USA > Indiana > LaPorte County > Michigan City > History of Michigan City, Indiana > Part 25
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and along the front of the sand ridge mentioned above, there is a flat about a mile wide, extending from Michigan City to the Calumick River ; it is covered with heavy timber in places, and in places with marsh prairie. The north end of it is drained by Trail Creek, the middle by a stream which puts into the lake, and the south end by the Calumick River.
The publication of this report gave Michigan City one of the best advertise- ments it ever had, for at the time of the great panic of 1837, when the bottom fell out of real estate speculation everywhere. the report presented solid reasons why the town on Trail Creek must of neces- sity flourish and outlive its purely specu- lative neighbors.
The legislature of 1836 authorized two roads to Michigan City, one to the west- ern boundary of the state by way of "Bay- leytown, at the head of the navigable waters of the Calumet," the other to the seat of justice of Porter county when the same shall have been located. The county commissioners were called upon by a petition of citizens of Michigan City, extensively signed, to appropriate money to cover the balance of unpaid subscriptions for the construction of the Lafayette road and Kankakee bridge; it appeared that $2500 had been paid by subscribers, but some of them had died leaving about $700 of a deficit. It was in this same year that the new road from Chicago to Michigan City by a southern and more protected route away from the lake was opened by George Dolton and J. C. Matthews, by way of the ferry at Riverdale where six years later a bridge was built ; this was known until recent times in the vicinity of southern Chicago as the Michigan City road. A ferry had been established near the mouth of the Calumet as early as 1830 but no bridge appeared there until 1839, about the time the Homer bridge at Hammond was
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built. The road on the beach was almost the exclusive way between Michigan City and Chicago until these new routes were opened. Sometimes the wayfarers kept inland until they passed Bailly's hospitable and jovial establishment be- fore they took to the shore. Among the new things of 1836 was the opening of Hubbard & Co.'s express office at Michi- gan City, this being a branch agency of a company which operated over the De- troit and Chicago stage lines. The firm subsequently became merged with one of the corporations which by consolida- tion became the Adams Express Com- pany.
The city had by this time become the leading grain market of all Indiana north of the Wabash ,and even further south, and great caravans of wagons, often drawn by three or four ox teams, passed constantly through the streets. Three hundred teams have been counted as arriving in a day. The grain sold to local forwarders, the next thing was to convert the proceeds into goods of all kinds for the return trip, and so the ex- change went on. It was a period of flush times on Trail Creek between 1836 and 1850. More roads were needed and bet- terment of the old ones. The county commissioners were never without de- mands for such purposes in behalf of Michigan City. In 1840 the state road from Sherwood's ferry on the Kankakee was authorized and in 1844 a state road from Morgan's Prairie was located. The era of plank roads opened about 1848. In the latter part of that year movements began looking toward the organization of several plank road companies in the county, the first of which was projected to connect Michigan City and LaPorte, and another to run from the former place to New Buffalo. January 20, 1849. the LaPorte Whig was able to commend the county commissioners for granting
to the Union Plank Road Co. the right to build from Michigan City to LaPorte, via Walker's mill and General Orr's farm, with a branch from the latter point to Closser's corner, and one week later it informed the public that contracts for construction had been let, the work to be completed by autumn. Aurora Case was president of the company many years. The first tollgate keeper appointed was S. B. Wells, formerly of Michigan City, who held the gate just outside of La- Porte for nine years. As this was the first plank road company in the county, so also was it the last ; it was abandoned by a vote of the company taken August 3, 1863, at which time C. B. Blair was president and D. J. Baldwin secretary. Among other such roads operating out of Michigan City were the Southern Plank Road Co., Ezekiel Folsom, presi- dent, incorporated in 1850, to operate from Michigan City to Valparaiso via Beatty's, Clyburn and Squatham; the Michigan City and South Bend, incor- porated in 1851, and a road to Winamac, by the lower end of English Lake, char- tered in 1851.
August Siegele used to tell how, when he came to the city in 1850, he found the last stage of the road from New Buffalo so bad with deep sand that it was almost impossible to travel. Jacob Weiler, who came in the same year, said that the town was small. then, and all about was wild and marshy, with almost impassable roads. Much testimony might be ad- duced to show that such was the condi- tion from the beginning, but this branch of the story may be dismissed with the statements of two who came when the town was ten years old, and they may be quoted in full in order to present a gen- eral view of the place at that time. And first, Addison J. Phillips, who arrived by water October 8, 1842, having voyaged from Chicago in an old hooker ; in addi-
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tion to the statement concerning the bad roads of the period, he said :
There was a sort of harbor below at that time, but it had been allowed to de- cay, and I remember that there were many warehouses strung along a dock that was six feet high. We landed at the Hitchcock warehouse, right at the bend where the old packing house was. I remember we had to put barrels up on our lighter for the women folks to land at that dock. The creek had been dredg- ed out some distance and some piers had been constructed, but these had been wrecked by storms. Then C. B. Blair, John Barker and others built piers for the shipment of wheat. Why, not many now know that in those days more wheat, pork and lard were shipped from this port than were shipped from Chicago. These two rooms ( designating the main part of his dwelling) were built by El- ston for the land office. The building stood at Pine and Michigan streets, but has been moved six or seven times. Un- dler this roof the first white person was born in Michigan City. Her name was Sarah Flint, and she married William Miller, a grocer, who died long ago. Game was plentiful in those days. I was held up once on the hill where M. T. Krueger's residence is by a pack of a dozen wolves. Deer, prairie chickens and geese were numerous. Charles Freeman once shot a deer on the very top of Iloosier Slide. You could buy wild geese in the market for a shilling a piece. prairie hens for fifty cents a dozen, and quails for half a dollar a half bushel : venison was no treat at all, and we could hardly sell it on the market.
Six months later came Addison Bal- lard, also just about of age, with a small bundle and a "long sixpence," traveling from Chicago by land ; he said :
No house in sight from Monroe street, Chicago, to Miller's station and the Cal- umet lighthouse surrounded by a few Indian wigwams. The landlord was going to Michigan City in a wagon the next day, so I went along. The city was nestled among barren sand hills on the lake shore. Great warehouses were be- side the lake with their signs that read,
"Forwarding and Commission." They received the products from the interior. and when wind and weather permitted with their scows and lighters with large baskets and boxes, the grain, etc., was sent out to a vessel anchored at safe dis- tance to cut loose and run in case of storm. It was in this tedious and crude manner as compared with modern ways that Michigan City did her part and was the only port in Indiana that could do this work and distribute back the money and imported goods to all the rich agri- cultural country of LaPorte and adjoin- ing counties.
Another interesting and important chapter, which might be written at length did space admit, concerns the military ac - tivities in and about Michigan City. Brief mention may be given the several companies participating in actual wars, but other military organizations, formed at various times in the city, and seeing no service save that of mimic warfare. must be passed over.
The state constitution of 1816 provid- ed for a militia organization and the first legislature passed the laws necessary to make it effective. There was little rec- ord kept, however, and the first knowl- edge we have of military activity in La- Porte county concerns the names of some who were closely allied with Michigan City. In 1832 General Joseph Orr, Cap- tain Eliakim Ashton and others, of the state militia, took up arms to repel the threatened invasion of Blackhawk. Jere- miah Wilson, of Hudson township, was a lieutenant of the state militia from 1836 to 1853, a proof that there was some organization in the neighborhood. but it did not touch Michigan City itself. The Indians were gone, and no enemy was present to disturb the routine of so- cial or business life. The state passed various acts in 1840, 1842, 1844, to at- tempt to arouse a militia spirit, but only such a crisis as the Mexican War could stir the people into a desire to join a
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regiment. In 1846, on May 13, after the announcement that our territory had been invaded, war was declared and vol- unteers called for; so eager were the citizens of Indiana to respond to that call, that besides the necessary three full regiments twenty-two additional com- panies were organized. A second call on April 24, 1847, admitted a regiment from northern Indiana and in it was Company I, Northern Rangers, of LaPorte Coun- ty, the captain of which was Robert Fravel. Its officers were Colonel Willis A. Gorman, Lieutenant Colonel Ebenezer Dumont, Major Wm. M. McCoy, Adj Edward Cole, Sergt. Maj. Joseph Combs, Q. M. Sergt. T. M. Smith, tem- porary surgeons Drs. Brown and Finley, some of these being from Michigan City.
'At the end of the war the military spirit died out ; new laws proved ineffec- tive, and an organization of county regi- ments and congressional district bri- gades, tried in 1853, failed to arouse in- terest. The arms were mislaid or lost, and repeated efforts on the part of the state, could not collect them.
The civil war caused a veritable stam- pede for the recruiting camps in 1861. Indiana was totally unprepared for ac- tive service, the reported strength of the militia being under 500 men, and but little information was on file in the office of the adjutant general, while less than 500 stand of small arms, with eight pieces of dismantled and weather-worn cannon and a few old flintlocks, were scattered through the counties. Then the law for the formation of the Indiana Legion was passed in 1861, the second division of which included one LaPorte county company. Many men, however, whether enlisted in a home regiment or not, soon joined themselves to the United States volunteers ; the roll of these amounts to 208,367.
The first company to leave Michigan
City was the Michigan City rifles, Com- pany B, with William H. Blake Captain, Asahel K. Bush, First Lieutenant, and Alson Bailey, Second Lieutenant. They were presented with a United States flag by the citizens, the company being drawn up and answering to roll call, Miss Ann Hartwell presenting it with a speech. This flag was the first to float over Laurel Hill. This company with another from LaPorte reached Camp Morton in time to join the Ninth Regiment ; they went south and participated in the first campaign of West Virginia under the command of Colonel R. H. Gilroy. At the close of three months' service they returned and were reorganized for three years' service. Near Michigan City was Camp Anderson just below the Boyer farm. Here the soldiers were drilled, and here society gathered at the proper hour to show its enthusiasm and patriot- ism. Another, the 35th Regular (Ist Irish) regiment soon left for the front. This was commanded by Colonel John C. Walker, whose destination was Ken- tucky. When they came to Indianapolis. on the 2nd of December, 1861, they were presented with a beautiful flag made by the ladies of LaPorte, on this occasion Miss Ellen Hathaway delivering the speech.
Many details of this war time must be noted. It was shown in 1861 that at the first call for troops no law existed author- izing counties to assist needy families of volunteers, but soon after the passage of a proper law the county board appropri- ated $2000.00 for relief and appointed General Joseph Orr as agent. In 1862 the board offered a bounty of $25.00 to each volunteer of the 73rd regiment then forming and to like members of a bat- tery, but it was later thought best to change this to an appropriation of $10,- 000.00 to provide for families of volun- teers. Reginald H. Rose, the county
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treasurer, was made the agent in this case. Thus did the county strive to aid the war both by sending soldiers to the front and by providing for those left be- hind. Loans to soldiers or to their fam- ilies were to be without interest. Michi- gan City acted patriotically in this mat- ter ; the inhabitants raised $12,000.00 by voluntary subscription so as to offer a bounty of $300.00 to each man enlisting, which sum was later raised to. $350.00, and they pledged the credit of the city to the amount of $4,000.00 in certificates bearing 10 per cent one year from Feb- ruary 1, 1865. In other ways the citi- zens worked faithfully ; all served with- out pay, gladly giving time and ability for the cause.
Some unnecessary fault finding of course was expressed, but one well based complaint was that recruiting officers from other states came into Michigan City and aroused false hopes in men's minds. In 1861 the adjutant general or- dered the arrest of all persons recruiting ·here from other states, directed especial- ly against Illinois, which was trying to seduce many of the best mechanics of Michigan City to join an engineer regi- ment there. A Home Guard was form- ed in 1862, and patriotism was general, even to the children, for little girls form- cd soldiers' aid societies. It is not thought that the Knights of the Golden Circle were as active or as ugly here as in other parts of the state, but that they existed in Michigan City cannot be doubted, and in 1861 a man was arrested here on the presumption that he was a spy engaged in obtaining information for that organization.
After the war the military spirit de- clined again and the legion remained un- organized. In 1877 the railroad strikes demonstrated the necessity of a militia, and from that date on, the state militia has maintained a strong and permanent
existence. General Carnahan, the father of the national guard, organized the Por- ter Light Artillery at Michigan City June 18, 1881, really the only militia company the state has had in recent years. It had 33 officers and enlisted men, and was designated as Company B, First Artillery, Indiana National Guard, the officers commissioned June 28, being Henry H. Wood Captain, Elias M. Lowe First Lieutenant, and Thomas S. Wirt Second Lieutenant. Lieut. Lowe resign- ed on account of his removal from the state, and Captain Wood became major, succeeded by Lieutenant Wirt. While the battery existed it was noted for its drill and efficiency. At the first state en- campment at Indianapolis in 1882, it won first prize in the state artillery contest, which was presented by Governor Por- ter at the final review July 6. In 1893 at Indianapolis it took fifth prize in a contest that was exceedingly close be- tween all participants. In 1884 and 1885 no general encampment was held but the Porter Light Artillery went into camp with the Third Regiment at Peru in 1884, and at LaPorte August 3, 10, 1885. Here services were held for Gen- eral Grant, August 4, the citizens par- ticipating. A review of the troops was held by Governor Gray August 6, with an artillery duel between the Michigan City and the Butler batteries. (The term of service had expired in 1884 so that it was not regularly in service in 1885. The history of the National Guard of Indiana, page 107, says of this LaPorte encampment that that with the third regiment were, among others, the Porter Light Artillery of Michigan City, and the Gatling Gun Battery of Michigan City, but no other mention of this Gat- ling Gun Battery can be found.)
The first call for troops in the war with Spain was issued by Governor Mount April 25, 1898. Michigan City
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then had no organization, but the state's quota was promptly filled. The desire to enlist was intense, throughout the state, and on the second call, May 25, 1898, it was necessary to restrain rather than to encourage enlistment. Voluntary companies had already been formed, and from among these the required one full regiment was made up, a Michigan City company being included; but for various reasons other regiments were chosen to represent the state in the regu- lar army, so that those from Michigan City seeing active service, did so as indi- vidual members of other companies from northern Indiana. This regiment from northern Indiana, the 16Ist Indiana Vol- unteers, Infantry, was mustered into the U. S. service by Battalion. It was held in rendezvous at Camp Mount till Au- gust II, 1898, when it left for Jackson- ville, Florida, joining the 7th Army Corps under General Fitzhugh Lec. From Dec. 15, 1898, to March 29, 1899, the regiment stayed in Cuba. It arrived in Indianapolis May 3, 1899. This regi- ment lost 20 by death, one being Charles E. Leiter of Co. L, Michigan City.
Civic progress at the present day is evidenced by such important movements as the construction, at a cost of $36,000, of a modern bascule bridge at Franklin street ; the adoption of plans for a hand- some Young Men's Christian Associa- tion building to cost $100,000, of which amount one half is furnished by popular subscription and the other half by Jolin H. Barker ; the undertaking by the coun- ty to erect at once a public building for the use of the superior court and the various county and city officials ; the further improvement of the harbor on broadened plans, and the con- gressional appropriation of a sum for the purchase of ground and the con- struction of a federal building in the central district. In the latter connection
it is impossible to overlook the contin- uous interest in Michigan City's welfare taken by Congressman E. D. Crumpack- er, who, during his several terms, has voted for every measure looking toward the advancement of the city. He secured the adoption of the present extended plans for the harbor and adequate appro- priations for the work, and through his influence every river and harbor appro- priation bill since he became a member has awarded a substantial amount to Michigan City, and the new turning basin and fog signal resulted from his efforts. He introduced the bill for the federal building and successded in secur- ing its passage under discouraging cir- cumstances, and he has further plans in the interest of the city and county.
As a fitting close to this sketch of the history of Michigan City it will be in- teresting to give the impression left upon the poetic mind of Harriet Martineau, the talented English woman of letters, after a visit made in 1836. She traveled by stage from Niles to Chicago, endur- ing much hardship on the journey, and spent a night at the little village, and she said in her published journal :
"The drive was so exciting and pleas- ant, the rain having ceased, that I was taken by surprise by our arrival at Mich- igan City. The driver announced our approach by a series of flourishes on one note of his common horn, which made the most ludicrous music I ever listened to.
"We were anxious to see the mighty fresh water sea. We made inquiry in the plazza, and a sandy hill, close by, covered with the pea-vine, was pointed out to us. We ran up it, and there be- held what we had come so far to see. There it was, deep, green, and swelling on the horizon, and whitening into a broad and heavy surf as it rolled in to- wards the shore. Hence, too, we could
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make out the geography of the city. The whole scene stands insulated in my mem- ory as absolutely singular; and, at this distance of time, scarcely creditable. 1 was so well aware on the spot that it would be so, that I had made careful and copious notes of what I saw ; but mem- oranda have nothing to do with such emotions as were caused by the sight of that enormous body of tumultuous wa- ters, rolling in apparently upon the help- less forest,-everywhere else so majestic.
"Immediately after supper we went out for a walk, which, in peculiarity, comes next to that in the Mammoth Cave ; if, indeed, it be second to it. The scene was like what I always fancied the Norway coast, but for the wild flowers, which grew among the pines on the slope, almost into the tide. I longed to spend an entire day on this flowery and shadowy margin of the inland sea. I plucked handfuls of pea-vine and other trailing flowers, which seemed to run all over the ground. We found on the sands an army, like Pharoh's drowned host, of disabled butterflies, beetles, and flies of the richest colors and lustre, driv- en over the lake by the storm. Charlie found a small turtle alive. An elegant
little schooner, "The Sea Serpent of Chi- cago," was stranded, and formed a beau- tiful object as she lay dark between the sand and the surf. The sun was going down. We watched the sunset not re- membering that the refraction above the fresh waters would probably cause some remarkable appearance. We looked at one another in amazement at what we saw. First, there were three gay, in- verted rainbows between the water and the sun, then hidden behind a little streak of cloud. Then the sun emerged from behind this only cloud, urn-shaped; a glistening golden urn. Then it changed, rather suddenly, to an enormous golden acorn. Then to a precise resemblance, except being prodigiously magnified, of Saturn with his ring. This was the most beautiful apparition of all. Then it was quickly narrowed and elongated till it was like the shaft of a golden pillar ; and thus it went down square. Long after its disappearance, a lustrous, deep crim- son dome, seemingly solid, rested stead- ily on the heaving waters. An expe- rienced navigator might be pardoned for making all sail towards it, it looked so real."
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