USA > Indiana > Lake County > Reports And Papers Of Lake County Indiana (1958-1966) > Part 12
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The first three years they handled approximately 70,000 bushels of corn. In the succeeding eight years the business averaged about $14,000.00 a year gross. The elevator was run with a Fairbanks-Morse one-cylinder engine. By 1938 the volume had increased to the handling of about 240,000 bu- shels. In 1948 this reached 750,000 bushels. During this time the business had as its manager, Walter Einspahr. In 1948 he lost his life in an accident on the road; for two or three years thereafter the business was handled by his wife, Vida Einspahr.
Henry Altman became manager in 1951. That year the business handled over a million bushels of corn, wheat, oats and soybeans. The gross dollar value was over two and one- fourth million dollars. In 1956 100,000 bushels storage ca- pacity was added. In 1958, 20,000 capacity steel tanks were added (two tanks) and improvements made costing $89,- 000.00. In 1959, 240,000 bushels additional storage capacity was added to the storage of grain for the Commodity Credit Corporation. Over a million and a half bushels of grain were handled and the business had a gross dollar volume of two and three-fourths million dollars. There is a manager and six full-time employees.
All of this growth and investment grew from the original investment of $15,000.00 made forty-six years ago. The prop- erty was acquired in seven different purchases. Until 1940, there was a "livestock yard" and shipping-point from which the cattle and horses were shipped; also, wild grass hay. The value of the plant is now estimated at close to $400,000.00, an average increase of over fifty per cent a year on the original investment. The officers in 1959 are: Harold Sutton, presi- dent; Harry Brandt, vice-president; H. B. Wason, secretary- treasurer; John Bruce and David Howkinson, directors.
BELSHAW ELEVATOR COMPANY
Originally organized about 1905 as the F. C. Brown
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Grain and Hay Company, it was a partnership and the other members of the company were Henry Hathaway, Charles Bai- ley, and George Bailey. Before this time grain was hauled to Lowell with horses and wagons.
In 1917 the business was sold to the "Lowell Arbor of Gleaners." In November the company was reorganized with a capitalization of $30,000.00. There was a succession of man- agers, until 1929, when F. A. Dahl was selected. The elevator, powered with a diesel engine, changed to electric power in 1931. The wagon scale was replaced with a truck scale. The first truck was a three-fourth-ton pickup.
In 1943 the directors and stockholders voted to sell all shares to F. A. Dahl. He, his sons, Fred H. and Harold G., have operated it up to the present time under the name of the Belshaw Elevator Company. In 1946, they purchased the yard of the Wilbur Lumber Company across the road. This was destroyed by fire in 1954 and was replaced with a larger building on the same site where a complete line of building materials is handled. Other additions are an enlarged office; a 10,000 bushel grain storage building, where lumber, feed (commercial and manufactured), custom grinding, seed fer- tilizer, fencing, tile, gravel and cement are sold. Five trucks are in use. The business operates on a full-time basis.
The Schneider Grain Company has been operated as a partnership by A. R. Falter and F. W. Drew since 1941. It was moved to the present site in 1958. It handles all kinds of feeds and farm supplies in addition to buying and selling grain, of which it handles over one and one-half million bu- shels a year. Calvin Ahlemeier is the manager.
The Stratton Grain Company is located just north of Schneider. This company also has other elevators in Milwau- kee, Wisconsin, and St. Joseph, Missouri. The business is storing and merchandising grain. It has long been located on this site. Prior to 1950, the capacity was 280,000 bushels; that year the storage capacity was increased to about 800,000 bushels.
BUSINESS ENTERPRISES
Let's start at Creston, in the northeast corner, and go on south to Indiana No. 2, then west to U. S. No. 41, south to the Kankakee River, and see what we meet. First is the post- office and Vinnedge's store; across the road is the residence of Kenneth Travis and his thriving business of buying and
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selling lumber-begun in 1957. Further south, on the west side of the road, is the machine shop of James Curless, Jr., where he repairs farm machinery and does various kinds of mechanical work.
At the west edge of Lowell, Everett Warne and Kenneth Jones built a food store and a locker plant in 1947. The busi- ness thrived so much that in 1954 they doubled the capacity of both places. Next, west, is the building, put up by Dr. John Mirro and E. K. James, a dentist, used as their offices. Next, to the west, is a building, erected by Mrs. Stevenson, to be used for her women's wear shop. She also sells dress goods.
Across the road is the business of Chris Kuiper where he buys, sells and slaughters cattle and other meat animals. Proceeding west, we come to the Lowell Lumber Company, a thriving organization incorporated in 1951 by William Lan- gen, Pat Harper and their wives. This company has had a rapid growth. In 1955 they erected a ready-mix concrete plant which also manufactures septic tanks; this is farther west, on the north side of Indiana No. 2. About 1956, Sheri- dan Ruge became associated with the company. In 1958, they, with others, organized "The Lowell Stone Products Manufac- turing Company" which purchased a site east of the New York Central Railroad at North Hayden where they make concrete blocks with a natural stone facing which is imper- vious to water. They have patented the process.
SUBDIVISIONS
In 1949 Emil Harding and Elmer Meyers bought twenty acres of land at the southwest corner of Nichols Street, Lowell, and Indiana No. 2. Buildings have been erected on about fifty of the fifty-six lots formed in the subdivision.
In 1959 the Lowell Lumber Company bought sixteen acres of land on Nichols Street, north of Indiana No. 2, and platted the same into fifty-eight homesites. Seven or eight houses are already under construction. In the same year they bought fifty-eight acres, across the road, which they will subdivide and develop as long as the demand continues. On the north side, the Huber Oil Company of Crown Point built a plant for the handling and delivery of fuel and gas. Next to it the Conoco Oil Products erected a service station.
Proceeding westerly we come to the ranch-type home, built about 1956 by Robert Swett, and next to it is provided a place for the parking and storage of his large earth-moving equipment. To the west of the small stream, called the Bruce
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Ditch, is the business building erected in 1957 by Robert Davis for carrying on his business of selling and repairing Interna- tonal Harvester machines. Next to this is the Lowell Stone Products Company, already described. Continuing westerly is the Gleaners and Farmers Elevator, previously described. Next to it is the business of the Lake County Farm Bureau Co-operative Association, dealing in lumber, building ma- terials, and farm supplies, erected about 1956. To the west are the storage buildings of Sears Roebuck & Company, and beside it is the site of the business of the Hicksgas Company. Originally it had a storage capacity of 5,600 gallons. In 1957 a modern office building, sales room and warehouse were erected. The storage capacity was enlarged to 36,000 gallons and the number of employees increased from two to twelve.
Farther west is the homesite of George Koplin. In 1958 the barn was converted into a community sales-barn under the ownership and operation of Ernie Niemeyer, who, every Wednesday, conducts sales of livestock and farm products. This business has been licensed by state and federal law.
The northeast corner of Indiana No. 2 and U. S. No. 41 had a small lunchroom until 1943 when it was purchased by Glen and Alice Steward. When U. S. No. 41 was widened, about 1948, the lunchroom was moved back to build a Sinclair service station. The owners remodeled the lunchroom into a fine restaurant which they rent. In 1948 they erected a six- room motel and later added three more units.
On the southeast corner of the intersection a lunchroom has been in operation for over twenty years, with various changes of ownership. It is now operated by a Mrs. Harnickel. To the south of it is a Mobil service station, owned and oper- ated by Roy Martin. Next to it is a still larger building and service station selling Standard Oil products.
South of this is a large building, erected about 1947 by Harold Sorenson, for the business of selling the machines built by the International Harvester Company. Across the road is the restaurant conducted by Mrs. King who sold it in 1956 to Reno Rouse of Schneider. East of the Steward Sin- clair station Arnold Schreiber, in 1948, built a building for the sale of car sand farm machinery. It is now used for a garage and repair business.
On the east side of U. S. No. 41, just south of where the road comes from the Lake Prairie Church, there was, in 1940, a large brick farmhouse built many years ago by Mr. and Mrs.
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Jesse Little. The farm was sold to A. W. Mall. When U. S. No. 41 was widened this fine home was removed to make place for the roadway. Later Mall sold it to Emil Harding whose son-in-law, Herbert Russell, operated the farm until he met his death in 1959 while operating a tractor across the road.
Proceeding, to the point where Indiana No. 2 leaves U. S. No. 41 to run west to Illinois No. 17, the northwest corner was purchased by Herman Wietbrock who, in 1949, erected a Standard Oil service station which is operated by a tenant. Just north of this is a twelve-unit motel owned and operated by Dale Roberts. There is a restaurant. A quarter of a mile further south is a Texaco service station. Next to it is the Hill Top Restaurant. Across from this is the Oakwood Trailer Court owned and operated by Frank Strickland, Jr.
Proceeding southward old U. S. No. 41 turns east at a right angle turn about three miles south of where Indiana No. 2 turns west. In another mile it made another right angle turn to pass through Schneider. When U. S. No. 41 was widened, in or about 1956, these right angle turns were elim- inated and the road which had gone through Schneider now overpassed the railroad and went west of Schneider. This reduced the business of Schneider, which for years had been so busy that travel through it was made with care and cau- tion. The town now serves mostly the neighboring territory. However, where old U. S. No. 41 and the new U. S. No. 41 meet, just south on the east side, there is a fine restaurant and a Shell service station. Across the road on the west side there is a Standard service station. Behind this is a business called the "Trading Post."
East of U. S. No. 41, and north of the Kankakee River, is "Hawk's" fishing camp where refreshments are served and boats are rented. The road, leading west and north of the river, leads past "Kankakee State Park," dedicated in 1949. On the state line is the Brademeier Packing Company which slaughters meat animals for farmers on request. Other places of business in the village are Rouses' Welding Shop, Wilke's Grocery, a Royal Blue Store, and the "Forty One Tavern."
SCHOOLS
West Creek elementary schools are Sheridan, Lake Prai- rie, Oakland, and Schneider. The first schoolhouse built in the township was of logs, with 224 square feet of floor area, which would be a building 14 feet by 16 feet (Mr. Ogle stated).
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Lake Prairie: In 1958 the trustee, Raymond Forburger, and the advisory board, Earl Little, Harry Hathaway, and Harry Brandt, purchased twenty acres of land, from George Koplin, west of the north intersection of State Road No. 2 and U. S. No. 41. Under a recent enabling act of the Indiana Leg- islature this school was built by a corporation which rents it to the township. The school was ready for use in September, 1959. There are fifteen rooms in the building. Eight grades are taught. This made it possible to abandon Sheridan, Lake Prairie (old), and Oakland. The new school was given the name of LAKE PRAIRIE. It is one story, the floor area is 34,000 square feet; built at an estimated cost of $14.40 per square foot, the total cost is about $490,000.00.
Wilford Ogle is the principal. The other teachers are: Hilda Dahl, Mrs. Eula Vaught, Mrs. Ruth Weinberg, Mrs. In- grid Wilkerson, Ralph Ripple, Howard Smith, Mrs. Robert Selvidge, Alfred Parrish, Miss Edith Rissler, Richard Gronert, and Mrs. Ruth Taylor. Two hundred and sixty pupils are enrolled.
The school at Schneider continues with Fred McRoberts as principal and the other teachers are: Otis Harkins, Mrs. Sharon Stokes, Mrs. Florence Little, and Carol Jones. One hundred and forty pupils are enrolled in the eight grades.
When St. Edward's Catholic School, of Lowell, selected their new site in West Creek Township there was sufficient acreage to build a church, rectory, convent, and a school. Two hundred and eight pupils are enrolled. In 1959 there were three sisters and one lay teacher on the staff.
CHURCHES
The Lake Prairie Presbyterian Church was organized in 1856. In 1957 the centennial celebration was held. Miss Rena Dahl wrote a comprehensive history of the continuous service of one hundred and one years. Pastors who have served during the past twenty years are Roy Brymbaugh, Kenneth McGhee, Norman Herbert, Clyde Vasey, and Wil- liam Stephenson, the incumbent minister since August, 1957.
During the past twenty years the congregation has im- proved the property; facilities in the basement for serving meals, at social functions that the church frequently presents in the community, have been installed. Some of the descend- ants of the original founders are active. The rural setting and the sincere friendliness of the people make attendance at its
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services an inspiration.
The Schneider Presbyterian Church was organized about 1912. About twenty-five families form the membership. Weekly services are held. The minister is the Rev. David Gallop.
The Trinity Lutheran Church held services in a building which they owned in Lowell until they erected the beautiful new stone church, pleasing to the eye both outside and inside, in 1949, just west of the city limits on the south side of Indi- ana No. 2. Immediately to the east is the residence of the pastor, Rev. William Adam, who has presided from the time of the dedication over this rapidly growing congregation.
St. Edward's Catholic Church has a history in the Lowell community that dates back well into the nineteenth century. Until 1958 the services were held in its church building lo- cated in the northeast part of the town. A steadily increasing membership required larger and more adequate quarters. Ground was acquired on the west side of Nichols Street, south of Indiana No. 2, where, in 1957, the building of a church, rectory, convent, and school was accomplished. The dedica- tion took place on September 28, 1958, with Bishop Andrew Grutka, of the Gary Diocese, officiating. Rev. Edward Boney, pastor for many years, resigned for health reasons in 1956 and was succeeded by Rev. Chester Zurawiec, November 15, 1956; appointed by Bishop Leo Pursley. Four masses are held each Sunday ; the needs of about two hundred and twenty- five families in the Lowell community are served. An impres- sive contribution to the religious life of the people is made by this attractive addition of St. Edward's parish.
The First Baptist congregation was a Bible class in the home of Paul and Florence Schilling, August 28, 1955. De- cember 29, thirteen charter members organized "the church." Rev. Kenneth McQuare, Hobart, Indiana, conducted prayer meetings every Thursday night. Supply ministers from var- ious places cared for the group which met in the office of Dr. James. That year it incorporated as "The First Baptist Church of Lowell."
In May, 1957, a tract of more than an acre of land on Nichols Street, north of Indiana No. 2, was given by Paul and Florence Schilling. In May, 1959, the church edifice was started. All of the labor is being provided by the member- ship of about twenty-five families. The structure is under roof and progressing nicely. It is a noteworthy mark of the
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accomplishment of a group of dedicated people. Eighty is average attendance at Sunday School. Earl Newirk, of Terre Haute, became the pastor in February, 1959. Lowell Suther- land and Paul Schilling were the first trustees.
SOME OBSERVATIONS
The writer of this narrative is as well aware as any reader at this time (1959) could possibly be that there is a great admixture of trivia. But he has endeavored to present a story that will enable the reader of 2059 to see the township as it looked to those living in it this year.
Predominantly agricultural from the beginning, it still is. But even the observer who has lived here in this last quarter century is amazed when what is here now is set up alongside what was here so short a time ago.
A U. S. Highway, running from the northern tip of Michi- gan to the southern tip of Florida, passes through here. It is not unusual for large freight trucks to pass over it at the rate of one a minute.
With this traffic are long-distance passenger busses and autos beyond count.
The east and west highway, Indiana 2, carries less, but all the road will carry, and both these highways have been wid- ened and improved in the last five years.
The Danville branch of the New York Central Railroad carries freight north and south and the Kankakee branch of the New York Central carries it east and west across the township.
The four grain elevators in the township have had an astounding growth. Other businesses have sprung up and will continue, and no man can see the end.
Residents of the township, not only see, but, hear the hum of traffic all through the night.
Open-pollinated corn, planted almost exclusively, has given way to hybrid corn with increased yield. Anton Dahl, a native of the township who followed farming all his life, took an early interest in soil improvement and better crop vari- eties. He began the production of hybrid seed-corn in 1937 and followed this with oats, wheat, and soybeans, all in co- operation with Purdue University. His farm was used for
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demonstration plots to determine their adaptability to this re- gion. He was a pioneer in this work and now there is hardly a farmer who does not realize the value of the kind of work he did in the improvement of seed varieties. Applications of fertilizer, incomprehensible to the farmer of 1934, are now in common use and practice. Yields, of more than 100 bushels to the acre, are now so common as to attract no more comment than a 50-bushel yield twenty-five years ago. Soybean acre- age is up and the yields of 20 bushels per acre now come to, and top, 40 bushels. Wheat, which in my boyhood went 20 bushels to the acre, now goes to 40. Oats always was and still is an unpredictable crop. But some farmers have occasionally gone over 80 bushels per acre.
These yields have piled up surpluses all over the country and the evidence of it is here in the township with the Com- munity Credit Corporation having erected storage facilities for the storing of over a half million bushels of grain.
We have more than we know what to do with, more than has ever been known to any nation in history, while on the other side of the earth millions are starving for food. Prob- lems, which Congress has struggled with for 25 years, seem no nearer solution than they were then. Never have so many lived so "high on the hog" and never have so many been worry- ing about the future. Principles, for the guidance of human life, set forth in religious writings more than two millenniums ago, have never been improved upon. But men have not yet learned to live together in peace and understanding. Conceiv- ably humanity faces the grandest experience it has ever known on this whirling planet. At the same time it faces extinction at the press of a button.
We have a government, conceived in freedom and believed by its citizens to be founded on principles as sound as the Decalog, now meeting the challenge of an ideology that is the negation of everything we stand for.
We thought it couldn't work and we see that it does.
We grew up firmly believing that the world was growing better under our eyes. Now we wonder if we were wrong.
We sent our missionaries to the "heathen." But the heathen scarcely awakened.
Then we sent our men and guns around the earth. The heathen awoke rapidly and learned our scientific methods. Now they turn these against us.
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FIVE YEAR PERIOD-1959-1964
Believing in the sacredness of human life and the relief of suffering and distress our medical men have learned to prolong life until now more men live longer than men have ever lived before, and from this knowledge the population of the world is "exploding." That's the word they use. This means more mouths to feed that will seek a place to eat. When they know where it is, they will go there regardless of peace treaties or national boundaries. This they have done from Alexander the Great, to Genghis Kahn, to Hitler. Are we so naive as to think there will not be others?
The human race has moved slowly through the centuries and millenniums of time like a great glacier moving toward the sea with uncontrolled direction. The few men who have occasionally diverted it slightly can be counted on the fingers. The rest of the human race has only been so many more people.
This has meant the death of millions and opportunity for the survivors. There has usually been more room. But now the earth is a small place. What affects men here affects men everywhere.
But never until this sixth decade of the twentieth century, counting time from the birth of Christ, has man had the tools to achieve his own utter annihilation. Will he use these tools?
Reader, you take it from here. I don't know. Neither does anyone else.
I thought it proper to record for posterity, if any exist one hundred years hence, not only what men in West Creek Township have done and are doing, but what they are think- ing about now, that is to say, November, 1959.
Threshing Time
(An editorial that appeared in the Sunday, August 2, 1959, edition of the Hammond Times. Mrs. Earl Little, Lowell, Indiana, requested that she be per- mitted to submit the article to "The Lake County Historical Society and Old Settlers' Association" for possible republication. Forbes W. Scott, editorial writer, graciously gave his consent: "The editorial was based on observation during a year as a boarder on a farm in Jackson Township, Will County, near Elwood, Illinois, which is about 35 miles west of your own place. I count the year I spent on that farm as
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a boy of eight years as one of the highlights of my life.")
These are the days when in many midwest communities nostalgic farmers are turning the clock back and engaging in a little old-fashioned threshing. Carefully preserved steam traction engines and threshing machines of yesteryear are brought out for exhibition runs.
Threshing time was one of the last survivals of the fron- tier period where neighbors banded together to carry out a job too big for one farm family to handle alone.
To a boy eight years old, too young to be handed a pitch- fork, but old enough to run around and take in all that was go- ing on, threshing was a sort of a county fair, a Fourth of July picnic, and a visit to a busy workshop all rolled into one.
The farmer of the family, with whom the small boy was living, had cut his grain days before. He used a horse-drawn reaper and binder which gathered in the tall yellow grain- heavy stems, rolled them into a bundle, bound them with twine, and dropped them onto the field. The bundles were stacked up in shocks by two men following on foot.
One afternoon there was an odd noise along the gravel road that bordered one side of the farm. It sounded like the puffing of a fast moving train but was accompanied by various clanking and clanging sounds that no train ever made.
Inspection revealed an odd looking affair-something like a small railroad locomotive but with big, flat steel wheels be- hind and smaller ones in front-coming down the road. Smoke blasted from the stack in front, with a nervous chuff-chuff- chuff-chuff as the engine moved up the road, dragging the long, box-like threshing machine behind.
The operator had time to shout, above the roar of the sliding, hissing, smoking monster that, no, this was not a train, but a threshing rig, before he turned his "train" into the front pasture through an infrequently used gate.
The engine and thresher rolled through a small stretch of timber, crossed the shallow creek, pulled up a small rise, and halted behind the barn. The operator maneuvered the thresher into position, then unhooked the engine and steamed it around in a wide circle before halting it, facing the thresher and about 40 feet away.
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