USA > Indiana > Miami County > History of Miami County, Indiana : from the earliest time to the present, with biographical sketches, notes, etc., together with an extended history of the Northwest, the Indiana Territory, and the state of Indiana > Part 25
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" Its completion was an important event, and had been waited. for with interest and anxiety. Hence the Forester says: 'Before I2 o'clock of that day, the town was filled with people of the county, to witness the grand display to be made on the occasion. Unfortunately, the boats did not arrive. The banks, being porus, absorbed the water much faster than was anticipated.
"P. S .- Since the above was written, we were informed that. the packet boat Indiana, Capt. Columbia, had arrived at the head of the lock, about one mile above town, and that it would be impossible for her to reach the basin in consequence of the canal not having been sufficiently filled with water to buoy her up.' The Indiana was the first canal boat, freighted with passengers alone, who left the canal boat at the lock above, and came down to town during the evening, where they were most cordially received by Mr. Cooper, proprietor of the National. Hotel [northwest corner of Canal and Miami Streets, familiarly known as the Stag Hotel in early days and burned down some years ago], at which place they were joined by a large and respectable party of ladies and gentlemen, and a few turns of the 'light fantastic toe,' accompanied with music, told how much the company were gratified at the long expected event. Capt. Columbia informs us he will make another trip to this place next week.'"
CANAL LAND OFFICE-LAND SALES -- "DOG."
"The treaty of 1834 was not ratified by Gen. Jackson, on account of the numerous individual reservations; but in 1837, the bargain was struck by Martin Van Buren. This brought. many lands within the canal land limits. Chauncy Carter com- menced the surveys in 1838.
"Early in the spring of 1840, under the direction of J. L. Wil -. liams, the Canal Commissioner, these lands were rated and booked, preparatory to the public sale in the fall of 1840.
"John M. Wilt, Clerk of the Land Office at Fort Wayne, was,
285
THE MIAMI CESSIONS.
engaged in selecting and rating the land in the spring of 1840, and in the summer the safe and other office property was removed to Peru. The building occupied was the Wilson row, northeast cor- ner of Second and Miami streets.
"The individual reservations referred to interrupted the canal grant of every alternative five miles on either side. in lieu of this loss the state was allowed to select from any unsold government land the equivalent in quantity of what she was deprived of by these reservations. These selections were made 'in 1844 and a public sale of them took place in the Fall of the same year, at the office, south side of Second street, third lot from Miami.
"After the failure of the internal improvement system, large amounts were due contractors for work on the W. & E. Canal, which the State had no means to pay. These amounts were at first represented by certificates of indebtedness, issued to the contractors, on yellow paper, which had a limited circulation under the name of "yellow dog." At the session of 1840, an act was passed by which this was taken up and a neatly-engraved bill, of the denomination of ten dollars, and afterward of five dollars, issued in its stead. This was made receivable for interest, and subsequently for the principal, due on canal lands, and went under the name of "white dog." It was worth from forty to sixty cents on the dollar-a disastrous value for the contractor, but a blessing for those indebted for canal lands. "Dog" was a name given by common consent to corporate promises to pay that were deemed of little value. In the financial * smash of 1837, Michigan Bank paper, which constituted a large share of the currency, was called "red dog." The canal furnished "yellow dog," "white dog," and for the debts west of Tippecanoe, "blue pup."
A very interesting and deeply pathetic episode in the his- tory of the early settlement of that portion of Miami County lying south of the Wabash River, occurred in the year 1847, which is deserving of a more detailed notice than our limits will permit:
Nearly half a century ago, shortly after its acquisition by the Government, the territory known as the " Miami Cessions," or the "Great Miami Indian Reserve," began to be settled by a sturdy, honest and industrious class of citizens with a view of making it their permanent home by purchase of the respective tracts settled upon. In view of the extravagant representation of the value of these lands, a pre-emption law was obtained with great difficulty in 1845 at the increased minimum rate of two dollars per acre. This tract of land, consisting of thirty miles square, containing nine hundred square miles, at a former treaty with the Government of the United States had been reserved by the Miami tribe of Indians, and, at the time referred to, had only recently been acquired by the Federal
286
HISTORY OF MIAMI COUNTY.
Government, and, for the reason assigned, had become cele- brated as the prospective "garden of the State," and in view of the immense value attached to it, Congress refused to embrace it within its pre-emption laws until 1845, as above stated.
The years 1845 and 1846 will be remembered by the few remaining fathers who came to the wilds of Indiana and settled on the great " Miami Indian Reserve," as years of unparalleled sickness, suffering and destitution throughout the Reserve.
It was in the month of June 1847, when the inhabitants of this territory were without means to procure the necessaries of life, that a proclamation of President Polk for the immediate sale of these lands for cash down came upon this distressed peo- ple. They "spontaneously laid aside their implements of hus- bandry and congregated together" at the town of Peru for the purpose of imploring at the hands of the Executive a postpone- ment of the sale. There were gray-headed men there, bowed, not so much with the weight of years as by excessive toil to acquire a home in the wilderness for their declining years, who wrung their hands and cried, " Alas, too late to begin again."
An adjourned meeting was held on the 12th day of June, 1847, to pass upon petitions, one by John U. Pettit, a candidate for the State Senate, one by Andrew J. Harlan, a member of Congress from the Grant County District, and one by James B. Fulwiler, of Peru. The last named petition was adopted by the meeting unanimously, and a responsible and trustworthy person was delegated to deliver it in person to the President himself,« which duty was faithfully discharged, and the sale was post- poned agreeable to the prayer of the petitioners.
This petition, which was instrumental in saving the homes of some 1500 families from the grasp of avarice, should be perpet- uated, and, as it more fully conveys to the mind of the reader the exigencies of the case, we give it in full, omitting the names of the signers:
To HIS EXCELLENCY, JAMES K. POLK,
President of the United States.
We, the undersigned, beg leave respectfully to represent to your Excellency, that we are settlers upon the lands known as the "Miami Cessions," in Indiana; that we are not ignorant of the extraordinary cost of these lands to the government, main- ly owing to extravagant representations of their value by distinguished men whose foot-prints have never tracked the soil; that, to the serious predjudice of settlers, it has continued to be represented as immensely valuable, and surrounded by a highly de- veloped and densely populated country; thus creating and fostering that bitter sec- tional predjudice which manifested itself in unwonted hostility to the passage of the late pre-emption law. That these representations have been made at random and without a knowledge of the country, and that the impressions which prevails abroad in regard to the worth of the lands is incorrect, must sufficiently appear by reference to maps and field notes of the surveys. Instead of meriting the reputation of being the "garden of the State," a cognomen gained for it by strangers to its quality and strangers to the surrounding country, it is, in fact, a body of ordinary land; the
287
RAILROADS.
choicest portions thereof having been reserved by individual Indians by treaty stipu- lations, and these, together with numberless tracts selected by the State for canal purposes, comprise nearly all the best land and most desirable locations. That the adjacent country, instead of being densely populated and valuable, is, in truth, sparse- ly settled, and its unimproved lands will scarcely command the minimum govern- ment price. That a large majority of the present occupants of this territory settled thereon prior to the passage of the pre-emption law, knowing that in the event of its becoming State land, they would have the benefit of easy and extended payments, and hoping, should it become Federal lands, that their improvements, in case of their inability to purchase, would not be taken from them without remuneration. That, were it possible to blot out these improvements and transform the country in to its primeval state, the condition in which we found it, our honest convictions are that not one-half the tracts, now rendered valuable by our labor, could be sold at their minimum rate.
Permit us further to represent, that the number of families occupying this ter- ritory, as actual settlers, is nearly two thousand, the value of whose improvements will probably average three hundred dollars each, and of this number not more than two hundred will be prepared to avail themselves of the benefit of the late pre-emp- tion law; unless the sale shall be postponed until the Fall of 1848, affording time to realize the proceeds of the labor of the present and succeeding years. Unless the sale shall be thus deferred, the consequences will be, that two hundred settlers will be able to secure eighty acres of land each, which will bring into the United States Treasury the inconsiderable sum of 30,000 dollars. Eighteen hundred will be unable to buy and must necessarily lose 540,000 dollars expended in improvements, while the sale of these lands, on account of the improvements, will add to the National Ex- chequer 288.000 dollars, selling at the minimum rate of two dollars per acre, which may be the case, when the settler has not the means to compete with an organized band of speculators.
In view of this state of facts, the proclamation of Your Excellency designating so early a day for the sale of these lands has given rise to the most lively emnotions of regret in the breasts of those for whose benefit the late pre-emption law was enacted, and we have spontaneously laid aside our implements of husbandary, and have con- gregated together for the purpose of imploring at the hands of Your Excellency, a postponement of this sale. We came here as pioneers of a country usually come, in humble circumstances, many of us have large families claiming support at our hands, have suffered the privations incident to a settlement in a new country, our labor and the products thereof have been absorbed in opening our fields and erecting our cab- ins, and the general sickness which has prevailed to a fearful extent for the past two years, producing an incalculable amount of human suffering and destitution, has swept away the means that otherwise might have been spared to secure at this time our wilderness homes-homes which are dear to us, not on account of the superior- ity of the soil, nor in view of their desirable localities, but because we have reclaim- ed them and rendered them valuable by the sweat of our brows-because of our la- bor, highways of communication now traverse the vast wilds where a short time ago the trail of the Indian ventured not-homes rendered dear by social and domestic ties, and thrice sacred as the burial ground of departed friends. Yet, if this appli- cation for postponement fails, the homes of eighteen hundred families who have thus contributed their toil and treasure to render them valuable, will pass into the hands of heartless speculators, and these families will become houseless, homeless, dispir- ited wanderers after new fields of labor for a subsistence.
In concluding this appeal, Your Excellency will permit us to say, while we are sensible that no ordinary circumstances, at this crisis, should be allowed to check the flow of money into the National Treasury, we at the same time feel confident that the voice of humanity, though it comes from the wilderness, will not plead in vain.
Therefore, we ask, if within the scope of Executive discretion, that Your Excel- lency may cause the sale of the "Miami Cessions" to be postponed, at least, until the Fall of 1848 or until after the next congress shall convene, and your petitioners will ever pray.
MIAMI RESERVE.
June 12th. 1847.
Rail Roads .- January 19, 1846, by the efforts of William J. Hol-
288
HISTORY OF MIAMI COUNTY.
man, the Indianapolis & Peru R. R. Company was incorporated. In the election of the first Board of Directors Miami County was represented by J. T. Miller, G. S. Fenimore, William Kesler, R. L. Britton, W. J. Holman and N. O. Ross. In June 1849, a proposi- tion was submitted to the people of the county asking for a sub- scription of $20,000 for the encouragement of the project. This was carried by a large majority of the taxpayers, and $10,000 of said appropriation was immediately borrowed and placed in the hands of the directors. After much delay and many appeals to the people for additional help, the road was completed to Peru in the spring of 1854. The road was afterward extended to Michigan City, and is now known as the Indianapolis, Peru & Chicago R. R. The entire length of the road in the county is nearly forty miles, and has contributed much to the development of its resources and added largely to its material prosperity.
Another project, which was contemporaneous with the fore- going, and in which the people of Miami County were much inter- ested, provided for the construction of a road from Marion, Ind., to Chicago, via Peru. The company was incorporatdd under the name of the Marion, Peru & Chicago Railroad Company. The object of the scheme was to connect with another proposed route from Marion eastward with Cincinnati the terminal point. Thus the two great trade centers would have been connected by a road as practicable as any that has since been constructed. In the election of officers Mr. James B. Fulwiler, of Peru was chosen Vice-Presi- dent, and be it said to his credit, that if all others connected with the company had displayed the same energy and zeal, the project would not have failed. The following account of the project is in Mr. Fulwiler's own words:
" In the year 1853 a company was organized for the construc- tion of a railroad from Peru to Marion, Grant County, Indiana, composed of nine directors, to-wit: Judge M. G. Mitchell, of Piqua, Ohio, President; James B. Fulwiler, of Peru, Vice-President; Ira Stanley, N. O. Ross, C. S. Ellis, John A. Graham, Jesse Higgins, L. D. Adkinson and Peirce, of Marion. A large amount of stock was subscribed by substantial men along the valley of the Mississinewa, and a written contract was entered into with the the President and Directors of the Mississinewa Valley Railroad Company, and the agents, legally appointed, of the Columbus, Piqua & Indiana Railroad Company, and duly adopted and confirmed by the respective companies, providing for a perpetual business con- nection between the said companies at Union City, on the State line, of such a character as to fully authorize and empower either of said parties to give through tickets and freight bills either way over the several roads; providing for a uniform gauge, using the T rail, and for the erection of water stations, depots, switches, etc. As
289
RAILROADS.
the road shall then be completed to Peru, Miami County, Indiana, the Columbus Company agreed to put upon the roads a sufficient amount of rolling stock for the business of the same as soon as the road should be completed in parts to justify it, and after the roads are completed, the said Columbus Company shall run the same for ten years upon fair and equitable terms to be agreed upon by the parties in interest. It was further agreed, upon the completion of the road, that, upon the election of either company to consolidate the stock, it should be done, and that the stock of each company should be put in at its fair cash value at that time, and new stock certificates issued for the same. This contract was to be binding upon the parties so soon as confirmed by the boards of directors of the respective companies, and certified copies of this resolution, under seal, were interchanged between them.
This secured to Peru the certainty of the road, and J. B. Ful- wiler and Jesse Higgins, who were instrumental in accomplishing these perpetual connections upon which depended the successful negotiations of their bond, returned to Peru from Marion, Grant County, where the representatives of the various roads had con- vened, flushed with victory over the combined wealth and talent of Logansport, only to find, to their mortification, that the directory of the Union, Peru & Chicago Railroad Company had, during their absence, been beguiled by two adventurers, representing themselves as railroad men and capitalists, into a consolidation with another road from Peru to Chicago, and changing the eastern direction from Peru to a southern route by way of Cambridge City, the home of one of the adventurers.
Thus Peru lost the benefit of contracts with the Marion & Mississinewa Valley Railroad Company and Columbus, Piqua & Indiana Railroad Company (by which the construction of the road from Peru to Marion was assured), as assurance had been given the Union, Peru & Chicago Company by certain New York capi- talists that, with the above connection duly and legally entered into they would furnish sufficient means for the construction of the road upon the bonds of the company."
Toledo & Wabash .- The first encouragement given to the con- struction of this line was at a public meeting held at Logansport, June 23, 1852. The road was completed between Peru and Logansport in 1856. It is now incorporated under the name of the Wabash, St. Louis & Pacific, with its termini at St. Louis and Toledo. This road, like all other public enterprises, received the financial encouragement of the people of Miami County, who have always showed their liberality by their support of every movement tending toward public good.
Pan Handle, or Pittsburg, Cincinnati & St. Louis, was built through the county about the year 1867. This affords the people
290
HISTORY OF MIAMI COUNTY.
of the southern portion of the county the means of transporting their products direct to Chicago and Cincinnati, and reaching the best markets of the country. Several prosperous towns have been built along the line of this road, which adds much to the wealth of the county.
The Eel River Road was completed through the county
It entered the county from the west, in the Section 8, Township 27, Range 3; thence in a northeasterly direction to Mex- ico and Denver; thence east through Chili to the eastern limits of the county. While the line is not so successfully operated as other roads of the county, yet the benefits to this section of the county have been incalculable. This road traverses the county a total dis- tance of about seventeen miles.
Gravel Roads .- During the past few years there has been great]improvement in the matter of public highways. In various parts of the county gravel roads have been made, and perhaps nothing contributes more to the welfare and progress of a commun- ity than good highways.
The following table gives the date of the establishing of the several roads, together with the total estimated cost of the roads, including interest on the bonds and all other expense up to the time they are to be paid for in full :
1882. Shrock-Washington and Clay Townships. ... . $ 31,992 80
¥ Miller-Harrison, and a little in Jackson Twp .. 9,667 36
Marsh-Butler and Harrison Townships 28,240 08
66 Ellis-in Pipe Creek Township 18,478 35
66 Duckwall-in Pipe Creek Township. 6,735 82
66 Ballard-in Jackson Township.
23,467 70
1883. Cole-in Washington Township.
7,107 13
Zehring-in Deer Creek Township
10,199 44
66 Phelps-in Clay, and part in Deer Creek Twp .. 11,141 06
66 Squirrel Village-in Pipe Creek Township. . . 8,173 57
1885. Peru and Strawtown-in Washington Township. 7,000 00
All free.
The toll roads are: Peru & Mexico Turnpike Company, Peru & Chili Turnpike Company, Peru & Paw Paw Turnpike Company, Peru & Mississinewa Turnpike Company, Peru & Santa Fe Turnpike Company. There are no reliable statistics at hand showing the cost of these, as they are private property.
Medical Society .- The Miami County Medical Society was or- ganized, and articles of association filed January 3, 1875. The object of the society as set forth in the article of association, are to advance medical knowledge, improve the health and protect the lives of the community, and elevate the professional character of its members. Any regular graduate from a reputable medical college, of good moral character may become a member of said society by paying into the treasury the sum of three dollars. The original signers of the articles of association are as follows: J. H. Helm,
29I
ELECTIONS.
M. D. Ellis, E. M. Bloomfield, E. J. Kendall, W. H. Brenton, J. O. Ward, W. A. McCoy, James A. Meek, E. C. Friermood, S. S. Marsh, W. T. Wilson, O. C. Irwin, James M. McKee and C. B. Higgins. The present membership as shown by Secretary's books is as follows: W. K. Armstrong, U. A. A. Ager, E. M. Bloomfield, C. C. Brady, W. H. Brenton, Ezra K. Friermood, B. R. Graham, John H. Helm, Carter B. Higgins, James A. Meek, S. S. Marsch, Henry P. McDonald, Rollin Pence and A. F. Smith. The present officers are W. K. Armstrong, President; Carter B. Higgins, Secre- tary; Edwin M. Bloomfield, Treasurer and A. F. Smith, H. P. McDowell and E. K. Friermood Censors.
Agricultural Societies .- Early in the history of the common- wealth of Indiana, did the law-maker recognize the value that would accrue from the incorporation of such societies, and accordingly provided by law for their organization. The first effort to organize a society in Miami County was in the early part of the fifties. After repeated efforts the Miami County Agricultural Society was organ- ized. The grounds were located east of the city of Peru on land owned by William Smith. Fairs were held here for many years, from which much good resulted.
The next organization of this character was the Peru Driving Park and Fair Association which was incorporated September 20, 1873. The object as set forth in the articles of association were to promote the agricultural, horticultural, mechanical and household interest of the county. The authorized capital stock was $22,000 divided into shares of $100 each. The largest stockholders were J. T. Stevens, J. C. Kratzer, Wm. Rassner, G. and G. W. Conradt. No fairs have been held by this society for several years.
Elections .- From various sources, the following figures have been compiled, showing the results of the Presidential elections for the years named :
NOVEMBER 1844.
TOWNSHIP.
DEMOCRAT. Polk and Dallas.
WHIG. Clay and Frelinghuysen.
LIBERTY. Birney and. Morris.
Peru
256
282
Union
44
26
1
Jefferson
52
54
Richland
70
60
Perry
44
78
Washington
10
26
Pipe Creek
22
20
Butler
19
23
Total
517
569
No returns for Lake and Erie Townships.
292
HISTORY OF MIAMI COUNTY.
NOVEMBER 1848.
TOWNSHIP.
DEMOCRAT. Cass and Butler.
WHIG. Taylor and Filmore.
FREE SOIL. VanBuren and Adams.
Peru. .
171
175
7
Jefferson
73
95
12
Richland
87
98
2
Perry
69
73
26
Union.
55
47
4
Erie
34
19
Washington
77
68
Pipe Creek.
60
34
Deer Creek.
30
32
4
Clay
39
17
Jackson.
28
18
15
Butler
47
55
Total
770
730
70
No returns from Harrison.
NOVEMBER 1852.
TOWNSHIP.
DEMOCRAT. Pierce and King.
WHIG. Scott and Graham.
FREE SOIL. Hale and Julian.
Peru
253
226
3
Jefferson
92
135
12
Erie
47
28
Washington
114
70
1
Deer Creek
74
70
6
Clay
89
24
Union.
99
63
1
Pipe Creek .
74
56
Richland .
97
124
Perry
91
85
13
Butler .
69
84
Jackson
42
24
33
Harrison
55
9
16
Total
1196
968
85
NOVEMBER, 1856.
TOWNSHIP.
DEMOCRAT. Buchanan and Breckenridge.
REPUBLICAN. Fremont and Dayton.
FREE SOIL. Filmore and Donelson.
Deer Creek.
66
98
2
Richland .
132
142
2
Perry .
98
110
16
Peru.
370
292
5
Union
138
103
1
Clay
98
30
1
Jackson
55
107
6
Harrison .
69
50
Pipe Creek
112
65
Butler
66
113
4
Jefferson
124
135
1
Washington
131
102
Erie
54
43
Total
1513
1390
38
293
ELECTIONS.
NOVEMBER, 1860.
TOWNSHIP.
DEMOCRAT. Breckenridge and Lane.
REPUBLICAN. Lincoln and Hamlin.
IND, DEMOCRAT. Douglas and Johnson.
UNION. Bell and Everett.
Peru.
7
369
381
Jefferson
7
151
116
Union .
81
78
Allen
5
63
Perry .
4
174
121
Richland
186
148
Erie .
3
57
58
Washington
118
121
Butler .
165
87
Jackson
138
45
Harrison .
69
86
Clay
55
117
Deer Creek .
124
67
Pipe Creek
90
111
Total
26
1835
1608
00
NOVEMBER 1864.
TOWNSHIP.
DEMOCRAT. Mcclellan and Pendleton.
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