Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1867-02-07
Incidents of the History of
Indiana.
BY WARREN TAYLOR.


In looking at the present condition Of
Indiana, with her cities, villages, railroads
and numerous population, il is somewhat
difficult to realize that seventy years ago
almost thecntire region which il embraces,
was all unbrOken wilderness.
Let us go back to the year 1900. AT
that time the Indiana Territory had
just been organized, with VIM. Henry
Harrison for its Governor. This territory
embraced the whole of that country which
lies between the Mississippi on the west,
the great lakes on the north, the Ohio
river on the south, and the west line of the
State of Ohio on the east. The entire
white population of the Territory at that
time was not far from five thousand, which
population was principally Of French
| extraction.
The largest settlement at. that period
within the limits of our present Stale was
Vincennes; which as fort and trading
post, had then existed for long time,
probably eighty or ninety years. 1t was
named after Morgan de Vincenncs its first
! COmmandant, who afterwards was killed
at the South, in battle with the Chicka-
saws. When the Indiana Territory was
first organized, it was still small place.
with an almost entire French population,
On the Ohio river, emigrants from the
States had just began to settle, in localities
few and far between. Those pioneers
were principally within the boundaries of
Clark's grant, at, and in the vicinity of IN q
falls of the Ohio. a few families too, had
settled on that rich and extensive bottom.
in the neighborhood of where Lawrence
burg now stands.
\ little more than eight years before
llarrlsOns appointment TO the above
mentioned station, Gen. st. Clair had
suffered a terrible defeat from the Indians
on the head waters of fhe Wabash, within
the limits ofthe present county of Mercer,
in the State of Ohio. Not FIR from six
years before, Gen. Wayne hal completely
vanquished the same cOnlederated tribes
on the lower waters of the Maumce; and
five years before treaty was made at fort
Greenville, which secured peace with the
Indians; and also resulted in the cession TO
the United States, of large tract of land
embraced now in the south eastern
counties of our State.
The county of Knox, having Vincennes
fnp lis of; a,,I Al, Ill a 81
present State of Indiana for IFS jurisdiction
had been organized in 1890 under the
government of the Old Northwest Territory
During the first ten years of Hlrrison's
administration, several new counties with
III the limits of our present State wCr.
organized; Clark in 1901, Dearbon in 1903
Harrison in 1908, Jefferson in 1909, and
Wayne in 1910. The entire white popu-
lation of all of the above counties at the
Latter date, was probably not far from
fifteen thousand.
by the year 1910. Few difficulties had
arisen with the Indians, and the settlers
were again threatened with the horrors
OF savage warfare. The principal actors
on the part of the Indians were Tecumseh
and his brother the Prophet, who with por-
ton of their nation (;he Shawnces) had |
about the year 1905, settled on the upper |
part of the west branch of White river |
near the present village of Muncietown. /
Tecumseh at that period, had already |
acquired considerable renown on account
of his talents and bravery. while the
Prophe, destitute of courage, welded an
influence fully as strong among his com
ranions by his pretended supernatural
power. Working upon their crcdulous
minds by his cunning arts. he had brought
numbers TO the belief, that he declared the
will, executed the mandates, and in short
exercised direct authority from the
Great Spirit. In lSOS, lie with a large
body of followers moved TO the mouth of
The Tippecanoc. This locality was owned
by the Miamies, who demonstrated against
The intrusion; but so stron, was the
Prophets influence, that their complaints
we're irai,.ess. Tecumsch meanwhile was 9
aborins indefatigably, TO unite all the \
western tribes in confederacy, against {
what he termed the encrOachments of the
whites. In these efforts he visited not
)nly the nations north of the Ohio, bat also
he Greeks the Choctaws, and Seminoles
L is also sid that he travelled among the
)sages and other tribes ives; the Missis-
ippi, producing wherever he went, strong
ceilings of hostility against the whites