The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1891-10-10
AN EXTINCT TOWN.
1t Was Once the Most Important in the
Indian Territory

1t W as once the MOST In the
Indian Territory.
The city of Hindostan, once the most
important city in the Indian Territory,
was situated on the west fork of White
River, and on the old Nincennes and
New Albany dirt road. 1t stood on the
ban ks of the river and was laid off III
Hell-made streets and avenues Not
sign of the place remains to-day. This
little city in the early part OF this cen
fury was one of the best manufacturing
towns west of the Alleghenies. The
business was owned and run by Eastern
capitalists. The city was mostly populat-
ed by Easter people fully tiftyyears ahead
of the times. 1t was also a great fur
trading post, there being plenty of wild
beasts at that time in the woods. Some
of the people quarried whet stones and
hauled them to Louisville, from where
they were shipped down the river to
New Orleans, and from there they were
transported TO New York. Just west of
the city was the river, which has nat
nral dam, or falls, with fall of four
feet. The dam extends from bank to
bank. Just below the falls. 300 feet, is
a rock, known as the flat rock. 1t
reaches from the east bank to within
twenty-five feet of the west bank, leay-
ing a narrow channel for the swift
stream 10 plunge through. The rock
extends down the river with an area OF
at least five acres. At low water mark
this rock stands fully four feet above
the surface Close to the narrow chan
mel, on the west side, is an elevation of
soil.
On this flat rock stood a very extern
siye saw and grist mill, the former
being one of the largest in the West At
that time. The lumber was transported
down the river III flat boats. The grist
mill also did an extensive business. II
being the only one within a range of -
miles. AT one session of the Legislature
1t was decided that Hindostan should
be the county seat Of Martin County.
This move caused the county to build
fine courthouse. After that, in 1920,
the town seemed to boom and the city
grew to population of something less
than 5000 people. Then, it appears,
all at once the city was condemned.
The people began to die off by the
hundreds. and those living made their
escape as soon as possible. There
We're not convcYances enough to
carry the dead to their resting places
Cholera is thought by some to have
taken them Oft. From all that can he
learned, however, 1t was caused by
bilious fever. The cause of this dis
aster came from the weeds in the run
above the dam. The river rose and
washed these weeds ashore. Whenthe
flood receded the weeds began to rot
and gave off very poisonous odor,
causing the fever. This same plague
came near beng the ruin Of Nincennes
in other years, caused by the weeds in
the Wabash.
Business stopped, verybodv broke
up, the capitalists moved back to the
East, and in 1928 only one or two bust
ness houses stood to mark the place
where once was one of the most prom
Using cities Of the West. In 1928 the
county seat was removed TO Mt. Pleas
ant. Tie place where this city once
stood is now under very heavy growth
Of corn. There is only one man living
in the country to-day who can recall
the history Of this old town. -htdianqp-
oils JOura0i