LAKE COUNTY INDIANA NEWSPAPER DATA Community News

LAKE COUNTY INDIANA NEWSPAPER DATA
Community News

CROWN POINT, Ind. Dec 2.
M. T. Hart, of this city, a member of the firm of Miller & Hart packers, of Chicago, has started a new enterprise on his farm at Hartsdale, this county. He is raising skunks for the market. He now has a great many, and by spring expects to have one corner of his farm filled with them, as they multiply very rapidly. The animals are fed on rats, which they like better than anything else. It is a very profitable business. Their hides sell for $1 to $2 each.
[Source: Indiana State Journal December 9, 1896 - Submitted by Barb Ziegenmeyer]

CROWN POINT Ind. Feb. 2
The Supreme Court of the Independent Foresters held its annual meeting in this city to-day and elected the following officers: High chief ranger. F. E. Cooper, Crown Point; vice chief, M. D. Crume Wabash, Ind., secretary, Frank Klein, Valparaiso: treasurer. J. Lowensteln. Valparaiso: medical examiner. Dr. P. G. Moore. Wabash. Tonight a banquet was held for the visiting delegates, which numbered 250. and toasts were responded to by prominent members of the order. The organization seceded from the Illinois Foresters in 1893. [Indiana State Journal, 9 Feb 1898 - Submitted by Barb Ziegenmeyer]

ITEMS from the "Reports of the Historical Secretary of the Old Settler and Historical Association of Lake Co, IN From 1906 to 1910

Gary people preparing for inhabitants. On September 11, 1906, there was filed in the County Recorder's Office by the Gary Land Company, a plat of the proposed city of Gary, containing 119 blocks and more than 4,200 lots, the land being situated in sections 3 and 4, range 8, township 36, and comprising 400 acres or more.

The grain elevator at Dinwiddie station was opened for business on Friday, November 23, (1906) and the first load of grain was delivered there by Orville Hale. The second was by Tyler Hogan.

On Thursday, January 24, 1907, C. E. Nichols & Co., of Lowell, took in 155 loads of corn and 5 loads of seed and hay. Their receipts for the week were over 20,000 bushels or corn and their outlay for the same exceeded $75,000.

On Saturday, January 26, (1907) the S. M. La Rue Company sold at Lowell, 3,000 pounds of sugar.

Ed Fuller, from March 1 to June 5, of this year (1907), has bought of Lowell merchants 1,300 cases of eggs, amounting to $5,553

August 1, 1907, the Crown Point banks commenced allowing 3 per cent interest on time deposits.
Other banks in the county had been allowing interest for some time past. Quite large sums of money are on deposit in the county waiting for profitable investments.

ICE HARVEST.
February 1 (1907). Cloudy this morning. Mercury 30. Some two inches of snow now on the ground. Some sleds and cutters were running yesterday. There have now been, after some zero weather, four good days of putting up ice. At the Fair Ground Lake the ice is said to be from six to seven inches in thickness, clear and good ice. At Cedar Lake it is reported to have been this week from six to ten inches thick.

On Sunday, March 10, of this year, 1907, the Tod Opera House in East Chicago, built in 1888, was destroyed by fire, and much other property. Loss, about $16,000.

October 30, Wednesday (1907). The Moon and Hale Co. commenced running their cars on a little train road from the Panhandle railroad to the Public Square, to convey the gravel for the construction of Main street. Four horses were required on the steepest part of the grade.

November 2. (1907) The cornerstone of the enlarged court house at Crown Point was laid.

November 9, (1907) Saturday night. The Erie station at Highland was burned; also the M. E. church at Crown Point took fire, and considerable damage was done.

On Tuesday evening of the same day, February 11, (1908) the Carnegie Library Building was opened to the public. Addresses were given by Judge McMahon, O. J. Bruce, Esq., T. H. Ball, Miss Curtis, Editor Bibler and Miss Scott, Public Library Commissioner of Indianapolis.

February 28. (1908) The Swedish young people of East Chicago attended a district meeting in the Gustavus Adolphus church at Grand Crossing.

March 6. (1908) A Welsh society of East Chicago celebrated St. David's day.

March 10, 1908. In the winter a Carpenters' Union was organized in Crown Point, and to-day occurred the first "strike." The carpenters at work on the court house were receiving 35 cents an hour, and they demanded 50 cents. They obtained it, and resumed work in the afternoon of today, March 11.

May 21 (1908). Electric street cars commenced running in Gary.

About the first of July (1908) your secretary was shown, by the courtesy of Mr. W. C. Belman, through the many rooms of the First National Bank of Hammond. This bank structure is truly a city building, and its rooms are finely fitted up. A. Murray Turner, once a Crown Point boy, is president.
[Source: "Reports of the Historical Secretary of the Old Settler and Historical Association of Lake Co, IN From 1906 to 1910" - Submitted by K. Torp]

The Lake County Agricultural Fair, which has just held its fiftieth annual fair (1908) , was organized in August, 1851. Its first officers were: Hervey Ball, president ; William Clark, vice-president ; J. W. Dinwiddie, treasurer ; Joseph P. Smitt, secretary. The same president and secretary continued in office for six years. The directors were : Henry Wells, A. D. Foster, Michael Pearce, H. Keilman, Augustine Humphrey and William N. Sykes. Not one of the first officers or directors is now living. From 1859 until 1867 no fair seems to have been held. New officers were elected : Hiram Wason, president; Bartlett Woods, vice-president; J. C. Sauerman, treasurer, and A. E. Beattie, secretary, and not one of these is now living. The ninth annual fair was held in 1867. The fair of this year, 1908, August 18-21, bears no resemblance to the early fairs. The men of those days are gone, the times have changed, the county has vastly changed. "The old order changeth," said Tennyson. At this fair, sold of family tickets, $1.50 each, 126; of single tickets on Thursday, 3,022; on Friday, 4,043. Nearly $2,000 ($1,945) taken in for tickets alone. Yes, "the old order changeth."
The following record, made at Lowell, for Tuesday, August 11, shows to what extent those on the R. F. D. lines sometimes fail to stamp their letters and parcels : Route No. 1, pieces gathered 41; of these not stamped, 22. Route No. 2, pieces gathered 37, not stamped 20. Route No. 3, pieces gathered 46, not stamped 12. Route No. 4, gathered 15, not stamped 8. Total, 139; 62, nearly half, not stamped.

The following figures are from the Lake County Times in regard to Gary, in this summer of 1908: Gary has now reached a position enabling it to be called the-expected-to-be great steel city of the land. Inhabitants, "12,000 to 15,000." [Source: "Reports of the Historical Secretary of the Old Settler and Historical Association of Lake Co, IN From 1906 to 1910" - Submitted by K. Torp]

Odd Fellows in Lake county. Date, August 14, 1908. Authority, the East Chicago Globe: Number of lodges, 8; members, 1,015. These lodges are located in Hammond, Whiting, East Chicago, Gary, Crown Point, Hobart, Lowell and Shelby. At each of these places, except Crown Point, are Rebekah lodges, with a membership of 709. Of the other orders of the county, and there are many, the membership is not known.

August 10th. (1909) On this day the East Chicago Globe reached its tenth anniversary in the hands of Allison P. Brown, he having become editor and publisher August 10th, 1899. Mrs. Brown, the editor's wife, for four years did most of the office work, being a good compositor, and both having been successful teachers. They have published a paper which contains good language, free from the blemishes found in some of our papers, and caring for the interests of morality and religion. Their son, Francis Brown, now takes charge of the Linotype machine in the place of his mother.

June 26. (1909) Facts sufficient have now been gathered for a record to be made of the grand automobile races of June 18 and 19, 1909, at Crown Point, near which place was the grandstand, so called. This stand was an immense structure, in length 864 feet, in depth 60 feet, in height about 25 feet. The number of seats, 10,000. Amount of lumber used, 400,000 feet. Used in construction, 59 kegs of nails. Contract price for construction, $10,000. There was great disappointment in regard to the number of people in attendance, that number falling far short from what the citizens of Crown Point and Lowell had been led to expect and for the care and comfort of whom they had made large provision. There are no means of determining the real number present. The estimates of the three papers, the Star, the Register and the Lowell Tribune, differ widely. From some actual counts that have come to my knowledge (end of our available data]

The improvements of the year (1909) have been many. Costly residences have been constructed, towns enlarged and improved, sidewalks built, and streets paved or macadamized, and changes made over all the three northern townships.
[Source: "Reports of the Historical Secretary of the Old Settler and Historical Association of Lake Co, IN From 1906 to 1910" - Submitted by K. Torp]

Whiting
There came into my hands, March 31, (1909) from H. L. Davidson, a very interesting and valuable publication for the Historical Secretary, called the Whiting City Almanac for . It is filled with facts and figures in regard to this young city, whose population is now placed at 7,000. As a town, it states, Whiting was incorporated October 1, 1895, and became a city, with mayor and councilmen, in May, 1903. [Source: "Reports of the Historical Secretary of the Old Settler and Historical Association of Lake Co, IN From 1906 to 1910" - Submitted by K. Torp]

East Chicago
From an address delivered at East Chicago, a name that came into the report for 1889, a few statements are here taken. The address is supposed to have been made by their mayor, and the year is 1909. He says, "Twenty years ago our city was founded." He gives for the population 18,000 people, and says that they now have 3,000,000 dollars' worth of pavement, and "one of the finest city halls in the State." [Source: "Reports of the Historical Secretary of the Old Settler and Historical Association of Lake Co, IN From 1906 to 1910" - Submitted by K. Torp]

Gary in 1909
Gary is rushing on into city life. Six churches seem to have been organized there, five of the pastors claiming a residence of from one to three years. Although the larger part of the population of the county is in the cities and towns, for the richest hopes of domestic virtue and happiness we must still look to the well tilled farms, where can be seen in the summer time the waving grain, the green pastures, the herds of cattle, the thrifty orchards, the ever beautiful flowers, and where are heard the songs of birds, the hum of bees, and the glad voices of well fed, active, healthful children.
May intelligence and virtue, not forsaking the towns, ever dwell within our country homes.
[Source: "Reports of the Historical Secretary of the Old Settler and Historical Association of Lake Co, IN From 1906 to 1910" - Submitted by K. Torp]

Some one ought to write out the half century of history that belongs to that central part of the beautiful Lake Prairie, a history rich in incidents clustering about the names of Little, and Gerrish, and Peach, and Plumer, and Allies, and Wason, and Morey ["Reports of the Historical Secretary of the Old Settler and Historical Association of Lake Co, IN From 1906 to 1910"]

A Temperance Record.
The first Sunday in August, (1909) which was the first day of the month, was an unusual day for Lake County. On that day, according to trustworthy reports, for the first time since Cedar Lake became a summer resort, no intoxicating drink could be obtained. The saloons were all closed. The Governor instructed the Sheriff and the Sheriff notified the saloonkeepers what to do, and they did it. [Source: "Reports of the Historical Secretary of the Old Settler and Historical Association of Lake Co, IN From 1906 to 1910" - Submitted by K. Torp]

Gary, Ind., Dry by Seven Votes
Laporte, Ind., January 15 - Four months more "the steel city" of Gary will continue "dry" -- and by the rule of a majority of only seven votes. Judge Tuthill, of the Superior court, today handed down a decision in favor of the Antisaloon League in a suit brought by saloonkeepers of Gary to contest the result of an election held 20 months ago. [16 Jan 1910; Paper: Baltimore American - Submitted by K. Torp]

Gary, Ind., "practically dry for more than a year" as the dispatch states, is to have 138 open saloons. Licenses for them were authorized last Monday. People there seem to prefer that the burg be "regularly wet" than "practically dry." [4 May 1910; Paper: Idaho Statesman - Submitted by K. Torp]

STATE ROUTE INN, PUT UP IN 1832, BURNS
GARY,Ind., Dec. 14.— The old Centerville Inn, at Merrillville, five miles south of here, built in 1832 by Myron Pierce, and a famous stopping place on the old Chicago-Detroit stage route, was destroyed by fire last night. Many famous men, including Daniel Webster, John A. Logan and Stephen A. Douglas, had been sheltered in the place. In Civil war times northern Indiana troops were mustered in at the station. [15 Dec 1912; Duluth News-Tribune - Submitted by K. Torp]

Gary, Ind., Growing Up
Gary, Ind., April 21 --- This city, the home of the Steel trust, the mushroom of Indiana, voted itself from a fourth class to a second class city, under powers granted by the legislature. It is just nine years old. [21 Apr 1915; Paper: Wilkes-Barre Times (PA) - Submitted by K. Torp]

GARY BANK CLOSED.
GARY, Ind. — The Northern State bank was closed by order of the state auditor Monday. The bank is said to be in an insolvent condition. According to the last statement, deposits total $655,423 and the liabilities amount to $822,450. The capital is $100,000. [27 Aug 1918; Paper: Idaho Statesman - Submitted by K. Torp]

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