a fine addition to the game, and fill the place of the prairie chicken. Partridge family .- The fate of that excellent bird, the quail, is only a question of a short time. The Dove family .- The wild pigeons continue to make their semi-annual visits, but not in such vast numbers as years ago. Acres of forest were so often filled at night with these birds that the breaking of boughs and the flying of pigeons made a noise that could be heard for miles, and the shot of a sportsman's gun could not be heard at a distance of ten feet. Highly interesting is the description by Audu- bon of the enormous flights which he observed on the Ohio in the fall of 1813; they obscured the daylight and lasted three days with- out interruption. According to a very moderate estimate of his, each flight contained the stupendous number of one billion, one hundred and fifteen thousand million, one hundred and thirty six thousand pigeons. These flights caused a general commotion

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among the entire rural population. Desirous of booty, and anxious lest their crops should be spoiled, the farmers, arming themselves with rifles, clubs, poles, torches and iron pots filled with sulphur, proceed to the resting places of the birds. The work of slaughter being accomplished, everybody sat down among mountains of dead pigeons, plucking and salting the birds which they selected, aban- doning the rest to the foxes, wolves, raccoons, opossums and hogs, whole herds of which were driven to the battle-field. The plaintive notes of the Carolina dove, commonly known as the turtle-dove, are still heard.

Swimmers .- This order of birds, which formerly frequented this county in large numbers, have almost disappeared. They are migratory, and in their usual season would appear coming from the north or south, as winter passes into summer or summer into winter. Of the Diver family, the great northern diver, or loon, sometimes visits this section, but inhabits the frigid zone. Of the Gull family are Wilson's tern and silvery gull .- The roughed-billed pelican was the only genus of the Pelican family that ever stopped in this county, and it has now altogether ceased to make its visits here. Of the Cormorant family, the double-crested cormorant, or sea- raven, has been seen here. Duck family .- This family of migratory birds visited the ponds and streams of this county in large numbers before it became so thickly settled, both on their northern and southern passage, but now mostly confine themselves to the wilder places, where large numbers are found. This family furnishes mnost game for sportsmen and for the table. There are the wood-duck, the big black-headed duck, the ring-necked duck, the red-head, the canvas-back, the dipper, the shell-drake or goosander, the fish-duck, the red-breasted, and the hooded merganser, the mallard and the pintail, the green-winged and the blue-winged teal, the spoonbill and the gadwall, the baldpate, the American swan, the trumpeter swan and the white-fronted goose.

Waders .- Probably less is known of this order of birds than of any other, because of their shyness and solitary habits. They fre- quented the marshes, but cultivation has drained their favorite haunts. Of the Crane family, the whooping crane, always rare, is now never seen. The sand-hill cranes stop on their journeys north and south. Of the Heron family, the great blue heron or crane, least bittern, the green heron, night heron and the American bittern visit this region. Of the Ibis family, the glossy ibis has been seen here. Of the Plover family, the golden plover, the kildeer and the king plover comprise this family known herc. Of the Phalarope family, the Wilson's and the red phalarope have frequented the swamps of this county. Various birds of the Snipe family have been common in and around the swamps of this county. Among them were Wilson's snipe, grey or red-breasted snipe, the least and the semi-palmated sandpiper, the willet, the tell-tale, the yellow-leg, the solitary sandpiper, the spotted sandpiper, the field plover, long-billed curlew, the common rail, the clapper rail or mud hen, and the coot.

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HISTORY OF ELKHART COUNTY.

Reptiles .- All of the species of this class that ever inhabited this region are still to be found here except most of the poisonous snakes. The rattlesnake is of a yellowish-brown color, and has a series of horny joints at the end of the tail, which make a rattling sound. These were the most venomous of all snakes found here, and were numerous in the early settlement. There are two kinds, the bandy, or striped, and the prairie rattlesnake, the latter being still occasionally found. The copperhead was always rare. Among the harmless snakes are the water-snake, the garter-snake, the bull-snake, the milk-snake, the black-snake, and the blue racer.

Many reptiles found here are erroneously called lizards, but are salamanders and other like innocent creatures. Lizards are never found in this county. The so-called "water lizards " are newts, or Tritons. Among the tortoises or turtles are found the map turtle, the snapping and the soft-shelled turtle. Of the batrachian, or naked reptiles, there are a few, and, though loathsome to sight and touch, are harmless. The toad, the bull-frog, the leopard-frog, the trce-toad, with some tailed batrachia, comprise the most of this order. The bull-frog is often as large as a man's head, or larger, and his deep bellowing can be heard for a mile or more.

Fishes .- Although fishes are the lowest class of vertebrates, their varied forms and colors, which often rival those of precious stones and burnished gold, the wonderful power and velocity of some, the wholesome food furnished by many, and the exciting sport of their capture, combine to render fishes subjects of great interest to the casnal observer, as well as to the amateur and professional natural- ist. The number of known species of fishes is about ten thousand. The waters of this country are quite prolific of the finny tribe. The commerce in fish has become quite extensive along some of the and lakes. The Sickle-backed family furnishes the game fish, and are never caught larger than four pounds in weight. The various genera found here are the black bass, goggle-eye, the croppy, or big black sun-fish, and the two common sun-fish. There are but two species of the Pike family,-the pickerel, weighing from five to twenty-five pounds, and the gar pike. Of the Sucker family are the buffalo, red-horse, white-sucker, two species of black- suckers and mullet ranick. Fish of this family are found in all the streams of the county. They abound wherever there is water. Of the Cat-fish family the channel cat-fish, the inud cat-fish and two species of the small cat-fish inhabit the waters of this county, and are caught ranging in weight from one to thirty ponnds. The bull-head is yet abundant, and its flesh, as well as its general appearance, resembles that of the cat-fish.

Besides these varieties there are the chub, silver-sides and fresh- water herring, and large numbers of other species denominated minnows, which are found in the smallest spring branches, as well as the larger streams.

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HISTORY OF ELKHART COUNTY.

BOTANY.

This county is favorably situated for the production of a great variety of interesting plants. Out of about 2,400 species of flower- ing plants in the United States, about 1,600 can be found within the limits of this State, and about 1,000 within this county. In the following list we will enumerate only the most common and remarkable, growing spontaneously in this county; and we give the English names from Gray's Manual, fifth edition, being well aware that most localities have different names for many plants, and that even in the books some English names are given to two or more plants, as sycamore, button snakeroot, black snakeroot, goose-grass, hair-grass, loosestrife, etc.

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History of Elkhart County, Indiana; together with sketches of its cities, villages and townships, educational, religious, civil, military, and political history: portraits of prominent persons, and biographies of representative citizens, Part 29

Author: Publication date: 1881 Publisher: Chicago, C. C. Chapman & co. Number of Pages: 1192

Author:
Publication date: 1881
Publisher: Chicago, C. C. Chapman & co.
Number of Pages: 1192