The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-02-08
EARLY INDIANA HISTORY.
Gath Writes Up Some Interesting
Points from This City.
Hanging White Man for Killing Indians
The "Bloody Three Hundred" in
the Black Hawk War.
indianapolis Letter in Cincinnati Enquirer.

RSlIlS III Inio DdTb Vi the country L pro-
coed to lay hold of any information 1 can
get about the largest city in one of the most
important American States.
Tecumseh is generally said to have been an
Ohio Indian, but he was a Hoosier, born in
the Shawnee town near the site of Anderson,
Madison county.
Connersville the home of the late Caleb
Smith, of Lincoln's cabinet, is the settlement
from which indianapolis was projected and
its patron, William Conner, is called the
father of central Indiana, He settled on
White river, about sixteen miles north of In
dianapclis, in 1906, and had no neighbor
nearer than sixty miles, but he was protected
by the Indians because he had been popu-
lar trader with them. Northern Indiana, be-
ing near the lakes and southern Indiana
near the rivers, were naturally settled long
before the center of the State.
The first settler OF Indianapolis was George
Pogue, blacksmith who came where the
place stands in the spring of 1919. Two broth
ers named Mccormick contest this claim of
first settlement. Pogue was shot by the In
dams two years after he arrived on the creek
tuhiAii5 pdSb IHuldudpOllS- n lHiultl
Whetzel also settled very early where
Indianapolis is. In little while there were
about fifteen families near the present State
house square. They began to deaden the
trees, assisted by the locusts and caterpillars,
and clear off the brush and use it for fences,
and plant corn. Game gave them
plenty of meat. Congress having
given in 1916 four sections of unsold land
anywhere to make a permanent capital for
Indiana, five out of ten commissioners met
at VIM. Corners cabin and began to hunt a
site in the White river valley. Indianap-
olis's site was then called the Fall creek loca-
ton, and there were two other points in
rivalry. Three out of the five commissioners
voted for Fall creek, or near it. In 1921 the
Legislature confirmed the choice and called
the newborn city indianapolis.
1t is said that Judge jeremiah Sullivan
suggested the name. He lived in Jefferson
county Among other names suggested
were Tecumseh and Suwarrow, which, /
think, was the name of Russian general.
Governor Jennings favored the name Indi-
annapolis, though, when it was proposed in
the House of Representatives, there was
great laugh, and a long debate followed, the
House going into convention, but good hui
NOR prevailed and the long word went down
easily.
Three commissioners were appointed to
lay off the town, with the aid of two survey
ors and clerk. Some of the best settlers of
the future city arrived very early, those
from the South being said to be from Ken
lucky, and those from the East" from White
water" or about Richmond, Ind Chills and
fever soon broke out among the few hundred
people, and this prevented industry, and in
the fall of the year there was no flour or
meal except such as was brought from about
Richmond, sixty miles distant, through the
painless woods. EVERYBODY grew sick of
game as if it had been crow.
hot frat NJ Hordit xrffo hnA
child named Mordecai who was alive not
long ago. The first marriage was that of
Jeremiah Johnson to Jane Reagan. The
groom walked to Connersville, sixty miles.
for his marriage license, and had to wait
weeks till a preacher came along to perform
the ceremony.
The first storekeeper was Daniel Shaffer,
who soon died, and then came the Givenses,
Johnsons, and Walpole and Osborn. Linton
and Wilson built saw and grist-millS, and
the flour had to be sifted, because the mill
had no bolt"
James Blake put up the first-plastered
house, and there were three taverns-
Carriers, Hopkins's and Nowland's; and 10.
Read opened a school. The market was
made on the Circle, in the middle of the
town.
They were then in Delaware county and
had to go to court at Connersville, and this
prevented many lawsuits but criminals
taken sixty miles to court. The first lawyer
was Calvin Fletcher.
If strangers did not behave well they were
gunned away. Judge Christopher Harrison
proceeded to sell the alternate lots. One of
his surveyors, named Alexander Ralston,
had also assisted to survey Washington City,
and he, it is SAID, influenced the wide and
roomy streets of Indianapolis. He was a
Scotchman, and had been brought out to the
West in Burr's expedition and died in 1927,
but his grave cannot be found.
EARLY DAYS OF INDIANAPoLIs
Sixty years ago tract OF one mile square
was drawn for the capital, which is not
exactly in the center of the State, but mile
brought about $35,OOO, the highest price
being $500 and the general price about 5000.
About one-half the lots were not taken by
their purchasers or were exchanged.
The town was considered unhealthy at
first, and as late as 1881 only one-fourth of
the town site had been sold, and then the
Legislature put the lots down as low as $40
apiece.
BY 1912 it was found that the entire city
of indianapolis had brought but $l25000,
This money built the State-house, the court
house. the Governors house and the public
offices.
The new city was forest, with a clearing
here and there On the last day of the year
1921, Marion county, the metropolitan one,
was orsanized. The national road did not
get to Indianapolis till about 1885, when the
railroads had already begun to come on; but
a mighty tide of emigration for the far West
rolled through Indianapolis, 1t took the
merchants in those days twice as long to go
to Cincinnati as it now does to go to New
York There were bosses over wagon
fro pc n0rtatiOn at that early time MS murf
denounced as Vanderbilt or Gould now.
In 1922 there were 500 persons in Indian
apolis and seven tavern keepers, all expect
ing great things out of the Legislature.
Aaron Drake was the first postmaster, and
blew horn when he brought the letters to
town. The first regular postmaster, Hen
derson, held his place for nine years. The
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