Indiana

The river itself carried the first travelers upstream to the short portage to the Mississippi watershed and the West. In the early 1800s, the Wabash and Erie Canal was started to provide a more reliable and even passage. Many came to work on it and settled, hacking out farmsteads from the dense, swampy forest. A canal lock nearby made a natural stopping and shipping point. In 1856, the Wabash Railroad superceded the canal with rapid all-weather transport and commerce flourished. The old canal towpath became a road, intersecting in the middle of the community with the Lincoln Highway, bringing in the automobile era. The local commuter age was born in the early 1900s with the interurban railroad from Lima, Ohio, to Fort Wayne, Indiana, providing hourly, fast service for jobs and shopping. This small, tree-lined city still shows clear marks of the ages and stages of transportation history that have given it life and form. Now greenway trails trace the old Indian paths along the river.

Venture into fascinating connection between Niles, Illinois and circus history with more than 200 vintage photographs and anecdotes from the locals who experienced it.

In April 1884, Ben Wallace, the owner of the local livery, opened the season of his new circus in Peru and billed it as Wallace and Company's Great World's Menagerie and International Circus. It was an instant success and soon grew to be one of the largest and most renowned circuses in American history.

Over the next 50 years, many circuses found a home in Peru. Under the direction of the American Circus Corporation, an industry was created in Peru that employed as many as 4,500 people. Circuses like the Hagenbeck-Wallace, John Robinson, andSells-Floto/Buffalo Bill's Wild West Showdeparted Peru by rail each spring, along with some of the best acts from around the world, including Terrell ""the Lion King"" Jacobs; the world's favorite clown, Emmett Kelly; and animal trainer Clyde Beatty, who played himself in 12 Hollywood movies. In 1929, Ringling Brotherspurchased the American Circus Corporation. As the country sank into the Depression, fewer circuses left Peru each season. In 1941, Ringling Brothersclosed its winter quarters in Peru, ending an era.

Miami County historian Kreig A. Adkins has been a filmmaker for more than 20 years. With a passion for historical documentaries, Adkins wrote and directed the filmOn the Banks of the Wabash: The History of Peru, Indiana. Adkins and his children perform in the Peru Amateur Circus.

Including images from St. Joseph, Marshall, and Elkhart Counties, Bremen and North Central Indiana is a testament to the spirit of America's early German settlers. Like most villages and towns in early 19th century America, Bremen consisted of the wares of everyday life: businesses, schools, religion, and families. Pictured here in over 200 vintage images are those earliest institutions, including the town's largest employer at the turn of the century, Wright's Wood Bending Factory, the area's first school building of 1835, views of unpaved downtown Bremen and its bustling inhabitants, and the origins of the annual "Fireman's Festival," which is still celebrated today.

Colonel Abel Pepper, who oversaw the removal of the Native Americans in the 1830s, was influential in the establishment of the new county. As a citizen of Rising Sun, he and his wife donated land and money to the building of the courthouse. The courthouse, built in 1844, is the oldest courthouse in continuous use in Indiana. This photographic documentation of Ohio County, Indiana, covers the years at the close of the 1800s to the present. Rising Sun, the county's seat, was home to J.W. Whitlock, a name familiar to many raceboat fans. Included are photographs of Whitlock and his famous Hoosier Boy, the Empire House Hotel, the 1937 flood, the electric chair made by Smith Riggs, and the steamboats Cincinnati and Louisville seen daily at the turn of the twentieth century. Also featured is the Laughery Club, located on an island in the Ohio River. Though small, Ohio County could throw a big party as demonstrated by the 1940 and 1950s regattas, and the 1964 sesquicentennial of the founding of Rising Sun.

Are you aware that the Southern Railway once used half of the railroad tunnels in the state? Indiana's first railroad, built in Shelbyville, was only a mile long, but in 1847, completion of a major steam railroad from Madison to Indianapolis made the state's capital a center of transportation. Unlike canals, railroads could be built just about anywhere. Southern Indiana's quickly growing network of rail lines was able to haul tons of goods at low cost, and enabled settlers to travel great distances in a single day. Railroad Depots of Southern Indiana takes the reader on a journey through the towns and cities that shape Indiana's railroad lore. Images depict regional rail history from the inner workings of now demolished depots to one of the oldest "short lines" in Indiana. Through more than 200 vintage photographs, author David E. Longest documents locomotives, rail equipment, the moving of stock, depots, rail stations, and freight houses, and finishes with a tour of the rail museums and excursions that still allow tourists and aficionados to "ride the rails."

The pictures and correspondence in this work come from personal scrapbooks compiled by alumnae while they were students and years after they graduated. They reveal the growth of tradition and memories in the lives of Saint Mary's students over the decades. During the mid- 1930s many women left letters tucked between the stones of the Avenue's front gate each night for the gentleman across the road at Notre Dame. During their senior year in 2004, three best friends turned off the first-floor lights in Le Mans Hall and said goodnight to Sister Madeleva and Mother Angela on their way up to second floor library. These priceless memories capture moments in time that were enjoyed by only a few, but now can be treasured by all.

The strong European roots of these Dubois County towns are evident in soaring churches and the nearby Monastery of the Immaculate Conception. German traditions passed down by immigrants from the Black Forest and Bavaria have earned Jasper the title of the "Nation's Woodworking Capital," while Scotch and Irish heritage are also woven into the fabric of the region. These divergent influences have created architecturally and historically significant towns proud of their past and ready to embrace their future.

It was incorporated as a town in 1862. The county seat grew more rapidly when the railroads came to town before the Civil War. Then the town grew large enough to become a city in 1909, and a mayor was elected. The area around the city became a tourist destination in the 1920s after dams created the twin lakes--Shafer and Freeman--and Ideal Beach was conceived. It was renamed Indiana Beach in the 1950s and became the largest entertainment park in the state. In 1974, a devastating tornado roared through downtown Monticello, killing eight people and destroying a large part of the city. However, the people of Monticello banded together to reconstruct a stronger community. Today the city of Monticello is a thriving, progressive community growing in population and size. About a million tourists come to the area each summer to relax and have fun.

The partner communities of Whiting and Robertsdale epitomize Americana and the melting-pot concept at its finest. Together, they built beautiful churches, quality schools, and recreational facilities.

Whiting started out as a small, frontier-like town settled by German and Irish immigrants and quickly became a booming industrial city after Standard Oil Company arrived in 1889 to build a refinery. Neighboring Robertsdale became home to thousands of Eastern European immigrants who came to the area in search of jobs and new opportunities. They raised their families to be proud Americans and incorporated traditions from their homelands into daily life. This pictorial history is a tribute to the citizens who created a warm and inviting environment amidst the cold, hard steel of the industries that surrounded them and who left behind a legacy rich in tradition, tenacity, and a tendency to celebrate everything!

Though occupied for over 10,000 years, its modern history begins just over 200 years ago with Gen. Anthony Wayne and his Miami nemesis, Chief Little Turtle. The pageant of Fort Wayne's history includes traders, industrialists, politicians, athletes, and movie stars. Included here are such notables as Hollywood's Carole Lombard and Shelley Long, Ian Rolland of Lincoln Life, Big Boy's Alex Azar, gangster Homer Van Meter, football's Rod Woodson, inventor Philo Farnsworth, and over 150 more.

In this region, houses of the wealthy sprang up alongside homes of workingmen as the city spread beyond the Wabash River banks and the downtown area. Its name comes from James Farrington, a banker and attorney who settled there in 1841. Over the years, Farrington's Grove residents have touched lives far beyond its boundaries. Max Ehrmann's poem "Desiderata" has inspired people worldwide to go placidly amid the noise and haste. The Coca-Cola bottle's shape owes its unique design to Earl Dean. Both racing fans and cooks owe a debt to Anton Hulman Jr., who resurrected the Indianapolis 500 and launched an advertising campaign that made Clabber Girl Baking Powder a household name. Farrington's Grove has been home to poets, political figures, industrialists, suffragettes, educators, artists, and college students.

Plainfield, Indiana was settled by Quakers in the early 1800s. Explore the town's past in images of the old town and its development.

In 1820, abolitionist Quakers from North Carolina settled in Plainfield, Indiana. These early settlers provided the foundation for Plainfield's rich heritage, which has evolved into today's diverse blend of residents. In 1832, Levi Jessup and Elias Hadley platted the town of Plainfield with 64 lots straddling the National Road. The record of the first lot sold is dated May 2, 1833--much has happened since that day. Images of America: Plainfield presents a visual journey into Plainfield's past through nostalgic images of early downtown buildings, the Indiana Boys' School, the railroad, schools, churches, and much more.

Located 50 miles from downtown Chicago on the shores of Lake Michigan, Portage Township has emerged as a growing residential, commercial, and industrial center. Portage became a town in 1959 and attained city status in 1967, but the region's history begins with the indigenous Wey Indians of the 1700s and the Potowotamie, whose land was sold in 1834. Pioneers then settled the land alongside immigrants. For many generations Portage has offered a new beginning to those who sought work, political asylum, or simply a better life.

Indiana's history and early settlement began along the Ohio River and includes prehistoric Native American sites, 400-million-year-old Devonian fossil beds, the site where Lewis and Clark first met on the Corps of Discovery voyage, and Indiana's first state capitol. Communities along the Ohio River Scenic Byway include Lawrenceburg, Aurora, Rising Sun, Vevay, Madison, Jeffersonville, Clarksville, New Albany, Corydon, Leavenworth, Cannelton, Tell City, Troy, Rockport, Newburgh, Evansville, and Mount Vernon. The byway celebrates the scenic, recreational, and historic in its architecture, winding roads, and overlooks.

Now known as "The Maple City" for its many beautiful and colorful trees, La Porte boasts a rich and varied history. From its beginnings in 1833 when the city's founding fathers donated the land for the public square, through the 1930s and beyond, La Porte has been central to the area's business, agricultural, religious, and architectural development. The diverse and rich history of the La Porte area is captured in this remarkable collection of over 200 vintage photographs. La Porte, Indiana and Its Environs depicts the history of the area from the Pioneer Period through the 1930s. It chronicles the changes and challenges faced as the log cabins of the Pioneer Days became the elaborate homes of the early 20th century, as businesses evolved to meet the changes of industrialization, and as one-room school houses were replaced to meet the needs of the growing community.

Before 1834, it was the home of the Pottwatomi Tribe, and later it became Spring Fountain Park on Eagle Lake. In 1895, Sol Dickeys's vision of "a kind of Christian Chautauqua" quickly grew in popularity and scope. The many attractions of Winona drew an average of 250,000 visitors each summer. It became so well known, a person could mail letters from anywhere using only the address of Winona Lake--and it would arrive there. Winona Lake has been the home of Billy Sunday and Homer Rodeheaver and the headquarters of the Free Methodist Church, the Grace Brethren Church, and Grace College and Seminary. Billy Graham had an early beginning in the Rainbow Room at the Westminster Hotel. Will Rogers, Helen Keller, John Philip Sousa, Galli Curci, and Ernestine Schumann-Henk are among those who have made appearances at Winona.

Throughout the centuries this area has undergone many periods of dramatic change, creating the rich history that is explored in this volume. Author Maxine Kruse has created a fascinating and comprehensive visual record that explores the history of Lawrence County through a vivid combination of over 200 vintage images and captions. Each area within the county offers its own fascinating history. Mitchell was the birthplace of Virgil "Gus" Grissom and famous train robber Sam Bass. Williams is noted for its covered bridge, the longest bridge span still in use. Oolitic was settled by Italian stone mill workers, bringing a taste of Italy to Indiana.

In the 1830s, the earliest settlers traveled routes on foot and via horseback, road cart, ox-drawn wagons, and buckboards, following winding paths in an effort to avoid the swamps.Although hardships and inconveniences were endured, one gentleman described their advantages upon arrival: "The soil of Madison and Penn Township is of inexhaustible fertility and the population is to great extent of vigorous Pennsylvania stock." As early settlers arrived, they cut trees for lumber for their homes and to clear ground for farming. This land became some of the best farmland in the region. As the Wabash Railroad, Lake Shore Railroad, and the Grand Trunk were erected in the towns of Wyatt and Osceola, businesses sprang up, along with schools, churches, grocery stores, sawmills, gristmills, blacksmith shops, post offices, and physicians' offices. The railroads were used to ship lumber and crops, and lumbering continued as waves of settlers built new homes and barns at a rapid pace. As dairy farming spread, creameries were established where farmers could separate their milk and cream--the farmers fed their cattle the skimmed milk, while the cream was made into butter and sold in the local general stores. This area is still some of the best farming ground in St. Joseph County. Through over 180 historical photographs, Penn and Madison Townships captures the rural way of life that has existed in this region for over 160 years. Family, farming, and tradition, the strengths of these small rural centers, are seen in the enclosed history and are still visible in the communities today.

What had once been an ancient shoreline of Lake Michigan, mired with swamp and sand dunes, is today the town of Dyer, Indiana.

Dyer's history consists of the old Sauk Trailturned-highway, strong-willed and hardworking visionaries such as Aaron Hart who drained the swamps and created farmlands, entrepreneurs who developed the early businesses and established Dyer as a town in 1910, and events such as the arrival of the locomotive and automobile that altered the lives of its citizens and shaped Dyer into the populated and bustling town it is today. From a sleepy farming community to a distant suburb of Chicago, the town of Dyer has a history both rich in its own right and very much tied to American history.

In Images of America: Dyer, one will see how a small American town unique to its geological location is impressed onto the land and how influences by events unfolding beyond its borders can help create, and sometimes jeopardize, its identity. Through the photographic collection of the Dyer Historical Society, Dyer's history unfolds in a beautiful latticework of visuals and text combined.

Photo postcards, originally a quick and inexpensive form of communication, became key documents of South Bend's growth, recording events, businesses, landmarks, and people. Through nearly 200 vintage postcards, this book details South Bend's story from the turn of the 20th century to the aftermath of World War II. These images give a glimpse of lost glamour, representing the city as past generations witnessed it.

Join Thomas as he delves into the mystery and legacy of Indianapolis's bygone days.

In 1816, the U.S. Congress decided to give the newly formed State of Indiana four square miles of land to lay out a capital city. Just where the capital city would be platted, however, was unknown. Four years later, the spot was finally chosen near where Fall Creek meets the White River. From that moment forward, despite a few bumps along the way, Indianapolis began its development into one of the nation's great cities. Over the course of that development, many buildings, companies, legends, and people have come and gone. While they are now only shadows of the past, they help to form the history and heart of Indianapolis.