USA > Indiana > Porter County > History of Porter County, Indiana : a narrative account of its historical progress, its people and its principal interests > Part 7
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HISTORY OF PORTER COUNTY
the commissioners of Porter county levied as licavy a tax as the citizens could bear for the purpose of building county roads. The construction of the early highway was a comparatively simple matter. The greatest labor involved was in the removal of the timber from the line of the road. Then the low places were filled up, ditches excavated along the side of road in places that needed draining, and crude bridges thrown over the streams. None of the early roads was more than what are known as "dirt" roads. Gravel being scarce and macadamizing too expensive for the treasury, it was several years before any attempt was made to construct an improved highway in the county. Probably the first effort of this nature was made in the fall of 1850. At a special session of the board of county commissioners on November 16, 1850, the following, petition was presented :
"To the Honorable, the Board of Commissioners of the County of Porter : Your petitioners, the Board of Directors of the Valparaiso & Michigan City Plank Road Company, would humbly represent to your honorable body that a company has been organized for the purpose of constructing a plank road from Valparaiso to Michigan City, making a point on the Buffalo & Mississippi railroad or near the place where the line between Ranges 5 and 6 crosses the same. That the nearest and best route for the construction of said road would probably be to run on the road from Valparaiso to Michigan City between Valparaiso and the above named point on the railroad, and thence running part or all the way to Michigan City on the road that leads from the above point to Michigan City, as far as the castern line of the county of Porter, near Michigan City. Your petitioners, therefore, ask your honorable board to grant to said company the right of way on said road or roads from Valparaiso to the eastern line of the county of Porter, near Michigan City aforesaid, or to so much or such part of said road or roads as you may deem expedient and right."
This petition was signed by W. P. Ward, president of the board of di- rectors, and George W. Turner, secretary. Michigan City was still the leading supply and receiving point for the people of Porter county, and,
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HISTORY OF PORTER COUNTY
remembering the impassable roads at certain seasons during the preced- ing fifteen years, they gave an almost unanimous support to the plank road project, hoping thereby to enjoy better transportation facilities. Consequently, upon the presentation of the above petition, the board promptly ordered, "That the right of way be granted to the Valparaiso & Michigan City Plank Road Company to construct a plank road from Valparaiso to Michigan City on, over, along or across any or all state or county roads which they may desire."
This order, broad and sweeping as it was in its provisions, was prob- ably the first franchise granted to a corporation by the authorities of Porter county. Foremost among the promoters and stockholders of the plank road company were Chauncey and Lyman Blair of Michigan City, where most of the stock was held. In connection with the construction of the road, the company organized a private bank and used bank bills of their own issue in paying for material and labor used in building the road. At that time there were numerous private banks scattered over the country, the issues of which were generally known as "wild-cat" money, because of the uncertainity of its redemption in specie. The plank road bank, however, maintained its circulation at par with gold, redeeming the notes at any time upon demand. It is related that one man, having several thousand dollars in plank road bills, became alarmed and made a trip to Michigan City and demanded the redemp- tion of the notes. The demand was promptly met and he received gold, dollar for dollar. Finding that his paper money was good, he asked to have it returned to him instead of the coin, but at the time the bank was liquidating its business and was glad to redeem its notes, hence his re- quest was not granted and he had to carry his gold home with him.
With a company so strong financially, it would naturally be sup- posed that the plank road would be promptly constructed, but such was not the case. Work was commenced soon after the right of way was se cured, most of the road between Valparaiso and Chesterton was planked but between the latter place and Michigan City there were stretches where a plank was never laid, the company depending upon the compact
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HISTORY OF PORTER COUNTY
sandy soil to furnish a solid road bed without going to the expense of covering the surface with planks. Toll was collected for a few years upon the road, when the company ecased to exist and the much talked of plank road fell into decay.
A company was organized in 1851 for the purpose of building a plank road between Valparaiso and Laporte. No difficulty was exper- ienced in obtaining a right of way over the publie highways, and ahout seven miles of plank were laid, part of which was in Porter county and part in Laporte. For a few years toll was collected, but opposition among the patrons of the road developed because it had not been com- pleted according to the original plan, and the enterprise was abandoned. For several years after this time no efforts were made to build roads of an improved character. On March 3, 1877, Governor Williams ap- proved an aet authorizing county commissioners "to lay out, construct or improve, by straightening, or grading or draining, paving, graveling or macadamizing, any state or county road, or any part thereof, within the limits of the county." Five freeholders might petition the board for such road' improvement, and if the petition was granted bonds should be issued, the contract let, and an assessment levied against the lands benefited by the improvement.
This aet marks the actual beginning of the "good roads movement" in Indiana. Since the original law was passed it has been repeatedly amended, but the act of 1877 still remains as the basis of the gravel road laws of the state. The first macadamized road constructed in Porter county is that known as the Jones road in Union township. It was built about 1897. In building this road the experiment was tried of using iron slag as a paving material, but it was soon discovered that the soil contained a sulphurous element that dissolved the iron. Since then a little coarse gravel, shipped in from Illinois, has been used, though most of the improved highways are laid with macadam, or finely broken stone, which has been found to be the most durable, and in the end the cheapest material. About the time the Jones road was built work was begun on the Flint Lake road, which has been macadamized all the way
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HISTORY OF PORTER COUNTY
to Chesterton and is one of the finest roads in northern Indiana. In June, 1912, there were about 250 miles of macadamized road completed in the county, and some sixteen miles were then under construction. The auditor's report for the year 1911 shows that Porter county has issued gravel road bonds to the amount of $948,580, of which $274,748 .- 50 has been paid. Macadamized roads lead from Valparaiso to Chester- ton, Laporte, Wheeler, Hebron, and southwest to within one mile of the village of Hurlburt on the Chicago & Erie railroad, and there is also an improved road running west into Lake county. In Portage township, between the Baltimore & Ohio and Pennsylvania railroads, nearly all the highways are macadamized, and other portions of the county are rapidly "getting into line." All the roads are built in -the most sub- stantial manner, and in a few years more Porter county will stand among the leading counties of the state in the character of her highways.
The first session of the circuit court in Porter county was held at the residence of John Saylor in October, 1836, Judge Samuel C. Sample pre- siding. When the time came for the jury to take up the consideration of a verdict, there was no suitable room for their deliberations, and they conducted their "secret session" under a large oak tree near the house. This showed the necessity for a court house, but the condition of the county treasury was such that the erection of a building commensurate with the needs of the county was out of the question. In this emergency the citizens came to the rescue, and early in 1837 a subscription paper was circulated to raise funds with which to ereet a court house and jail. The sum of $1,250 was soon realized and with this a frame court house 20 by 48 feet was built on the west side of the square where the present court house stands. A log jail was built in 1838 on Mechanic street (now Indiana avenue), a short distance southeast of the public square. On December 17, 1870, the county commissioners bought the lot on the southeast corner of Franklin street and Indiana avenue for $2,200 and on March 8, 1871, let the contract for the erection of a new jail to cost $24,325. Some twelve years later some new cells were added and a heat-
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HISTORY OF PORTER COUNTY
ing plant installed at a cost of $4,500, giving Porter county one of the best jail buildings in the state.
The old frame court house continued to do duty until 1850, although it was inadequate to the county's needs, and for several years court was held in an upper room over the postoffice. In 1850 a new court house was commenced .. It was finished in 1853, the delay having been caused by the use of unsuitable material, a portion of the building having to be
OLD COURT HOUSE
torn down and rebuilt, yet when completed it was considered one of the handsomest county buildings in the state. It was 40 by 60 feet, built of brick, and cost the county $13,000. As the county continued to grow, additions to this building became necessary, and by 1880 the question of erecting a new building came up for consideration. In December, 1882, the board of county commissioners ordered the erection of a new court house. The plans submitted by J. C. Cochrane, an architect of Chicago, were accepted on April 10, 1883, and bids for the construction of the
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HISTORY OF PORTER COUNTY
building were opened at the June term following. On July 18, 1883, the board issued the following order :
"Whereupon, said proposals having been publicly read, the Board, on dne consideration of all the said proposals, do find that John D. Wil- son of Valparaiso, Indiana, is the lowest responsible bidder, and it is therefore ordered by the board that the proposal of the said John D. Wilson be, and the same is hereby accepted, and it is further ordered by by the Board that the contract to build the said court house be, and the same is hereby awarded to the said John D. Wilson for the sum of one hundred and twenty-five thousand nine hundred and nine dollars ($125,- 909)."
The contract was signed on July 25, 1883, Mr. Wilson began work at onee, and on October 24, 1883, the corner-stone was laid with appro- priate ceremonies, under the auspices of Porter Lodge, No. 137, Free & Accepted Masons. The city was gaily decorated and all business was · suspended during the ceremonies. Seven Masonic lodges, several com- . manderies of Knights Templars, the Grand Army of the Republic, the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the city fire department and a num- ber of brass bands participated in the proceedings. The corner-stone, 3 by 7 feet and about 22 inches thick, was laid by A. P. Charles, of Sey- mour, Deputy Grand Master of the Indiana Grand Lodge. In the cen- ter of the stone is the inscription : "Laid by the Masonic Fraternity, Oc- tober 24, A. D. 1883, A. L. 5883." To the right of this are the names of the commissioners and the county auditor, and to the left the names of the architect and contractor. Within the stone were deposited samples of Porter county grain, a court calendar, copies of the county news- papers, a catalogue of the Northern Indiana Normal School, a roster of the Masonic bodies and the fire companies, historical and statistical re- ports of the several townships, photographs of the county and city officials, etc.
The dimensions of the court house are 128 feet from east to west, 98 fect from north to south, and 168 feet to the top of the dome. It con- sists of two stories and basement, the outer walls being constructed of
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IIISTORY OF PORTER COUNTY
politie limestone from Elletsville, Indiana. On the last day of May, 1886, W. E. Brown, then auditor of the county, made his final report as to the cost of the building, which was $157,348.10. This was more than $30,000 in excess of the original contract, but a number of things were ineluded in the auditor's total that were not a part of the contract, such as $1,451.88 for a clock and bell, and some $10,000 for furniture and office fixtures. (See Frontispiece.)
Prior to 1855, the poor of the county were taken care of by sneh re- sponsible persons as were willing to undertake the charge, the commis- sioners paying from one to two dollars per week for each indigent per- son. On June 7, 1855, the board of commissioners bought from William C. Pennoek, for $3,000, a traet of 120 acres of land in sections 26 and 27, ' township 35, range 6, for a poor farm. Soon after the purchase was made, a contract was entered into with George C. Buel to ereet a frame house, 32 by 45 feet for a poor house, the consideration being $2,482, of which $500 was to be paid on January 1, 1856, $1,000 on March 1, 1856, and the remainder in county bonds payable in one year and bearing six per cent. interest. The building was completed and ready for use at the time specified in the contraet-September 1, 1856, and, with several additions continued to be the county poor house for nearly half a century. Eighty acres-the west half of the southeast quarter of seetion 26-were added to the farm in 1866, at a cost of $3,200, and in June, 1875, the comissioners purchased of W. C. Hannah, for $1,200, "all that part of the northeast quarter of Section 35, Township 35, Range 6, which lies north and east of Salt creek and south of a line drawn parallel with the north line of said quarter, and distant seventy rods and thirteen feet south therefrom, the same to be an addition to the poor farm." An- other addition was made on June 9, 1876, when the commissioners bought for $1,200 the southeast quarter of the southwest quarter of sce- tion 27, except ten acres off the south side.
Early in 1905 the commissioners took the preliminary steps for the erection of new buildings upon the farm by employing an architect to make plans for a "county infirmary." The architect submitted plans
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HISTORY OF PORTER COUNTY
for a building to eost $35,000, but the county eouneil redneed the amount to $25,000. Consequently the plans were changed to bring the estimate within this figure, and on August 7, 1905, bonds to the amount of $25,- 000, bearing four per cent. interest, were issued and the proceeds ap- plied to the ereetion of the building upon the traet of land hitherto known as the poor farm. A few citizens were dissatisfied with the building on account of the changes in the plans to bring the cost within the amount allowed by the county council, and there was some talk of a
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PORTER COUNTY ASYLUM
suit to enjoin the county from paying the bonds, but nothing eame of it. Since then a barn costing $4,000 has been erected on the farm. The term "poor house" has beeome obselete. With the legislation direeting the commissioners of the several counties in the state to provide suit- able quarters for certain insane persons, along with the paupers, the name "county asylum" has been adopted. Porter county has one of the best institutions of this nature in northern Indiana.
One of the greatest works of internal improvement ever made by the county has been in the matter of ditches for the reclamation of swamp
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HISTORY OF PORTER COUNTY
lands. These ditches are constructed under a law similar to that provid- ing for the building of gravel or maeadamized roads. When a certain number of freeholders, whose lands will be affected by the proposed diteh, petition the county commissioners for the construction of such ditch, a survey is made, the cost estimated, and if the petition is granted bonds are issued and assessment levied upon the lands. The oldest diteh in the county is the Reeves diteh, which begins in section 24, township 33, range 5, and runs south to section 36, thenee west to the Kankakee river, draining an area of some eight square miles in Pleasant township.
The Koselke system of ditches embraces practically the entire Crooked creek valley. It begins in Washington township, about two miles east of the city of Valparaiso, absorbs the old Hunt and Lyon ditches, and ineludes some seven miles of new diteh along Crooked ereek. This system drains a large area in Washington, Morgan and Pleasant townships. Connected with the Koselke system is the Hutton ditch in the eastern part of the county. It receives the Cain diteh, which begins near Prattville, and the Orr diteh, beginning about three-fourths of a mile south of Clear lake. East of the Hutton diteh is the Washington and Morgan township ditch which drains an area of about ten square miles in the townships from which it takes its name.
Another large system is the Phillips diteh and its branelies, beginning about a mile north of Boone Grove and running southward to the Kank- akee river, draining about fourteen sections of land in Porter and Boone townships.
Between the Koselke and Phillips ditehes is the Pleasant township system, which has its source a short distance north of the Panhandle railroad, about two miles east of Kouts. The main ditch, with its numerous ramifications, trends southwestward and enters the Kankakee river about half a mile west of the Koselke diteh in section 35, township 33, range 6.
Just west of the Pleasant township system lies the Cobb or Sandy Hook system, which drains the largest area of any system of ditches in the
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HISTORY OF PORTER COUNTY
county. This systemu approximates about twenty-four miles of ditch, each mile of which drains a section of land.
To the west of the Phillips ditch is the Breyfogle and Cornell ditches in one system. The Cornell ditch begins near the village of Hurlburt and runs southeast to section 9, township 33, range G, thenee south to section 21 of the same township and range, where it joins the Breyfogle diteh, which empties into the Kankakee river about a mile and a half east of the Lake county line.
In the southwest corner of the county is the Morrow system, in which ahout one mile of dike has ben built-the only dike in Porter county. This system runs westward into Lake county.
The Cook diteh has its beginning in Laporte county, on the line be- tween townships 32 and 33. It drains a small area in the southeast corner of Porter county where it is being rebuilt and when completed will be known as the Keller ditch.
Near the center of the county is the Parker ditch, which begins on the line between Washington and Center townships and follows the course of old Salt creek for over six miles. It takes its name from the fact that Charles H. Parker was one of the principal factors in securing its construction. When this ditch was opened it was noticed that it materially affected some of the wells in the southern part of the eity of Valparaiso. It forms an outlet for the sewers of that city.
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Comparatively little ditching has been done in the Calumet region in the northern part of the county. , The Tratebas ditch drains a small area of lowland about a mile north of Woodville, in the vicinity of Mud lake. The Robbins ditch runs through sections 18, 19 and 30, township 36, range 6, and the Samuelson diteh runs through sections 28, 29, 30 and 31 of the same township and range. The MeDonald ditch runs through seetions 14, 15, 23 and 24, township 37, range 5, and the Voight diteh drains a small area in the northeastern part of the county between the Michigan Central railroad and Lake Michigan. However, several large projects for draining this portion of the county are under consideration. The greatest of these is the Burns or Calumet system, involving an ex-
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HISTORY OF PORTER COUNTY
penditure of about $300,000. At this writing (June, 1912) the matter is in the hands of the Indiana Supreme Court. If that tribunal renders a favorable decision, and the work is completed according to the original designs, the course of the Calumet river will be changed. The main ditch of ths system will enter Lake Michigan about three-quarters of a mile west of Dune Park.
Large sums of money have been expended in the county in the con- struction of ditches, and still others are contemplated. But for every dollar thus invested the crops from the fertile soil of the reclaimed lands have demonstrated that it has been a profitable investment.
Railroads are not internal improvements in the sense that they were built by appropriation of the publie funds, but in Porter county they have played an important part in the development of the county's resources. Of the 7,220 miles of railway in the state, nearly 200 miles are in Porter county. Lines of eight great systems pass through the county, and branches of still other systems cross some portion or termin- ate within the county limits. In 1850 the Michigan Central and the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern railways reached the eastern border of Porter county. There was a spirited rivalry between the two com- panics to see which line would first be completed to Chicago. The Mich- igan Central won the victory, but by a narrow margin. The Michigan Central enters the county near the northeast corner and runs southwest, while the Lake Shore crosses the eastern border near the line separating Pine and Jackson townships and trends a little north of west, crossing the Michigan Central near Chesterton. The first freight received by rail in Porter county was a consignment of goods for Hubbard Hunt, then a merchant of Valparaiso. These goods came on a Michigan Central construction train in 1851 to where the town of Porter now stands, and there were unloaded upon the open prairie.
The Lake Shore & Michigan Southern was at first called the Michigan Southern & Northern Indiana. One of the early time cards of this road shows that it took the fastest train on the line eight hours and a half to make the trip from Toledo to Chicago, while the accommodation train Vol. 1 -- 5
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HISTORY OF PORTER COUNTY
required nearly eleven hours. Some idea of the "comforts" of traveling on these early railways may be gathered from the following descriptive article taken from the Valparaiso Observer of November 5, 1853:
"The ears of the night express train on the Michigan Central railroad are furnished with high-backed seats, to enable a person to lay back his head and sleep as well as an easy rocking chair. If one has a whole seat, he can find pretty comfortable room to lie down, and then after becoming accustomed to the noise, can sleep very well.
The cars are lighted with what one would at first view take to be lamps, but prove to be very large candles, probably near two inches in diameter. The candlestick has a spring which constantly presses the candle upwards, and a cover with a hole in the middle for the wiek to stick up through, which screws on at the top, and only allows the candle to be raised up by the spring as fast as it burns away. This seemed to be a piece of ingenuity worthy of remark."
That was written less than sixty years ago, and the progress mnade in railroading since then has been a greater "piece of ingenuity" than the invention of the large candle with its spring candlestick. The pas- senger of to-day on the Mchigan Central may ride in Pullman sleeping or drawing room cars, lighted by electricity, and take his meals in a · dining car as well equipped as the best restaurants in our large cities.
The completion of the two roads above mentioned gave to the northern part of the county improved mail, transportation and traffic facilities, but the central and southern portions of the county received but little direct benefit from their construction. Consequently, an agitation was started for a line to cross the county near the center, the citizens of Valparaiso being especially active in the movement. By the middle of the Nineteenth century it was apparent that Chieago was destined to be the great commercial metropolis of the Middle West, and it was not a very difficult matter to interest capitalists in a proposition to build a line of railway from Chicago eastward, with a view of ultimately touching the Atlantic scaboard. The agitation culminated in the organization of a company to build a road from Fort Wayne to Chicago. A Valparaiso
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HISTORY OF PORTER COUNTY
paper of April 7, 1853, announced that Mr. Pierce and Mr. Anthony were just baek from Fort Wayne and brought the cheering news that work on the road would begin in a month, and that it was expected to have trains running to Chicago by the beginning of winter. This "cheering news" was a little premature. In September, 1853, a new board of directors was elected, S. I. Anthony, of Valparaiso, being one of the number, and the new board announced that it was hoped to have the road completed by the fall of 1854. Again the work was delayed . by various obstacles and three years elapsed before the work really was actively begun. In August, 1856, some eastern men became interested in the project, a new board of directors was chosen, and the name of the road was changed to the "Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne & Chicago." Early in 1857 the contracts for construction were relet, and about April Ist work was commenced at Valparaiso. Later in the summer it beeame rumored about that an effort was being made to have the road leave the original survey and run by way of Laporte. This aroused the indigna- tion of the Valparaiso people, and late in July a meeting was held, T. A. E. Campbell presiding, and the following resolutions were unanimously adopted :
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