DeKalb County's Bicentennial Salute

DeKalb County’s

$1.00 Section A A two part section

Bicentennial Salute

A supplement to The Star, The Garrett Clipper and The Butler Bulletin.

Part of Historic Downtown Auburn Since 1901 “Shop Where Your Great Grandparents Shopped”

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DEKALB BICENTENNIAL

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AUGUST 30, 2016

Two hundred years and counting

BY LEE SAUER

In 200 years of statehood, Indiana, the smallest of 12 Midwestern states, has grown accustomed to being overlooked.

From the moment its borders were drawn, Indiana’s 280-mile, northsouth axis put it in the path of American growth and progress.

But no one seemed to notice — or when they did, they did so with derision.

Old-time travelers nicknamed the state “crossroads of America.” In other words, a place to pass through, not a destination.

And yesteryear’s wags referred to the state’s residents as “Hoosiers,” a derogatory term meaning “uncouth simpleton.”

In more recent times, Indiana’s conservatism and religiosity have left it out of step with a changing and secular world. Again, U.S. sentiment seems to say, it’s a quaint place to visit for a Super Bowl or NCAA finals —but who would want to live there?

Today, sophisticated travelers refer to Indiana (together with its Midwest neighbors) as a “flyover state.”

But lack of notice is not the same as lack of importance. Indiana’s place in American history is second to none. *** Think the only war on U.S. soil was the American Civil War? Think again.

Residents of Indiana live on a battleground.

When U.S. expansion backed eastern woodland Indians up against the prairie — the very limit of the vast, seemingly endless forest which began

at the nation’s East Coast and essentially ended at Indiana’s western border — this land’s native people made a last desperate, violent stand. Historians commonly call these fights The Indian Wars.

Hoosiers’ modern life bustles them past places with names of incredible historical significance: Fort Wayne, Tippecanoe, Mississinewa.

And yet, the significance of these places has contracted over time.

Now they are memorialized by historical markers on busy streets or near a cornfield. Or parks for walking the dog. *** Indiana’s history since settlement by Americans survived better.

Ask any child about Indiana’s pioneers, and they will tell the story of brave, hardworking families willing to face dangers in an untamed land.

Less well known is the pattern of settlement.

Blocked by an impenetrable natural wonder known as the “Black Swamp” (which covered the northern half of Ohio), Indiana’s residents largely came from the south.

That simple fact reverberates today in our state’s religion, race relations, government and speech. *** The pioneer era led to the romantic period for which Indiana is best known: The time of the family farm.

With the arrival of trains, towns popped up all over the state. Markets across the country came within reach.

And products from eastern cities became available here.

With automobiles,

manufacturing now provide the economic motor.

But neither is as embraceable as singlefamily farming. Both bring environmental and social challenges.

And neither can honestly promise a secure financial future. It’s an era still in progress, its history largely unwritten.

When Indiana gets national notice today, it’s when the state passes a law, or a politician makes a statement, that swims against the national current. *** Two hundred years.

Twenty decades. That’s how we’ve arrived at Indiana’s bicentennial. What follows is a series of articles on our state’s story, decade by decade. Each 10-year period is associated with a topic connected to that time.

We’ll discuss topics introduced above, plus a few more.

With reverence for the past and hope for the future, happy birthday, Indiana!

ABOUT THE WRITER

PHOTO CONTRIBUTED

A MAP shows the Northwest Territory before Indiana statehood.

Illustration courtesy of the Indiana Historical Society

isolation melted further.

Growth and prosperity came within reach of anyone willing to work hard. This was the time of Friday night basketball games, Saturday night visits to town, 4-H and

county fairs.

For more than 100 years, family farms served as the backbone of the state’s economy. It went on so long, and became so intertwined with the state’s

image, it seemed impossible it should end. *** Since the passing of the family farm, Indiana has struggled for a new identity.

Industrial farming and

Formerly a teacher, commercial fisherman and journalist, Lee P. Sauer now makes his living as a freelance writer, illustrator and handyman.

He is the author of “It’s a Duesey!,” “The Many Lives of Glenn T. Rieke,” and the illustrated books for children, “Ralph’s Indiana Bicentennial Activity and Coloring Book,” and “Drawing from History: Abraham Lincoln.” Sauer plays lead banjo in the musical duo Schmaltz & Blarney. He lives in Angola with an ever-changing combination of daughters, chickens and cats.

DeKalb County history’s top 10 stories If you love top 10 lists, here’s one attempting to define the 10 most important stories in DeKalb County’s history, presented in chronological order: • Wesley Park and the founding of Auburn — Undoubtedly DeKalb County’s most influential early citizen, Park founded Auburn in 1836. He served as the first county treasurer, first sheriff and third coroner. He was the first postmaster at Auburn and the first school commissioner of DeKalb County and a member of Auburn’s first board of trustees. County commissioners held their first meeting in his cabin, which also was the site for the first meeting of what became the Auburn Methodist Church.

• Railroads and the founding of Garrett — Every city and town in DeKalb County grew along a railroad line, but Garrett owns its very existence to the Baltimore

and Ohio Railroad, which established the city in 1875 as a center for train operations on its main route to Chicago.

The B&O also led to the establishment of the town of St. Joe as a train stop.

• Charles Eckhart — The founder of the Eckhart Carriage Co., Eckhart raised two sons who began the Auburn Automobile Co. in 1903. Charles Eckhart left his mark on the community of Auburn by donating Eckhart Public Library and the land for Eckhart Park. He and one of his sons donated the original YMCA building.

• Auburn Automobile Co. — Auburn gained its reputation as The Classic City because of the elegant and powerful cars built by the Auburn Automobile Co. Founded in 1903, the company hit its stride in the 1920s and ’30s under the leadership of E.L. Cord, who nurtured talented engineers and body designers to produce classic Auburn, Cord and

Duesenberg automobiles.

Eighty-some years later, they remain some of the most desirable collector cars on the market.

• Interstate 69 — The first segment of Interstate 69 in DeKalb County opened May 30, 1963. The coming of the highway led to the commercial development of Auburn’s west side, stretching the city a mile westward to meet the four-lane road. With I-69 as a catalyst, Auburn’s population doubled over the next 50 years. To the north, Ashley’s industry grew around its I-69 interchange, until the town has twice as many employees as residents.

• DeKalb’s hospital — Responding to the need for a modern local hospital, the community raised $2.5 million in the early 1960s through large and small donations. They paid for a hospital that opened in December 1963.

It continues to grow and expand as an independent,

nonprofit health provider.

• Kruse auctions — Dean Kruse and his family staged Auburn’s first collector car auction in 1971. Early auctions raised the money to purchase and restore the former Auburn Automobile Co. headquarters as the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Automobile Museum. The auctions boosted interest and attendance in Auburn Cord Duesenberg Festival each Labor Day weekend.

In 1989, Kruse’s company built what today is Auburn Auction Park on the city’s south edge. The park continues to draw large crowds for two collector car auctions each year and several other events.

• Founding of the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Automobile Museum — A community effort purchased and restored the former headquarters of Auburn Automobile Co. to create the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Automobile Museum, which opened in 1974. Later, the National

Since 1841

CITY OF BUTLER Earlier this month, the City of Butler celebrated its 175th year of existence.

Charles Norris was one of the early settlers in the community — Norristown — that later bore his name. He operated a general store and later divided his tract of land into lots so others could go into business.

When the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Railroad was completed in the 1850s, Norristown began to experience growth with frame buildings replacing log cabins. From 1859 to 1868, the community’s name was changed, most likely after a railroad official. The name was later changed again to Butler, again most likely after a railroad official.

In 1866, Butler’s first newspaper, the Butler Herald, was established.

A variety of newspaper names have been part of the community over the years, including the Record, Banner of Liberty, Review and Weekly A Display of Butler Basket Factory baskets. Record. Today, the community is served by a weekly newspaper, the Butler Bulletin.

In 1880, Butler was a division point for the Wabash Railroad, bringing many jobs to the community. A variety of businesses and familiar names became part of the community, including Geddes Drug Store, Knisely Brothers Dry Goods, the Mutzfeld Harness Shop and L.J. Diehl Jewelry. With the popularity of the automobile, Maxton Motors came about in the 1920s.

The community experienced industrial growth in the 1950s with several companies, including Universal Tool and Stamping (today owned by C.J. Automotive). In the 1990s, another period of industrial growth occurred with Steel Dynamics, Heidtman Steel, Air Products, New Millennium and many others sprouting up in the steel corridor southwest of the community.

Ron Walter serves as mayor. Elected officials include Ron Baker, Tammy Davis, Jerry Eldridge, Eric Johnson and Larry Moore on the city council. Angela Eck is clerk-treasurer and Richard Obendorf is city judge. Ted Miller is city superintendent. Jim Nichols is police chief. Jeff Shultz is fire chief.

City of Butler municipal offices are located at 215 S. Broadway in the renovated Thompson Block building, which once featured an opera house.

Auto & Truck Museum opened next door in two former Auburn Automobile factory buildings.

• Sparkman v. Stump — The nation’s attention focused on DeKalb County in 1978, when the U.S. Supreme Court heard a case involving a DeKalb County judge.

In 1971, Judge Harold Stump had approved an Auburn woman’s petition to have her 15-year-old daughter sterilized, based on the mother’s contention that her daughter was promiscuous and mentally challenged. The daughter, then known as Linda Sparkman, sued the judge when she reached adulthood. By a 5-3 vote, the Supreme Court ruled that judges are immune

from being sued for decisions, even when those decisions are erroneous.

• Steel Dynamics — A new company sprouted southwest of Butler in the mid-1990s, changing DeKalb County’s landscape and economy.

Steel Dynamics poured its first steel in late 1995.

Two decades later, it had grown into one of the nation’s largest steel companies with sales of $7.6 billion in 2015, approximately 7,700 employees, and manufacturing facilities throughout the United States.

In addition to SDI’s employees in DeKalb County, hundreds of people work in steel-processing plants surrounding the Butler steel mill.

On the cover

The photos on our cover show DeKalb County’s three courthouses, clockwise from upper left, that opened in 1840, 1864 and 1911. In the center is a photo of DeKalb County residents attending a celebration of Indiana’s centennial in downtown Auburn in 1916.

Proudly celebrating Indiana’s Bicentennial with Prayers for Revival and Ice Cream Please join us for Worship on Sundays!

Sunday School: 9:00am Worship Service: 10:05am

4099 CR 59 • Butler • Across from SDI

DEKALB BICENTENNIAL

AUGUST 30, 2016

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1816: Indian removal clears the way for settlement

BY LEE SAUER

It is right to celebrate the bravery, hard work and foresight of the people who made Indiana’s statehood a reality.

It is wrong to ignore the people who got hurt in the process.

When the last history is written, two dark stains will mar America’s story. Most folks can name one: Slavery.

But the other?

It seems to have been swept from the American conscience. It, too, comes with a legacy of problems, but they seem remote and quarantined.

What is that “other” stain?

Indian removal. *** Natives and Europeans clashed from the moment Columbus arrived on the continent.

A pattern emerged: Europeans settled new land,; the natives became upset,; Europeans promised to stay put, but encroachment resumed. The natives responded violently. The settlers (or their proxies, soldiers) sought revenge.

A truce was called.

Promises made.

And the cycle began again.

By the time the United States declared independence from Britain, natives of the eastern woodland forest could be pushed no further.

Literally.

The Indians had been

herded to the forest’s edge — now the western border of Indiana. *** To describe woodland Indians of this period as half-naked humans living a pure hunter-gatherer lifestyle would be misleading.

Natives longed for their old way of life, but they were dependent on trade. Guns, knives and tomahawks were their weapons of choice.

Native dress had turned into a stew of European and Indian style.

Racial purity, too, no longer existed. French traders took Indian wives. Tecumseh, the great Shawnee war leader, had a British forebear. And both sides took the other’s children. William Wells, a fierce Miami warrior who fought alongside Little Turtle and would later leave his mark on Fort Wayne, had been abducted from a Kentucky farm.

By the early 1800s, the woodland Indian way of life was rapidly slipping away. *** To describe Indians as ignorant of American intentions would be misleading, too.

The Northwest Ordinance outlined America’s plan for carving states out of the land between the Ohio and Mississippi rivers.

Indians knew what statehood meant — land speculators, settlers.

More land lost.

By the late 1700s, the

INDIANA HISTORICAL SOCIETY

INDIAN LEADERS — Two Native Americans played vital roles in the Indian Wars. As a Miami war chief, Little Turtle, left, twice defeated American armies. After The Battle of Fallen Timbers, he led his people to assimilate with settlers. If the natives had won at Fallen

natives turned desperate.

They raided Kentucky settlers. Afterward, they retreated north to villages at the convergence of three rivers.

President George Washington felt he must do something. He sent Arthur St. Clair to displace the Indians at the three rivers and establish a fort.

St. Clair failed. Near today’s Fort Recovery, Ohio, natives routed the Americans.

The battleground stretched

for miles as braves picked off 600 retreating soldiers and camp followers.

The war chief Little Turtle commanded braves to stuff dirt into the mouths of dead and dying Americans.

The message: “Hungry for land?

“Here it is!” *** In 1792, Washington sent General “Mad” Anthony Wayne on the same mission as St. Clair. Wayne defeated the natives at Fallen Timbers

Timbers, America might have decided to leave the Northwest Territory to the Indians, and the Shawnee leader Tecumseh, right, would be honored as the father of this new nation.

(near Toledo, Ohio) and established Fort Wayne at the three rivers.

The back of the eastern woodland Indians had been broken.

Tecumseh would try one last time to unite tribes. But, in 1811, while Tecumseh was away on a recruiting trip, his erratic half-brother, The Prophet, attacked a U.S .Army force, led by William Henry Harrison, at Tippecanoe.

The Americans won.

For all practical purposes, violent Indian resistance in Indiana ended.

In 1830, President Andrew Jackson signed the Indian Removal Act. A few Miami Indians — notably Little Turtle’s descendants — avoided the order. But the remaining Indiana Indians were marched out of the forest and onto reservations west of the Mississippi.

Note the irony?

Indiana means “land of the Indians.”

1820s: Settlement moves from south to north

BY LEE SAUER

Imagine Indiana’s north-south axis as a wick drawing moisture from the Ohio River.

That’s how early settlement took place.

Transportation through the eastern forest presented a problem. Sure, trails established by animals and natives over millennia cut through the woodlands, but obstacles lurked: Wetlands.

Lakes.

Quicksand.

Across the top half of Ohio stretched the “Black Swamp.” Until drained and turned to farmland, the swamp blocked foot traffic to northern Indiana.

The only dependable way to move people and goods in the early 1800s?

Water.

That’s why early Indiana

settlements clung to rivers and streams.

From there, pioneers attacked the forest. *** After defeating Britain in the American Revolution, the United States claimed land north and west of the Ohio River. America named it the Northwest Territory.

The new nation wanted to open this land to American settlers. The Northwest Ordinance of 1789 set ground rules: waterways would remain free and open to all U.S. citizens; once a territory achieved a population of 60,000, it could apply for statehood.

The ordinance even laid out a plan for six-milesquare townships — a provision still apparent in county maps. ***

The Northwest Ordinance set important precedents that would echo loudly in coming decades.

The free waterways clause established the sovereignty of the federal government. Although states had rights, they would bow to a greater whole — that of the nation.

The ordinance also prohibited slavery in territories, making the Ohio River the boundary between slave and free states.

This anti-slavery clause is often pointed to as the beginning of American conscience, when the country began to live up to its ideals. But notice that the U.S. Constitution and Northwest Ordinance come from the same time period.

Why would Southern states demand slavery in one document, and prohibit it in

another?

Historians point out that the Southern states agreed to prohibit slavery in the Northwest Territory out of economic selfishness: They didn’t want competition growing tobacco.

As the Northwest Territory divided into states, political power tipped toward free states.

In response, the South began battling for the admission of more slave states.

The chess board for the Civil War was set. *** Indiana’s early settlers retained strong ties to the South. Most were poor and uneducated. Some held resentment for slaves, with whom they had competed for jobs. Typically, they moved from one unsettled area to another without title.

When a legal dispute arose, they moved on.

These were not “Yankee” farmers— thrifty, puritanical, industrious — who set up homestead with hundreds of dollars in goods and equipment. Descended from Appalachian hill farmers, early Indiana pioneers moved “jinglety bang”with possessions strapped on the backs of family members and an animal or two.

And, unlike Yankees, early Indiana pioneers did not equate leisure with sin.

They often did not make hay or plant fruit trees. In the spring, if they assessed the forest’s acorn and beechnut crop to be sufficient to feed their animals, they planted little corn.

Indiana’s only tie to eastern markets depended on the Ohio River. Produce from Indiana floated down

the Ohio to the Mississippi, then to New Orleans.

The few eastern goods to arrive in the state made the trip by steamboat. *** The quintessential American story wound its way through Indiana.

Thomas Lincoln got into a land dispute in Kentucky, so he moved his family to Indiana.

The year: 1816.

Tom’s son, Abraham, grew up with an ax in his hand, clearing land.

As a teen, Abe worked as a ferryman on the Ohio River. Then, in 1828, a neighbor hired Abe to help float cargo down to New Orleans. Abe repeated the trip in 1831.

While in New Orleans, Abraham Lincoln watched a slave sale.

He never forgot it.

1830s: Pioneer life was hard and scary

BY LEE SAUER

Imagine life without electricity, grocery stores or 9-1-1.

No community.

No help.

No security.

Everything you eat, wear or use must be fashioned from what the land provides.

That’s the life early Indiana pioneers faced.

Modern conveniences and infrastructure have removed us so far from this

style of existence that we’ve grown nostalgic for it.

But don’t kid yourself.

It was a hard, scary life.

We think of our pioneering ancestors as farmers. And that was their goal — to fulfill Thomas Jefferson’s ideal of independent land laborers.

But the forest got in the way. *** Our nostalgia for Indiana’s early days comes

from the pioneers’ reliance on nature.

The pioneers provided their basic needs — food, shelter and clothing — three ways: hunting; gathering; and farming.

Before land was cleared and crops grown, hunting provided most of the food.

Deer and bear were the main targets. Along with meat, animals gave fat for lard,

skin for clothing, fur for blankets.

A bear skin served as the cabin’s front door.

Today, hunting is considered leisure activity.

Pioneers considered it the hardest, most labor-intensive of their jobs.

Men hunted.

Women and children gathered.

In the forest, pioneers found berries, nuts and honey.

*** Before dreams of farming came true, the forest needed to come down.

Cutting trees provided cropland, but it also supplied building material. Tree trunks became log cabins.

Branches became chimneys.

Wood also provided fuel for the pioneers’ main energy source. Fire cooked the pioneers’ food and gave them heat in winter.

Once land was clear,

farming began. Pioneers grew crops we’d recognize today: corn, beans and squash (especially pumpkins).

A pioneer family grew only what it needed.

Why? Roads were bad. The few towns were virtually inaccessible.

Selling crops was not an option.

See 1830S page A4

Since 1863

Since 1860

Auburn Hotel

Financing History for 153 Years.

We like local history because we have been a part of it for 153 years. So whether you’re looking at old pictures with horses and buggies, model T Fords or big finned cars of the 60’s, Campbell & Fetter Bank was there. We take pride in our 153 year histor y of providing our customers with a secure place for their funds and sensible approach to financial services.

Started in 1860 as the Swineford House, this is Auburn’s oldest existing business.

It was rebuilt in the 1890’s, and again in 1920 by A.D. Foust who renamed the brick structure Auburn Hotel. The Auburn Hotel housed a fine restaurant and the Auburn Automobile showroom.

Dean Kruse and family owned the hotel before selling to the Eddy’s, who maintain it as an authentic historic hotel “European Style.” The half-block site still holds nine street-level businesses and the 52 hotel rooms on the second and third floors that operate year-round. It is the location for the annual Auburn-CordDuesenberg club festival activities. The club’s reunion started at the hotel in 1956, becoming today’s world famous car event every Labor Day weekend.

Staffed through the years by the family of Owners since 1979 260-925-5070 Rodger and Janet Eddy: children Cecily, Melanie, Angela, Roddy, and grand children Christian, Verity, Justus, Sophia, Eli, Phillip, Managers Teri Stutzman Isaac Spencer, and Andreas & Brolyn Spangler Sandino.

Visit any of our locations in Kendallville, Angola, Albion, Ligonier, Auburn, Warsaw, Fort Wayne and Goshen.

Main Office 260.347.1500

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www.campbellfetterbank.com

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1830S From page A3

*** In modern terms, pioneer life wasn’t sustainable.

Despite dependence on the forest, pioneers considered nature an enemy — a foe to be brought to its knees. They saw danger in the woods. Cutting trees opened land for cultivation, certainly, but it also provided a safe zone from wild animals and any humans who were not friends.

So pioneers kept busy with their two primary tools: ax and gun.

Under hunting pressure and loss of habitat, Indiana’s native animals could not survive. The bigger animals, which needed more space and made easier targets, especially suffered. At its founding, Indiana was home to buffalo (note the state seal), bear, panthers, wolves and elk.

All are now gone.

(Although recent bear and

panther sightings have been reported.)

Even the soil, nourished for millennia by forest compost, couldn’t stand the abrupt change.

Under farming techniques of the time, by the end of the pioneer period, the soil was wearing out.

Note the contradiction: Pioneer life required forest. By clearing land, pioneers destroyed means to continue their way of life.

In any measure of time, but especially geological terms, settlers completely transformed Indiana’s landscape in an incredibly short period.

Under relentless pressure, the virgin forest and its inhabitants — both human and animal — disappeared. *** American history is littered with stories of pioneers who moved when they could see smoke from a neighbor’s chimney. (This indicated that the neighborhood was too crowded.)

They would move further west, clear more land, hunt

AUGUST 30, 2016

INDIANA HISTORICAL SOCIETY

ROUGHING IT— Pioneers relied on hunting, gathering and farming to provide their basic needs. They used the building material at hand — most often wood. Although modern Hoosiers pine for the simplicity and back-tonature aspects, pioneer life was difficult and dangerous.

until the game ran out.

Then move again.

That’s because pioneering was based on a myth:

That the forest would never run out.

But many pioneers stayed put and grew into family farmers — the topic of our

1870s article.

They made Jefferson’s view come true.

That’s another reason for nostalgia for Indiana’s

early days: That anyone willing to work hard and take a risk can build their own version of the American dream.

Settlers started DeKalb County in 1820s, ’30s DeKalb County was first settled along Fish Creek in the northeast and near the St. Joseph River in the southeast, where the first settlement likely occurred.

Spencerville was the county’s first permanent white settlement and was an important commercial center. The town’s sign proclaims 1828, but a settlement near a horseshoe bend in the St. Joseph River may have existed as early as 1825. That year was on

the first seal of the DeKalb County commissioners, indicating a settlement existed somewhere in the county at that time.

The location at the river was a natural dam site for a grist mill and sawmill built

by Reuben J. Dawson, who plotted the town in 1842.

Dawson was the brotherin-law of Col. John Spencer, a land agent in Fort Wayne.

It was believed this connection helped him land the site for the mills in Spencerville

and other desirable building locations.

A post office was established there in November 1839. Joseph L. Sawtell was the first postmaster before Dawson succeeded him in 1841 and held the position for almost eight years.

DeKalb County was authorized as a separate county, along with seven others in the northern part of the state, in 1835, and was given independent

jurisdiction over its civil and criminal matters two years later.

Wesley Park, Peter Fair and Samuel Widney were elected as the first county commissioners and had their first meeting at Park’s cabin July 25, 1837.

Park was the county’s first treasurer, sheriff, and school commissioner, and also was the first chairman of the county’s horse thief detecting company. His cabin served as the county’s

first courthouse and jail.

He was later Auburn’s first postmaster.

Park and Judge John Badlam Howe of LaGrange County platted the town of Auburn on the banks of Cedar Creek. Their work included a public square. A commission appointed to select the county seat chose Auburn.

Park, Thomas J. Freeman and Nelson Payne were superintendents for the county’s first frame

courthouse on the public square. The county’s needs outgrew the original building, which was sold and then burned in celebration of the Union Army’s capture of Richmond in 1864.

Park came from Licking County, Ohio, and had first gone to Lima (now Howe) in LaGrange County. He then settled on Fish Creek near John Houlton, one of the best documented early settlers of DeKalb County.

1840s: Canal mania strikes Indiana, America Currently, several serious companies are working out the massive problems behind traveling far into space, and — perhaps — around in time.

Why? Imagine the payback if they succeed!

Canals promised the same to early Americans.

The technology was not new, but the problems of constructing water highways through vast stretches of unsettled wilderness were immense.

The amount of labor needed — incredible.

But the payback!

People and products would be able to move freely over this vast, “new” continent. Midwest farm produce could reach eastern cities, and manufactured products from the cities could reach the farm.

New cities would spring up.

Land that had previously been inaccessible would open to settlement.

The list of possibilities went on and on …

Canal mania struck America.

It hit Indiana particularly hard. Canals seemed the answer to each of our young state’s problems. All that was needed: bulldog

BASS PHOTO CO. COLLECTION, INDIANA HISTORICAL SOCIETY

LEAKY INFRASTRUCTURE — Canals leaked water, time, money and manpower. When railroads arrived, the canal era ended.

determination and lots and lots of work.

Oh, yeah.

And money. *** To appreciate advantages of a canal, take a short mind journey: imagine your living room furniture piled onto a

trailer.

Now imagine pulling that loaded trailer down a road.

Tough to get started, but not too bad.

Now pull the trailer off road.

Yikes. Not so easy.

Next, imagine that same

furniture loaded onto a flat-bottomed boat. In your mind, pull that boat along the shore of a calm lake.

Wow. BIG difference!

Canals promised to replace pack animals, carts and wagons. The difference in economy could be incredible. Consider this:

Since 1878

Home - Auto - Farm Dekalb Farm Mutual Insurance Company has been in business for 138 years. It was established in Dekalb County by a group of Dekalb County citizens. On March 18,1878 a group of spirited Dekalb County Citizens met and adopted an official seal, along with a series of rules and regulations governing how we provide insurance products and services to our customers. Dekalb Farm Mutual still stresses to always treat people fairly and with respect. Our property insurance underwriting and liability insurance underwriting is done by our in-house agents. Property insurance claims adjusting is done by Secretary Dave Baughman.

100% Reinsured thru

Grinnell Mutual

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to move one ton of material over early American roads required eight mules, plus a team of human workers to care for the animals.

By canal, one mule and one person could move one ton … . along with an additional 29 tons! *** In equal measure with their advantages, canals presented problems.

The first of which was getting the $#@*&^% things built.

At first blush, a trench in the ground wouldn’t seem to require engineering.

But think again.

How do you account for changes in elevation?

How do you maintain a consistent water supply?

And, for crying out loud, what do you do when the canal needs to cross a river?

But none of this daunted Indiana.

The state jumped into canal building with both feet. In early 1827, Indiana accepted a federal grant and made plans to build the Wabash and Erie Canal.

In 1832, construction began. *** Then the Panic of 1837 struck.

Indiana had overextended itself with internal improvement projects — like building canals.

It couldn’t pay its bills.

In 1851, the state would rewrite its constitution and require that the state conduct its business within a balanced budget.

It was a traumatic lesson — and echoes of 1837 can still be heard today. *** The remaining timeline of canals would be unsettlingly short.

In 1843, even though construction wasn’t completed, operation began. That same year, the canal reached Lafayette.

In 1848, it opened to Terre Haute.

In 1853, it reached Evansville.

In 1874, the canal closed.

Problems were simply too great. Even when boats operated at slow speeds, water washed over banks, causing erosion.

Muskrats bore holes in the banks; when water seeped through, the holes grew.

Repair work went on continuously.

And everyone who came in contact with canals mentioned mosquitoes.

But the death knell for canals came elsewhere — from a new technology. It promised everything the canals had, and MORE! In several ways, canals provided a path for railroads to follow.

DEKALB BICENTENNIAL

AUGUST 30, 2016

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A5

1850s: Railroads tie the nation together In the pioneer era, each Indiana town kept its own time.

Clocks set by position of the sun might say 1 p.m. in one town, 1:34 p.m. in the next; 1:18 p.m. in the next.

Without instant communication or fast travel, who would know?

But when trains arrived, everything changed.

When people could travel at unbelievable speeds of 50 mph and more, time mattered.

Distances shrunk.

Possibilities grew.

In a broad sense, trains connected Indiana to itself.

And to the nation. *** Railroads fulfilled the promise of canals: they connected Indiana farmers with eastern markets.

In return, railroads made eastern merchandise available in Indiana.

A level of comfort and convenience unimaginable scant years before suddenly came within reach of Hoosiers.

Trains brought this change by stimulating economic activity. Pioneer farmers began to grow more food than their families could consume. They took produce to town and sold it.

With money in their pocket and a day off work, farmers

found themselves in the market for goods, services and entertainment.

Merchants obliged.

Farms grew larger.

More wooded land was cleared.

Trains brought more people and previously unsettled land became settled.

More farms created demand for new towns, new roads, new schools, more merchants. *** Railroads gained steam slowly in Indiana.

In 1838, the state’s first steampowered train carried a contingent of dignitaries 15 miles at 8 mph.

With the state’s commitment to canals and subsequent money problems, public backing for railroads remained meager. By the late 1840s, only 100 miles of track existed within the state.

Then, an explosion!

Private companies took over railroad financing. In early 1851, 245 miles of rail had been laid and investors expected 500 miles to be in operation before the end of the year.

Indiana’s rail lines led to northern cities. The North built networks that tied regions together.

Southern states,

meanwhile, remained content with building short, unconnected lines for getting cotton to water transportation. The difference in these two approaches would become apparent in the coming war.

The shift to eastern markets tied Indiana more closely to the North — and distanced it from the South. *** Tensions between free and slave states rose.

Southerners contended that blacks were content with subservient lives. Or, even if they weren’t, were incapable of self-determination.

In other words, blacks needed white masters to care for them like animals.

Yet evidence said otherwise.

Thousands of slaves risked their lives in an ultimate act of self-determination, escaping across the Ohio River into free territory.

Because the 1850 Fugitive Slave Act mandated that northerners help capture and return runaways, the slaves headed for where they would truly be free — Canada.

And they did so in secret.

Indiana provided a path (in reality, many paths) and enough sympathetic citizens

to help fugitives along their way.

So many slaves escaped that these covert operations across northern states earned a nickname based on a new technology of the time: Folks called it the Underground Railroad. *** In 1809, the year of Abraham Lincoln’s birth, no train tracks existed in America.

In 1830, the year Lincoln’s family moved to Illinois, only a few, short sections of track appeared near the East Coast.

In 1850, the year of the Fugitive Slave Act, 9,021 miles of track crisscrossed the Eastern United States.

In 1860, the year Lincoln was elected president, miles of track jumped to 30,626.

In 1864, Lincoln signed an executive order to create the first rail line to the West Coast.

Railroads wouldn’t institute standard time until 1883 — in other words, setting schedules by one master time standard for all towns (whether or not the towns themselves followed suit).

But by then, the work of tying the nation together had largely been done.

PIG-TURNED-PORK INSPIRES POEMS Although Indiana farmers and railroads depended on each other, tensions existed. Farmers often lost valuable livestock when it wandered onto the tracks. Grieving a hog, a farmer turned to verse to make his case to the railroad.

He wrote: My razorback strolled down your track, A week ago today.

Your #29 came down the line, And snuffed his life away.

You can’t blame me; the hog you see, Slipped through a cattle gate; So kindly pen a check for ten, The debt to liquidate.

The farmer received this response: Old #29 came down the line, And killed your hog, we know; But razorbacks on railroad tracks, Quite often meet with woe.

Therefore, my friend, we cannot send, The check for which you pine, Just plant the dead; place o’er his head; “Here lies a foolish swine.”

From A history of Eugene Township (Indiana)

by Harold L. O’Donnell, 1963

Baltimore & Ohio Railroad company built Garrett Garrett’s origin is in its namesake, John W. Garrett, president of the B&O Railroad, which established the town as a division point in 1874, The town was one of several that emerged as the nation’s railways worked their way west. The Baltimore Land and Improve-

ment company, a subsidiary of the B&O Railroad, purchased 12 farms covering 50 acres on the border of Butler and Richland townships.

The men involved in that transaction are immortalized on street signs in the town today: King, Keyser, Cowen, Randolph and Quincy.

The town quickly grew, with several businesses, a newspaper and a school all established in the following year. Hundreds of workers found opportunity there, some from the surrounding area, and others who were immigrants from Germany, Poland, Hungary and Italy.

Many of the workers lived

in camps established by the railroad until more housing became available.

Conditions were hard for the early railroad workers, and many unions were formed. Fred Feick, later the city’s mayor for nearly 30 years, took up the cause of the workers and helped to improve safety conditions

as well as compensation for injured workers and pensions.

The B&O consolidated its operations during the Great Depression, closing its shops in Garrett. It was bought out by the Chesapeake & Ohio in the early 1960s. The railroad later became the Chessie System, which merged with Seaboard Systems Railroad

to form CSX, which still has the town busy with train activity.

Drivers didn’t have to be interrupted by the railroad after the city built a $6.5 million underpass on Randolph Street downtown.

Garrett had a population of more than 6,300 in the 2013 census estimate.

1860s: Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War If Indiana’s only contribution to history was as incubator of Abraham Lincoln, it would be enough.

Lincoln didn’t create the ideas on which the nation fought the Civil War, but his role proved pivotal. In his famous debates with Stephen Douglas, Lincoln helped frame the arguments.

As president, he guided the nation successfully through its most turbulent period.

Next, he skillfully anticipated the nation’s willingness to change and adeptly channeled that will.

Finally, he phrased the nation’s new adherence to its founding ideals in a way that has inspired free people ever since.

Most leaders melt under the glare of hindsight.

Lincoln, the most scrutinized of all, glows. *** The nation known as the United States of America came into existence through compromise.

Along with enlightened

ideas about individual rights, the new nation had to bow in certain cases to the status quo. Only by allowing slavery would Southern states approve the Constitution.

Even the founders acknowledged the irony: that a nation built on individual liberty, and the idea that all men are created equal, would allow one man to own another.

Most Southerners saw no contradiction. They did not consider slaves human. To them, the legality of slavery boiled down to property rights — and the federal government had no right to tell free men what they could or could not own.

The South ostensively went to war over states rights — it contended that if a state decided to allow slavery or drop out of the union, it had that right.

Lincoln went to war with the idea of overarching authority: that of a nation over its constituent parts, and — in

RECOGNIZING

the final phase of the war — of freedom applying in equal measure to all people. *** Indiana stood for Union.

In other words, it denied states the right to secede and fought to keep the nation intact.

But after Lincoln deftly changed the role of the war with the Emancipation Proclamation, Indiana’s Southern roots were exposed.

Suddenly, the war hinged on abolishing slavery and freedom for all.

While New England states roared approval, Indiana murmured.

Many of the state’s soldiers felt they had enlisted to save the Union, not free slaves. In contrast to Hoosier abolitionists who helped runaways, Indiana’s Democratic representatives in Congress bitterly opposed any movement toward equality for former slaves— including allowing blacks to See 1860S page A6

INDIANA HISTORICAL SOCIETY

UNION — Before Abraham Lincoln, the nation considered itself a plurality: United States of America. After Lincoln, the nation thought of itself in the singular: THE United States of America.

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1860S From page A5

deliver mail.

The attitude became apparent in the aftermath of the war. As free blacks moved north, many Hoosiers, in word and action, encouraged them to keep moving.

*** Lincoln built his lasting legacy on these ideas: that the Union was inviolable. If states could come and go, the United States no longer existed. The experiment in representational government would have failed. The nation must succeed — or fail —as a whole that, while all people may

not be equal in ability or means, all people were equal in rights — the most important being liberty and, finally, Lincoln insisted that one man’s freedom could not be extended so far as to impinge on the freedom of another man. *** The Lincoln family moved from Indiana when Abe was 21.

AUGUST 30, 2016

He returned just a few times afterward, most often when traveling by train through the crossroad state to somewhere else.

But Lincoln did not overlook his boyhood home.

In 1859, in a speech in Indianapolis, Lincoln opened with the line: “Fellow citizens of the State of Indiana …” then noted that he had

grown to his “present enormous height on our own good soil.”

Lincoln’s last pass through the state took place on April 30, 1865 — two weeks after his assassination.

Lincoln didn’t survive the Civil War. But through his role in saving American democracy, his ideas live on.

DeKalb soldiers fought for Union cause DeKalb County’s first casualty of the Civil War was the victim of a freak accident that occurred as a train carrying the first company of volunteers from the county was pulling out of Waterloo on July 10, 1861, according to John Martin Smith’s “DeKalb County 1737-1987.”

A cannon was fired in

honor of the troops. After two rounds were fired, another was to be set off as they left, but a malfunction caused the cannon to explode. A shard of iron severed the spinal cord of John Henry Shoemaker of Smithfield Township, who died instantly.

President Abraham Lincoln had called for

75,000 volunteers to go to the states that had seceded from the union and enforce the laws of the nation.

While most who fought were volunteers, Indiana had two drafts to meet war department quotas for manpower.

Indiana had a commissioner in each county and a deputy for each township

to take a poll of all men between the ages of 18-45.

Men could buy their way out of military service for $300 or hire a substitute if they were able.

The county had 1,862 volunteers, according to Smith’s work, and had 272 others drafted for a total of 2,134, or about 15 percent of the county population.

The county had its share of sympathizers for the South’s cause. The Coburntown Church of Christ excommunicated members who were Southern loyalists, though most were later reinstated.

Traditionally Republican areas were more likely to fill their quotas with volunteers, while

Democratic areas had the larger numbers of draftees.

Many troop trains passed through the county, often stopping to pick up local soldiers. Trains carrying munitions also were common.

DeKalb County men fought in nearly every major battle of the Civil War.

1870s: Indiana dominates in politics and presidents

BY LEE SAUER

In 1876, as the United States celebrated its Centennial, Indiana was in the midst of its Golden Age of influence on national politics.

Thirty five years earlier, in 1841, the Hoosier state watched its former territorial governor, “Old Tippecanoe” William Henry Harrison, become president.

And, in the year 1876, Thomas A. Hendricks was placed on the Democratic ticket with Samuel Tilden.

(They lost.)

Just three years earlier, Schuyler Colfax Jr. finished his stint as Ulysses S. Grant’s vice president.

Yet to come from the Hoosier state: Hendricks would win his next vice presidential bid; another president named Harrison would be elected, and Indiana would provide the nation with even more vice presidents. *** William Henry Harrison got his nickname leading U.S. forces to victory over

The Prophet at Tippecanoe in 1811.

It was just one notch in an action-packed life.

Son of a signer of the Declaration of Independence, William built his early reputation in the Indian Wars. He fought alongside Anthony Wayne at Fallen Timbers. After Tippecanoe, in 1813, he led forces in the Battle of the Thames, near Chatham, Ontario, Canada. (In this battle, Harrison’s old rival, Tecumseh, lost his life.)

While still a soldier, William entered politics.

After being Indiana’s territorial governor — and after moving to Ohio — Harrison served his new state in Congress, both as a representative and senator.

Running for president in 1840 alongside vice presidential candidate John Tyler, Harrison inspired the election cry, “Tippecanoe and Tyler, too!”

The team won handily.

Harrison’s influence on national politics, however, would be brief. Trying to

prove the old soldier could still withstand physical discomfort, 67-year-old Harrison gave a two-hour speech at his 1841 inaugural in cold, wet weather — all without benefit of coat or hat.

He died of pneumonia 32 days later. *** It takes a fairly informed student of history, or an Indiana trivia buff, to know that William Henry Harrison’s grandson, Benjamin Harrison, served as the 23rd U.S. president.

Benjamin had an impressive resume, if less spectacular than his grandfather. He practiced law in Indianapolis and served in the Union army.

Benjamin owns the dubious honor of being one of four U.S. presidential candidates to lose the popular vote, but win the presidency by electoral count. Harrison gave credit to “Providence” for his victory, while critics credited Republican Party shenanigans.

Harrison gets praise for his support of African-American voting rights and education. And no man more conscientiously sought to do his duty.

But phrases like “coldly dignified” and “colorless” described his demeanor.

Out of the 43 men who have served as president, Benjamin Harrison usually ranks around 30th and his grandfather around 40th in the estimation of historians. *** Here’s a brief rundown of Indiana’s five vice presidents: Although a leading anti-slavery voice and founder of the Republican party, Colfax misstepped when he announced his own presidential bid (on the wrong assumption that Grant would not run again).

His alleged involvement in the Credit Mobilier Scandal didn’t help.

In 1885, Hendricks virtually repeated William Henry Harrison’s short tenure in office. Elected

INDIANA HISTORICAL SOCIETY

FIGHTER — William Henry Harrison lived a dashing, soldier’s life. He fought at Fallen Timbers and Tippecanoe. But his term as U.S. president would be the shortest in history — 32 days.

vice president with President Grover Cleveland, Hendricks served eight months. He died unexpectedly on a trip home to

Indianapolis.

In 1904, Charles W. Fairbanks was elected vice president on Theodore Roosevelt’s ticket. Because of differing political philosophies, Roosevelt limited Fairbank’s role.

Thomas R. Marshall served under Woodrow Wilson for two terms, 1913-1921. Like Fairbanks, Marshall didn’t get along with his boss. After a stroke limited Wilson, the president’s inner circle schemed to prevent Marshall from seizing power. Known for humor, Marshall originated the phrase, “What this country needs is a really good five-cent cigar.”

Dan Quayle served with George H.W. Bush from 1989-1993. Youthfully exuberant, Quayle prompted humor, but mostly at his own expense. On his popular night-time talk show, Quayle’s fellow Hoosier, David Letterman, regularly used the vice president as a punchline before a national audience.

1880s: Family farms grow up in a hurry

BY LEE SAUER

It would be folly to try to pinpoint when Indiana pioneer homesteads turned into family farms.

Pioneering would continue, in one form or another, into the 20th century.

But the transition was well underway by the 1880s.

What made a family farm different from a pioneer farm?

Family farms grew crops and animals specifically for sale; they depended on towns in which to sell their produce; they needed access to transportation to get that produce to market; they conducted business largely with money, rather INDIANA HISTORICAL SOCIETY than barter; and they were MECHANIZATION — New inventions, such as the reaper, allowed Hoosier farmers to themselves consumers of produce more food than their families could consume. Farmers began to grow crops manufactured goods that specifically for sale. This marked the end of the pioneer farm and the beginning of came from afar. the family farm. *** Look at the great, old

Since 1921 Sechler’s Pickles has been part of the St. Joe and northeast Indiana community since 1921, offering a special brand of pickles enjoyed throughout the country.

Sechler’s makes more than 50 varieties of pickled products, including sweet and spicy pickle varieties, relishes, pickled cauliflower and peppers.

Cucumbers are brought to the pickle factory just north of St. Joe, on the farm where Ralph Sechler and his wife first began packing pickles. At the factory, pickles are separated into different categories and then preserved for fresh-pack or process pickles.

The cucumbers are stored outdoors in large cypress wood vats filled with brine to cure. After the pickles are rinsed and cleaned. Sweet pickles go through one sweetening process using granulated sugar, while candied varieties go through a second sweetening treatment. Unlike processed sweet pickles, fresh-pack pickles are rinsed, sliced and cooked in the jar, and are ready to eat.

Sechler’s Pickles can be found in several retail grocery stores, specialty food stores, and at Sechler’s two outlet store locations — one in Fremont and the other at the factory in St. Joe. Sechler’s Pickles are also prominently featured at St. Joe’s annual Pickle Festival.

Sechler’s Pickles 5686 S.R. 1 • St. Joe, IN 46785 (260) 337-5461 www.sechlerspickles.com

farmhouses that grace the Indiana countryside. Many of them date from the mid- to late 1800s.

The size, complexity and style of the homes tell a story.

First of all, the homes say that Midwest farming could be profitable. Certainly farmers of 140 years ago faced the same pitfalls that confront farmers today — and without crop insurance — but other financial factors lined up in their favor. Ironically, chief among them was the movement of population off farms and into cities.

In other words, the urban throng provided a huge, growing market.

Secondly, the complexity of these old homes indicate that farmers, like their city cousins, enjoyed access to manufactured goods.

Look at the decorative brackets supporting the eaves.

Think those were carved on site? Think again. Most likely they came from a factory in Chicago or some other big city.

Finally, if time hasn’t worn them away, notice the porches, the orchards and gardens. These indicate Indiana farmers’ awareness of writers such as Andrew J. Downing and his thoughtful, nature-centered, organized approach to country living.

Downing felt farms could benefit from knowledge. He called for creation of state agriculture schools.

Perhaps that should be mentioned as another difference between pioneers and family farmers: Education. *** Pioneer farming methods depleted soil. In Indiana’s southern, hilly land, pioneers even referred to some areas as “10-year-land” — meaning a farmer could expect to use the land for only a decade.

If family farms would be worked by generations,

they needed a different approach.

In 1862, Lincoln signed the Morrill Land Grant Act. It provided land for state colleges that taught agriculture and mechanical arts.

Purdue University in West Lafayette held its first classes in 1874. Indiana farming soon went far beyond climbing a tree to assess the year’s acorn crop. It became science.

Farmers began to rotate crops and apply fertilizers to save soil. And farmers began to rely on technology.

First came the reaper, then the thresher, then the steam engine, then the combine (both reaper and thresher), then the auto truck (forerunner of the pickup), then the tractor.

Ways to showcase and share knowledge and technology developed.

Individual counties began holding fairs. The Indiana State Fair began in 1852; 4-H came along in the early 1900s.

From their pioneer infancy, Hoosier family farms grew up in a hurry. *** Single-family farming fit Indiana.

The pace.

The hard work.

The self-determination.

The state became a U.S. leader in corn and pork, and later soybeans.

For 100 years, Indiana based its identity on the family farm.

To pinpoint the era’s passing is also a fool’s errand.

Yet look around.

Monuments remain.

Take a drive in the Indiana countryside. Notice the vacant houses, the sagging barns, the overgrown orchards.

They provide a glimpse into the era’s vitality and former glory.

But hurry.

With each big storm, fewer of these monuments survive.

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1890s: Boom, then bust in the economy

BY LEE SAUER

“Free silver!” became William Jennings Bryan’s battle cry in 1896, his first of three failed attempts for the presidency.

The U.S. based its currency on gold. Wealthy Americans and big money businesses — such as railroads — favored gold.

They wished for deflation.

Advocates of silver believed a less-valuable money standard would help less-wealthy Americans.

They wished for inflation.

Their theory: inflation would increase crop prices and allow indebted farmers to pay back loans.

President Benjamin Harrison took a middle road in 1890, giving silver advocates some of what they wanted. But wealthy investors ignored silver.

Silver prices dropped.

Panic ensued. *** Before financial regulation and federally insured savings accounts, a pattern emerged in the United States: Boom! went the economy as investment flowed into companies that profited from opening new land to settlement.

Bust! went the economy when the companies overbuilt into areas that would not provide enough customers (settlers) to pay back the investment.

Usually some event triggered the bust: fiddling with the silver or gold standard, a big fire, or bankruptcy of a large company. Since losing their lives’ savings would be catastrophic, common folk withdrew their money from banks at the slightest whiff of trouble.

Then the spiral began: Without capital, banks had no money to lend.

Projects stopped.

Unemployment rose.

Demand for goods disappeared.

Finally, banks collapsed and businesses failed.

The nation suffered through financial “panics” in 1819, 1837, 1873, 1893 and 1896. *** Bryan is the best-remembered leader of revolt against the gold standard, but he was not the first.

In Indiana, disgruntled farmers formed a third national political party.

In 1874, they asked all “greenback men” to meet in

Indianapolis. The nickname “Greenbacks” referred to paper money not backed by any metal. Greenbacks had been first issued during the Civil War. Like silver, paper money promised to inflate prices and help farmers make loan payments.

The group became known as the Greenback Party. *** In the innocence of the age, folks considered economic fluctuations to be a message from God, as inevitable as weather.

Nothing could be done to stop a panic, they thought.

But some very important lessons were being taught — if anyone cared to listen.

The wealthy and lawmakers viewed downturns as warnings against speculation — investing in enterprises that carried the risk of loss. These people made adjustments and carried on, barely inconvenienced by the downturn. They felt the panic indirectly.

Meanwhile, farmers, industrial employees and railroad workers confronted lower wages, job loss, declining produce prices.

These people felt the panic directly.

Problems we might call “modern” began to appear: opium use; folks losing their land or homes; dislocated, homeless people (then called “tramps”) causing disruptions.

The growing crisis pointed to a basic fact: benefits and misery meted out by the economy were distributed unevenly, most often in favor of the wealthy.

Policy makers did not recognize that for the long-term health of the economy, inequalities in the American financial system needed to be corrected. *** Political leadership of the late 1800s failed to rise to the occasion.

Or, perhaps, a case could be made that the voting public didn’t rise to the occasion.

Americans generally believed that it didn’t matter who was in office, and that all politicians were corrupt. As a result, some voters put their ballots up for sale. Historians generally believe that Harrison won his home state of Indiana because Republicans paid for votes.

INDIANA HISTORICAL SOCIETY

BRICK WALL — The grandson of William Henry Harrison — Benjamin Harrison — accomplished little as president. Harrison gained a reputation for a brick-like demeanor, which hurt his dealings with other politicians. But he also ran up against a wall-like Congress.

Historians have dubbed the time “The Period of No Decision.”

Political parties, too, played a role. They focused on winning and staying in power, not on solving problems.

Leadership suffered.

Deadlock ensued.

Problems remained unsolved.

Some historians refer to this time as “The Period of No Decision.”

1900s: Industrialization brings changes

BY LEE SAUER

In 1906, 25 miles southeast of Chicago, the United States Steel Corp. founded the city of Gary, Indiana, and began work on its gigantic Gary Works industrial complex.

Workers poured in.

Just two years later, in 1908, when the mill began operation, the sleepy sand dunes on the south end of Lake Michigan had been completely transformed.

Although immense, Gary Works serves as a microcosm of changes in the United States and in Indiana in the first part of the 20th century.

The underlying cause of this sea change?

Industrialization. *** Indiana’s industrialization fed on the state’s location and natural resources.

Railroads came first.

The Crossroads State lay in the path to elsewhere.

This created a market for anything connected to trains.

Between 1867 and 1917, Fort Wayne’s Pennsylvania Railroad shop built more than 12,000 freight cars.

Trains spurred population growth, which created more markets. In the pioneer era, Hoosiers made their own food, clothing, shoes and soap. After railroads arrived, families bought these items in town or from mail-order catalogs, such as Sears & Roebuck.

Both steel and trains needed coal, which southern Hoosier mines provided.

Hoosiers also acted

entrepreneurially. In 1870, William Wooten of Indianapolis created the Wooten Desk for growing throngs of office workers. And in 1899, Hoosier Manufacturing Co. gave housewives a kitchen helper, the Hoosier Cabinet.

But both the Wooten Desk and the Hoosier Cabinet would be short-lived — about 20 years each. They pre-saged the greatest boom/bust Indiana industry of all: Natural gas. *** Cracks in the earth in central Indiana sometimes let loose a foul smell and caught on fire.

Native Americans believed the land haunted with spirits.

The first settlers similarly misunderstood.

In 1876, while drilling for coal, workers heard a rushing sound and smelled something awful. Their conclusion: they had broken through the ceiling of hell.

They plugged the hole.

When Ohio discovered natural gas in 1884, Indiana residents realized what they had. They redrilled the hell hole. When gas erupted, they lit it on fire.

Flames jumped 12 feet into the air.

The gas craze was on!

With the promise of inexpensive energy, Hoosiers lured out-of-state companies to set up shop.

Ball Brothers Co., which would become the world’s largest fruit-jar producer, answered the call.

But bounty invites abuse.

Continually burning flames — known as flambeaus — marked thousands of wells.

Towns showed off energy wealth by burning street lamps day and night.

Geologists warned the gas would run out. The state tried to ban open burning.

But local leaders opposed state intervention.

They denied gas would run out.

By the early 1900s, the natural gas supply dwindled. Gas boom companies converted to coal, closed or moved away.

Experts estimate that 90 percent of Indiana’s natural gas had been wasted. *** In 1908, photos by Lewis Hines put faces on this fact: Indiana ranked third among states in proportion of children in the workforce.

Hines’ photos caused a sensation.

One Indiana glass factory owner proclaimed he would fight legislation banning children under 16 from working at night. “(Work) was better for them than running in the streets and did not hurt them anyway,” he said.

Workers of all ages faced long hours and low pay. Indiana lawmakers, ever conservative and reluctant to interfere with business, did not act.

Workers’ unions stepped into the void.

Eugene Debs of Terre Haute knew the workers’ plight. He began work on the railroad at age 14.

In 1893, at age 38, Debs started the American Railway Union.

When train workers in

INDIANA HISTORICAL SOCIETY

UP IN SMOKE — During Indiana’s gas boom, well operators set natural gas that seeped out of the earth on fire — a process known as flaring. Experts estimate that as much as 90 percent of the resource was wasted, and the gas boom was soon extinguished.

Chicago were forced to take a 25 percent pay cut, Debs organized a strike of 50,000 workers and shut down the city’s railroads.

Debs received national

attention — and a jail sentence.

The crusader who promised a revolution ran for president five times as a Socialist.

Although Debs’ ideas seemed outlandish at the time, many have been realized: pension plans, medical benefits, sick leave and women’s suffrage.

Since 1933

American Legion Post 202 American Legion Post 202, 118 N. Broadway, Butler, was chartered in October 1933 with 15 members.

Since that time, membership has grown to more than 550 people through the Legion, Auxiliary, Sons of the American Legion and American Legion Riders. The post is named for World War I veteran Charles Foster Blaker.

The current building was constructed in 1971 on the site of a former funeral home. An addition in 1999-2000 doubled the size of the facility. In later years, the legion acquired several neighboring pieces of property, including the former Maxton Motors car lot, for parking and a bus barn.

A project started in 2011 featured the construction of a monument wall, memorial walk and decorative fencing around the property.

The local post makes regular contributions to scholarships for graduating Eastside seniors, various veterans’ causes, local food pantries, fireworks displays and a number of community projects.

American Legion Post 202 118 N. Broadway • Butler, IN (260) 868-2260

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AUGUST 30, 2016

Butler sent windmills around the world T.J. Knisely purchased the Butler Manufacturing Co. in 1888 and shortened the name to The Butler Co. six years later. Five generations of his family ran the operation, and the sky was the limit in its more than 100 years.

Its Yellow Jacket, the first plane made in

Indiana, made its historic first flight in 1930 and flew several times over the town before heading to Cincinnati for a government inspection. It never received government approval, and later was destroyed in a crash.

The industry was much better known, however,

for the manufacturing of windmills and accessories. The windmills were shipped all over the world, as far away as Europe and South Africa, and were the namesake of Butler High School’s sports teams.

The company stayed on the leading edge of windmill technology. One,

the Defiance Oilomatic, stayed lubricated automatically, removing one downside of using windmills, having to oil them twice a week.

Along with the windmills, the company supplied water pumps, storage tanks and products to be used in agriculture.

Bicycles and then buggies also became popular products as society changed around the turn of the 20th century.

A fire in 1958 destroyed the tin shop.

The company switched to plumbing, electrical and heating and cooling supplies. As the years

went on, the Butler Co. had problems competing with larger-volume wholesalers, and it closed in 1997.

Another fire, later determined to have been started by three children, destroyed the historic building on South Broadway in March 2015.

1910s: Artists capture heart and soul of Indiana

BY LOU ANN HOMAN

On the cusp of the Indiana prairie, James Whitcomb Riley (1849-1916) once wrote, “Speaking o’ art, I know a feller over t’ Terry Haute ‘kin spit clean over a box car.” This statement in 1883 sums up the arts community in Indiana, but things would soon change. Partly due to the arts community in Cincinnati becoming such a strong influence at the turn of the century and the beauty of Indiana, it wasn’t long before Indiana began looking toward the arts.

Owing his early interest in art to a traveling huckster, T.C. Steele (1847-1926) bought his first art supplies in the 1860s and an artist was born.

Gene Stratton-Porter (1863-1924) began documenting the swamps around Geneva through drawings and photographs with an early edge of preservation.

We are indebted to all three of these Indiana artists

Other notable early Indiana writers: Booth Tarkington, 1869-1945 Theodore Dreiser, 1871-1945 George Ade, 1866-1944 Lew Wallace, 1827-1905

Stratton-Porter

Riley

Steele

for capturing the heart and soul of Indiana at the turn of the century and beyond.

Riley became known as the “Hoosier Poet” as he began writing poetry from the heart of his own childhood and observations of early Indiana life. He captured the dialect that is all but gone from our landscape today. Folks were drawn to his wit and style as he toured other Eastern cities in the United States taking these Hoosier poems with him.

Steele began as a portrait painter and soon joined up with a group of men (William Forsyth, Otto Stark, John Ottis Adams and Richard Gruelle) who became known as “The Hoosier Group.” These men traveled to Munich, Germany, to study portrait painting, but became interested in impressionism while in Germany. Steele came home to carry out his obligations to paint portraits in order to pay back those who supported

him financially while he was gone, yet felt compelled to paint “plein air” and bring home impressionism to Indiana. His landscape paintings began to filter out to cities such as Cincinnati, and as far away as New York. During the state’s centennial year, he became known as the Brown County painter.

Stratton-Porter faced opposition as a writer and photographer as a woman.

Her first writings were sent back to her, but she became

known in the region and eventually in the United States and beyond with her book, “Freckles.” In the first year, the book sold 90,000 copies. She was approached by Doubleday, who asked her for a book a year. She would not agree until Doubleday accepted her proposal. She firmly spoke up saying she would write a novel every other year and the in-between years they were to publish her nature books. They took up her offer, which left us years later with detailed descriptions, drawings and photographs

of an earlier Indiana.

These three artists still hold our attention with home sites open to the public: The T.C. Steele State Historic Site is in Nashville, Indiana. The James Whitcomb Riley Museum Home and Visitor Center is in Indianapolis.

The Gene Stratton-Porter State Historic Site is in Rome City and the Limberlost State Historic Site is in Geneva, Indiana.

As T.C. Steele once said in the Indianapolis News, “Indiana has beauties which are just as worthy of study as landscapes elsewhere.”

Charles Eckhart left rich legacy for Auburn Having worked from the age of 8 and endured rough economic times, Charles Eckhart made his fortune in Auburn. He showed his appreciation for the place he eventually called home, making several contributions that Auburn residents see and use to this day.

Eckhart was a native of Germantown, Pennsylvania. In his young

life he often walked miles looking for work, sometimes unsuccessfully with the country mired in recessions. He eventually was able to purchase a carriage-making shop in Pennsylvania, but the Civll War interrupted the enterprise.

Eckhart reached the rank of first sergeant in the Union Army and fought in

the battle of Antietam.

Once he settled in Auburn, he began making carriages at his home on East 7th Street. Those efforts grew into the Eckhart Carriage Co., which at one time could produce 5,000 carriages a year and employed more than 100 workers. His sons, Frank and Morris, who later founded the Auburn

Automobile Co., helped in the business.

Eckhart retired in 1895.

He entered politics fighting for the cause of prohibition and made unsuccessful bids for governor and Congress.

His first major contribution to the city came when a new library was needed.

Steel magnate Andrew Carnegie had offered to pay for a library, as he had

for many cities across the country, but Eckhart said he would buy the land and have the library built. He spent $40,000, and the library was dedicated in 1911.

He also provided the fountain for the library park, which was restored through a fundraising campaign this year. The fountain underwent an

extensive renovation in Alabama to modernize its plumbing and fix structural issues.

Eckhart and his son, Frank, also donated the YMCA on Main Street to the city. Before his death in 1915, Eckhart had provided funds to beautify the city park that bears his name near the Auburn Automobile Co.

Since 1948

Since 1936

In Butler since 1961.

Kaiser’s Food Center traces its history to 1948.

Sam Kaiser established the business in Fremont, and his son Jerry brought the business to Butler in 1961. Two of Jerry’s children, daughter Debbie and son Jeff, represent the third generation. Kaiser’s has been located at 521 W. Main St. since 1971.

Kaiser’s prides itself in offering a full-service meat department, with custom-cut meat available on site. The business features Angus Pride Choice beef from the top 10 percent of angus, and serves the area’s finest steakhouses with premium steaks.

The business also purchases locally-grown produce and offers homemade deli salads. Kaiser’s also partners with other local businesses to promote their products and supporting the community.

Kaiser’s Food Center 521 W. Main St. • Butler, IN

Phone: 868-2391 www.kaisersfoodcenter.com

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DeKalb County’s

$1.00 Section B A two part section

Bicentennial Salute

B1

1920s: Ethnicity creates social tensions

BY LEE SAUER

Gary Works attracted workers like a magnet. Its pull extended across the United States, as well as overseas.

According to the 1920 census, 60 percent of Gary’s population had either been born overseas, or had at least one parent born overseas.

But northern industry needed more workers than immigration could supply.

Facing discrimination in their native states, and drawn by jobs, southern blacks moved north into big cities. They moved in such numbers that historians gave it a name: The Great Migration.

Blacks’ travels took them through the Crossroads State. Many took jobs or settled along the way.

The face of Indiana was changing. *** Seeking commerce with Native Americans (Indiana’s first ethnic group), French traders migrated south from the Great Lakes.

Cities such as Terre Haute and Vincennes still exhibit their influence.

After statehood, the majority of Indiana settlers came north from the South.

Poor and uneducated, they descended from ScotchIrish, Protestant, Appalachian hill folk.

In smaller numbers, settlers from New England (mainly of British descent) came to Indiana by way of Fort Dearborn (Chicago), or along the Maumee-Wabash river system, through Fort Wayne.

As transportation improved, the number of settlers grew.

PHOTO CREDIT: INDIANAPOLIS RECORDER COLLECTION, INDIANA HISTORICAL SOCIETY

INTIMIDATION — In response to overseas immigrants and southern Blacks moving to Indiana for industrial jobs, the Ku Klux Klan grew strong roots in the state. At one point, one-third of the state’s white men belonged to the organization.

*** In the early 1800s, political and economic conditions forced many western Germans to emigrate to America.

With agricultural opportunity aplenty in the west, the Ohio river port of Cincinnati became a popular destination for new arrivals.

From Cincinnati, agrarian Germans spread into Indiana.

In 1848, after a failed revolution, another wave of west Germans came to America. These educated, liberal, middle class people became known as Forty-Eighters.

This class of Germans held tightly to their culture

and language. Many cities still retain reminders of German heritage — most especially Indianapolis and Fort Wayne.

Between 1870 and 1890, a flood of eastern Germans washed into America. Mainly poor and uneducated, they looked for jobs in factories.

To help these newcomers, Germans already settled in Indiana pushed for manual-labor training schools, and advocated for labor reform. *** At the end of the Civil War, fewer than 10 percent of the United States’ African-Americans lived north of the Ohio River.

With the Great Migration, that number quickly grew.

Indiana remained conflicted about freedmen.

Its soldiers fought for the Union, not to free the slaves. And Indiana laws made it clear that Hoosiers did not want its population of blacks to grow: after 1831, to settle in Indiana, African-Americans had to register with county authorities and post a $500 bond to guarantee good behavior.

Over the years, the state’s southern roots became apparent.

Uneducated Hoosiers with southern roots resented blacks: slaves, after all, had taken poor whites’ jobs in the south. It didn’t help that,

when Indiana steelworkers or coal workers struck, companies recruited blacks to serve as strikebreakers.

Ethnic tensions often boiled over into violence. *** In 1925, fully half of Indiana’s General Assembly, plus the governor, Republican Edward Jackson, belonged to the Ku Klux Klan.

In all, about 30 percent of the state’s nativeborn white men counted themselves as Klan members.

The Klan used intimidation to terrorize blacks, Catholics and recent immigrants.

Scandal in the late 1920s

stripped the Klan of much of its influence.

But attitudes that fueled the organization remained. *** On August 7, 1930, a mob broke into a Marion, Indiana, jail and dragged three prisoners from their cell. The mob hung two of the men; the third escaped.

The men, all African Americans, had been charged with robbing and murdering a white man, and with raping the man’s girlfriend. (The woman later recanted the rape charge.)

As a result, Indiana holds the distinction of being the last state north of the Mason-Dixon Line to be the site of a lynching.

1930s: Automobiles exhibit Hoosier ingenuity

BY LEE SAUER

problems on a gas pipeline between two Indiana boom towns, Elwood Haynes regularly had to change horses.

Ever the inventor, Haynes imagined an automobile that would be both faster than horses, and cheaper to operate.

When, at the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair, Haynes saw an internal combustion engine, his vision took shape.

Depending on which opinion you choose, Haynes developed either the first or second gasoline-powered vehicle to be road tested.

Reporters covered the event, which took place July 4, 1894, in Kokomo.

Other Hoosier inventors read about Haynes’ success and joined the automobile race.

See 1930S page B2

Since 1954

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In the late 1800s, Indiana fairly burst with ambitious citizens brimming with engineering knowledge, capacity for hard work, and a desire to make the most of their democratic — and capitalistic —opportunities.

It is not surprising that the Hoosier state became a leader in the quest to invent andmanufacture a practical automobile.

With access to the transportation advantages of the Great Lakes, Michigan would eventually win the crown of automobile capital of America. And by 1936, Indiana’s run in the race was virtually over.

But by then, cars had begun to reshape America the way trains had 80 years earlier. *** While working out

BASS PHOTO CO. COLLECTION, INDIANA HISTORICAL SOCIETY

AUTO INVENTOR — Some historians give credit for the first successful gasoline-powered automobile road test to Hoosier Elwood Haynes. The test took place in 1894. This 1922 photo shows Haynes posing by a plaque commemorating the event.

Since 1956

Auburn Cord Duesenberg Festival Established in 1956 by Del Mar Johnson

The ACD Festival has been welcoming friends from all over the world for 60 years. The Festival has grown from its origins of a reunion for the ACD Club to now hosting over 40 unique events. Not only is it an automotive enthusiast’s dream, there is something for everyone at the ACD Festival!

Located in downtown Auburn, we are a non-profit community event.

We have auctions and cruise-ins, historic tours, great shopping including vintage finds, arts, crafts and antiques, kid activities, and live music which makes the ACD Festival fun for the entire family!

PO Box 6019, Auburn, IN 46706 (260) 925-3600 Email: information@acdfestival • www.acdfestival.org

B2

DEKALB BICENTENNIAL

kpcnews.com • ©KPC Media Group Inc.

1930S From page B1

*** Two brothers moved to South Bend in 1852. They, their brothers, their descendants and in-laws would build the company that bore their name: Studebaker.

The family made a fortune manufacturing horsedrawn wagons — at first for pioneers headed west, then for the Union army.

By 1895, the company had begun work on an automobile. Studebaker manufactured electric-pow-

ered vehicles from 1902 to 1911; then, in conjunction with another company, began manufacture of gasoline-powered vehicles in 1904.

The first autos to bear the Studebaker brand appeared in 1911.

After dealing with quality issues caused by a partner company — and correcting the problems with a then-astronomical $1 million parts replacement policy — Studebaker built its reputation on quality, dependable vehicles.

The company owns the distinction of being

Indiana’s most durable car company.

If 1902 is used as the starting date, Studebaker manufactured automobiles for 64 years — the last in 1966. *** Like dozens of Indiana’s early automakers, the Auburn Automobile Co. was headed down the road to an early demise.

Founded by the Eckhart family of Auburn in 1903, the company was an offshoot — like Studebaker — of a company that made horsedrawn vehicles: the Eckhart Carriage Co. Auburn Auto enjoyed

early success, but competition grew stiff as other car companies merged and benefitted from economy of scale.

By 1924, the Chicago financiers who’d bought Auburn Auto from the Eckharts were ready to give up.

Then E.L. Cord arrived.

A dynamic auto salesman from Chicago bursting with both marketing and design ideas, Cord took control of the company in a unique coup: he convinced the financiers that, if he could turn the company around and pay back their original investment, the company

AUGUST 30, 2016

would be his.

Cord accomplished the feat in two years.

Under Cord, Auburnbrand automobiles gained a reputation for style and power. He further. burnished his reputation by acquiring Indianapolis carmaker Duesenberg and creating a third company under his own brand, Cord.

But Cord’s brightly burning ambition involved him in businesses far removed from autos and took him into questionable legal territory. When The Great Depression hit, problems besieged Cord on several fronts.

Auburn Automobile Co. closed its doors in 1937. *** Indiana’s automobile legacy continues.

Tourists flock to see the old cars at the Studebaker National Museum in South Bend and the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Automobile Museum in Auburn.

Vestiges of the early auto manufacturing quest remain in the many auto-related industries in the state.

And early inventors tested their automobiles in long, difficult races. One of these races continues today: The Indianapolis 500.

Sleek automobiles put Auburn on the map The Auburn Automobile Co. was founded near the turn of the 20th century by the sons of Charles Eckhart, who made his fortune in carriages and was a tremendous benefactor for the city.

The car company didn’t take off until the mid-1920s, when brash, young E.L. Cord came up with a plan to take over

from Chicago investors who had struggled in the business. Cord dressed up the Auburn cars, reduced prices and raised the capital to take sole control of the company.

Cord gave the public what it needed with the Auburn, a reliable car that was sharp enough to reflect the public’s taste for

wealth and style. He then purchased the Duesenberg Automobile and Motors Corp. of Indianapolis and made an elegant line of cars driven by movie stars and royalty.

The public also swooned over another brand of auto that bore Cord’s name. It was the first front-wheel drive car and sat lower to

the ground than its rivals.

Cord’s interests turned elsewhere, and his wife died of cancer in 1930.

The company was still thriving, and had an incredible year in 1931, when the redesigned Auburn brought record sales. Production doubled, the plants in Auburn and Connersville were going full steam, and

300 workers were added to the Auburn facility. The company enjoyed sales of $37.2 million.

The Great Depression took its toll on business, however, and the company showed deficits the next several years. The Auburn factory was closed in 1933.

With budget constraints and disagreements among

management, the company turned to Gordon Buehrig of its Duesenberg line for a miracle. Buehrig designed two of the company’s most stunning models ever, the 1935 Boattail Speedster and the 1936 Cord.

Still, sales and production dwindled, and the company officially shut down in 1937.

1940s: Hoosiers go to war — and come home changed

BY LEE SAUER

World War II changed Indiana.

Shrugging off the Great Depression, Hoosier factories came to life.

Employment jumped.

Population movement off farms and into towns increased.

Returning soldiers created markets for housing, cars, household and baby goods. Blacks, called to serve their country or work in war industries, felt justified in calling for equality.

Veterans took advantage of the government’s offer of education through the GI Bill. Many Hoosiers who would not have gone to college otherwise enrolled.

From traveling around the U.S. and the world, GI’s brought back tastes for different kinds of food and entertainment.

War marked the end of Indiana’s secluded innocence.

And the beginning of globalization. *** Indiana remained indifferent when war clouds gathered in Europe.

Ever conservative, Hoosiers voted for Republican — and Indiana native son — Wendell Willkie in 1940. Although not an isolationist, Willkie more closely followed the Republican Party’s view: Let Europe solve its own

problems.

“Cautious” or “resistant to change” might be more accurate terms for Hoosiers’ attitude.

As photographer Lewis Hine’s colleague, Edward Clopper, was quoted as saying, “The people of Indiana are slow to take hold of any movement.” *** Pearl Harbor, Dec. 7, 1941, exploded America’s remaining isolationism Previously, Indiana watched demand for the type of household articles made in its factories — such as washing machines — drop, weakening the state’s economy. Hoosier business grew even more alarmed when war-preparation contracts went to other states.

Fearful of being left out, when America declared war, Indiana desperately sought to catch up.

With its central location, the Crossroads State proved perfect for military posts. Over the course of the war, the number of major military installations in the state jumped from two to 31.

The Allison Corp. in Indianapolis (named for a founding member of the Indianapolis 500) manufactured 70,000 liquidcooled aircraft engines.

Studebaker, based in South Bend, began making 10 B-17 engines a month.

It eventually increased production to 2,300 engines a month.

When the Army asked Kaufman T. Keller if an Evansville plant could produce billions of .45 cartridges, Keller replied: “I still can’t imagine what a billion is like, so I’d like to make billions of something and find out.”

Over the war, the plant produced over 3 billion bullets — 96 percent of .45 ammunition made for American forces. *** Ernie Pyle brought war into American homes.

Born near Dana, Indiana, in 1900, Pyle attended Indiana University, but quit a month before graduation.

Pyle built a reputation writing eclectic stories from backroads locations around the country.

Later he wrote about the emergence of aviation.

When America entered the war, Pyle headed overseas. Rather than writing from information provided by the military, Pyle traveled with the troops and spoke with regular soldiers — the beginning of what we now call embedded journalism.

Eleanor Roosevelt read from Pyle’s stories on her popular national radio show.

Then, on April 17, 1945, just as the war was ending,

PHOTO CREDIT: INDIANA HISTORICAL SOCIETY

MIDDLE OF THE ACTION — Hoosier-born Ernie Pyle reported on World War II by sharing its deprivations and danger with soldiers. In this photo, he poses with a bombing crew. Pyle died at the very end of the conflict — shot while on a patrol.

Pyle raised his head from the ditch where he had taken cover for a look around.

An enemy bullet killed him instantly. *** More than 363,000 Hoosiers served in the armed forces during World War II.

When these men and women returned home (minus the nearly 12,000 who died in service), they were changed people.

And their influence changed Indiana.

In general, Hoosiers broadened their scope to areas beyond the state’s border. They became more

educated, more sophisticated, more worldly.

They also grew more confident. American innovation soared during the war, and the country trusted scientists to tackle problems at home.

The hope: A quality of life never before imagined.

1956: Basketball makes Hoosiers hysterical

BY LEE SAUER

In the mid-1950s, Indiana basketball reached the apex of its arc.

Despite enrollment of just 161, Milan High School won the 1954 Indiana state champi-

onship, realizing the dreams of small schools across the state.

On its way to the title, Milan beat Crispus Attucks, an all-black school in Indianapolis. Attucks’ leader: future NBA Hall-of-Famer Oscar

Robertson.

In the 1956 NCAA tournament, UCLA had a winning streak of 17 games broken.

UCLA’s young coach: John Wooden.

Just over the state line, in

Ohio, Bobby Knight gained a reputation as a hard-nosed high school player.

And, just before time in 1956 ran out, in a small Indiana town — West Baden — another NBA Hall-of-

Since 1956

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Famer was born: Larry Bird. *** On March 16, 1894, two YMCA teams played a recently invented sport on the second floor of a building in Crawfordsville.

The next day, the Crawfordsville Journal Review reported: “Basket ball is a new game, but if the interest taken in the contest last night is any criterion, it is bound to be popular.”

Baseball and football never caught on in Indiana.

Why? Schools were small. They didn’t have enough players, or money for equipment.

But basketball!

All a school needed: five players, two hoops and a ball.

As a winter sport, basketball didn’t interfere with a farm boy’s summer chores.

And even a farm boy who lived far from his schoolmates could practice on his own.

With a hoop nailed to a barn, he could shoot, and shoot, and shoot … *** In the fourth quarter of the 1954 state championship game, Milan found itself tied 30-30 with powerhouse Muncie Central.

Under Coach Marvin Woods’ direction, Bobby Plump held the ball for four

minutes.

Muncie players stayed back.

Despite the lack of action, tension reached a fever pitch.

Then, with the clock running down, Plump dribbled to the right side of the basket and hit a 14-foot shot for the win.

The 1986 movie “Hoosiers” recreated the scene by having an actor shoot from the same spot, on the same floor, in the same building — Butler University’s Hinkle Fieldhouse. *** As a player for Purdue University, John Wooden earned All-American honors three times.

But Wooden built his lasting legacy as a coach.

At UCLA, Wooden won 10 NCAA championships.

Despite Wooden’s sports success, players such as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Bill Walton credited the coach even more for his positive influence on their lives outside basketball. *** Hoosiers loved Indiana University coach Bobby Knight, despite his sometimes boorish behavior.

Why? He won basketball games.

See 1950S page B3

DEKALB BICENTENNIAL

AUGUST 30, 2016

1950S From page B2

Knight ranks second in NCAA Division I wins. He won three national championships and 11 Big Ten titles during his tenure (1971-2000).

Although he didn’t like referees’ interpretation of rules, Knight ran his program within NCAA guidelines.

He made sure players attended class and saw a high percentage graduate. *** For basketball purists, Oscar Robertson and Larry Bird rank high on any list of all-time greats.

Both excelled at all aspects of the game.

Both made their teammates better.

From 1957-1960, Robertson was the best college player in America.

When he ended his career at the University of Cincinnati, he held the NCAA record for points.

As a pro, Robertson won

Rookie of the Year, was a league MVP and appeared in 12 consecutive All-Star games. In 1971, he led the Milwaukee Bucks to an NBA championship.

Bird led tiny Indiana State to the NCAA championship game in 1979. As a pro, Bird appeared in 12 NBA All-Star games and was named MVP three times. He led the Boston Celtics to three championships — 1981, 1984 and 1986.

In its most recent listing, Sports Illustrated ranked Robertson No. 6 on its list of all-time best NBA players.

Bird ranks No. 7. *** In 1947, the Big Ten operated under a gentleman’s agreement: No black players.

But Jackie Robinson had just broken Major League Baseball’s color barrier.

Times were changing.

William Garrett, the consensus best high school player in Indiana, received no college offers.

But, under heavy pressure from YMCA official Faburn

DeFrantz, Indiana University allowed Garrett a chance to join its team — if he was good enough.

Garrett became IU’s best all-time player. He set school records in points and rebounds. He made the All-Big Ten team and was named an All-American.

When Garrett went to the bench his final game as a senior in 1951, the IU crowd gave him a two-minute standing ovation.

Two days later, on the drive home from Bloomington, Garrett and two white teammates stopped at a restaurant.

The waiter declared he would only serve the white men.

During his playing days, Garrett endured taunts, opponents’ elbows and biased referees with humor and grace.

But the waiter’s snub got to him.

Back in the car, as his friends tried to console him, the man who broke the Big Ten’s color barrier wept.

©KPC Media Group Inc. • kpcnews.com

B3

INDIANAPOLIS RECORDER COLLECTION, INDIANA HISTORICAL SOCIETY INDIANAPOLIS RECORDER COLLECTION, INDIANA HISTORICAL SOCIETY

HOOPS HERO — Of all the players to come from hoops-crazy Hoosierland, Oscar Robertson of Indianapolis may be the best. In one poll, he ranks sixth on a list of all-time-great players in the National Basketball Association. Here, he cuts down a net after leading Indianapolis Crispus Attucks to a high school state championship.

COLOR BARRIER BREAKER — Bill Garrett won all-around acclaim as the Big Ten’s and Indiana University’s first player of color, yet just days after his final game, a Hoosier restaurant refused to serve him.

DeKalb County athletes strove for excellence

DeKalb County has seen its share of athletic glory.

One of the earliest stars was Rollie Zeider, who spent eight years as a infielder with the White Sox, Yankees and Cubs from 1910-18.

Nearly a century later, in May 2014, DeKalb High School graduate Jarrett Grube took the mound for the Los Angeles Angels in a game against the Oakland A’s, completing a decadelong quest to reach the big leagues after he was first drafted by the Colorado Rockies in 2004.

Don Lash of Auburn was one of the county’s best ever. He ran in the 5,000 and 10,000 meters in the 1936 Olympics in Berlin and was the 1938 Sullivan

Award winner as the nation’s top amateur athlete.

The schools had their share of glory, starting in 1949, when coach Keith Showalter took the Auburn Red Devils to the state finals. That team included Jim Schooley, who played for Indiana University’s NCAA champs in 1953.

Ashley was a small school but was the big dog of the state in cross country, winning the championship under coach Dwight Graber in 1963.

Buoyed by an overtime win over DeKalb in the county’s “game of the century,” the Garrett football team of 1974 won the Class 1A state title under coach Dave Wiant.

Garrett was 11-0 and

defeated North Knox 20-6 in the title contest. Paul Rassell of the Railroaders won the mental attitude award.

DeKalb’s baseball team made the state finals in 1977, with Bob Heimach the mental attitude award winner. The Barons made it all the way with a state championship in 1980, winning an extra-inning heartstopper in the title game over Muncie North.

Mike Hasselman was the mental attitude award winner.

The Barons ruled on the gridiron in 1986, overwhelming opponents with their “Pork Power” ground attack. Dale Hummer coached the team to a 13-1 record and a 28-7

win over Franklin Central in the Class 4A title game.

DeKalb made it back to the state finals in 1994, but lost to East Central in the championship game. The Barons’ Brad Weber won the mental attitude award.

Eastside had the first-ever girls track mental attitude award winner in Theresa Kern in 1974.

Derrick Miller earned the same honor in wrestling in 1996.

The Blazers made their biggest splash in 1998, winning the Class 1A state softball title under coach Aaron Willard with a 3-1 victory against Riverton Parke in the title game.

Kaleb VanOrt was the state runner-up in cross country for DeKalb in 2001,

and also earned a mental attitude award.

The Baron boys basketball team, guided by coach Cliff Hawkins, went to the Class 4A final in 2003, losing to Pike in the title game. Alex Kock won the mental attitude award for DeKalb, and later was the NAIA Player of the Year as a star at Huntington University.

Lakewood Park Christian put together a softball dynasty under coach David Carnahan, and made three straight Class 1A state finals appearances, winning championships in 2012 and ’13. After the first title, the Panthers’ Kelsey Kruse won the mental attitude award.

Individuals also reigned supreme. Steve Grogg won

the state floor exercise championship for DeKalb in the days of boys gymnastics in 1972.

Ken Wilson was a state champ in the 180-yard hurdles in 1971. DeKalb’s next boys track state title came in the 4x800 relay in 1996, when the team of Matt Miller, Brad Miller, Aaron Ruse and Patrick Miller ran to first place.

Taylor Treesh stood atop the podium in 2001 with a state discus championship.

In swimming, Carolyn Horwitz of DeKalb was state champion in the 100-meter freestyle in 1995.

The sport switched from fall to winter the next year, when the Barons’ Heather Auld took first at state in the 50 freestyle in 1997.

1960s: Highways connect Indiana to the nation

BY LEE SAUER

Indiana’s position between the Great Lakes and the Ohio River, and its crossroads location between destinations east and west, made one fact abundantly clear: Roads are important.

With the advent of the automobile, that importance revved up exponentially. *** In 1811, with states rapidly joining the Union in the “West,” America began work on the first federally funded highway — the National Road.

Planners intended this highway to stretch from the East Coast to the Mississippi River.

By 1834, workers completed the portion of the National Road across the Hoosier state. It ran through Indianapolis and Terre Haute.

The road used new technology: macadamization, named for Scottish inventor John MacAdam.

Workers macadamized a road by carefully shoveling rocks of specific sizes to

predetermined depths.

After the Panic of 1837, Congress pulled funding for the project, so it never quite made it to the Mississippi.

Today, U.S. 40 follows the path of the old National Road. *** Around 1826, Indiana began work on a north-south highway: The Michigan Road.

Although mandated by the state, construction of the road fell to county governments. The state authorized counties to draft local labor.

In the same way Indiana expects citizens to pay taxes today, early in its history, the state expected citizens to provide labor for public projects. Then, as now, some Hoosiers steadfastly refused any imposition by government.

Because of its disjointed work force, construction of the Michigan Road went in fits and starts — and parts were never completed.

Today, the path of the Michigan Road is followed by several Hoosier See 1960S page B4

(PHOTO CREDIT: INDIANA HISTORICAL SOCIETY)

TRANSCONTINENTAL ROAD — The Lincoln Highway became the nation’s first transcontinental road in 1913. Not a completely new road, the highway stitched together stretches of existing roads. Hoosier motorists relied on markers — such as this one in Elkhart — to navigate. Today, U.S. 30 most closely follows the path of the Lincoln Highway.

Since 1968 Worker’s World, located at 240 S. Broadway in Butler, has served the footwear and clothing needs of local and area residents since 1968.

Worker’s World’s motto is “footwear and clothing for the working world,” with heavyduty clothing and soft-toe and safety shoes for industrial, construction and farming interests.

A mobile showroom, nicknamed the “shoe truck,” can be driven on location to offer onsite service for industrial customers.

Worker’s World carries Red Wing, Carolina and Wolverine work shoes and Carhartt and Wrangler clothes, along with many other familiar names.

503 Michigan Ave., Auburn Owners Ron and Linda Buss acquired the business from Ron’s father, David, in 1995.

“We serve them all, regular, small, big and tall,” Ron Buss said.

The business may be found online at workersworld.com so customers can shop online if they can’t make it to the Butler store.

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1960s From page B3

highways, including State Roads 29, 25 and U.S. 31. *** Carl G. Fisher of Indianapolis was a promoter.

To bring attention to his and his brothers’ bicycle shop, he dropped a bike from a building.

The stunt gained plenty of notice: From police.

Later, to advertise his auto dealership, Fisher flew a hot-air balloon with a car dangling beneath over downtown Indianapolis.

Fisher invested in auto racing. The first Indianapolis 500 at the new Indianapolis Motor Speedway took place in 1909. But organizers stopped the race halfway through.

Why? Too many crashes.

Instead of giving up, Fisher convinced his fellow investors to pave the track. From material used, the speedway gained a nickname: The Brickyard. *** Fisher next turned his skills to building a transcontinental highway.

He named the road after the president who signed

DEKALB BICENTENNIAL the order for America’s first transcontinental railway.

The Lincoln Highway.

At the time, paved roads ended at each town’s border.

Maintenance of country roads fell to the folks who lived along them. Many states passed laws prohibiting use of public funds for roads.

So Fisher and associates raised private funds.

Each significant contribution warranted a press release: money from famous Americans, such as Thomas Edison, Teddy Roosevelt and President Woodrow Wilson; or 14 pennies from native children in Alaska.

Workers completed the first section of the highway in 1913. (The 1928 segment of the Lincoln Highway that runs through Indiana now follows U.S. 30, but a portion of the 1913 route can be traced on U.S. 33, passing through Ligonier and Elkhart.)

In 1919, a U.S. Army convoy started from the White House on a well publicized cross-country convoy to San Francisco.

The trip took 56 days, at an average speed of 5.65 miles per hour. Among the nearly 300 Army convoy personnel: Brevet Lt. Col. Dwight D. Eisenhower.

AUGUST 30, 2016

*** As president, Eisenhower remembered the 1919 convoy.

He also remembered how Germany moved military equipment quickly on its autobahn system during World War II. Eisenhower signed the Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956, which created an interstate highway system.

That same year, the Hoosier state completed the Indiana Toll Road. Today, the Toll Road is known as Interstate 80/90 and has been incorporated into the interstate system.

With renaming, renumbering and rerouting

over the years, original highways have been lost.

But I-80 is America’s transcontinental highway that most closely follows the route of the Lincoln Highway. *** The portion of Interstate 69 that links Indianapolis with Michigan was completed in 1971.

As part of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), I-69 will eventually be transcontinental — connecting Mexico and Canada.

But funding has been withheld, and progress on completing I-69 remains slow.

Interstate highway changes DeKalb County landscape The construction of Interstate 69 brought industry and economic development to the county.

Auburn grew west toward the highway, adding several businesses through the years, and eventually forcing a widening of West

7th Street.

I-69 gives area drivers easy access to Fort Wayne and Indianapolis, along with a convenient route north to Angola and into Michigan.

The portion of I-69 running from Indianapolis to the Indiana Toll

Road was first proposed in 1944 and made part of the National System of Interstate Highways two years later.

Construction in this area met with controversy, with the road traveling through wetlands and

farmland. Environmentalists said underground water systems would be threatened and wildlife would be endangered.

The local portion was finished in 1967. It extends north into Michigan to Lansing and then east to

Flint and then Port Huron at the Canadian border.

The highway has opened in three different phases in southern Indiana in recent years, with a section connecting with S.R. 37 being completed in 2015.

Another portion connects

U.S. 41 in Evansville and I-64.

The eventual goal is to extend the highway to the Mexican border through Paducah, Kentucky; Memphis, Tennessee; Shreveport, Louisiana; and Houston.

1970s: Manufacturing makes use of Indiana’s advantages

BY LEE SAUER

By the 1970s, a trend that had stayed in the background came to the fore: Family farms were dying.

Their replacement? Large agribusinesses that made use of new technologies — and needed far fewer workers.

From this point on, Hoosiers would rely more and more on manufacturing to provide the state’s economic thrust. *** The trend from farm to factory took shape over decades.

It started when gas boom companies set up shop in Indiana and continued when electricity reached Hoosier homes in the 1920s and 1930s. Indiana manufacturers began to churn out electrical appliances: washers, refrigerators, stoves and radios.

Family farms even helped create demand for more manufacturing: they boosted markets for farm equipment made in the state, and they produced fruits and vegetables used in Indiana’s expanding canning industry.

Right after World War I, Indiana reached a tipping point:

More Hoosiers now worked in manufacturing than on farms. *** With the end of World War II, America found itself with a dynamic infrastructure for innovation.

Scientists who had previously worked on military problems turned their sights on domestic challenges.

One result: farm production took off like a rocket.

Suddenly, food surpluses and wildly fluctuating markets became problems.

The federal government, building on Great Depression-era programs, responded with subsidies and food relief.

But these were short-term fixes. The long-term problem seemed clear: There were simply more farms— and farmers — than needed. Many farmers began the transition by taking a second job in a factory. *** While Indiana lost the race to become America’s automotive-making center, it emerged with several important manufacturing advantages: mechanical expertise, factory facilities,

access to major highways and close proximity to the auto-manufacturing winner — Detroit.

Beginning in the early 1900s, the Hoosier state became home to factories for “upstream” vehicle parts and components.

Other Hoosier-made products budded off auto-related manufacturers: trailers, mobile homes and recreational vehicles.

Indiana continues to lead in auto-related products.

Plus, the manufacture of complete vehicles (at least the assembly of component parts into vehicles) has come back to the state with the Fort Wayne Assembly plant (trucks), and plants for Honda, Toyota and Subaru. *** Revra DePuy began DePuy Manufacturing in Warsaw. The company made orthopedic appliances.

Today, Warsaw is known as the “orthopedic capital of the world.”

Col. Eli Lilly, a veteran of the Union army, started Eli Lilly and Company in Indianapolis, in 1876. Today the company is a worldwide leader in pharmaceuticals.

Both orthopedics and

pharmaceuticals belong in a soft category of Indiana manufacturing known as “life sciences.” Currently, life sciences trail automotive-related manufacturers — but not by much. *** Indiana still profits from its central location.

The state’s third-leading industry is “transportation.”

This includes trucking, warehousing, and distribution. WalMart, Dollar General, Target, SuperValu and Kroger are among the large companies with distribution centers in the state. *** Relying on manufacturing presents problems for Hoosiers.

Automotive and recreational-vehicle manufacturers ride the national economy like a bucking bronco. When money is tight, new-vehicle sales are the first to drop.

Manufacturing and large-scale farming can cause environmental challenges. As more Hoosiers become aware of health risks and quality-oflife issues, they become less willing to accept pollution, climate change and habitat destruction.

NDIANA HISTORICAL SOCIETY

MANUFACTURING LIFE — Eli Lilly started the company that bears his name in Indianapolis in 1876. Along with DuPuy Manufacturing in Warsaw, Lilly falls into a new category of businesses — life sciences — that help make Indiana a U.S. leader in manufacturing.

Some manufacturing jobs can be low-paying. Workers who fill these positions pay less in taxes and need more social services, putting a strain on state resources.

And, finally, many manufacturing jobs are headed to other countries.

The future for Indiana manufacturing remains unclear.

Steel giant sprouts in DeKalb County A former Nucor manager brought one of the nation’s top steel producers to DeKalb County.

Keith Busse joined two colleagues in 1993 to form Steel Dynamics, and he wanted to bring

his operations to northeast Indiana, which had a work ethic he admired. Gov. Evan Bayh was at his side when he announced rural Butler would be the site in February 1994. Steel production was underway by the fall of the next year.

The plant first met with opposition from residents, voiced in a full-page newspaper ad.

Increases in traffic, noise and pollution, and health concerns topped the list.

County officials stood firm on their commitment to the

industry, however.

Steel Dynamics started with a hot-rolled mill producing some of the lightest-gauge steel ever. A cold-rolled mill was added in 1996. The company added New Millennium Bulding Systems in 2000,

which catered to non-residential building needs with joists, girders, trusses and decking products.

Steel Dynamics also is active in metal recycling with Omnisource.

By 2014, Steel Dynamics did $8.8 worth

of business and employed almost 8,000 people at its operations throughout the United States.

In 2015, the company was the nation’s fourthlargest steel producer and sold 7.7 million tons of steel.

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B5

1980s: Pop culture flows from Hoosier artists

BY LEE SAUER

Despite its conservative nature — or, perhaps, because of it — Indiana has produced unique individuals of great impact on American pop culture.

If such people were capable of being generalized, an outside observer might say that Hoosiers tend toward acerbic wit.

Or a longing to escape through music … *** In 1982, Michael Jackson released “Thriller.”

It remains the best-selling music album of all time.

Jackson was born in Gary in 1958. His father, Joe, worked at U.S. Steel.

Along with four brothers, Jackson burst onto the music scene as the youngest member of the Jackson 5. But it was as a solo artist that Jackson will be remembered. America swooned at his physics-defying dance step, the Moonwalk.

But Joe’s tough love permanently marked Michael. By any standard, the performer’s personal life seemed strange.

Known as “Wacko Jacko,” he became the object of endless fascination.

In 2009, while preparing for a comeback tour, Jackson died from an overdose of drugs prescribed by his personal physician.

Jackson’s influence will be appreciated in his other nickname: The King of Pop. *** Two Indiana songwriters hit the national scene virtually simultaneously, lived in the same time period, and shared similar-

ities.

But their Hoosier roots couldn’t be different.

Cole Porter was born into wealth in Peru in 1891.

During World War I, Porter moved to Paris and developed a talent for living extravagantly.

Although homosexual, he married. His wife knew his sexual preference, but they both benefited from the union, and it lasted until her death in 1954.

Porter made his name in Broadway musicals. His best known songs include, “What is This Thing Called Love?”; “You’re the Top,” and “I’ve Got You Under My Skin.”

He died in 1964.

Howard “Hoagie” Carmichael was born in Bloomington in 1899. His mother played piano during silent movies, and Hoagie absorbed her lessons.

The family struggled financially. When Hoagie’s toddler sister died, he blamed her passing on a lack of money and vowed never to be broke.

Carmichael attended Indiana University and its law school. He passed the bar and joined a law firm in 1927.

But he spent his time making music.

Along with composing tunes, Carmichael performed on radio and acted in both movies and television.

Carmichael’s best-known songs include “Stardust,” “Georgia on My Mind,” and “Heart and Soul.”

He died in 1981. *** Remember the Forty

(PHOTO CREDIT: INDIANA HISTORICAL SOCIETY)

LIVING LARGE — Cole Porter, right, grew up in Peru. Born in wealth, the songwriter continued to live high after a string of hit Broadway musicals in the 1920s and 1930s. He is the composer of “I’ve Got You Under My Skin.”

Eighters?

They were educated Germans who emigrated to America in 1848.

One Forty Eighter, Clemens Vonnegut, settled in Indianapolis and started a successful hardware business.

His grandson, Kurt Vonnegut, was born in 1922 into wealth and privilege.

But tragedy followed Kurt like a shadow. His family lost its wealth.

Despondent, his mother took her life.

Sent overseas during World War II, Vonnegut was taken prisoner. He spent the bombardment of Dresden in a meat locker.

Afterward, he was put to work pulling bodies from the rubble.

Vonnegut wrote about his experiences in “Slaughterhouse 5,” published in 1969 — in synch with America’s growing disillusionment with the Vietnam War. Vonnegut’s macabre humor and pacifism made him a hero of America’s counterculture youth.

Vonnegut’s writing style — short bursts of thought between abrupt punctuation — influenced a generation of writers.

He died in 2007 *** David Letterman was born in 1947 in Indianap-

olis — not far from the Motor Speedway. He graduated from Ball State University in 1969.

As an Indianapolis TV weatherman and newscaster, Letterman kept audiences on guard with his offbeat humor.

Letterman found work as a comedy writer. His sarcastic style got him noticed.

Johnny Carson, then the king of late night comedy, invited him as a regular guest. Later, Letterman hosted the show as Carson wound down his career.

Letterman went on to host his own late shows for 33 years.

Although Letterman

never matched Carson’s broad appeal, he caught on with certain demographics — especially young people.

His bits included prank phone calls, a segment titled “Stupid Pet Tricks,” and regular interviews with his mother. *** No short list of Indiana pop culture celebrities could be complete, but here are a few more notables: Teen-idol actor James Dean; “Garfield” cartoonist Jim Davis; Janet Jackson, Michael’s sister and a singing sensation herself; Guns ‘N Roses lead singer Axl Rose; and author of “The Fault in Our Stars,” John Green.

1990s: Education took root early in Indiana

BY LEE SAUER

When Indiana became a state in 1816, founders based the Hoosier constitution almost word-forword on the constitutions of Ohio and Kentucky.

But one clause proved unique. It provided for a “general system of education, ascending in regular gradation from township schools to a state university wherein tuition shall be gratis and equally open to all.”

Although eventually known for conservatism, Indiana took a liberal and leading role in education. *** Caleb Mills is remembered as “Father of Indiana’s Public Schools.”

But his positive work in education was built upon a negative: Hoosier illiteracy appalled Mills.

After seminary, Mills moved to Crawfordsville in 1833 and started a school. (Today’s Wabash College.)

Then he began a campaign to establish a statewide public school system.

Mills served as state superintendent of schools from 1852-1857. During his term, he helped create the Indiana State Teachers Association.

Mills died in 1880, but by then other educators had picked up his torch.

Today, the Caleb Mills Teaching Award remains the highest university honor a Hoosier faculty member can attain. *** In The Enabling Act, 1816 (which “enabled” Indiana to join the union), Congress stated that one township “shall be reserved for the use of a seminary of learning.”

In 1822 construction on the State Seminary began in Bloomington — in what is now Seminary Square Park.

In 1838, the state changed the name to Indiana University.

IU has always been a leader. In 1867, it became the fourth public university in America to enroll a female student. In 1960, IU students elected an African-American

president of the student body. (Some students protested by parading with Confederate flags.)

Today, the main campus in Bloomington serves more than 40,000 students; combining all campuses, IU serves 100,000 students. *** In the mid-1800s, America needed educated farmers, engineers, scientists and soldiers. But the abstract liberal arts approach of universities ignored practical skills.

Beginning in 1862, Congress gave federal land to states; the land was to be sold and proceeds used to establish universities that taught practical subjects. The schools became known as land grant universities.

In 1869, Purdue University in West Lafayette started as a land grant project. It got its name from John Purdue, a Lafayette businessman and the school’s main benefactor.

See 1990S, page B5

BASS PHOTO CO COLLECTION, INDIANA HISTORICAL SOCIETY

EDUCATION FOREBEARER — Appalled by Hoosier literacy rates, the founder of Wabash College in Crawfordsville began a push for free education for all. As a result, Caleb Mills is known as the “Father of Indiana’s Public Schools.”

Since 1993

Since 1993

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Our staff’s unwavering commitment and dedication makes The Laurels of DeKalb a truly special place. With each and every guest, our associates exhibit a deep, internal belief in compassion, dignity and a sense of belonging. It’s what we call The Laurel Way of Caring.

To schedule a tour or to learn more about The Laurels of DeKalb, please visit laurelsofdekalb.com The Laurels is proud to provide dependable, quality health care for our community since 1993.

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The Changing Dragon, a traditional, lineage Tai Chi school, was founded in Auburn in 1993 by the late Master Bob Sbarge. With a beginning in China in the 13th century, this martial and health art advanced to the US through Greatgrandmaster Chang Tung Sheng, a 60 year Chinese National Champion. His expertise was passed on to Grandmaster Ma in New York, who taught Masters Bob and Eric Sbarge (father and son), who then mentored present day head instructor, Sifu Greg Vick.

Auburn’s first classes were held in the Presbyterian Church on 12th Street for approximately four years before moving to the Main Street YMCA. About a year later, summer of 1999, the weekly Wednesday evening class was switched to the North Street YMCA. Upon Master Bob’s passing in July, 2005, three of his senior students, Lori Fox, Jay Proescher, and Vick continued their Master’s spirit and vision for Tai Chi teachings. Combined they now have over 60 years of Tai Chi experience.

In January, 2006, the three leaders moved the school to the Classic City Center (CCC) just north of DeKalb High School, expanding their classes to include, “Tai Chi for Athletes.” The next change took place in April, 2008, relocating to the Auburn Martial Arts Center (AMAC) in the Kroger Plaza on the city’s west side with classes three days a week.

Auburn expansion of Changing Dragon Tai Chi has included weekly classes, “Tai Chi for Seniors,” at Smith Farms Manor since the summer of 2005 and the Heimach Senior Center since December, 2013. To the east and north Tai Chi is also offered weekly at the Butler Public Library since February, 2012, and Carnegie Public Library (Angola) since April, 2016. Recently certified instructor, Sifu Janie Minick, leads the Angola class.

In addition to its authentic Tai Chi and Qigong (energy staff@changingdragon.com exercises), The Changing ChangingDragon.com Dragon has added regular classes of the Asian health arts Sifu Greg Vick 260.925.1648 of Yoga and Meditation.

Lori Fox 260.837.7271

B6

DEKALB BICENTENNIAL

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1990s From page B5

Today Purdue offers degrees of all kind, but its land grant roots are still apparent. Such as in its sports teams’ nickname: The Boilermakers. *** In the late 1800s, normal schools prepared high school graduates to become teachers. (The schools taught educational standards or “norms.”)

Since 1876, Muncie had hosted a normal school.

But the school struggled and eventually failed.

In 1917, the gas-boom Ball brothers bought the school and donated it to the state. It was casually called “Ball State” or “Fruit Jar Tech.” Indiana officially changed the name to Ball Teachers College in 1922, and Ball State University in 1965.

Currently, Ball State is a pioneer in creating an environmentally sustainable campus.

*** Hoosier lawmakers chartered Indiana State Normal School in Terre Haute in 1865.

It became Indiana State University in 1965.

Many Hoosiers connect Indiana State with Larry Bird, the basketball player. That’s good, because the school’s sports teams have struggled with identity.

At first, ISU athletes were called the Fighting Teachers. The next nickname: The Sycamores

— referring to trees rooted along the Wabash River.

In 1969, the school created Chief Quabachi, intending to honor the area’s former residents. He lasted until 1989. Frustrated, Indiana State did not use a mascot for six years.

In 1995, the school introduced Sycamore Sam, a woodland animal of indeterminate parentage.

As of publishing, Sam remains the mascot. *** Begun in 1801 as Jefferson Academy,

AUGUST 30, 2016

Vincennes University existed before Indiana became a state.

For a while, Vincennes competed with Indiana University to be the “State Seminary,” but its decentralized location (south and west, along the Wabash River), hurt.

In 1989, Vincennes became a two-year school.

It and Ivy Tech remain state-funded schools that provide technical training. *** The Catholic bishop of Vincennes donated land in

the south bend of the St. Joseph River to be used for a school. In 1842, it offered classes in a log chapel. Two years later, the school received a state charter as a college.

Known officially as University of Notre Dame du lac (Our Lady of the Lake), Notre Dame ranks as the largest of Indiana’s 31 private universities. Although it gets most of its attention today from football, ND enjoys a reputation for top academic programs.

Consolidation changes county school district maps School consolidation was a change that was sometimes painful and contentious, but also beneficial. It was mandated

by Indiana’s School Reorganization Act of 1959.

Communities feared losing their independence and identity. Smaller, outlying areas worried they would be subject to the control of rival or larger communities. Athletic success also figured in to the debate.

The DeKalb Central United School District was a combination of the Northwest United School District (Ashley, Waterloo and Corunna, and Fairfield, Richland, Grant and Smithfield townships) and the South Central School District (Auburn plus Jackson and Union townships).

While the South Central board voted unanimously for the consolidation, the Northwest district was split, and the matter was

put to a referendum in the 1964 primary elections.

The merger passed.

The site for a new high school was set on U.S. 27 (now C.R. 427) between Auburn and Waterloo.

DeKalb High School opened in the fall of 1967.

James R. Watson, who served as superintendent for 25 years, is credited with working to unite the old districts into one and making sure the smaller, outlying areas were part of the process.

The DeKalb Eastern School District (Butler, Spencerville and St. Joe, along with Troy, Stafford, Newville, Spencer, Concord and Wilmington townships) had a much more bitter struggle, largely over where to build a new Eastside High School.

Eastside had formed in 1963, with the combining of Butler and Riverdale high schools, the latter name adopted by St. Joe in the 1950s. Students used

the Butler High School building, but discussions of where to put a new school turned into a bitter fight that found its way into the courts.

A site near the intersection of S.R. 8 and S.R. 1 was first approved, but then a new board was voted in, and a site in Butler was approved.

Ted Haberkorn, publisher of the St. Joe News, helped lead a fight for the “southern rebels” from St. Joe and Spencer-

ville against those who wanted the school to stay in Butler. A lawsuit failed, and the Eastside High School opened in the fall of 1971.

Arguments over the land-locked nature of the school site, with little room for expansion, and the travel distance required for those in the outlying areas persisted. The school, however, has united with the success of the schools academically, athletically and in the arts.

2006: Indianapolis grows with sports at the center

With the gas boom of the late 1800s, business in Indianapolis boomed again.

Events inside the mile spurred growth as well.

During the race to produce successful automobiles, Indianapolis boasted 60 automakers.

With its transportation infrastructure, the city rivaled Detroit in auto manufacturing — until eventually falling back.

But Indianapolis kept one trophy from the contest.

The Indianapolis 500 features 33 cars going around a 2.5-mile track 200 times. With more than 300,000 on-site spectators annually, promoters bill the race as the largest sporting event in the world. *** Indianapolis could never forget basketball.

A group of Indy investors pooled resources to bring the Indiana Pacers — named for the pace car of the race — to town in 1967.

As part of the upstart American Basketball Association, the Pacers featured a red-white-andblue ball and a novelty shot: The 3-pointer.

In 1970, the Pacers made their No. 1 draft NDIANA HISTORICAL SOCIETY pick Rick Mount — a high school legend and SELECTING SITE — In this 1880s drawing, an artist envisions the work done by state officials in selecting the site Purdue star who personof Indianapolis in 1820 in what was then virgin forest. ified the Hoosier pure shooter. an important fan stepped on Indianapolis could in 1976, the Pacers again Steve Alford — all facts Coached by Bob in: Theodore Roosevelt. forgo mention of Peyton heavy enough to sink any enjoyed success under “Slick” Leonard (who The president initiated Manning. player’s popularity. coach Larry Bird and had starred at IU and hit a meeting among colleges The Colts had been a But Hoosiers adopted 3-point sharpshooter two late free throws to mildly successful football Miller for his passionate Reggie Miller. win the 1953 national to agree to rules governing team after moving to the play over 18 years — all Miller grew up in championship), the Pacers the sport. That meeting with the Indy team. city in 1984. But with California, played for dominated the ABA, led to the formation of Manning’s arrival in 1998, the National Collegiate *** UCLA, and the Pacers winning championships in that changed.

Speaking of adopted drafted him ahead of IU 1970, 1972 and 1973.

Athletic Association in Over his 12-year stint sports figures, no article star (and Hoosier-born) After joining the NBA 1910. with the team, Manning At first, the NCAA turned the Colts into only set rules for competiperennial winners. He was tion. Then, in 1921 with Since 1999 Since 2000 MVP of the Colts’ Super track and field, the NCAA Bowl win. By the time he conducted its first national Serving Dekalb County and left in 2011, hobbled by championship. surrounding areas injury and uncertainty, Over the years (and not Manning had become the fast enough for female face of Indianapolis. athletes), the NCAA *** expanded its reach to In the early 1900s, include women’s sports. young men were dying to In 1997, touting play college football. location and excellent Literally. facilities for hosting In 1905, 18 players competitions, the NCAA died. moved its headquarters to Colleges began to drop a vibrant, up-and-coming Action Realty specializes in selling land and residential, football programs. Then city: Indianapolis. commercial and industrial properties, as well as the occasional pond or lake, according to owner and principal broker Allen Holman.

In Business for 17 years!

Assisting Holman in the business is Michele Mitchell.

Smith Farms Manor of Auburn brings forth the memory of Hoosier farm life. Farmer John Smith owned a large farm on the Holman’s son Jason, and daughter-in-law Vicki have joined east side of Auburn. He was well known throughout the community the business as associate brokers. for his black angus. Aging forced him to sell part of his land where “I’ve farmed all my life and I’m acquainted with a lot of we built our community. To honor his memory we named it Smith Farms Manor. Today Farmer Smith’s memory is alive as we care for people,” Holman said. “That has given me a lot of referrals. senior citizens within our community.

“Our name has helped carry us,” Holman said. “My Smith Farms Manor is a full-service senior living community offering the finest in independent living apartments, as well as short father, Aaron, emphasized the importance of trust and stays for seniors. Our community’s residents enjoy a host of services honesty. Dad always said it takes a lifetime to build your and amenities, including restaurant-style dining, a wide range of planned social activities, live entertainment, and 24-hour staff. name up, but only one bad experience to ruin your name.”

BY LEE SAUER

When the Colts won Super Bowl XLI, the Indianapolis team became champions of the National Football League’s 2006 season.

Five years later, Indianapolis won kudos for its family-oriented, gracious hosting of Super Bowl LXVI. But, wait.

Isn’t basketball Indiana’s game?

Or auto racing?

Yes, but the football contests proved something: that Indianapolis had grown beyond its Hoosier roots. *** Indianapolis began as a planned city.

In other words, it was not located, nor did it grow, organically.

In 1820, state leaders looked at a map, located the center of the state, and determined to build the Hoosier capital city on the X. (If the location skews to the south, that’s due to the early importance of the Ohio River.)

Planning is apparent in the city’s design: one mile square, streets that radiate out of a central hub.

Planning paid off.

After the National Road reached the city in 1827, and when railroads arrived 20 years later, Indianapolis became a crossroads for the Midwest.

And the entire nation. *** Events outside the mile square helped Indy grow.

When the Civil War began in 1860, railroads proclaimed Indianapolis an important center for moving troops and supplies.

In 10 years, the city’s population doubled.

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One automobile museum led to more The Auburn Automobile Co. headquarters once featured an elegant showroom to display the future classics produced there.

When the company folded in 1937, it was used by various other businesses that were more focused on work than appearance.

In the early 1970s, however, a successful auction of classic cars got the community thinking that a museum to honor

a major part of the city’s heritage would be nice to have. Two nonprofit corporations were formed, one to organize a classic car festival and one to create the museum.

Using auction profits, the community bought the auto company headquarters building in 1974, and it was restored by volunteers.

The Auburn Cord Duesenberg Museum opened in July of that year.

Today, the building has

been restored to its former glory and plays host to many social events, along with displaying more than 100 vintage cars on three floors. The Collection Conservation Center has been added next door for volunteers to keep the classics running, and an educational plaza across the street enhances the experience.

The Auburn Cord Duesenberg Automobile Museum, as it is now

known, made DeKalb County home to many museums.

The National Auto and Truck Museum is housed in the old Auburn Automobile Co. factory buildings building next door and features post-World War II cars, muscle cars and trucks.

The Kruse Automotive & Carriage Museum is part of complex west of I-69 at the National Military History Center

and features classic and custom cars. It also houses the International Monster Truck Museum & Hall of Fame and the Northeastern Indiana Racing Museum.

The history center features military vehicles, weapons and uniforms from throughout the years.

The Early Ford V-8 Museum is located nearby and focuses on Ford Motor Co. vehicles from 1932-53.

Auburn is also host to the Hoosier Air Museum

and the DeKalb County Horsemen’s Association and Draft Animal Museum.

The Garrett Historical Railroad Museum, the former Baltimore & Ohio freight station, is another attraction in the county along with the Garrett Museum of Art, housed in a restored bank building.

The former Butler Carnegie Library building now houses the DeKalb County Historical Museum.

2016: Past meets present in bicentennial year

COMMENTARY BY LEE SAUER

Two hundred years.

It’s a long time.

And, it’s a blink of an eye.

George Santayana said, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”

Wise words.

Hoosiers could learn much from their state’s past.

But first, some introductions are in order … *** Pioneers and gas boomers: meet climate change deniers.

To pioneers, the forest seemed endless. There would always be more virgin forest; game would always be plentiful.

During the gas boom, Hoosiers scoffed at experts who warned the gas would run out if not conserved.

Both the virgin forest and gas disappeared, and in much shorter time than anyone anticipated.

Today, climate change deniers ignore warnings from an overwhelming majority of scientists who say we are doing irreparable harm to our planet. *** Canals: meet coal.

When trains arrived, Hoosiers replaced canals.

Canal workers lost jobs.

Some folks — forgetting the slow pace, the endless maintenance, the constant money outlays, and the mosquitoes — waxed nostalgic for canals.

But advantages of the new technology overwhelmed all arguments.

Today, America has largely moved on from coal as an energy source, yet

some leaders shout to bring coal back. *** Bigotry: meet xenophobia.

Pioneers (or their proxies, soldiers) shoved Indians aside. The Ku Klux Klan intimidated African-Americans, Jews, Catholics and immigrants.

Today, some Hoosiers decry allowing Middle Easterners and Mexicans access to the state.

And Hoosier laws that allow discrimination against gays and transgender create classes of Americans. *** Railroads and automobiles: meet computers and alternative energy.

Railroads and automobiles completely remade America — physically, socially, and economically.

Indiana didn’t make the transformative products, but in each case it benefitted from spinoff opportunities.

Computers and alternative energy are this generation’s wonder technology. *** Family farmers: meet organic farmers.

Family farms produced fresh, tasty food. Often farmers knew the people who bought their produce.

Industrialization of America’s food supply produces food that is often tasteless and which must travel thousands of miles to consumers.

Today, organic farms reincarnate family farms.

They produce food that tastes good, is nutritious, and doesn’t need abundant fossil fuel to get it to its point of sale.

*** Union: meet Brexit.

Abraham Lincoln warned that if states could leave the United States at will, then the union no longer existed.

The experiment in democratic government would have failed.

Britain’s recent exit from the European Union shocked the world.

Already other nations have begun to question whether they should stay in the union. *** Caleb Mills: meet online learning.

Hoosier illiteracy horrified Mills. He worked hard to eliminate it.

All a democracy holds dear — innovation, critical thinking, fairness, opportunity for all, good leaders— rely on one thing: Education. *** Eugene Debs: meet Bernie Sanders.

Debs went to jail for “radical” ideas. Yet those ideas are now woven into the American fabric.

Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders advocates revolution. But a majority of his party’s voters were not ready for his ideas in 2016. *** In researching Indiana history, one Hoosier quality pops up again and again: Reluctance to change.

People tend to wear blinders that allow them to see only their own time.

They believe aspects of their life are the way things have always been.

They resist change because of the blinders: they

INDIANA HISTORICAL SOCIETY

PROPHETIC? — Terre Haute native Eugene Debs called for worker reforms that once seemed radical, but today are accepted as standard practice. Debs ran — unsuccessfully — for president five times as a Socialist

can’t imagine life beyond what they know.

But even a cursory study of history points out the error in that view.

Change is continual.

It’s going on now.

Lots of it.

Hoosiers don’t like change?

That’s pretty ironic.

Consider this: a mere 200 years ago, the land on which we live was virgin forest.

Special thanks to Jim Zimmerman, retired professor of history at Tri-State University (now Trine University) for his research assistance.

Former rail worker made his mark as mayor Fred Feick greatly impacted Garrett during his 28 years as mayor, and the impact is still present today.

The park that bears his name was the result his tireless work and negotiations to help beautify the city, and it still finds

youngsters splashing in the pool on a hot summer’s day or smacking one to the fence on one of the ball diamonds.

Feick may be best remembered for his work on behalf of railroad workers.

Feick had his railroad career

ended in a collision, and he began his quest for better working conditions after being elected as a delegate to the state Democratic convention. He was responsible for several laws that improved railroad safety.

He continued that cause

as a delegate to the national convention. A friend of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, he was respected by management, governing bodies and workers. As a mediator, he helped end or avoid several strikes.

In Garrett, he was

well-loved by the people.

He was always helpful to children, talking to them about a safety issues. He also would drive by the school, tossing suckers out the window of his car. He helped people with their wills free of charge, and for

those seeking a divorce, he would try to get them back together.

Feick was 57 when he made his first bid for mayor.

After his final term ended in 1963, he opted not to seek re-election. He died at age 89 in 1967.

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DEKALB BICENTENNIAL

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DeKalb County Photos

PHOTO CONTRIBUTED

This photo is labeled “Free Fall Exhibit 1910 Auburn, Ind.” The event was a predecessor of the DeKalb County Free Fall Fair.

In a photo that is partially shown on the cover, a crowd gathers in Auburn for a celebration of Indiana’s

PHOTO CONTRIBUTED PHOTO CONTRIBUTED

centennial in 1916.

This undated photo is labeled “high school fire drill, Waterloo, Ind.”

PHOTO CONTRIBUTED

A temporary courthouse at 8th and Jackson streets in Auburn burned in a fire on Feb. 8, 1913. Courthouse functions were moved during construction of a new courthouse. The Masonic Temple now occupies the site.

PHOTO CONTRIBUTED

This undated photo is labeled “Saturday in Spencerville, Ind.”

This undated photo of early Auburn from a high vantage point is labeled “corner of 7th & Main looking west.”

PHOTO CONTRIBUTED