USA > Indiana > The Indiana gazetteer, or topographical dictionary of the State of Indiana, 1849 > Part 31
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WAYNE, a southern township in Henry.
WAYNE, a south-west township in Huntington, popula- tion 300.
WAYNE, a township in Kosciusko.
WAYNE, a western township in Marion, population 2,600.
WAYNE, a township in Montgomery, population 1,000.
WAYNE, an eastern township in Noble, population 570.
WAYNE, a north-east township in Owen, containing 18 square miles, population 1,300, first settled in 1818, by A. Alexander, D. Lukinbill, J. Sandy and E. Goss.
WAYNE, a township in Randolph, population 1,000.
WAYNE, a western township in Tippecanoe, population 2,200.
WAYNE, an eastern township in Wayne, population 5,500.
WEA CREEK rises near the south line of Tippecanoe county, and runs nearly north into the Wabash, four miles below Lafayette. It is an excellent and never fail- ing mill stream.
WEA PRAIRIE, or Wea Plains, cover more than a township of excellent land just below the mouth of the
431
TOPOGRAPHY AND STATISTICS.
creek. On the opposite side of the river was the Indian town, Ouiatenon, and the site of the Jesuit missions, once so flourishing. Here, too, were the most extensive im- provements ever made by the Indians in the State, of which scarce a trace now remains. For richness of soil and beauty of natural situation, no place in the State, or perhaps in the west, can compare with the Wea plains.
WELLS COUNTY was named in honor of Capt. Wm. H. Wells, of Fort Wayne, who was killed by the In- dians on the 15th August, 1812, near Chicago, in an at- tempt to escort the garrison of Fort Dearborn to Fort Wayne. It was organized in 1837, and is bounded north by Allen, east by Adams, south by Jay and Black- ford and west by Grant and Huntington. It contains 372 square miles. The civil townships are Jefferson, Lancaster, Harrison and Nottingham in the east, Chester in the south, and Union, Rock Creek, Liberty and Jack- son in the west. The population in 1840 was 1,822, it is at this time about 4,500.
The land is either nearly level or gently undulating, the soil uniformly good, the timber oak, walnut, ash, hickory, beech and sugar. With the exception of a few wet prairies and swamps that require to be drained, the whole county may be farmed to advantage in all the usual products of the climate. The settlements are mostly so recent that as yet no great amount of surplus is exported. but Fort Wayne is the principal market.
There are in the county three grist mills, five saw mills, one woollen factory, one printing office, six stores, four groceries, two lawyers, six physicians, ten preachers of the gospel, the usual proportion of mechanics, and one church each for the Methodists, Presbyterians, United Brethren and Christians.
The taxable land amounts to 199,637 acres, and there are about 4,000 acres of Indian Reserves and United States land in the county.
WESAW, a tributary of Eel river from the north, in Miami county. Wesaw, an Indian chief, once resided near its mouth.
432
INDIANA GAZETTEER.
WEST CREEK, a mill stream in Lake county, runs south into the Kankakee.
WEST RIVER, also called the west fork of White Wa- ter, rises in Randolph, where it goes by the former name, and runs through Wayne, Fayette and Franklin, where it goes by the latter name. See White Water.
WEST CHESTER, a northern township in Porter, popu- lation 200.
WEST FRANKLIN, a small town on the Ohio, in Posey county, 12 miles above Mount Vernon.
WEST HAMILTON, a small town in Laporte county, five miles north-east of the county seat.
WEST LEBANON, a small village in Warren county, six miles south-west of Williamsport.
WEST POINT, a pleasant village in the timber border- ing on the Wea prairie, 10 miles south-west of Lafayette. It contains 60 houses and about 350 inhabitants.
WEST POINT, a western township in White, population 100.
WESTPORT, a small town on Sand creek, in Decatur county, 14 miles south of Greensburgh, population 150.
WESTPORT, a small town on the east bank of the Wa- bash, in Parke county, 15 miles north-west of Rockville.
WEST UNION, a small village in same county, on the canal, eight miles north-west of Rockville.
WEST UNION, a small village in Fayette county, six miles south of Connersville.
WHEELING, a small town on the south bank of the Mississinewa, in Delaware county, 13 miles north-west of Muncie.
WHISKEY RUN, a small mill stream in Crawford coun- ty, runs south-east into Blue river.
WHISKEY RUN, a north-east township in Crawford.
WHITE COUNTY, organized in 1834, was named in honor of Col. Isaac White, of Gallatin county, Illinois, who volunteered his services, as a private, in the Tippe- canoe campaign and fell at the side of Major Daviess in the battle. White county is bounded north by Jasper and Pulaski, east by Cass and Carroll, south by Tippe-
433
TOPOGRAPHY AND STATISTICS.
canoe, and west by Benton and Jasper. It contains 504 square miles. The civil townships are Prairie, Big Creek, Monon, Union, Liberty, Jackson, Princeton and West Point. The population in IS40 was 1,832; it now exceeds 4,000.
About two-thirds of the county are prairie, mostly arms of the Grand Prairie. All of it has a rich soil, and at least one-half is dry and gently undulating, easily farmed and not inferior to any land in the same latitude for producing good crops of wheat, corn, rye, oats, roots and fruit; and grass grows well in the flat prairies where there is less sand mixed with the soil. Nearly one-half of them are of this character, and no part of the State is better adapted for raising stock th.in this kind of prai- rie. The west and south-west parts of the county have no other timber but such as grows in strips along the streams, which are generally from two to four miles apart in the prairies. The north and north-east parts are in- terspersed with prairie and timber which is generally of a good quality for fencing. The soil in the timber has more sand and is not so rich, yet it produces good crops of wheat. The surplus products consist of wheat, flour, beef and pork, which are sent to the canal; and hogs, cattle, horses and mules, which are driven off to different markets.
There is a grist mill and saw mill on Monon creek, and two large flouring mills, a saw mill, a fulling mill, and a carding machine on the Tippecanoe, which is the princi- pal and a very valuable mill stream, and a company has been incorporated for making a dam at Monticello, where a large amount of water power will be created. There are four stores and groceries in the county, one church erected and another in progress, one lawyer, two preachers and four physicians. The prevailing religious denominations are Methodists, New and Old School Presbyterians, Christians and Reformers.
The taxable land amounts to 96,000 acres, and about 200,000 acres still belong to the United States. Iron ore is found in abundance. The immense water power on
.
· 434
INDIANA GAZETTEER.
Tippecanoe river, and fine soil of the county, must make White an important part of the State at not a distant day. At present, the business of raising stock has not attract- ed sufficient attention to secure the necessary capital to carry it on to advantage, and mechanical labor is scarce, as the mechanics have hitherto located themselves in the towns along the canal.
WHITE CREEK, a mill stream that rises in Brown and Bartholomew, runs south into Jackson, and falls into the east fork of White river, near the centre of the county.
WHITE LICK, a fine mill stream that rises in Boone, runs south through Hendricks and Morgan, and falls into White river seven miles above Martinsville. Near the mouth of this stream are quarries of excellent freestone.
WHITE LICK KNOBB, a solitary hill near the mouth of White Lick, that presents fine views of the surrounding country. Near its base is the deer lick from which the creek has its name.
WHITE RIVER, the principal tributary of the Wabash, into which it falls 100 miles by water and 60 by land above its mouth, waters all the central part of the State by its numerous branches. The west fork rises in Ran- dolph county, near the Ohio line, and in high water flat boats have descended it from near Winchester. It pur- sues a south-west direction by Muncie, Andersontown, Noblesville, Indianapolis, Martinsville, Gosport, Spencer and Point Commerce, and receives from the west Kill- buck, Pipe, Cicero, Eagle and White Lick creeks, and Eel river, and from the east Buck, Fall and Indian creeks, all considerable streams. The east fork of White river rises in Henry county, not far from the source of the other branch, though its head waters are called Blue river and Flatrock, and it is only after they unite, near Co umbus, that the name of the East or Driftwood Fork of White river is assumed. Clifty and Sand creeks, the Muscackituck and Lost rivers from the east, and Salt creek from the west, are the principal branches. When the forks unite, White river for 40 miles is very little in-
435
TOPOGRAPHY AND STATISTICS.
ferior in size to the Wabash, except in high floods, when the latter rolls much the largest torrent.
WHITE RIVER, a northern township in Gibson, popu- lation 800.
WHITE RIVER, a north-east township in Hamilton.
WHITE RIVER, a north-west township in Johnson, pop- ulation 1,200.
WHITE RIVER, a central township in Randolph, popu- lation 2,500.
WHITE POST, a western township in Pulaski.
WHITE WATER, the principal stream in the south-east part of the State, rises in Randolph and, with its numer- ous branches, furnishes a large amount of water power for Wayne, Fayette, Union, Franklin and Dearborn counties, and is the only feeder for the White Water Valley Canal. See Rivers and Internal Improvements in first part of this Book. It falls into the Miami in the State of Ohio, six miles from its mouth, and the last 15 miles of its course is in that State.
WHITLEY COUNTY, organized in 1842, was named in honor of Col. William Whitley, of Lincoln county, Ken- tucky, one of the bravest and most generous of the early pioneers of that State, who, after being a successful leader in many daring expeditions, fell at last, at the age of 64, in the battle of the Thames, where he had volun- teered to serve as a private. Whitley county is 18 miles square, and is bounded north by Noble, east by Allen, south by Huntington, and west by Wabash and Kosciusko. The civil townships are Cleaveland, Richland, Troy, Thorn Creek, Columbia, Smith, Washington and Jeffer- son. The population in 1840 was 1,237; it is now about 4,500.
The south part of the county is level, the middle and north undulating or hilly; one-ninth of the county is bottom land, one-seventh barrens, the remainder is forest intermixed with wet prairies, mostly small. The timber is of almost every variety found in the State; the soil generally a sandy loam, well adapted to the usual agri- cultural products. Fort Wayne is the market for the
436
INDIANA GAZETTEER.
surplus grain, &c., to which about the value of $12,000 has been sent annually.
There are in the county five grist mills, eight saw mills, two carding machines, eight stores, one grocery, three lawyers, eight physicians, and 114 mechanics of the trades most in demand. There are also nine Episcopal and four Protestant Methodist churches, five Lutheran, two Old School and one New School Presbyterian, three Baptist, two United Brethren, one Winebrinner and one Allbright church.
The taxable land amounts to 184,169 acres, and about 18,000 acres still belong to the United States.
WILD CAT, an excellent mill stream that rises in Tip- ton and Howard counties, and runs nearly west into the Wabash, four miles above Lafayette. Its whole length is about 75 miles. A dam near its mouth turns its water into the Wabash and Erie Canal, for which it is the prin- cipal feeder for near 50 miles.
WILD CAT, a township in Tipton county.
WILLIAM'S CREEK, a mill stream in Fayette county that falls into the west fork of White Water from the north-west, three miles below Connersville.
WILLIAM'S CREEK runs south into White river, seven miles north of Indianapolis.
WILLIAMSBURGH, a pleasant village on Nineveh creek, in Johnson county, eight miles south of Franklin, popu- lation 120.
WILLIAMSBURGH, a pleasant town on Green's Fork, Wayne county, 10 miles north of Centreville, population 400.
WILLIAMSPORT, the Seat of Justice of Warren county, is situated on the west bank of the Wabash, 13 miles above Covington, 25 below Lafayette, and 75 north- west of Indianapolis. It was first settled in 1829, by Wm. Harrison, J. J. McAlilly, James H. Buell and Thomas Gilbert. It contains about 100 houses and 400 inhabitants, and is a place where much important busi- ness is transacted.
WILLIAMSTOWN, a small village on the National road,
437
TOPOGRAPHY AND STATISTICS.
in Clay county, 13 miles from Terre Haute, 57 from In- dianapolis, and 14 north-west of Bowlinggreen.
WILLIAMSTOWN, a small town on the south line of Rush county, 11 miles south of Rushville.
WILLS, an eastern township in Laporte, population 535.
WILMINGTON, formerly the County Seat of Dearborn, is three miles west of Aurora and six south-west of Law- renceburgh. It contains the County Seminary, estab- lished in 1835, with usually 50 students, and has a num- ber of good private residences.
WILMINGTON, a central township in DeKalb, popula- tion 450.
WINAMACK, the Seat of Justice of Pulaski county, is situated on the north-west bank of Tippecanoe, 100 miles north-west of Indianapolis, 25 west of Rochester, and 50 north-east of Lafayette. It was first settled in 1839, by John Pearson and David Harris. The popula- tion is now about 200. The land offices for the north- west Land District are located here. The situation is pleasant and the country around fertile. It was named from an Indian chief.
WINCHESTER, the County Seat of Randolph, is situated on the south side of White river, near the centre of the county, 75 miles east north-east of Indianapolis, 25 north of Centreville, and 10 west of the State line. It was first settled in 1819, and now contains 151 houses, of which 11 are brick, the others frame. The population is about 750. The opening of the Bellefontaine and In- dianapolis Railroad through it will afford inducements for its rapid improvement.
WINDSOR, a small town in same county, ten miles west of Winchester, first settled in 1832.
WINSLOW, a small but thrifty and growing town in Pike county, on the Patoka, nine miles south of Peters- burgh. It has two stores, a grocery and tavern.
WOLF CREEK, a tributary of Sugar creek, in Boone county.
WOLF CREEK, a tributary of Bear creek, in Jay county.
438
INDIANA GAZETTEER.
WOLF CREEK, a mill stream in Marshall county, that runs north-west into Yellow river.
WOLF LAKE, a fine sheet of water in Noble county, the head of one of the branches of the Elkhart river. It is also the name of a small town on the bank of the lake.
WooD, a western township in Clark, population 1,500. WOOSTER, a small town in Jennings township, Scott county, laid out in 1846.
WRIGHT, a township in Greene, population 525.
WYDNER, a northern township in Knox.
YELLOW CREEK, a mill stream in Adams county, run- ning north-east into the St. Mary's two miles below De- catur.
YELLOW CREEK runs north into Elkhart river, six miles below Goshen.
YELLOW RIVER rises in the north-west part of Kosci- usko, and runs a western course through Marshall and Stark into the Kankakee at English Lake. It has some good mill sites on it, but its course in general is not rapid, and in high water it may be navigated 30 or 40 miles. Its whole length is about 60 miles, and its average width below Plymouth is 30 yards.
YORK, a township in Dearborn, population 750.
YORK CREEK, a mill stream in Delaware county.
YORK, a township in Elkhart, population 325.
YORK, a western township in Noble, population 700. YORK, a south-east township in Switzerland.
YORKTOWN, a flourishing village in Delaware county, at the junction of Buck creek and White river, six miles south-west from Muncie. It contains valuable mills, two stores, Methodist and Old School Presbyterian churches, and a population of about 200.
YOUNG'S CREEK, a mill stream in Johnson county, rises six miles north-west of Franklin and runs south-east into Sugar Creek. Its whole length is about 25 miles.
'ZANESVILLE, a small town in Wells county, recently laid out.
ZENAS, a small town on the north fork of Muscackituck, in Jennings county, 12 miles north-east of Vernon.
439
TOPOGRAPHY AND STATISTICS.
TABLE, Showing the amount of Taxable Land in each County, and the tax actually raised in 1848.
Counties.
Taxable Land-Acres.
State Tax Paid.
Adamıs.
193,024
Allen,
358,780
$6,721 34
Bartholomew,
234,736
5,720.87
Benton,
29,941
426 74
Blackford,
1 6,945
990 C8
Boone,
252,876
4,324 98
Brown,
38,362
1,003 19
Carroll,
229,254
4,037 60
Cass,
200,679
4,415 63
Clarke,
209,170
5,416 44
Clay,
158,251
2,545 08
Clinton,
237,527
4.144 76
Crawford, -
83,470
1,614 26
Daviess,
171,874
3,761 43
Dearborn,
193,482
10,394 51
Decatur
204,721
6,838 09
DeKalb,
196,510
2,046 44
Delaware, -
243,322
4,652 91
Dubois,
102,460
1,649 €O
Elkhart,
273,266
4,624 43
Fayette,
134,020
7,341 68
Floyd,
85,691
5,823 43
Fountain, -
246,076
6,520 75
Franklin, .
226,631
9,869 63
Fulton,
-
126,106
1,621 78
Gibson,
213,272
4,767 15
Grant,
-
163,853
2,920 63
Green,
175,140
3,332,39
Hamilton,
246,204
4,780 32
Hancock, -
190,641
3,264 39
Harrison,
268,559
5,123 27
· Hendricks,
244.186
6,770 90
Henry,
243,146
9,137 84
Howard,
37,144
1,078 06
Huntington,
220,725
3,645 61
Jackson,
203,182
3,515 87
Jasper,
38,155
614 19
Jay. -
-
232,770
2,612 53
Jefferson,
184,193
11,093 64
Jennings, -
200,460
3,163 22
Johnson,
189,800
6,385 09
Knox,
233,964
5,481 36
Kosciusko,
278,038
3,540 19
Lagrange, ·
225,554
3,063 62
Lake,
59.692
866 47
Laporte, .
251,976
5,532 62
Lawrence,
222,606
6,055 90
Madison,
254,879
4,891 02
Marion,
240,676
12,239 17
Marshall, -
186,360
1,597 22
Martin,
62,689
1,130 83
Miami,
133.824
3,099 24
Monroe,
155,342
4,758 63
-
440
INDIANA GAZETTEER.
Montgomery,
317,579
9,950 00
Morgan,
·
217.047
6,496 74
Noble,
225,366
2,450 73
Ohio, .
53,586
2,517 88
Orange,
170,022
5,299 75
Owen,
165,768
3,952 84
Parke,
261,438
8,138 43
Perry,
75,665
1,793 63
Pike, -
89,082
2,087 47
Porter,
153,029
1,789 10
Posey,
195,807
4,934 97
Putnam.
269,772
3.771 25
Ripley,
258,865
4.373 58
Scott,
.
94,166
1,924 55
Shelby,
254,541
6,526 21
Spencer,
169.077
1,575 32
St. Joseph,
218,623
4,651 71
Sullivan,
168,129
2,901 32
Switzerland,
143,016
3,696 76
Tippecanoe,
305,425
9,613 68
Tipton,
53,235
763 33
Union,
104,296
4,141 69
Vanderburgh,
137,019
5,516 27
Vermillion,
152,562
5.094 68
Vigo,
220,200
8,962 67
Wabash,
215,703
4,581 47
Warren,
176,209
1,284 68
Warrick,
144,630
3,194 11
Washington,
264,673
8.405 01
Wayne,
253,483
17,690 01
Wells,
199.637
2,224 85
White,
92,479
1,579 53
Whitley,
181,477
1,944 00
Pulaski,
41,842
437 00
Randolph, -
285,437
7,771 22
for 1847, 3,551 15
Steuben,
4242
ADDENDA.
DAYTON, a pleasant village in Tippecanoe county, seven miles east south east of Lafayette, with a popula- tion of 400, was laid out in 1929, by William Bush and Timothy Horram, and separate names given to each of their surveys, but they were afterwards united. This place stands on the borders of the Wild Cat prairie, and has a very rich and well improved country about it. Messrs. Bush, Horram, and Samuel Fancher were the first settlers. Wild Cat creek, in the vicinity, furnishes much valuable water power.
GREENSBURGH, the seat of justice of Decatur county, is a beautiful town, situated on rolling land near the cen- tre of the county, on the head waters of Sand Creek, on the Michigan road, 46 miles south-east of Indianapolis, 44 north of Madison, 42 north-west of Lawrenceburgh, and 19 south of Rushville. It was first settled in IS21, by Thomas Hendricks, H. H. Talbott, and James T. Brown, Esqrs., the former of whom was the proprietor. Greensburgh contains a flourishing county seminary,
€
440
INDIANA GAZETTEER.
good public buildings, 200 dwelling houses, of which one half are brick, and a population of 1,200. Its situation is in lat. 39 degr. 21 min. north, and in lon. S deg. 26 min. west. The rich soil and salubrity of the climate in the vicinity, and the enterprising population, which is now rapidly pressing to completion, a railroad to Law- renceburgh, will make Greensburgh one of the best inte- rior towns in the State. This road, when completed to Greensburgh, will be pressed onward towards Indianap- olis.
MILTON, a flourishing town on the White Water Val- ley Canal, eleven miles south west of Centreville in Wayne county, and two miles south of Cambridge City, contains a population of 600.
TERRE HAUTE. By a recent and more accurate return from this place it appears that the population at this time amounts to 4,500. There are 90 retail stores and groce- ries, three book stores, four printing offices, two semina- ries, four select and three district schools, and Il church edifices in the town : also several good hotels, among which the Prairie House, a spacious three story brick edifice, is esteemed one of the best in the State. Terre Haute has a town school fund of $2,000, and the town- ship school fund amounts to SIS,000. It has also three societies for mutual improvement, a fire engine, appara- tus and organized companies. The principal manufactu- ring establishments are two foundries, one extensive plough factory, eight carriage and wagon factories, two factories for soap and candles, one oil mill, three steam flouring and one steam saw mill, two breweries, two large distilleries, 13 cooper shops, four slaughtering and four well arranged pork packing establishments. Hogs packed in Terre Haute, IS49-50, 59,000, the value of which is estimated at $300,000. 23 weekly arrivals of mails and the same number of departures in mail stages. The rich beds of coal and iron ore in the vicinity and the extension of the canal and railroad now in an ad- vanced stage of progress, together with the energy and enlightened enterprise of its citizens, will insure the permanent prosperity and rapid growth of Terre Haute.
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