The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-07-04
VALLEY OF THE WABASH
IT'S SETTLEMENT, EARLY DEVELOP
MENT AND RIVAL TOWNS.
The wabash and Erie Canal, and the
AgO-Wrecking of Canal Boat.


The treaty of st. Mary's, made in 1915
which gave to the United States govern
ment the whole interior portion of Indiana
threw open TO settlement the greater part
of the upper Wabash valley. In the New
Purchase" there were, according to a writer
of that time (Dana), some S,500000 acres,
and emigration could not spread over that
vast area in a day; but by the early twen-
ties, nevertheless, the land hunter had
penetrated to the Wabash bottoms at
tracted thither by the wonderful fertility
and other advantages of that region A
tract receding twenty TO forty miles from
the river on either side comprised the
valley" and throughout this tract were
magnificent forests interspersed with beau
tiful prairies luxuriant with growths of
waving grass, prodigally gay with count
less flowers, and with a soil practically bot
tcmless. More than that, the noble Wabash
promised communication with the remote
outer world, and all things pointed to an
opulent future. In 1924 the land Office for the
sale of Wabash lands was opened at Craw-
louisville, then the only settlement between
Terre Haute and Fort Wayne. A mixed
population from the eastern and southern
portions of the State and from Ohio, Ken
lucky, Tennessee and other sections came
pouring in, and the coveted localities were
rapidly taken up at the government price
of $1.25 per acre. Among these pioneers the
honest home-seekers were SO far in the as
tendency that spectators were obliged to
be wary and content themselves with sec
ond choice, but they were amply in evil
dence nevertheless. Immediately on the
heels of these first purchases came the
craze for the establishment of towns that
were to be future emporiums, and for the
following decade they sprang up like mush-
rooms along the river, each big with ambi-
ton and hope, and each envious of the 9TH
ers. The founding Of a prospective city
seems to have been very simple perform
ance, consisting chiefly in laying Oft ones
purchase into town lots and booming the
same in various and divers ways. The first
requisite was that the location be al a ford
of the river as a likely place for the estab-
fishing of a steamboat dock. The beginning
of Lafayette is an example William Digby
purchased a piece Of land so thickly grown
with hazel, and plum brush, and grape
vines that the surveyor had great difficulty
in doing his work. After creating a town"
by laying out this ground and naming it
Lafayette in honor of the illustrious
FTenCnlndn, OlSDy SOIu HOSl Ol the site TO
Samuel Sergeant for the sum of $240, and
Sergeant began his little boom" by getting
some of the influential Crawfordsville citi-
zens interested in it. A few cabins went up,
but it was uncertain for a good while
whether the embryo city would live through
it's beginning. An ironical wag OF another
settlement jeeringIy dubbed it Lay Flat"
or Laugh At" and threatened to grease
,-;v,,J 1orr
that came by might eat it," Time and I'M
forseen circumstances, however, turned the
tables, and eventually Lafayette looked
proudly down upon all of her rivals. OF
these ambitious towns some have passed,
not only from existence, but from the very
memory of the succeeding generation, and
others, overborne by the trend of events,
have long since ceased to aspire.
LAFAYETTES ADVANTAGE.
The making of Lafayette was the fact of
its location at the head of navigation.
Steamboats, from New Orleans, bringing
commodities to the heart Of this new coun-
try, could not penetrate beyond the mouth
of the Tippecanoe, and so Lay Flat be-
came the great receiving and distributing
point for the country about, which drained
into it vast surplus of grain and hogs.
most important city northwest of Cincin-
natl; its streets were crowded with teams;
some coming from as far east as the Ohio
state line and one writer tells us of no
less than sixteen steamboats, lying at her
Wharves at one time Those were Lafay-
cites palmy days.
Despite the thrift at this point however,
the country above developed slowly be-
cause of inadequate communication with
the outer world. Towns farther up the
river, such as Logansport and Peru, were
constrained to play second fiddle to their
more fortunate rival, and the desire of
these places to have navigation reach them
was so desperate as to be ludicrous A
bonus of several hundred dollars was Of
fered to the first steamboat captain who
would prove such navigability, and heroic
efforts were made to that end. In June. of
1894, the water being high, a little steamer
called the Republican ''Set SAIL from La
fayette, bound for Logansport. She pro-
ceeded without trouble as far as Delphi,
then began to stick on various sandbars, at
each of which delays the passengers would
render assistance by getting out into the
water and pushing, or by extending a long
rope to shore and pulling. Several days
were expended at this arduous toll, much
to the entertainment Of throngs of Indians,
men, women and children, who loitered
along the banks admiring the strange craft.
Eventually, a dozen yoke of oxen were
brought down from Logansport and the Re
publican hauled bodily over ripples and
sandbars to her destination. The boat was
ruined and left to rot in the bottom of the
river at the newly-establishe head of naVi-
CATION and whether the bonus received
compensated the captain for his loss his
tory does not say. A year later, another
boat, the Science, made the attempt. The
water being unusually high. Logansport
was safely reached. Here a lot of additional
passengers were taken on, and the Science
went merrily on and up. Trying to ascend
a rapids the swift current got control of
the boat, which, carried helplessly back
ward narrowly escaped being battered to
pieces, much 10 the terror and panic of
those on board. Returning to Logansport,
they unloaded about two hundred barrels
of flour and salt; then the passengers
walked around the rapids, meeting the boat
above and at length Peru was made. Here
a fracas occurred between some of the Pc
ruvians and part of the Logansport con-
tirgent; a crowd of bellicose Irishmen, who
were working on the canal there, unable
to resist this opportunity to indulge their
favorite passion, came to take a hand, and
the captain of the Science. deeming pru-