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Although permanent settlement of the Cass County area did
not occur until 1826, the French interacted and traded with the Native
American tribes living in the Wabash Valley. Those tribes were the
Potawatomie and Miami Indians. A treaty signed in October of 1826
opened much of the north central portion of Indiana to settlement,
marking the beginning of the end for tribes in Indiana. In 1838 the
last of the Potowatomie Indiana were removed to Kansas in what has
become known as The Trail of Death.
It would be impossible to talk about Cass County without
reference to the Wabash River. The Wabash has been an important
trading route, as well as Indiana’s most fabled river. Miami Indians
called it ‘waapaahsiiki siipiiwi’. Translated it means ‘the
river that shines white’. Prior to American settlement, the French
called it the ‘Quabache’. Cass County also has several other
important waterways including the Eel River and the creeks of Pipe,
Twelve Mile and the north and south forks of Deer. Lake Cicott, eight
miles west of Logansport, is the only lake in Cass County and is the
most southern glacial lake in Indiana.
Cass County has been fortunate that very little blood has been
spilled on its soil. Since the arrival of Europeans, only one battle
has taken place. On August 7, 1791, on orders from Washington D.C. to
scatter the native Miami tribes, General John Wilkinson led 525
Kentucky troops against the village of Old Towne. In the battle six
warriors, two women and a child were killed. Two of Wilkinson’s men
also died at the battle. Today the site of Old Towne is just northeast
of Adamsboro on the Eel River. The first permanent settler in Cass County was Alexander
Chamberlain. Chamberlain entered the county on December 23, 1824. It
was not until August of 1826, however, that he built a small round log
cabin on the south bank of the Wabash River opposite the mouth of the
Eel River. He would later become the first to establish a tavern and
hotel within the county limits.
The most important early resident of Cass County was General
John Tipton. Tipton had been the head of the Indian Agency at Fort
Wayne, Indiana since the early 1820’s. In 1828 he persuaded
Washington D.C. to allow him to move the agency to the city of
Logansport. Once here, Tipton was instrumental in routing the Michigan
Road and the Wabash & Erie Canal through the county. The general
was also instrumental in the naming of Logansport, although not in the
fashion he would have liked. Several members of the new pioneer town
had ideas on a proper name for the bustling new burgh. Tipton’s
offering was the Latin translation of “mouth of the Eel”. Hugh B.
McKeen, Logansport’s first merchant, suggested the name of a Shawnee
chief called “Logan”. Chief Logan had been a scout for the United
States Army in the War of 1812, sacrificing his life for the cause.
The compromise was a shooting contest in which John B. Duret won. His
prize was the naming of the town. Duret favored the suggestion of
McKeen with a twist. Since the town was situated on a navigable
stream, “port” was added to the end, the Logan’s Port. In short
time the name was condensed to its present form. Logansport has had a long-standing tradition as a
transportation center. From the time it was platted in 1828 Logansport
grew quickly with improvements in transportation. The Michigan Road,
connecting Madison with Lake Michigan, via Indianapolis, came to Cass
County in 1832. This road was for decades the most important
north-south highway in Indiana.
An occasional flood has visited Cass County. The worst of these
came at the end of March in 1913. On the 26th of that month
the Wabash crested at a depth of 25.33 feet. Some sections of
Logansport on the west side were under twelve feet of water. Culver
Military Academy helped in the rescue effort with several boats,
saving many lives. Only two people died in the flood whereas Peru,
just to our east, lost eleven people to the raging water. Other floods
in the county’s history have occurred in 1857, 1883, 1936, 1940,
1943 and 1959.
The impact of the Wabash & Erie Canal on Logansport and
Cass County is second only to the Railroad boom of the 1860’s. The
Wabash & Erie Canal connected Lake Erie at Toledo with the Ohio
River at Evansville, Indiana. The total length of the canal was 468
miles, making it the longest in United States history. The canal
arrived in Logansport in 1838. The first boat to come to town was “The
Clyde”. Cass County towns such as Lewisburg and Georgetown witnessed
booms directly attributed to the canal. These points on the canal
brought in farmers produce covering north central Indiana and shipped
it to places like Toledo, Ohio, Cleveland, Ohio and Albany, New York.
The heyday for the canal coincided with the emergence of the first
railroads to the county during the 1850’s. Railroads and
mismanagement of the canal led to its demise in 1875.
The county has long depended on the railroads, with the hub in
Logansport. The first engine to enter Logansport ironically floated
down the Wabash & Erie Canal in July of 1855. From there it was
hauled across the Wabash River to the south side, at the time known as
Taberville, to a turntable. This railroad, called the Newcastle &
Richmond, changed Logansport forever. In time Logansport would call
itself home to seven lines of the Pennsylvania Railroad as well as the
Vandalia and Wabash lines. The Pennsylvania Railroad also had their
main repair shops in town. At one time in the early 1920’s, 3000
people were employed by the railroad in Logansport. Railroads also
were the most important factor in the growth of Cass County towns like
Walton, Galveston, Royal Center, Lucerne, Twelve Mile, Clymers and New
Waverly.
Cass County has taken a pivotal role in the automobile
industry. Many cars were manufactured in Indiana during the early part
of the century. Logansport produced two models, the Bendix and the
Revere. While the Bendix only made a few vehicles, the Revere operated
here from 1917-1926 making more than 2600 automobiles. Only five
Reveres are known to be in existence today. The Cass County Historical
Society owns one of them. It is currently on display in the Logansport
Mall. Logansport’s tremendous growth during its first ninety years
has not been sustained since the 1920’s. The railroad strike of 1922
coupled with several other factors has led to a stagnate population
for eighty years. Today, while most of the county is still
agricultural, Logansport has made the transition from railroads to a
more broad based industry. Several factories produce parts for the
automotive industry.
Prepared
by: Bryan Looker
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