www.the-papers.com
Tuesday, September 14, 2021
Serving Elkhart County and parts of Noble, LaGrange & Marshall Counties Know Your Neighbor. . . . . 2➤ Speak Out . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Good Neighbors . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Nappanee Apple Festival 6 & 7 Vol. 49 No. 23
Goshen (574) 534-2591
134 S. Main, Goshen, Indiana 46526
Goshen Dam repairs provide a glimpse of the past %\ '$9,' +$=/(',1( 6WDII :ULWHU Before work began to replace the Goshen Dam toe drain Sept. 7, water levels in the Millrace Canal and Goshen Dam Pond were drawn down 4 to 6 feet to allow access to workers. The result, as many area residents saw who ventured into the area before access was closed, was the exposure of a vast mud flat, harkening back to a time before the dam and Millrace Hydraulic Canal system was completed in 1868. Ownership of the Goshen Dam was transferred to the city of Goshen by NIPSCO in 1968. It is overseen by the Elkhart County Parks Department and was rebuilt in 1992. Ronda DeCaire, parks director, explained the “high 9,(: )520 $%29( ³ 7KLV SKRWR ZDV WDNHQ IURP D GURQH SRLQWLQJ VRXWK IURP DERYH *RV KHQ 'DP SRQG ZKHQ WKH ZDWHU OHYHO ZDV ORZHUHG SULRU WR FRQVWUXF WLRQ WR UHSODFH WKH WRH GUDLQ FRP PHQFHG 6HSW 3KRWR SURYLGHG E\ 5RQ *H\HU
hazard dam” requires yearly inspection. Camera work found infiltration from debris — including tree roots — in the toe drain, an underground tube sending excess water to the Elkhart River. It was decided, said DeCaire, “Now is the time for the toe drain to be replaced.” The work is being done by Selge Construction and will take 30-60 days to complete. During that time, there will be no access from the Millrace Trail to Shoup Parsons Woods, Mike Puro Plaza parking lot or the restrooms. The parking lot will be closed at Gray Roy Drive. Following completion, the water will be allowed to rise again during a period of 10-14 days. The rich history of this area
is well documented by the Goshen Historical Society with displays at the museum at 124 S. Main St., as well as on its website, www.goshenhistorical.org. The construction of Hawks Dam, the original Goshen Dam, in 1868 created a reservoir, which filled in an ox bow in the Elkhart River around what is now Kercher Bridge. An island was also created, named Blosser’s Island for Amos Blosser who owned the island and developed a park there in 1909. A flat-bottom boat ferried passengers to the park, where they enjoyed swimming, picnicking and various gatherings. For now, however, one can see how Blosser Island was — as the historical society’s Ron Hoke noted — not an is-
land at all, but actually a high point near the Elkhart River. The lowered water levels now reveal the stumps of trees possibly chopped down during the construction of the original dam more than 150 years ago. In fact, the museum contains logs removed from the Millrace area which date to the mid 1700s. More recent history was also revealed when a truck stolen from the Old Bag Factory in 2016 was pulled from the muck Sept. 1. The dam and canal were originally built to provide water power for industry. This soon evolved into first steam and then later electrical power. According to Hoke, the creation of Hawks Electric Company saved area industries from high insurance costs related to
% / 2 6 6 ( 5 · 6 3$5. ³ 6WDUWLQJ LQ SDVVHQ JHUV FRXOG ERDUG D IHUU\ IURP D ODQGLQJ QHDU ZKDW LV QRZ .HUFKHU %ULGJH DQG &5 IRU D YLVLW WR %ORVVHU ,VODQG D UHFUHDWLRQ VSRW GHYHORSHG E\ WKH LVODQG·V RZQHU $PRV %ORVVHU 7KH LVODQG ZDV IRUPHG ZKHQ D UHVHUYRLU ZDV IRUPHG DW DQ R[ ERZ LQ WKH (ONKDUW 5LYHU EHORZ WKH QHZO\ EXLOW +DZNV 'DP LQ 3KRWR SURYLGHG E\ *RVKHQ +LVWRULFDO 6RFLHW\
providing their own, which required dangerous boilers. But the system also created several other parks and recreation areas, some of which have disappeared, such as Tonawanda and Island Parks, near Jefferson Street. The latter, which stood between the Millrace and main Elkhart River stream saw a crowds of around 1,500 gather in to watch the Goshen Greys play the Chicago White Sox and New York Giants in 1911 and 1912 respectively. While these parks have been “erased by time and industrial use,” said Hoke, others, such as Rogers and Shanklin Parks thrive to this day. To see a video on the Millrace Canal, visit youtube /www.youtube.com/ watch?v=vcS7cifwdNg.