The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1892-12-11
HIS EARLY REMEMBRANCES
Mr.. S. K. Fletcher Gives Some Reminis-
lenses of the Northeast Part of Town.
In the Fifties Ii Yves a Howling Wilderness,
Where Coon and 0Iossum Abounded-The
Great Change that Has Taken Place.


To one who has lived IN and about Indi-
annapolis for the past forty years. and who
was familiar with its surrounding country
in the tfties. the changes that ave taken
place are of the reatest interest. These
changes have not taken place in any one
direction. but In all quarters. However,
possibly the most perceptible are those IN
the vicinity of the Atlas works. northeast.
ME-. S. K. Fletcher relates IN an interest
ing manner some of his early recollections
of this part of Indianapolis. My father,
Calvin Fletcher" said he, owned q large
farm. the southwest corner of which was
at the present junction of Clifford avenue
and Alvord street, near the Massachusetts,
avenue depot. or at what was then the
northeast corner of the city limits. and
where the corporation. or donation stone.
as it was called. stood until after
the war. This farm was bounded on
the west by the present L. Z. & w. railroad,
and on the south by Clifford avenue. Its
north line was the present Brinkman
street. The southwest eighty, running from
Clifford avenue to Seventh street, and along
the east side of the old Peru railroad, was
adense forest until 1857 or 1858: that part
lying between Clifford avenue and the PEN
dleton road was an open woods. and o great
resort for town cows. hat part lying be-
tween the Bee-ilne railroad and Seventh
street was covered with the finest of
walnut trees. and the growth of
timber and uDderhrush was SO
thick one could scarcely see twenty
yards. Along about 1885 q saw-mill was
pnt mp just where II. G. Longs office now
stands. This was called a muley mill, and
was one of the wonders of that day, being
noted for its great speed. which, compared
with the present mills. would not possibly
do more than one-tenth the saving. This
saw-mill was under the charge of Billy
Wells. one of the largest carpenters and
contractors of Indianapolis at that time,
and for many years.
About 1857 or 1858 a sturdy Yankee from
Maine came to this city. He took a con-
tract to clear up this piece OF land. The
best of the walnut and other timber went
sands of dollars worth wentint0 fire. wood.
fence-rails or the log-heap. North of
Seventh street and just east of the L., +.
d w. railroad was an eighty-acre tract
the name of English, who lived
In q log-house, still standing Just
east of the Ssventh-street gas-holder, al
though at present 1t is weatherboarded
u INV uitO - IOoVCOt0OlO
looking dwelling. English had cleared
about forty acres of the south end of his
lend before my father bought II, which
must have been about 1S48 or 1850. This place
was simply out of the world; it was sur
rounded by thick forest up to and after the
war. some of which was almost as dense
aud wild as the center of Africa. Wild
turkeys and other game were plentiful, and
s she loa ANY i oIsn' paying ySq o01 of l ossr
cared. yaller- breasted. tan.colored
coon dogs, which were doubtless being fol-
lowed by old Tom Johnson, Bob Duncan,
or other noted coon and opossum hunters
many times certain trees just east of the
Atlas works, where he had strung up q
buck. or where he had brought down other
large game. However, l do not remember
of his mentioning bear. buffalo or Indians.
i think the last wild turkey seen near the
city was In 1866; 1t came out OF what Is now
Woodruff Place, going north. l chased 1t
q mile on a swift horse. but 1t left me away
behind. | think John Bradshaw claims
the credit of getting him I'D In the swamp
shortly afterwards. < 8r
in 1866 / returned from the army and
went directly on to the farm, concluding to
try the pl0wsbare business. Prof. Scot
Butler. now president of Butler University,
and who served in the same regiment as
myself. concluded to try his hand, during
vacations at least, IN the same business.
One day. / think in 1866 OF 1867, / found
OCOb tCuQiuk tuo puttiuS w VI u
large clover crop just west of the l.. L. &
w. railroad, about where Home avenue and
Peru street cross. while l was looking
after o wheat crop on the east side.
At that time, ali the land lying north of
the line of Ninth street. from the Peru
railroad east Of the Decline, consisting of
about four hundred acres. was in one tract.
1t included the old swamp of nearly $50
acres. which means all that land lying
north of Ninth street and between Martin
dale and Baltimore avenues. 1t was this
swamp that necessitated the State ditch,
the upper end of which was just at the
point where the Belt railroad
S %ss the sA''l .%s9D a's @as s n1s'ns srs sas
hiding place for escaped prisoners
from Camp Morton. and it was so dense
and the ground so treacherous that IL was
next to impossible to try to find one in hid
ing. On my return home in 1s65 ! found In
this four-hundred-acre pasture mentioned
about forty horses from one to i've years
old. on none of which had a hand ever been
laid. l was just at the right age for this
kin of game and Immediately took q
course of lessons in horse-taming of one
Van Doren in the Rarey system. and for
several months put in my spare time hav-
ing all the fun | wanted.
About this same time the negroes be-
gan fiocking over from Kentucky and other
Southern States. My father. being q great
frieDd of the colored man, was inclined to
provide them with homes and work as far
rs pOoolDlo. AIteT uillug up eNcTy tuiuk LII
the shape of q house. ! then let them build
cabins at the edge of the swamp. on high
ground, just north of the Belt railroad. and
about W here Baltimore avenue runs. l soon
had quite a settlement, which was named
By my brother, Dr.. w. B. Fletcher, Mon
KEY Jungle" and the Location is known to
this day by that name by those familiar
With il then. / laid Oft tracts running into
the swamp for each family, paid them for
all the cord-wood they would cut and gave
them what they could raise the first year
on all the ground cleared. The ground be-
ing very rich, they soon had fine crops,
particularly tobacco. They were great
chicken-rslsers. both at home and abroad,
and, as coon and Oposeum were plenty,
they were happy. All that section in the
vicinity of the swamp was inhabited by
great numbers of the great-esred owls, and
not q night passed but you could hear
them calling back and forth to each other:
'To-who-who-who-who-o are your
To-day that swamp is laid out with
nicely Rraveled streets. lighted at night
and nearly all built over. Factories work
ing hundreds of men are situated where q
horse could not go thirty years ago. and
most of the land mentioned is now away
down in the city. The most important of
these industries is the Atlas On
gine-works, the largest and most
perfectly equipped plant of it's char
acter In this country, now employing
five hundred men. The growth of the