The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-12-09
OLD INDIANA GAZETTEER
A NOVEL PUBLICATION THAT AP-
FEARED IN 1850.
Ii Is Now i'm the Hands of william
{. Phipps-It Covered q
Wide Range.

William c. Phipps. bailiff in room No. 3
of the Superior Court, has an old book
called the Indiana Gazetteer which he
prizes very highly. 1t is bound in sheep
skin and has the appearance of a small law
book. 1t was published in 1850, and is an
heirloom. Al the time of the publication
it was regarded as a very important event,
for the store of knowledge it contained was
eagerly sought. The Gazetteers appeared
at irregular intervals, four or five years
apart, and were condensed reports of cur
rent events in the State, the educational.
agricultural and industrial progress and
development.
This particular Gazetteer is a book of 44C
pages printed on paper made especially for
that purpose, the author ~designates in bis
introduction, and is divided into two parts:
the first devoted to a general review of the
history Of the State, and the second to
topography and statistics. Twenty-Five wood
engravings relieve the monotony of the
printed pages and represent comparatively
well the State and educational Institutions.
churches and residences of notable persons
I'm the State.
The Gazetteer starts out by giving TIE
latitudinal and longitudinal boundaries and
then follows a general review of the history
and development of the State, its climate,
sources of agricultural, industrial and COM
mercial production. Referring to the Pc
culiarities of the State it says tina in the
southern portion along the Ohio river
"petrifcations of marine animals are found
In most of the rocks; in them and on their
sides are benches (which show that the
river has had various elevations much
above its present bed" These marks of
antiquity are now explained by biologists
as remnants of the glacier drift.
NO MOUNTAINS.
The author continues that there are no
elevations having any claim to be called
mountains, still there are parts of the
State well calculated to excite attention."
Taking up natural history the reader is
told that there are probably animals
here which have not yet been classified:
plants which have never yet met the eve
OF the botanist," and that while the buffalo
and elk are extinct, yet there are traces
OF the bear, wild cat, panther and beaver.
Wolves were becoming more numerous all
over the State and deer were sometimes
more plentiful than before the country
was first settled. Rats had not become a
serious condition, but they were coming
with civilization. Wild turkeys were pIen-
tiful, the branches Of the trees in Scott
county had gone with the advent of the
pigeon roost and the sand hill crane would
stand by the thousand within a few rods
of the traveller and inspect him as he
passed through the northern part of the
State The most formidable reptiles were
rattlesnakes and copperheads, but fires on
the prairies and hogs running at large had
destroyed so many that they were seldom
found in that day.
considerable space was devoted TO the
building OF railroads.. one of which and the
principal one, the Indianapolis & Belle
fontaine, then being eighty-three miles
long. a large part of the first part Of
the book is also taken up in a description
of the educational institutions and COL
leges, generally termed "seminaries.'
Hanover College is pictured as being sit
uated In d very religious community where
liquor is not sold in the township and cam
not be procured within less than six miles.
The number of churches is given together
with the names Of the preachers and the
total memberships.
Thrilling incidents are related of Indian
massacres and battles, and the story is
told of some white men who stole horses
and threw suspicion on the Indians. Then
the white men murdered the Indians and
their families in a manner to Indicate
that other tribes had done the work, but
they were discovered and in escaping from
the authorities, it is said one man Jour-
neyed eighty miles on foot in twenty-four
hours.
AWAY OUT OF TOWN.
With an accompanying illustration the
author says the Deaf and Dumb Asylum is
located a mile east of Indianapolis, in a
direct line with Washington street. and as
the main front, when completed, will be
presented to the west, it will afford a COM
handing view of the great thoroughfare of
the city Continuing, he says 1.-The situa-
ton is a fine one in a magnificent grove of
native forest trees. and the whole, when
finished, will appear to much advantage"
The Institute for the Blind is dealt with i'm
the same elaborate manner, and he locates
it as Occupying a commanding and salu-
brious site of eight acres in the northern
suburbs of the city,
In the topography and statistics a name
is set out in small capitals at the beginning
of each paragraph, and then follows a
definition, as:
Americas. a small town on the Wabash
river in Tippecanoe county. ten miles north
east of Lafayette, containing one dry goods
and two grocery stores, and about fifty
frame dwellings,"
At the time of the publication of the
Gazetteer Adams county had three law
yers, five physicians, six ministers. five
stores, three groceries, six warehouses;, one
merchant mill. one oil mill, one ashery. one
tannery, two saddlers, ten shoemakers.
seven blacksmiths. two tailors, FIVE cabinet
makers and twenty carpenters. Bean Bios
som, a small creek in Bean Blossom town.
ship, Monroe county. is designated as a
mill stream" and as being nayigabIe
about twenty miles in high water. Bloom
ington, the seat of the State University.
then. had $50 houses, half of them being
brick, and the population was 1,643. There
were then thirteen stores. one grocery. two
drug stores, three excellent taverns.' nine
lawyers, ten physicians. and the Meth
odists. Baptists. Christians, Presby.eriansL
Reformed Presbyterians, Seceders, Cow
enanters and Lutherans each had a house
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