USA > Indiana > The Indiana gazetteer : or, topographical dictionary of the state of Indiana, 1850 > Part 2
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INDIANA GAZETTEER.
has been found in Jennings, Madison and Huntington, and water-lime in Floyd, Jefferson and Huntington counties.
Several localities afford bog iron ore; and there is no doubt a great abundance of it in St. Joseph, Elkhart, Laporte, Marshall, Fulton, Allen, Huntington, Wabash and Miami counties.
In some of the north-east counties of the State, where the fertility of the soil is much greater than the external sandy appearance indicates, it has been ascertained that there is carbonate of lime in the upper soil and marl beneath.
The fertility of the soil of Indiana arises mainly from its geological position. Soil is understood to be the most productive which is derived from the greatest variety of different rocks, for thus only is produced the due mixture of gravel, clay and limestone necessary to form a good medium of nutritive fluids, whether liquid or æriform, to the roots of plants.
Indiana is situated near the middle of the great valley of North-western America, and far distant from the primitive ranges of mountains, and her soil is accordingly formed from the destruction of a vast variety of rocks, both chrystalline and sedimentary, which have been minutely divided and intimately blended together by the action of air and water. It has therefore all the ele- ments of extraordinary fertility.
The following shows the thickness of the various strata from the top of some of the knobs near New Albany. Ist. Soil 6 feet; 2d. Soft sandstone passing into indura- ted clay slate, 15 feet 4 inches; 3d. Good limestone for building, 5 feet 8 inches; 4th. Soft sandstone and indu- rated clay slate, 259 feet; 5th. Ferruginous slaty clay containing large masses of argillaceous iron ore and carbonate of iron, 193 feet; 6th. Iron stone, 2 feet ; 7th. Black bituminous aluminous slate, 104 feet; Sth. Chrys- talline limestone, uppermost layer at the Falls, 8 feet 8 inches ; 9th. Water-lime 14 feet; 10tli. Hard semi-chrys- talline limestone, 40 feet; whole distance 647 feet 8
19
GENERAL VIEW OF THE STATE.
inches, of which 128 feet 8 inches was below the high water mark of the Ohio.
A section from the cut of the Railroad near Madison will give an idea of the thickness and relative position of the different strata: Ist. Cliff strata; 2d. Clay or marl, 3 feet; 3d. Impure variegated limestone, 35 feet ; 4th. Dark marlite, sometimes called " Hard pan," 27 feet; 5th. Fossiliferous limestone alternating with clay or marl to low water mark of the Ohio, 340 feet; Total 405 feet.
There is a section near Coal Creek, Fountain county, in which there are no less than six beds of coal: Ist. Sandstone; 2d. Good coal, 1 foot 6 inches; 3d. Slaty clay, 10 feet; 4th. Good coal, 1 foot 6 inches; 5th. Slaty clay, 10 feet; 6th. Shale or variegated marl, 3 feet; 7th. Good coal, 1 foot 6 inches; Sth. Slaty clay and shale, 8 feet; 9th. Slaty clay interspersed with argilla- ceous iron ore, 5 feet; 10th. Good coal, 2 feet; IIth. Fire-clay, white above, dark below, 8 feet; 12th. Hard bituminous limestone, 6 feet; 13th. Coal, 4 feet 6 inches ; 14th. Soft sandstone passing into indurated clay slate, 15 feet; 15th. Coal beneath the bed of the Wabash, thickness not known.
Section on Hughs's bank Vermillion River: Ist. Shale, 1 foot 6 inches; 2d. Good coal, 2 feet; 3d. Fire-clay, 1 foot 6 inches; 4th. Coal, 3 inches; 5th. Fire-clay, 1 foot 8 inches; 6th. Coal, 4 feet 6 inches.
On section 22, township 14, range 10, in Vermillion county, is a very fine bed of coal, exposed at one place 8 feet, and is still thicker.
LAKES AND RIVERS.
The north-west corner of the State is in Lake Michi- gan, 10 miles north of its extreme southern boundary, and 36 miles west of where the State line leaves the Lake on its eastern shore. The width of the Lake in the State averages six miles. There are many small lakes in the State, but they nearly all lie north of the Wabash and within fifty miles of the north line of the
20
INDIANA GAZETTEER.
State. Several of them have no outlets, but they are gen- erally very clear, with sandy shores and bottoms. They are mostly but a few acres in extent, though some of those near the head of Tippecanoe River and Turkey Creek, and near Laporte, cover several hundred acres. Mexancukkee Lake in Marshall county, three miles long and a mile and a half broad, is a beautiful sheet of water, pleasantly situated. Beaver Lake, 6 miles long and 3 miles wide, covering over 10,000 acres, borders on the Kankakee marshes and near the west line of the State. All these lakes abound in fish.
The Ohio River meanders the south-west border of the State for 380 miles, though it is only 216 miles in a straight line from the mouth of the Miami to that of the Wabash. During the whole distance, the only streams that empty into the Ohio from the north are small, none of them exceeding 30 or 40 yards in width at their mouths. Laughery, Indian Kentucky, Silver Creek, In- dian Creek, Blue River, Anderson and Big and Little Pigeon Creeks are the principal. They are all from 40 to 50 miles in length. White Water River rises in Ran- dolph county, and after receiving a number of branches, most of them excellent mill streams, unites with the East Fork at Brookville, passes into the State of Ohio near Harrison and unites with the Miami at Elizabethtown, six miles from its entrance into the Ohio. Its width below Brookville is generally about 100 yards, and its whole length 100 miles. Patoka is about the same length, rising in Orange county and running west through Du- bois, Pike and Gibson, into the Wabash. But the waters of the Ohio come so near it on the south, and the branch- es of White River on the north, that the Patoka drains but a narrow tract of country, and it is therefore small for its length.
The longest branch of White River, the West Fork, rises near the Ohio line in Randolph county, and after running south-west more than 300 miles empties into the Wabash 100 miles above its mouth. The only con- siderable tributary from the west is Eel River, 120 miles
21
GENERAL VIEW OF THE STATE.
in length. From the east, 50 miles from the Wabash, comes in the East Fork of White River, 225 miles in length, whose principal branches are Salt Creek, the Muscatitac, Sand Creek, Clifty, Flat Rock and Sugar Creek, all which are excellent mill streams. Fall Creek, eighty miles in length, empties into the West Fork of White River at Indianapolis.
The Wabash rises in the State of Ohio, runs first north, then north-west, then west, then south-west, then south, and again south-west, making the whole distance about 600 miles, of which over 450 have been navigated by steamboats in high water.
The principal branches of the Wabash from the south and east are the Salamony, Mississinnewa, Wild Cat, Sugar Creek or Rock River, Raccoon, White River and Patoka. On the west and north are the Little Wabash and Embarras in Illinois, Vermillion in both States, and the Tippecanoe, Eel and Little Rivers altogether in Indi- ana. The last is now a short stream, though from ap- pearances the St. Joseph, now the principal branch of the Maumee, once ran in the bed of Little River, and formed the main stream of the Wabash.
The St. Mary rises in Ohio, runs north-west 100 miles to Fort Wayne, there unites with the St. Joseph, which comes about the same distance from the north-east and they form the Maumee, which then takes a contrary direction to Lake Erie. The St. Joseph of Lake Michi- gan is a very beautiful stream, but runs only 50 miles in Indiana, receiving there from the south-east the Elkhart, its principal tributary, 100 miles in length.
The Kankakee, the principal branch of the Illinois River, rises near South Bend and runs very sluggishly in the State 100 miles. It receives Yellow River from the south-east, 50 miles in length.
Deep and Calumic Rivers lie near and south of Lake Michigan, and in some places are only separated from it by banks of sand. It has been thought that an entrance might be made through them where they once emptied into the Lake, and a good harbor obtained. The sands
22
INDIANA GAZETTEER.
however drift about so much that to make and maintain a good harbor will be very expensive.
The Iroquois or Pickamink River rises south of the Kankakee and runs nearly parallell with it about 50 miles in the State. .
PUBLIC LANDS.
The lands in this State originally belonged to various Indian tribes, the principal of which were the Dela- wares, the Miamies and the Pottawatamies. The latter inhabited the northern, and the others the central and southern parts of the State. The titles to lands have from time to time been procured by treaties with the Indians, and they have all passed through the General Government, except the French grants near Vincennes confirmed to the descendants of the early settlers there, and the grants near the Falls of the Ohio made to Clark's Regiment by the State of Virginia for their services in Indian campaigns in the Revolutionary war.
In all the new States and Territories, the lands which are owned by the General Government are surveyed and sold under one general system. In the surveys, MERI- DIAN lines are first established running due north from the mouth of some river. These are intersected at right angles by lines running east and west, and called BASE lines. The first principal Meridian is a line running due north from the mouth of the Miami, and is in fact the east line of the State. The "second principal Meri- dian" is a line due north from Little Blue River eighty- nine miles west of the former. The only base line running through the State crosses it from east to west in latitude 38 deg. 30 min., leaving the Ohio twenty-five miles above Louisville, and striking the Wabash four miles above the mouth of White River. From this base line the congressional townships of six miles square are numbered north and south, and from the second principal meridian, (crossing the base line six miles south of Paoli,) all the ranges of townships are numbered east and west except the counties of Switzerland, Dearborn, and parts
23
GENERAL VIEW OF THE STATE.
of Franklin, Union, Wayne, and Randolph. This part of the State, attached to the Cincinnati Land Office, was surveyed in townships from a base line fifteen miles north of the former, and in ranges west of the first principal meridian. Townships are subdivided into thirty-six equal parts or thirty-six square miles containing 640 acres each, called sections. These sections are subdivided into halves of 320 acres, and quarters of 160 acres each, which last are again subdivided into halves of eighty acres, and quarters of forty acres each. Fractions are parts of sections intersected by streams or confirmed claims or reservations, and are of various sizes.
The following diagram represents townships laid off north and south of a base line, and ranges laid off east and west of a meridian.
N
5
4
Meridian
3
2
1
L
i
n
e.
I
V
IV
III
II
I
I I II
III
IV
V
2
Principal
3
4
5
W
B
a
S
e
24
INDIANA GAZETTEER.
The figures north and south of the base line represent the townships in their proper order. The Roman letters the Ranges, East and West.
The Township is laid off into Sec- tions, commencing at the north-east corner and numbering from the right hand to the left, as in the annexed diagram :
65 43 2 1 7 8 9|10|11|12 18|17|16|15|14|13 19/20|21/22/23/24 30|29|28|27|26|25 31|32|33|34|35|36
Besides the lands heretofore mentioned as sold at the Cincinnati Land Office, there are offices for the sale of United States lands at Jeffersonville, Vincennes, Craw- fordsville, Indianapolis, Fort Wayne and Winamac.
In every land district is a land office where all the public lands belonging to that district are sold. The officers of each district are a Register and Receiver, appointed by the President of the United States and confirmed by the Senate.
The following exhibits the quantity of land surveyed in the State, the quantity sold in the State by the United States, the amount for which it was sold, and the quan- tity of unsold land still within the bounds of the State, together with the disposition of lands in the State other- wise than by sale by the United States.
Lands surveyed in the State, 21,359,707 acres: quan- tity sold up to 1st January, 1849, 15,477,628 acres: amount received by the United States for lands sold in the State, $21,316,079.87: lands reserved for common schools, 631,863 acres: donated for State University, 46,080 acres: granted for internal improvements, 1,609,- S61 acres: to individuals, &c., 863 acres: for seat of government, 2,560 acres: for military bounties late war, 69,776 acres: for Mexican war, 189,540 acres: saline reserves, 24,435 acres: Indian reserves, 126,220 acres: grants to companies, &c., 150,000 acres : private claims confirmed, 179,8S0 acres : swamp lands, 981,682 acres; lands unsold, 3,271,730 acres.
25
GENERAL VIEW OF THE STATE.
INTERNAL IMPROVEMENTS.
The prairies, rich bottoms, and many parts of the State, were so easily prepared for cultivation, at the out-set, that a large surplus of agricultural productions was found in most parts of the country soon after their settlement. At first the surplus was disposed of to other new settlers; but they too, in a few years, not only sup- plied themselves, but added largely to the stock on hand. A loose and porous soil, wide swamps, streams occasion- ally impassable, and in most places very little lime stone or gravel to make good roads, offered very little encour- agement for their construction, and therefore it appeared that many of the products of the farmer were likely to become worthless on his hands.
The understanding that New York, Pennsylvania and Ohio, were prosecuting internal improvements success- fully, gave a strong impulse to the feeling that something must be done in this State, and when to this was added the influence of those who hoped to profit by the in- creased value of lands and town lots, or who wished to be commissioners, engineers or contractors, on public works, it became irresistible, and the so called system of internal improvements was adopted at the session of 1835-6, almost without objection, except by those who could expect no benefit from it. If attempts had been made merely to facilitate communication and the trans- portation of surplus produce, and a prudent course had been pursued, much good might have been done. The resources of one part of the State after another might have been developed, and the business and prosperity of the whole vastly increased. But instead of this, if all the works authorized had been completed, they would have cost $30,000,000, and the whole tolls would not have paid for repairs the first twenty years. In many places public works were commenced where there was no surplus of labor or produce, where they did not lead to a market, and where the lot speculator was the only person who could be profited." 'Under such circumstances 3
26
INDIANA GAZETTEER.
it was idle to look for good results, and it was fortunate that the credit of the State failed, before all the indebt- edness contemplated had been incurred.
By the Auditor's Report of 1848, it appears that there has been expended as follows:
· For Jeffersonville and Crawfordsville road, . $339,183.78
For Lafayette and Indianapolis road,
73,142.87
For Wabash Rapids,
14,288.42
For White Water canal,
1,092,175.13
For Madison and Indianapolis railroad,
.
1,624,603.05
For Wabash and Erie canal, east of Tippecanoe,
3,055,268.97
For Wabash and Erie canal, west of Tippecanoe,
For Eel River Cross Cut canal,
436,189.88
For southern division of Central canal,
575,646.49
For Wabash and Ohio canal, - -
-
9,169.94
For New Albany and Vincennes road,
696,516.47
For northern division of Central canal, 882,088.93
For Erie and Michigan canal,
160,708.87
$10,204,273.34
The following sums appear to have been received for tolls:
Madison and Indianapolis railroad, - -
$85,436.68
Wabash and Eric canal east, -
. 1,174,611.83
Wabash and Erie canal west, -
-
526,847.61
New Albany and Vincennes road, - 27,311.34
Northern division Central canal,
15,008.76
$1,829,216.22
Which is about equal to three years interest of their cost. The amount expended on the Jeffersonville and Crawfordsville, and the Lafayette and Indianapolis roads, and on the Wabash rapids, has been abandoned; and all the work done on the northern division of the Central canal and the Michigan and Erie canal, is useless, except a little water power that has been obtained. The White Water canal will never yield any return, as it has been granted to a company, and has suffered so much since by floods, and the cost of repairs has been so great that it will be no object to redeem it. The length of the White Water canal from Lawrenceburgh to Cambridge City is seventy miles. The estimated cost of construc- tion to the State was $1,567,470. It was completed by the State to Brookville at a cost of $664,665, and the
-
1,245,290.54
27
GENERAL VIEW OF THE STATE.
work above was left unfinished. The company chartered in 1842 extended the canal fifteen miles, to Laurel, in October, 1843; to Connersville, twelve miles further, in June, 1845; and in October, the same year, it was com- pleted to Cambridge city, the entire cost to the company being $473,000. The same year a lateral branch was constructed from Harrison, thirteen miles above Law- renceburgh, to Cincinnati, a distance of twenty-six miles, by a company chartered by the State of Ohio. The Hagerstown canal, extending seven miles north of Cam- bridge, is nearly finished, and the whole distance thence to Cincinnati will be ninety miles, or seventy-seven to Lawrenceburgh. The high flood of January 1, 1847, carried off the aqueduct across Symons's Creek, near Cambridge, and that across the West Fork of White Water, at Laurel, besides washing immense channels round the feeder dams at Cambridge, Connersville, Laurel, Brookville, the one four miles below, and that at Harrison, and also did much damage along the whole line. The expense of making the repairs was estimated at $90,000, and during the summer and fall of 1847, about $70,000 was expended for this purpose, and navi- gation had just commenced again, when another flood came on the 9th of November, and most of the repairs being incomplete, further damage was done, as estimated, to the amount of $80,000. Under these accumulated disasters the company, by great exertions, commenced operations again, and the whole line was in a condition to be used on the 15th of September, 1848, leaving, however, repairs to be made which were estimated to cost $30,000.
From these interruptions, there has as yet been no opportunity to show what the business of the canal will be. The water power, if all put to use, is estimated to be worth $25,000 a year, and the fine country through which the canal runs, and its high state of improvement, promise not less benefit to the company than to the agri- cultural, manufacturing, and other industry that finds employment there.
28
INDIANA GAZETTEER.
The MADISON AND INDIANAPOLIS RAILROAD will proba- bly pay the State from two to three per cent per annum, after 1852, on the amount expended. The State com- menced this work and completed twenty-eight miles, and incurred about half the expense of grading and bridging the next twenty-eight miles. The heavy work on the Madison plane, the high embankments and bridges, and deep cuts south of Vernon, occasioned this part of the road to cost at the rate of $40,000 a mile. The part finished by the company, from Six Mile Creek to Indian- apolis, when laid with a flat bar, cost the company less than $8,000 a mile. The business on this road has in- creased rapidly as it has been extended. The company took possession in February, 1843. The first year the average distance run was thirty-three miles, the passen- gers twenty-five a day, the receipts $22,110. The next year the average distance run was forty-two miles, the passengers thirty a day, the receipts $39,031. The year ending February 1, 1846, the average distance run was fifty-one miles, the passengers fifty a day, the receipts $60,053. The next year the distance run was fifty-six miles, the passengers seventy a day, the receipts $83,122. The year ending February 1, 1848, the average distance run was seventy-one miles, the passengers 125 a day, and
the receipts $158,803. The year ending February 1, 1849, the distance run was eighty-six miles, the passen- gers 200 a day, and the receipts about $235,000.
A branch of the Madison and Indianapolis railroad has just been completed from Edinburgh to Shelbyville, sixteen miles. The ground was so favorable on this route that the whole expense of grading and bridging was only about $800 a mile. From Shelbyville an arm of this road is commenced extending twenty miles, to Rushville, and another to Knightstown, twenty-five miles. Both the routes are very favorable, and the grading is nearly completed. They will soon be ready for use, and as they run through a country unsurpassed in fertility by any part of the west, they will directly and incidentally add much to the wealth and prosperity of the State.
29
GENERAL VIEW OF THE STATE.
The capital to complete them has been mostly supplied by the holders of property in the vicinity who are inter- ested in their construction. Other branches to run west towards Nashville and Martinsville are also in contem- plation. As these branches are completed, and other roads north and west of Indianapolis shall be brought there, before they reach an eastern market by any other route, the business of the Madison and Indianapolis rail- road will be immensely increased, and even when other routes are opened to eastern and southern markets, so much business will have been created along the line of the road that it will always be profitable and important. The nature of the business done on this road and its rapid increase are not less encouraging to the citizens of the State than to the owners of the stock. There can be no doubt that the increase of the value of real prop- erty, within five miles of the road, has been more than double the cost of its construction.
The act of Congress 'making the first grant of lands for the construction of the WABASH AND ERIE CANAL was passed in the year 1827. The act of the Legislature authorizing the commencement of the work was passed at the session of 1830-31. A second grant of lands for the continuation of the canal from the mouth of the Tippecanoe to Terre Haute was passed by Congress in February, IS41. A third grant of half of the unsold lands in the Vincennes land district for the continuation of the canal from Terre Haute to the Ohio River was made by Congress in May, 1845.
The canal was commenced in 1832 and completed to Lafayette in 1841 : to Covington in 1846: to Coal Creek in 1847: and will be finished to Terre Haute in 1849. Below Terre Haute it is under contract as far as New- bury, in Greene county, fifty-eight miles, forty miles of which are nearly completed. The remainder of the line from Newbury to Pigeon Dam, in Warrick county, will be placed under contract the present year, and the whole canal is expected to be finished to Evansville by the year IS52.
30
INDIANA GAZETTEER.
The length of the canal in the State of Indiana north of Terre Haute is 225 miles: from thence to Evansville 150 miles: in the whole 375 miles. The length of the canal in Ohio is eighty-four miles, making when com- pleted, a continuous line of 459 miles. In addition to this, it connects with Cincinnati through the Miami canal, 181 miles long.
The collectors' offices are at Fort Wayne, Lagro, Logansport, Lafayette and Covington, and there will be another at Terre Haute when the canal is completed to that point.
The receipts of tolls and water rents on the canal in 1846 were, $105,234.04 The receipts of tolls and water rents on the canal in 1847 were, 125,982.71 The receipts of tolls and water rents on the canal in 1848 were, 146,148.90 The total tonnage in 1847 was, - 117,739
The total tonnage in 1848 was, - .
157,831
The miles of transportation in 1847 were, -
- - 475,927
The miles of transportation in 1848 were, -
The miles travelled by passengers in 1847 were, - 1,022,160
The miles travelled by passengers in 1848 were, - 1,357,364
During the year 1848, the expenditures on the canal for superintendence, ordinary repairs, &c., were $34,- 833.64. The present trustees of the canal are Charles Butler, Thomas H. Blake and A. M. Puett, Esqs.
A company has been incorporated to make a RAILROAD from Terre Haute, through Indianapolis and Richmond, to the Ohio line, and $220,000 of stock subscribed mostly in Vigo and Putnam counties. The portion of this road lying between Terre Haute and Greencastle, thirty-three miles, has been put under contract, and the grading and masonry of this part of the line will be completed by January 1, 1850. The location of the road from Green- castle to Indianapolis, thirty-nine miles, is now being made, and this part of the line is to be put under contract this summer. This road is expected to connect with St. Louis on the west, and it will also connect with the eastern lines through Ohio, and must become the great central thoroughfare of Indiana. It runs through the great coal region, embracing the counties of Vigo, Clay, and part of Putnam, and will cross the canal contiguous
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