Young Folks' I ndian a GLASCOCK \\ v NOV 2 5. 1898 1 LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. Cliap.ES3&> Copyright No ShelJLfibSL • UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. V 7 1«98 YOUNG FOLKS' INDIANA A STORY OF TRIUMPHANT PROGRESS WILL II. GLASO >CK *^ CHICAGO TT, IN >R£SMAN AND COMP 19020 Copyright, 1898, By WILL H GLASCOCK („Vi.o<°ete*;S^ible. These Bimple b1 tre presented t<» the young people Of Indiana with the hope that they may lead t<> a higher appreciation of the w our brave-hearted and b1 handed pioneers; and that they may arouse a r interest in the rich unwritten history of our State. w II G CONTENTS CHAP PAGE I. In the Mist Land . 7 II. The Children 01 Naturi . 15 III. A For 1 in i in W11 in rness 40 IV. Tin II 1 km (1 [ 1 111 Gri \ 1 North- wes i . . . . 5a Y. T> (jiisi 11 and "Tippi canoe*' . ;a \'I M iking i State VII. N 1 <> the Union . . . 104 VI 1 1. Tm s< booi II n 1 m Hill 117 I X S< 'Ml < M l> TlMl CUSl "MS . 1 36 X. Thi Old Log Firi Pi a 1 147 XI Indian Traci ind Buffalo Traii 155 XII. Nature's Gifts to Indiana I' 1 j XIII. History, Son > Story . 17; XIV, From Pack Horse ro Palace Car 194 In the Mist Land HILDREN of the cities walk the streets, not knowing that the restless ocean once tossed its white-caps over the place where their homes now stand. They chase* each other over the lawns, not caring" that there, ages ago, the sea-waves played hide-and-seek and long games of tag. Children of the country romp through the meadows and coast down the hills, unmind- ful of the many dead that lie buried in deep graves beneath them. And they gather wild flowers in the woods, not thinking that the flowers they gather are from the graves of the dead, and that the stately trees are monuments over the millions that died long ago. Wise men tell us that these things are true, as they have learned from studying the rocks of the different layers of the earth's crust. Each layer but the last, has been buried with its history, and to these men now tells its own 7 8 YOUNG FOLKS 1 INDIANA. story, as they study it from year to year. In this manner they cateh delightful glimpses of the earth's face, as, from age to age, it was being prepared for the coming of man. These rocks speak eloquently of the changes that have come to the earth, and of the great families of animals and plants that have lived on the earth and have died, and have been buried very deep. We are told that, many centuries ago, Indiana formed the bed of a dark inland ocean, whose depths were lighted only by the dim rays of the star fish, and upon whose surface there sailed no ships of commerce or of war. This ancient ocean was swept by frequent storms, and its mountain billows rolled in grandeur to the shore, but no one was there to hear its roar or fear its fury. The dancing waves laughed and chased each other to the land, but no human eye was there to see their beauty. No swift-winged bird measured its width, and no majestic swimmers floated upon its waters. It was even more lonely than those parts of our great Pacific where few islands are. This ocean was teeming with simple animal life, which changed as the water became more shallow. Animals were there, beautiful in form and wonderful in color. Some had shells covered with spines and ridges, and tinted with rainbow hues. Some were shaped like stars, and some like oysters. And some had long IN THE MIST LAND. 9 spiral arms, while others had long snaky bodies. These died, and their shells were buried in the bottom of the sea, under the soil which the wind, the waves, and the waters of the rivers deposited there. Then the fishes filled the waters. They are called fishes, but there do not now live any fishes like them. They were both clumsy and ugly, very little like the beautiful and graceful fish that now enrich the lakes and streams of Indiana. They also died, and their bones were buried in the sea, where they have been kept through many ages, and we now read their his- tory in the rocks that were formed in the bot- tom of the ocean. Long ages passed while Indiana was under water, but the ocean above her became more shallow as the world grew older. The rains fell upon the rocks and hills of the dry land, and wore away their sides. The soil thus loosened found its way to the sea, and gradually filled it up, burying the bodies of all the animals that lived in its waters. From the remains of these animals, we learn that the waters of this ocean were salt, and as warm as the waters that now wash the coast of Florida. At last, the bed of the ocean was lifted up, and Indiana appeared just above the surface, dripping and drenched, like a huge animal rising from the sea. When the ocean had become stilled after so io YOUNG FOLKS' INDIANA. great a disturbance, only portions of Indiana remained above the water. The ocean was thus filled with barren, muddy islands. Upon these islands, vegetation soon began to grow. They were marshy, and the air was moist and warm, so the vegetation grew tall and dense. Over these marshy islands, swarmed great armies of insects, and among the dripping weeds and grass slimy snakes writhed and crawled. Few animals were there, except those that could live both in the sea and on the land. Animals of another kind could not live in the atmosphere of that time. Trees grew out of the marshes, but no birds perched and sang upon their branches, nor nested among their foliage. The wind sighed among the trees, as if it were lonely too, and the jungles echoed with the hoarse bellow of frog-like animals, as they sent their solemn challenges across the muddy waters to others of their kind on other islands. After the islands were covered with foliage and flowers, they were swallowed by the ocean. Long years of darkness passed while the beauty of the islands was being destroyed, and while all that had lived upon them was being buried under the mud that settles upon the bottom of the sea. Silence brooded over the dark waters where Indiana had gone down. After the burial service was over, the sea IN THE MIST LAND. 1 1 again divided, and Indiana arose the second time from the waters. She was not fair and beautiful, like the nymphs of fabled times, but was rich in the soil that would bring forth an abundant growth of grasses, plants, shrubs and trees — a growth more dense than any man has ever seen. When the islands were again clothed in beauty, they again sank into the sea, and all their life was once more buried. Many times during a long series of years did Indiana rise and robe herself in green, only to be overcome by the great strength of the ocean. While this struggle was going on between the land and the sea, great supplies of fuel were being stored away for the world to use after many centuries. All the vegetation that grew upon the islands was changed into coal, and we now have the great coal fields of Indiana. This was the Father's way of providing for his chil- dren when they should come. At length, Indiana arose out of the waves, and began in greater earnest to set her house in order for the higher life that would sometime come to find food and shelter in her fields and forests. This time the land arose high above the water, and hills and valleys were formed. The lakes settled into their basins, and the rivers, which were shallow, slow, and muddy at first, found deeper channels, their waters became clearer and went more hurriedly to the sea. 12 YOUNG FOLKS' INDIANA. Vegetation of all kinds sprang up abundantly, for the climate was still much warmer here than it now is. Deep forests grew over the coal beds, and stately trees arose where once the reptiles crawled in the oozy mud. The atmosphere became pure, and animals of many kinds roamed through the forests, and galloped over the plains. Birds, large and small, were on the lakes and in the woods, and fishes, such as we now know, were in the lakes and rivers. Indiana, with her sister states, now seemed ready for the coming of man, but the prepara- tion was not yet complete. Another period of darkness awaited her. The climate of North America was changed, and a long age of severe winter enwrapped its northern half. Fierce snow storms swept this frozen land for very many years. The sun strug- gled hard to melt the snow and beat back the advancing winter, but in vain. His rays were just warm enough and strong enough to soften the snow, so that it would pack into solid ice. Thus the snow fell and ice was formed until much of our continent was covered with an ocean of ice several thousand feet in thickness. The lakes and rivers were frozen to their depths, the valleys were filled with ice, and every tree and stone was held in the grasp of the icy winter that was to continue very many long years. At this time the northern portion of IN THE MIST LAND. 13 our continent was lifted up by some mighty hidden force, and the great ice ocean began to move slowly southward, with a power too great to be resisted. Giant rocks were torn from their firm resting places, and were borne lightly onward in the arms of the glacier. Forests were swept away, and the scars where the trees once stood were covered over with the "drift" of the glacier. Even the hills that dared to stand in its way were hewn down, or were left cut and scarred after the attack. Part of this glacier crept down over Indiana, and destroyed all animal and vegetable life, or drove it farther south. Before the slow-moving ice-field reached the Ohio River, the sun began to beat hard upon it. In that cold, dreary age, a great battle was fought upon Indiana soil. The sun struggled long against the advancing glacier, and ofttimes drove it back, leaving the country a dreary waste, but again it returned to the charge, and the struggle was renewed. Where the two forces met, there the mists hung heavy over our state, just as the smoke of battle hangs low over two opposing armies. At length a warm season set in, and the glacier was compelled to retreat to its northern home, where it has ever since remained. It retreated northward long before the coming of man, but in its coming and going, it made a history that is easily read. Its presence and 14 YOUNG FOLKS' INDIANA. power are seen in the changes which it brought to the country over which it passed. Throughout Indiana we find the woods and fields sprinkled with sand and spotted witji stones, from mere pebbles in size to those weighing many tons. The soft stones were ground to powder and sprinkled in the path of the glacier, while the harder ones were rounded and polished, then left lying where the glacier had been. These stones, brought from the north and distributed over our state, show us where the sun battled against the ice, just as the scattered shot and shell mark the battle-field where two armies contended for the victory. Rugged cliffs have been formed into gentle slopes, and the smaller hills have been leveled, while the larger ones, with their sides ploughed and scarred, "remain to mark the time of their former greatness." The valleys formed before the ice-age have been filled, and other valleys have been hol- lowed out, lakes have been buried, and new basins have been ploughed out by the action of the glacier. The waters from the melting glacier rushed away toward the sea in icy tor- rents, washing out deep valleys. These val- leys are dry now, but they still tell us of the cold rivers, whose waters, filled with huge blocks of ice, found their way through them back to the ocean. One of these begins near Indian- apolis, and continues southward to the Ohio IN THE MIST LAND. 15 River, showing where the ice-torrent rushed on between high banks and through its broad basin toward the sea. During the wintry age, all the lakes of northern Indiana were frozen to the bottom. The glacier passed over them, and securely sealed many of them with sand and rock. When a warmer period returned and melted the ice in these frozen lakes, the water had no way to escape from its prison cell. Sometimes, now, in sinking deep wells, the drill strikes one of these lakes which were buried under the "drift" of the glacier, and the water rushes to the surface, seemingly happy to make its escape. In many cases, old river beds have been filled up by the action of the glacier, and new ones furrowed out, through which flow the rivers of the present time. The animals that lived north of us before the period of the glacier, either perished in the cold of the long winter, or retreated south through Indiana to warmer homes, where they grew in number until the ice had gone and a warmer climate had come, then returned northward. Some did not go all the way back to their northern homes, so we dig from the earth skele- tons of those that at one time made their homes much farther north. Some gradually changed their manner of living, and, as a result, we find their kindred still with us. Those that 1 6 YOUNG FOLKS' INDIANA. lost their lives among the snows of the ice-age were buried under the glacier, and we now read their history in the rocks where they were buried. The plants were not so swift of foot as the animals, so great numbers of them were frozen and buried under the snow and ice. How- ever, some of them escaped to warmer places, and there lived until the close of the long ice period. When they felt the breath of the oncoming glacier, they leaned toward the sun to catch its warmth, and in this way dropped their ripened seed farther south. From these seed grew plants, which also leaned toward the sun and dropped their seed in the same manner. In this way, many plants made the journey through Indiana and other states, to comfort- able homes in the south. It was a long journey, and they traveled very slowly, so many of them perished in the snow, and their remains are found scattered along the wayside where they fell. When the long winter was over, most of the plants that had been driven south grew restless and longed to return home, so many of them went northward again. The journey to the north was made much more quickly than was the southward journey. The winds and the birds carried the seed and dropped them by the way, where they grew and bore seed, which IN THE MIST LAND. 1 7 were carried still farther north. While they were absent, the cold zone had crept farther south than it was before they left, so they did not return as far north as they had lived. During their long stay in the south, some of them got used to the warm climate, and did not care to return. These we still find living in the south, though much changed in form and color. Others became changed in nature on their way north, and finding places that offered them pleasant homes, settled there, and there we find their descendants still living. When the glacier retreated to its cold north home, it left the surface of Indiana almost the same as it now is. The wind and the rain have gradually lowered the hills and, aided by the falling leaves, have shallowed the valleys, but no great changes have since come to it. Forests' of trees such as we now have, again appeared. The waters were populated with fishes, such as we now take from our lakes and streams. The woods and prairies were robed in beauty, such as they now wear in summer. The large, fierce-looking birds gave place to birds just like those we now find wading in the streams and marshes, swimming on the lakes and rivers, and singing in the woods and orchards. Other animals also came and made their homes in the forest and on the prairies. Among these were many that are no more 1 8 YOUNG FOLKS' INDIANA. found in America, except when they are brought here from other countries, and some are not now found alive anywhere in the world. Buried deep in the soil of Indiana are found the remains of wild horses that at one time galloped over our prairies. This causes us to wonder what became of them, for we are told that there were no horses found in America when Columbus discovered our continent ; that the horses we now have are the descendants of those brought over from the old world, the first of which came from Spain to be used by the Spanish soldiers in their wanderings in search of wealth and perpetual youth. Some men venture to say that this might have been the first home of the horse and that in some way he was carried to the old world, where he was groomed and trained until he became more beautiful and more intelligent than he was in undiscovered America. Then, after many centuries had passed and almost all his history had been destroyed, he was again brought to America and permitted to make his home where his ancestors had lived. Wild oxen and bison must also have sheltered in our forests and grazed on our prairies, for their skeletons have been found in Indiana soil. The tapir, with his long nose and small eyes, doubtless often bathed in our rivers and sought food and shelter in the dense forests of our state. IN THE MIST LAND. 19 as the remains of these animals are found imbedded in the stone near the surface of the ground. The mammoth and the mastodon are the largest animals that ever made their homes in Indiana. And, so far as we know, they are the largest animals that ever lived in any state or country. Some men say that these animals were here before the ice-age, while others claim that they lived here at a much later period, — that they were still here when man came upon the earth. It is probable that man never saw one of these huge beasts alive, and it is just as well that he never did, for he certainly would have lived in fear of them. A strange and thrilling sight it would have been to see one of these mighty beasts striding through the unbroken forests of our beautiful state, twist- ing off the branches of trees with his powerful trunk, while the earth trembled under his heavy tread. How other animals must have hurried to their hiding places when he shook the forest with his dreadful roar! Both of these animals were related to the elephant, but the mammoth was covered with long, coarse hair, and with soft, short wool, showing that he was prepared to live in a cold climate. The skeletons of more than twenty-five mammoths and more than thirty mastodons have been found in Indiana. From this we must con- 20 YOUNG FOLKS' INDIANA. elude that they were plentiful in our state a very great many years ago. Indiana is now ready for the coming of man, and he came, and doubtless lived here a great many years, but when he passed away he left little record of his life. From the mounds he builded, we call him the mound builder. In these mounds have been found numberless skeletons, from which we can learn of his size. From the arrangement and the contents of the mounds, we can know something of his habits of life. And, from the number and size of the mounds, we can judge of the number of these people that lived in our country and state. From the pipes and ornaments taken from their graves, we can understand some- thing of their home and social life. Some ideas of their religion are also gotten from the arrangement and contents of their mounds. These things we can but dimly know, for Time has covered their history with a mist, as he has covered their mounds with trees and with flowers. These mounds are scattered all over the state, showing that the whole state was inhab- ited by their builders. Some of them have cost their builders much labor. They are large, and have been built of soil carried a consider- able distance. As this people had nothing but rude baskets in which to carry the soil, it must IN THE MIST LAND. 2 1 have required a great many men a long time to build them. Each of these mounds has its story, which men have been eager to learn. The weapons of war found in some of them lead us to believe that their builders were a warlike people. Some of the mounds speak vaguely of a people who were peaceful, and obtained a living by farming in a simple way. Some open toward the east, and from this fact men declare that they were a people that worshiped the sun ; that the mounds opened eastward in order that the people might look forth each clear morning and see the sun just rising upon the beautiful new world. There is a whispered story that some of these people were cannibals, who killed and ate each other. This may not be true, but, in a few of the mounds, there have been found heaps of bones, where are mingled the bones of men and those of other animals. Around and over these are scattered charcoal and ashes. Out of this the story grew. Great numbers of the mounds have been used only as burial places, where the bodies are buried singly and in groups, some sitting, with strings of bears' teeth around their necks as a mark of bravery while living. Some are arranged with heads toward the north, some toward the east, and some in circles, with the feet all pointing toward the center. But very few of these mounds contain 22 YOUNG FOLKS' INDIANA. the skeletons of children. Along the larger water-courses of the state, the mounds have been used as forts, with look-out stations at the corners, where the soldiers kept watch while the people slept, lest the enemy should come upon them unseen, either by land or by water. Near the entrance to a large mound in the southern part of the state, there was the skeleton of a mound builder. He seems to have been about fifty-five years of age, and five feet four inches in height. Scattered about him were the rude pots and dishes of the kitchen. One side of the skull was crushed in, as if he had been struck with a stone hammer. It is supposed that a crime had been committed there in the dark silence of the forest, and that the criminal had fled from the place of his crime as Cain fled after he had killed his brother. The people may have been superstitious and feared to live where a murder had been com- mitted. Some of these people may have been but half civilized, and some may have been savages, but their works show a much higher degree of skill and intelligence than we find in the works of the Indians. The lines, circles and squares found in their fortress mounds indicate that they knew a great deal about civil engineering. Stone hammers, hatchets, spades, hoes, axes, IN THE MIST LAND. 23 and arrow-heads made by them, show how skil- fully they could use the few imperfect tools they had. From copper they also made beads, rings, bracelets, and other ornaments, many of which have been found in the mounds of Indiana. Pipes, beautifully carved and shaped into the form of birds and the heads of other animals, have been found in great number. They had mortars and pestles for grinding nuts. These were their mills — very different from those we now find in our large cities. The mortars are about five inches in diameter, and the same in depth. In these were placed the grain and nuts, which were ground into flour by means of- the stone pestle. We do not know whether the men or the women did the grinding, nor do we know how it was prepared for the meal after it was ground. We cannot keep back the wish that they had left us more of their history. Long ages passed while Indiana was sleep- ing under the sea, and other centuries came and went while she struggled against the waves; then, during a long age of winter, she battled against the slow-moving ice -river from the north. During all this time she was fill- ing her many store-houses with abundant treas- ures to enrich the life of man when he should come and seek for them. The people who first came knew but little of the land to which they 2 4 YOUNG FOLKS' INDIANA, came, and told no story of the land they had left. They builded mounds, buried their dead, then departed through the mist that overhangs their history. Z proved himself to be a faithful guide, but also a brave and faithful soldier. After marching six days through brush and swamp over unmade roads, on the 4th of July, 1778, the tired soldiers came in sight of the town, with the river rolling between them. In the evening they secured a number of boats, and crossed the river undiscovered. The town was soon surrounded by part of the army, while Clark, at the head of the remainder, rushed into the fort and captured the Governor while he was yet in bed. Guards were placed along the principal streets, and Kaskaskia was soon in the hands of the army of the frontier. The fort was well supplied with cannon and soldiers, yet it was taken by a mere handful of untried soldiers, without the loss of a life or the firing of a gun. The surprise was complete. An attack had long been expected, but none had been made, and the officers and soldiers grew careless, and were not on duty when Clark sur- rounded the town and fort. Thus fell Kaskaskia, and the conquest of the Northwest was well begun. After the fall of Kaskaskia, Clark sent the great Indian fighter, Simon Kenton, to carry the news to the few settlers left on the island at the falls of the Ohio. On his way he was to pass by the post at Vincennes, and learn all he could of the situation there. This he did faith- 64 YOUNG FOLKS' INDIANA. fully, then sent a trusty messenger with the information to Clark at Kaskaskia. Clark also gained the friendship of the French, and the Indians, who had been deceived by the British. The friendship of the French proved to be of great value to him in his conquest of Vin- cennes, which surrendered, and raised the American flag without offering any resist- ance. The British held a strong fort at Detroit, on the Lakes, under the command of Governor Hamilton, who often incited the Indians to plunder and murder the settlers. Many times in his letters he refers to the number of pris- oners captured and the number of scalps taken. When Hamilton heard of the fall of Kaskaskia and Vincennes, he determined to regain what had been lost, and so collected a motley army of British and Indians, and set out on an expedition against Vincennes. After seventy-two days of hardship and suffering in the wilderness, his army appeared unexpectedly before Fort Sackville, the defense of Vin- cennes, and demanded its surrender. Hamil- ton had an army of more than five hundred men, while Captain Helm, the commander of the fort, had but seventy. He knew he could not hold the fort against such odds, so he sur- rendered with the honors of war. The capture of Vincennes left Clark alone in THE HERO OF THE NORTHWEST. 65 the wilderness, with but one hundred Ameri- can and the same number of French soldiers. The arrival of the British so frightened the French that he did not feel sure of their sup- port; however, they proved loyal to the last. The Indians again allied themselves with the British, and again became the enemies of the Americans. Clark's provisions were exhausted, and the British army, more than five hundred strong, lay between him and his source of sup- plies on Corn Island. The expected reinforce- ments had not arrived, and it seemed he must quit the territory that he had already con- quered, as he could not hope to hold it with so small a force. It is under trials such as these that we see the character of the man most clearly. He knew that Hamilton, with his superior force, would capture him if he waited till spring, so, with his army of a hundred Americans and a- hundred Frenchmen, he determined to take Vincennes before Hamilton had time to move against him. On the 6th of February the command to go for- ward was given, and, with the blessings of the priest and the people, the heroic band marched out to conquer or to be conquered. Vincennes was two hundred and forty miles away, and the plain lying between was mostly covered with water. On the eighth day out, the 66 YOUNG FOLKS' INDIANA. wearied soldiers reached the Little Wabash, and spent the night in camp upon its banks. The waters of the river were spread out over the low plain like a boundless sea. Clark ordered his men to make a rude vessel and THE MARCH TO VINCENNES. explore the waters and find, if possible, some point of high land across the river. An island was found and the way to it was marked by blazing the trees After the return of the explorers, a platform was built on the opposite THE HERO OF THE NORTHWEST. 67 bank of the river, and to this all the baggage was removed. The horses were swum across, and the men were ferried over. Then the horses were again loaded with the baggage, and the march through the waters was begun. The sick were placed in the boat, and the well plunged cheerfully into the icy water. The little drummer boy converted his drum into a life preserver, and amused the soldiers by float- ing upon it. The height was reached, the camp was pitched, the simple meal was devoured, and the evening was spent in relating the experiences of the day. For more than a week the march through the icy waters continued. On one occasion, when the soldiers seemed more wearied and dis- couraged than usual, Clark ordered the largest and strongest man in the army to hoist the drummer boy upon his shoulders, then the command to go forward was given, the drummer boy beat a "tattoo" on his drum, and all advanced through the half frozen waters that covered the land as far as the eye could reach. At times peals of laughter rolled away over the unfriendly waters, war-whoops were given in true Indian fashion, and patriotic songs echoed through the wood; but beneath all this merry-making there were more serious thoughts. Fearing that some of his men might desire to leave the army, Clark ordered one of 68 YOUNG FOLKS' INDIANA. his trusty soldiers to go to the rear with twenty-five picked men, and shoot down any man who should refuse to march, but none were shot. On the 1 8th of February the army was within sound of the morning guns of the fort. On the 21st, they were ferried across the Wabash below the town, and marched all day through the rain without food. With no pro- visions, the river rolling deep in their rear, and the strongly garrisoned fort in their front, doubts and questionings must have filled the minds of the tired soldiers. There was no way of retreat, and no quarter could be expected from the savage allies of the British. The army halted in a clump of timber within view of the fort, and all anxiously awaited orders. Clark wrote a placard and sent to the people of Vincennes, warning all who desired and loved liberty to remain in their homes or expect severe punishment afterward, as he was at the head of an army determined to take the town. The inhabitants were surprised, and came out in groups to view the army. That the number of soldiers might appear great, the army was marched and countermarched under cover of a small rise, which partly concealed the troops. The forward movement was begun just before sunset, and by eight o'clock the soldiers stood on the heights back of the town. THE HERO OF THE NORTHWEST. 69 The fort contained from two to three acres and was surrounded by a stockade ten or twelve feet high. Block-houses were at the four corners, and in the center was also a block- house made of timbers set on end, and the space between the timbers filled with clay. As soon as the army was in range of the fort, one company was commanded to fire upon it. At first the British thought it was only some Indians who were saluting the fort on their return from a hunting expedition. As soon as the real situation became known the firing began in earnest on both sides, and the contest was on that would decide the future of the great Northwest. The enemy was in complete ignorance of Clark's approach until aroused by the attack on the fort. Those who had been warned by the placard took themselves to their houses and did not warn the soldiers. The firing was kept up all night long. At times a continuous blaze streamed forth from the guns of the pioneer soldiers as they lay concealed under cover of the stockade, and their shouts mingled with the roar of the Brit- ish cannon and rolled away in a strange medley over the dark waters through the wood. On the following morning Colonel Clark sent to Governor Hamilton a demand to surrender, and a refusal was returned. Then the firing began more earnestly than before. However, 70 YOUNG FOLKS' INDIANA. before nightfall the articles of surrender were signed, the army and the inhabitants becoming prisoners, and the beginning of the end of British rule in the Northwest was at hand. Minor engagements followed, until the Wabash valley was fully under the control of the Americans. Then Clark looked longingly toward Detroit, but was never permitted to carry out his great desire to take this British stronghold. As no further conquests seemed possible, he set about fortifying the places already conquered. In the summer of 1779, after this work had been well done, the con- queror of the wilderness returned to the settle- ment at the falls of the Ohio. This traces our hero through that part of his life that most affected the history of our state, though almost the whole strength of his life was spent in the service of his coun- try and of humanity. Even after his fighting days were over, he was deeply interested in the affairs of the territory which, in his young manhood, he had conquered and held for the United States. In 1 78 1, the General Assembly of Virginia passed an act granting to Clark and his officers and soldiers a tract of land containing one hun- dred and fifty thousand acres, to be located some place on the northwest side of the Ohio river. In 1783, another act was passed, pro- THE HERO OF THE NORTHWEST. 7* viding for "locating and surveying" the land granted. The tract was located in southern Indiana, and still bears the name of "Clark's Grant." On the west side of Monument Place, in the city of Indianapolis, stands a statue of General Clark, placed there by the patriotic people of Indiana on the 11 6th anniversary of the capture of Vincennes. On this pedestal is inscribed, "General George Rogers Clark, Conqueror of the Country Northwest of the River Ohio, from the British, 1778-9." 72 YOUNG FOLKS' INDIANA. V Tecumseh and Tippecanoe, 'N 1768, at an old Indian village in Ohio, there was born a Shawnee baby that was after- wards to bring much trouble to the first settlers of the Ohio valley. This baby was named Te- cumseh — a name which means, "a panther crouching." Tecumseh had a brother, who was later called the Prophet, because he pretended to be chosen by the Great Spirit to speak to and for his people. It is said that these Shawnee brothers were twins, but the truthfulness of the statement cannot be proven. Though sur- rounded by the same conditions, these two brothers grew to be men differing greatly in character. One became a cowardly prophet, the other a daring fighter, but both earnestly hated the white settlers of the Indian hunting grounds ; and it is not strange that they should, for at the hands of the white men their father had met his death when Tecumseh was but six years of age. TECUMSEH AND TIPPECANOE. 73 Tecumseh was born in the bosom of the wilderness and in the midst of war. Before he understood the meaning of the war-whoop of the painted warrior, or knew the bloody story of the scalp dangling at the warrior's belt, his mother's evening song had breathed into him the spirit of war. In the twilight of their for- est home the mother doubtless often told him how the father, with scalping knife and toma- hawk, had gone against the whites, but had never returned. The gathering of the young warriors of the tribe, their stories of the cruel- ties of the whites, the hardships they had suffered, and the scalps they had taken made lasting impressions upon the life of this young brave. Before Tecumseh was ten years of age, the war between the colonies and England was on, and the Indians were urged by the British to attack the American settlers wherever found. This brought on a conflict between the Indians and the pioneers of the Ohio valley, — a conflict in which the whites were at times quite as unjust and cruel as their uncivilized enemies. Around the camp fires at night, the young Shawnee heard discussed every feature of the bloody struggle between the Caucasians and the red men, who rejoiced to recount the many times in which the bow and the tomahawk had been victorious against the arms of their white 74 YOUNG FOLKS' INDIANA. brothers. Here they recalled the time when their hunting grounds were free and there were no white men, no firearms, and no fire-water in the Ohio Valley. Here, too, Tecumseh heard often repeated the story of his father's death. In these early days, while listening to the stories of the war- riors, no doubt there came into the heart of this Indian boy a longing to free his people from the dread of the white man. No doubt his wild imagination pictured to him a time when the whites would be driven beyond the mountains, and their hunting grounds, rich in game, would again be wholly theirs. All these things he stored away, and they served him right well in his fruitless struggle against advancing civilization. At the age of sixteen Tecumseh took part in his first battle, near where the city of Dayton, Ohio, now stands. It is said that he became so frightened that he fled from the field. This does not mean that he was a coward, as he afterward showed in every battle in which he was engaged. Soon after his first battle he was with a band of Indians that attacked some flat-boats as they were descending the Ohio, and in this attack he excelled in courage even the oldest and bravest warriors. After the boats were captured, Tecumseh, for the first time, saw a prisoner burned at the stake, TEC VMS EH AND TIPPECANOE. 75 While the helpless victim was being slowly tor- tured to his death, the young Shawnee sat silently by without showing any signs of pity ; but, after the torture was over, he arose and spoke against the cruelty of their conduct, and declared that he would never permit another prisoner to be burned when it was in his power to prevent it. It is said that he faithfully kept his word, and that his eloquence and earnest- ness so affected the Indians present that they declared that they would never assist in burn- ing another prisoner. This eloquent and suc- cessful appeal of the boy warrior in the depth of the forest foreshadowed the great warrior and statesman he was yet to be. Tecumseh was nineteen years old when he set out on a tour of adventure through the west and south. He crossed Indiana, stopping sev- eral months in the northeastern part of the state, then, with a few companions, fearlessly pushed on through the wilderness and over the wild plains to the Mississippi. Three years he spent in wandering, hunting and fighting. Sometimes we hear of him in the west, chasing the buffalo over the plains, sometimes in the south, joined with the Cherokees in attacking the white settlements, and in turn warding off the attacks of the settlers upon his camp, and, again in the east, following the mountain trail back to his old familiar hunting grounds. In 76 YOUNG FOLKS' INDIANA. all his wanderings, he was gaining knowledge and experience which would prove helpful to him in the great things which he hoped to accomplish. He became acquainted with the southern tribes and learned something of their language, character, and habits, and impressed himself upon them as a brave warrior. This knowledge was of great use to him in forming his confederacy against the whites. He was very fond of hunting, and, when not wandering over the country, spent much of his time in this way. He thought the hunt was best suited to the dignity and calling of a noble warrior. Sometimes the tribe to which he belonged would settle long enough in one place to raise a single crop of corn, then move on. On invitation from some Delawares that lived near where the growing city of Muncie now stands, Tecumseh joined them and remained among them a number of years. The splendid autumn days of these years he spent in hunting in the forests of northern Indiana. Here, while silently following the trail of the deer through the solitude of the wood, he doubtless was laying the plans that resulted in the battle of Tippecanoe. We hear very little of Tecumseh's prophet brother until 1805. About this time a Shawnee prophet died. The brother had observed the influence a prophet had among his people, TECUMSEH AND TIPPECANOE. 77 and now determined to become a power- ful Indian by taking- the place of the dead prophet. Soon afterward he called a number of tribes together in northern Ohio, and announced to them that he had been chosen by the Great Spirit as the successor to the prophet who had just died. He became a preaching prophet, who not only foretold coming events and cured disease in a mysterious manner, but cried out against the sins of his people. Unfor- tunately for his influence for good, he was no small sinner himself. He was graceful and eloquent, but cowardly, cruel, and untruthful. By his preaching and his mysterious perform- ances, he soon brought around him a consider- able band of followers drawn from the wild, restless young men of different tribes. In 1808 Tecumseh and the Prophet, with a band of about one hundred and fifty Indians, removed to the Wabash, near where Lafayette now stands. Here they had been granted a tract of land by the Pottawattamies and Kicka- poos, and here, near where the Tippecanoe flows into the Wabash, they founded a village and called it the Prophet's Town. As the second war with Great Britain approached, the British agents became more active among the Indians and the Indians became more danger- ous to the settlements. Even before the removal of Tecumseh and his brother to Tippe- 78 YOUNG FOLKS' INDIANA. canoe, there were brought to Governor Harri- son fresh reports of murders committed, houses burned, and property carried away. Soon after their removal the Governor learned that great numbers of Indians were gathering at the Prophet's Town, drawn there by the mysterious doings and teachings of the Prophet. Thus far the Prophet had been blamed for all the trouble the Indians had been causing the white settlers, but the people now began to understand that behind the Prophet was the strong, fearless Tecumseh, who was simply making use of his brother in carrying out his own plans. Tecumseh knew well the character of the Indian, his superstitions and his rever- ence for the Great Spirit and those who spoke for him, so he determined to reach and unite the various tribes through his prophet brother. He gave the Prophet position among the war- riors, showed him great respect, and generally treated him as if he were a superior being, in this way adding to the influence of his brother. During all this time Tecumseh was secretly striving to unite all the western and southern Indians for the purpose of destroying the whites or driving them beyond the mountains. From tribe to tribe he went, and by his elo- quence and earnestness won many to his cause. In his fiery speeches he would recite to them the wrongs they had suffered since the landing TECUMSEH AXD TIPPECANOE. 79 of Columbus, would appeal to their pride and their passion, and show how easy it would be for them, when united, to drive the whites from the Indian hunting grounds. Under a chieftain of such power the younger warriors would dare to enter upon any undertaking, however dangerous. The attacks upon the frontier grew more frequent and the murders increased, while the number of warriors at the Prophet's Town grew larger. Governor Harrison grew more anxious for the safety of his people, and more suspicious of the purpose of Tecumseh and his brother; so he sent some trusty men to Tippe- canoe to find out the Prophet's reason for mak- ing such warlike preparations. The Prophet replied that he had no intention of making war on the whites; that he and his followers had settled on the Tippecanoe because the Great Spirit had so commanded them. In reply to a speech sent by Governor Harri- son to Tecumseh, the Shawnee chief said: "The Great Spirit gave this great island to his red children ; he placed the whites on the other side of the big water. They were not con- tented with their own, but came to take ours from us. They have driven us from the sea to the lakes ; we can go no further. They have taken upon them to say this tract belongs to the Miamis, this to the Delawares, and so on, 80 YOUNG FOLKS' INDIANA. but the Great Spirit intended it as the common property of all. Our father tells us that we have no business upon the Wabash — the land belongs to other tribes; but the Great Spirit ordered us to come here, and here we will stay. ' ' Governor Harrison had purchased from the Miamis, Delawares, and other tribes, a tract of land lying along the Wabash. To this Tecum- seh objected, so the Governor invited him to come to Vincennes, where they would confer about the matter. Fearing treachery on the part of Tecumseh, Governor Harrison directed that he should not bring with him more than thirty warriors, but he came with four hundred. His arrival with so large a body of Indians greatly frightened the people of Vincennes, and even the Governor feared that he had come with war in his heart. His fears were further strengthened when Tecumseh refused to hold the council in the portico of the Governor's house, where seats had been prepared for all. He said they preferred to meet under the shade of the forest trees in front of the house. Governor Harrison said he did not object to holding the meeting in the grove, but that there were no seats there. To this objection Tecumseh replied, "The earth is my mother, and on her bosom will I repose." At one time, while the council was in session, TECUMSEH AND TIPPECANOE. 81 Tecumseh arose and began speaking very- excitedly. Suddenly, in reply to some state- ment made by the Governor, he exclaimed, ' ' It is false, ' ' and gave a secret signal to his follow- ers, who sprang from their seats upon the grass and seized their arms. Governor Harrison drew his sword, and those of his attendants who were armed drew their weapons, while others hurriedly seized brickbats and clubs, and prepared to meet the expected attack of the Indians. During the exciting scene not a word was spoken. The Governor then told Tecumseh that he was a bad man, that he would have nothing more to do with him, and that he must leave Vincennes at once. However, the council was renewed next day in the camp of Tecumseh, but nothing came of it. In June of 1811, Governor Harrison sent another speech to Tecumseh and his followers at Tippecanoe, in which he told them that their warlike conduct had greatly alarmed the white people, and that they were arming to defend themselves. He told them it would be useless for them to go to war with the whites, who were as numerous as the mosquitoes of the Wabash. Late in July Tecumseh again visited the Governor at Vincennes, and another council was held, which ended with nothing decided. 82 YOUNG FOLKS' INDIANA. At the close of the meeting Tecumseh said he hoped nothing would be done toward settling their land claims before his return in the spring. In a short time he set off for the south, accompanied by twenty warriors. He was going to complete the union of the tribes for the purpose of freeing the Ohio valley from the presence of the white man. Alas for the patriotic, but misguided, Tecumseh! His people were overthrown before his return to Tippecanoe. The Governor tried many months to persuade the Indians to stop their raids and cease mur- dering the whites. He showed them how fool- ish it would be to attempt to drive the whites over the mountains, and warned them of the results of their own conduct. Failing in all his appeals to them, he determined to compel them to do what he could not persuade them to do. On the 26th of September, 181 1, he set out for the Prophet's Town with an army of about nine hundred soldiers. Sixty miles above Vincennes, on the Wabash, the Gov- ernor built a fort which was named Fort Harrison, in his honor. Here he remained almost a month, then moved on toward Tip- pecanoe. Governor Harrison knew well the Indians' manner of fighting, so he guarded against any possible surprise. By day the army marched TECUMSEH AND TIPPECANOE. 83 in such order that at a moment's warning the soldiers could be formed into a hollow square, and thus present to the enemy a solid front in four directions. At night the army encamped in order of battle. While on the march, both the advance and the rear were protected by mounted sol- diers, who could either charge the enemy and put them to flight, or return quickly to the army and give the alarm. It was a beautiful country through which the army passed. Slender creeks from out the prairies added their waters to the waters of the Wabash, and on either side of the river were sharp ravines. There were broad stretches of prairie with narrow woodlands running down to. the river's edge. To the trees of the wood Autumn had just added her last touch of beauty before turning them over to her successor, Winter. The birds, growing restless at the approach of winter, had tried their wings and were now on their way to a peaceful home in the South, and doubtless looked down in wonder upon the army march- ing northward to war. As the soldiers marched on through scenes like this to meet the wary and cruel foe, the hush of the autumn and the deep uncertain hush that always pre- cedes a battle must have brought to mind the rude cabins in the wilderness behind, where 84 YOUNG FOLKS' INDIANA. wives and mothers watched and children prattled. Only four Indians were seen on the march. This caused the Governor to fear that they had gone to attack the poorly protected settlements which had been left behind. However, after sending a small company back to Vincennes, he pushed on toward the Prophet's Town, and on the 6th of November came in sight of it. Soon three Indians were sent by the Prophet to meet Governor Harrison and inquire why he was approaching the town in such a warlike manner. They also declared that it was the Prophet's desire to live in peace with the white people if possible. Before they returned to the town, they were told by the Governor that there would be no fighting until he had seen them the next day. The army then moved forward and was soon upon the very ground that the Great Spirit had chosen for Tecumseh and his followers. A suitable place for a camp was selected, the army was arranged in order of battle, and the men slept on their arms that night. The night was cloudy and the moon was late in rising. Soon after it arose, a drizzling rain set in and the darkness grew deeper. The anxiety of those who watched increased with the dark- ness, for they were in the enemy's country. When the darkness hung thickest over the TECUMSEH AND TIPPECANOE. 85 valley, just before the dawn, more than a thou- sand Indian warriors began creeping through the drizzled grass toward the camp where the tired army lay sleeping. Well it was for that BATTLE OF TIPPECANOE. day that the soldiers slept on their arms and were thus ready to meet the sudden attack of the stealthy foe. That morning the Governor had risen at half- 86 YOUNG FOLKS' INDIANA. past three o'clock, and was sitting by the camp- fire pulling on his boots while he talked with his officers who surrounded him. Some one had been sent to awaken the drummer, that he might beat the morning call to arouse the sleeping army. Suddenly the crack of a rifle was heard, then followed the wild war-whoop of the approaching enemy. A thousand throats echoed the first savage yell and these were answered by the shouts of the soldiers and the rattle of their muskets. As soon as the first shot was fired, and the first wild yell pierced the heavy air of that dark morning, every soldier was on his feet and at his post. They knew full well the meaning of the Indian war-whoop. They did not need the drummer to arouse them. The camp-fires were put out, "officers hurried to their posts, and the battle soon raged on all sides. ' ' While the battle was at its height, the Prophet took his station on a hill out of harm's way and loudly chanted his war song, which rose high and clear above the mingled rattle of musketry, the shouts of the soldiers, and the war-whoop of the Indians. In this manner he excited his superstitious followers to greatest bravery. They quit their hiding places and fearlessly rushed upon the bayonets of the white soldiers, only to meet certain death. Soon after daylight the infantry and the cavalry made a TECUMSEH AND TIPPECANOE. 87 united charge which drove the Indians into flight. The war-whoop died away in the dis- tance, the battle of Tippecanoe was over, and a lasting peace settled upon the valley of the Wabash. 88 YOUNG FOLKS' INDIANA. VI Making- a State. A HUNDRED years ago, Indiana was a wilderness, unbroken except by lakes and rivers, and by a few clusters of cabins, which were far apart like scattered islands in a wild sea. The whoop of the Indian, the scream of the panther, the bellow of the buffalo, the growl of the bear, the grunt of the wild hog, and the squawk of the wild goose, were familiar sounds within her borders. When Indiana was admitted into the Union, in 1816, more than one-half of her lands belonged to the Indians. Changes have come so rapidly that we seem to be in a land of wonders, where some mighty fairy governs with her magic wand. The Indians are gone, the wild animals have disappeared, the swamps and marshes have been drained, and the forests have been cleared away. The home of the white man stands where the wigwam stood, and where the wild animals roamed, now graze herds of Holstein and flocks of Southdown. Where the marshes were the grain grows rankest, and orchards MAKING A STATE. 89 bloom and bear where stood the deepest wood. These changes have been wrought by the strong hands of the brave-hearted pioneers of the west. The task set before them was an unusual one. It was as important as it was difficult. It required energy and courage, and demanded toil, sacrifice, and suffering. In this stretch of wild country lay the possibilities of a great state; but who would conquer and develop it? The red men were here to defend their hunting grounds and contest every foot of the way to civilization. Rivers and streams are necessary to a great country, but they are obstacles in the way of the pioneer. Much wealth lies in timber-lands, but the forest must be cleared before the land can be tilled. Even the richness of the soil made difficult the way of the pioneer. The invitation of this rich region to worthy men to come and possess and develop it was heard across the Ohio, and beyond the Alle- ghanies. Emigrants came from the hills and valleys of Kentucky and from the plains and plateaus of Tennessee. Over the mountains they came from Virginia, Maryland, and the Carolinas; and many also came from the Key Stone State. They were usually men and women desiring wider freedom and larger opportunities for themselves and for their chil- 9© YOUNG FOLKS' INDIANA. dren. For these they were ready and willing to labor and sacrifice. Out of such a spirit of freedom and of service our state was born. Near the middle of the eighteenth century two roads were made over the mountains, con- necting the Atlantic slope with the Ohio valley. These were two of the great highways by which civilization came into the west. Having crossed the mountains or the Ohio, the pioneers found a fertile and beautiful wilderness stretching away for hundreds of miles. Some from the east would follow the winding course of the Ohio, while others would push straight on into the heart of the unsettled country. They usually traveled the first part of the journey in small companies, but when they approached that part of the country where they wished to settle, they separated, and each chose the land that best suited him. Sometimes these new- comers would disturb the hunters and trappers who had come alone into the wilds of the west, and wanted no neighbors. It is written that one of these men walked fifteen miles to learn the cause of a smoke that he had seen on the horizon. When he found that it came from the camp of a settler, he returned in disgust, packed his meager belongings and pushed on still farther into the wilderness. The first settlers brought their goods into the new country in various ways. Sometimes they MAKING A STATE. 9 1 were firmly strapped on the back of a horse, sometimes packed on an ox-cart, and sometimes again placed in a rude farm wagon. In this manner, the long, rough journey was made. The wife and children also found a place in the wagon, while the husband and father walked beside his faithful team. At night they some- times found lodging with other settlers who had preceded them, but more frequently those who could not find room in the wagon were sheltered 92 YOUNG FOLKS' INDIANA. only b) r the friendly trees. The horses were hobbled that they might graze, yet could not wander off into the forest. How serious must have been the thoughts of these brave men and women as they retired at night, with their friends beyond the mountains, the wild forest all about them, and sheltered by no roof except the branches of the trees! How anxious must have been the men for the safety of the women and children ! The dread of lurking Indians, and the fear of wolves and panthers made their nights long and their sleep broken. When the summer storms swayed the timber, the deep thunder shook the forest, and the dense dark- ness of the night was pierced by fierce light- nings, the hearts of the pioneers must have beat anxious and heavy. But the darkest and long- est nights must have an ending, and so the mornings came — mornings made strangely glad by the new and myriad voices of the woods ; mornings made beautiful by the play of the sunlight upon the foliage newly baptized; mornings made sweet by the mingled fragrance of many wild flowers. Hope and fear walked hand-in-hand beside these brave new-comers. Often some part of the wagon or cart would give way, then much time must be spent in making crude repairs. Sometimes a horse would die, and then the journey was made more difficult. And some- MAKING A STATE. 93 times a member of the family would sicken and die on the journey. It might be father or mother, but it was more frequently one of the children. The nights were dark and sad with no watchers beside the corpse but father and mother ; and the day was full of gloom when the parents laid their child away by the narrow trail and pushed deeper into the unbroken and unconquered west. They often passed through deep troubles, but they were to build a state, and so they pressed forward with unfailing courage. When the end of the journey was reached, there were nights still to be spent out of doors and meals to be prepared in the open air while the cabin was being made from the trees of the forest. Where there were other settlers near, they always came to help the new-comer build a home. These first homes were very little like the splendid ones that now cover our state. They were made of round logs, and were "chinked and daubed," to keep out the rain, wind, and cold. The roofs were made of clap- boards and held in place by long poles. They had no nails with which to fasten them on. The floors were of heavy rough puncheons, split from logs, and the chimneys were made of sticks and mud. The doors were made of clap- boards, pinned on a wooden frame and hung on wooden hinges. The door fastened with a wooden latch, to which was attached a string, 94 YOUNG FOLKS' INDIANA. which is said always to have hung out in the day time. At night it was drawn in and the door made fast. There was no glass to be had in the wilderness, so the one window was cov- ered with paper, greased so as to let in as much light as possible. The furniture and kitchen-ware were very limited and in harmony with the cabin. In every home the rifle hung above the door. Often no chairs, tables, or bedsteads were MAKING A STATE. 95 brought, so they were roughly made from the timber of the forest. They were not planed or polished, but they well served an earnest people. Beds were made by boring holes in the puncheons of the floor, into which posts were placed, and these connected with the wall by means of poles. This rough frame was covered with boards and on these was placed whatever bedding the family possessed. If any cloth covered the rough table, it was of homespun linen. Cooking was done by the great open fireplace. The chief cooking utensils were the kettle, frying-pan and skillet. The kettle swung from a pole fastened in the chimney above the fire. The frying-pan was attached to a long handle and did all the serv- ice indicated by its name. The skillet was of large size and had an iron cover. It was chiefly used for baking bread, and better bis- cuits than the ones these skillets held never came from the finest oven. The meals were served from pewter dishes and blue-edged cups and saucers. In the corner stood the spinning- wheel, and the gourd hung in the kitchen and by the well. The one room was at the same time kitchen, dining-room, bed-room, sitting- room, and parlor. As soon as the house was built, the forest was attacked. There were giant trees and dense underbrush to be cleared away before 96 YOUNG FOLKS' INDIANA. the soil could be tilled. There was no time to deaden the timber and wait for it to die and dry. The land must be cleared in the green. The trees were felled, then cut or "niggered" into logs, which were rolled together and burned. The clearing of the first farms was very slow, but the soil was fresh and fruitful, and a small spot around the cabin produced enough to supply the simple wants of the fam- ily until the clearing grew. The stock found food and shelter in the forest, where grass and nuts grew in abundance. At first there were no stores in the wilderness, and there was but little connection with the outside world. The pioneers did without what the wilderness did not produce. Herbs were gathered for medi- cines, flax and wool were spun into clothing, and sorghum served in the place of sugar. Surrounded as we are by all the comforts of civilization, it is not easy for us to understand how our ancestors faced such difficulties, yet they speak of those times as golden days. The common hardships and dangers of the wilder- ness made them all seem akin, and made friendships strong. If a deer were killed, it was shared with the neighborhood. Every new arrival was welcomed with open arms and no stranger was ever turned away hungry or unsheltered from the door of a pioneer. During their first years in the west the bread MAKING A STATE. 97 of the pioneers was generally made of corn- meal. The corn was grated or ground by hand. After a while rude mills we^re erected along the rivers and the water was made to do the work of many hands. There was but little money, and commerce consisted chiefly in an exchange of articles among neighbors. Sometimes an enter- prising farmer would collect the produce and other articles of commerce of his com- munity, and take them on a flat-boat down the Ohio and Mississippi to New Orleans. It then took more than three months to make the trip. Some of his cargo he exchanged for other articles needed by the settlers, and for a part of it he received money. His return was sure to bring joy to the settlement from which he had gone. Wheat harvesting in this new country was done with a sickle and the wheat was threshed with a nail. Vegetables grew in abundance and wild hogs, deer, and wild turkeys were so numerous that it was not difficult to supply the family with meat. Squirrels, rabbits, and fish were also plentiful. Then men did not return empty-handed when they went hunting or fishing. In some places there were so many wolves that they often made raids on the stock of the farmers, killing and carrying away their pigs and lambs. To protect their flocks, 98 YOUNG FOLKS' INDIANA. the farmers organized and destroyed the wolves in great numbers and frightened the others until they were not so bold. In ordinary sickness the pioneers were their own physicians, but sometimes home remedies failed, or an accident occurred which required skillful treatment. It was then necessary to send a long distance for a physician and wait long for his coming. One case is recorded where an accident happened and the people were compelled to send a hundred miles for a surgeon. The outside world seldom heard from these conquerors of the wilderness and they knew but little of the great world outside. There were no telegraphs, no telephones, no limited mails, no swift steamboats, and, at first, not even any stage coaches to carry news to and from the wilderness. A lone horseman, hired by the Government, brought to the settlements a few letters from the friends left behind, and car- ried with him on his return messages to these same friends. His work was difficult and dan- gerous. Each letter cost twenty-five cents, which was to be paid by the one receiving it. Sometimes the person to whom the letter was sent was not able to pay the postage, so the let- ter remained in the office. Many of the first settlers were members of church and nearly all had been trained in MAKING A STATE. 99 moral homes. When they came into the new western country, they brought with them the spirit of right-doing. At first there were no religious services except those conducted in the home by the wide fireplace. .However, in the wake of the pioneers, came ministers, at great intervals, passing from settlement to settlement, preaching for the good that they might do. They were received by the settlers with open arms and welcomed into their homes. Services were held from house to house in the evening in the winter, and under the trees on the Sabbath days in summer. The old-time hymns mingled with the voices of nature, and the wilderness was glad. At these outdoor meetings the boys would perch on the limbs of the trees and listen to the strange words of the preacher. Mothers drew about them their younger children and, while the crowd was gathering and after the service, the strong farmers talked over their common hardships. These first preachers were strange men and strangely dressed. One is described as wearing a wampum belt, leather leggins, beaded moccasins, and a cap of coon skin. The appearance and earnest preaching of such a man wonderfully affected even the children. In 1S10 the first Protestant sermon delivered in Indiana was preached at Vincennes, and IO0 YOUNG FOLKS' INDIANA. Governor Harrison was one of the congre- gation. The occasional preacher was followed by the circuit rider and pioneer ministers of dif- ferent denominations. These ministers were usually men of simple habits, were plain in dress, and were inspired with high purposes. They were not afraid of Indians, wild beasts, or swollen streams. They traveled on horseback, following blazed paths or In- dian trails, and each one usually carried a gun on his shoulder. They grew accustomed to hardships and were usually able to protect themselves under any circumstances. Their preaching was more eloquent, their doctrines more severe, and their language less perfect than what we now hear. The forests and the pioneer life were rich with illustrations from which they largely drew to impress the earnest lessons they taught. The people heard them gladly and cared little about denominational lines. They were anxious to hear the truth, whoever spoke it. High praise is due these pioneer ministers. No other class of men did more to conquer and refine the wilderness than they. The laws were administered by judges who had large circuits, and traveled from one county seat to another. Like the early preachers, they went on horseback, and followed the Indian MAKING A STATE. 101 trails or the blazed ways. The judges and law- yers usually traveled together, spending many days on the journey, exposed to all the incon- veniences and hardships of those early times. At certain seasons of the year the greatest obstacles in the way of travel on horseback were the swollen streams. Crossing them at such times was as dangerous as it was disagreeable. They were too deep to be forded, so the horses must be able to swim across. One of the highest qualities of a good horse at that time was to be a good swimmer. The papers of the court were always well wrapped and securely fastened about the shoulders of the judge, that they might be kept dry, but even this did not always save them. In making Indiana the brave women took a distinguished part. It was their sacred duty to bring up their children worthily. The church and school were not yet strong in the wilder- ness, so her daily life must be the standard by which the children were guided. The high character of our citizenship tells how faithfully she discharged her important duties. The husband must be about his work in the field and in the woods. This left the home exposed to the attacks of lurking Indians. She learned to handle the rifle that she might defend the house in the absence of the hus- band. She was always anxious when the hus- 102 YOUNG FOLKS' INDIANA. band was away — not alone for her own safety, but also for that of her husband, and his home-coming always brought gladness with it. Often she helped her husband, even with the heavy work of clearing and tilling the land. In this the daughter as well as the mother joined. Her home was her pride, and rough as it was, she must keep it neat and clean. The chief articles of clothing, as well as the table linen and clothing for the beds, were all the work of her own hands. The tow-linen, the linsey-woolsey, and the jeans were all made by her. The clack of the loom and the hum of the wheel could be heard from morning till night. Whatever the conditions might be, she must keep her heart brave; so her song often mingled with the hum of her wheel, and formed a part of the great labor chorus of the new west. New settlers came in increased numbers and neighbors increased. The farms grew larger and the wild animals found other homes. The hum of the wheel was heard from house to house and -neighborhoods began to touch elbows. The first rough cabin homes, hur- riedly built, gave place to homes of hewed logs of more rooms. Glass was found for the windows, and the old puncheon floors were given up for those made of planks. More and better furniture was brought into the homes. MAKING A STATE. 103 The cultivated flowers began to bloom alongside the wild flowers and the fragrance of the orchard mingled with jthat of the wild plum and cherry. Stores were established and the church and school came into the wilderness. Neighborhoods united and formed larger com- munities, and these formed townships and counties, and thus the state was made. It was done by brave men, with hoe and ax and plow, and by noble women, with carding comb and spinning-wheel. io4 YOUNG FOLKS' INDIANA. VII Into the Union. IN the early history of America two rival nations claimed the unsettled territory of the Ohio and Mississippi valleys. Each one was anxious to possess this region, so rich and vast. The English claimed the territory by right of discovery, by right of treaty, and by right of exploration. The Cabots had discov- ered and explored the northern part of the Atlantic coast, and England set up her claim from "sea to sea." The charters granted by her included all the land from ocean to ocean. The Iroquois and Miami Indians also claimed this territory as their hunting grounds, but by a treaty placed it under the protection of the English. English traders and hunters had explored the valleys of the Ohio, Cumberland, and Tennessee rivers, and on their banks had built a few rude huts. The claims of the French were based upon discovery, exploration, and settlement. Verrazani had sailed along the eastern coast from Georgia to* Newfound- land. In 1534. Cartier had discovered the St. INTO THE UNION. 105 Lawrence River, and had explored the same in the years immediately following-. La Salle, Marquette, and other Frenchmen had explored the Ohio and the Mississippi. Following these explorations, the French had made settlements along these rivers and on the banks of their tributaries, and thus occupied the disputed territory. Benjamin Franklin early saw the possible greatness of this wild region and the impor- tance of England's possessing it. In 1754 he said: "The country back of the Appalachian Mountains must become, possibly, in another century, a populous and powerful dominion, and a great accession of power to either Eng- land or France. If the English delay to settle that country, great inconvenience and mis- chiefs will arise. The French will increase much more and become a great people in the rear of the English!" He then urged the Eng- lish government to take possession and plant one stronghold on the Ohio River and another on Lake Erie. Much confusion and conflict grew out of this dispute. The English settlers disliked the French, and the French settlers as heartily dis- liked the English. The Indians came to under- stand the enmity between the two nations, and took sides with the French. Their restlessness and their attacks upon the English frontiers so 106 YOUNG FOLKS' INDIANA. frightened the colonists that emigration to this new country was turned back for a time. The rivalry that should have been settled peaceably by the Kings of France and England was settled by a war between their subjects in America. This conflict is called the French and Indian War. It resulted in the overthrow of the French in the Northwest Territory. It closed with a treaty of peace signed in Paris in 1763. By the treaty, France gave up her claim to all the territory east of the Mississippi, except a small portion in Louisiana. The whole of the disputed territory came under the control of England, and lay waiting to be settled and tamed by her subjects. We shall see how much interest she showed in the settle- ment and development of this empire of forest and prairie. Under their charters the colonies on the coast now owned the lands lying back of them, at least as far as the Mississippi, and the development of these lands would add power to the colonies. So long as the French claimed this territory, the English government was anxious to extend the settlements beyond the mountains and hold the French in check. As soon as the claims of the French were defeated and England was left in full possession of the contested territory, her attitude on the question of settlement became very much changed, INTO THE UNION. 107 She no longer encouraged pioneering, but placed many obstacles in the way of those who desired to cross the mountains and settle on the new lands. She was already jealous of the growing power of the colonies and wished to limit it. If they should learn of the unbounded riches of this vast empire they would become more conscious of their power and therefore more dangerous to the mother country, should a conflict come. The restlessness for freedom was already moving the minds and hearts of the colonists. The attitude of the mother country did not turn many back from their purpose to climb the mountains and establish their homes farther to the west. The colonists were not willing that this rich and beautiful country should bear nothing but wild fruit, so many of them crossed the mountains and began their attack upon the wilderness. Then England began courting the good will of the French settlers. She desired their assistance should any trouble arise between her and her colonists. All the people in this territory were to be governed by the French laws, rather than by the English. The French institutions were recognized, and many other favors were granted by England to the French, her enemies, against the pioneer settlers, her children. These are to be num- bered among the many unwise acts of the 108 YOUNG FOLKS' INDIANA. mother country toward the colonies. Each one led on toward the Revolution which freed the colonists from English rule, and opened up this unconquered empire to those who had the courage to conquer it. In the struggle for independence England incited the Indians to take up arms against the settlers west of the mountains. Her attitude toward the settlement of the west, after the French and Indian War, was such that the Indians looked upon the colonists and England as entirely different. In this manner the English had gained the good will of the Indians, and turned it to a good account in the conflict that followed. The British author- ities supplied the Indians with arms and ammu- nition and encouraged them to plunder and kill the settlers wherever found. No settle- ment was safe, and individual homes were in constant danger. Settlements were extended beyond the mountains at a fearful cost of life and property. But peace came at last. A treaty was signed at Paris, September 3, 1783, by which England acknowledged the United States to be free, and ceded to her all the land lying south of Canada, east of the Mississippi, and north of Florida. In his Old Northwest, Mr. Hinsdale says: "Between 1748 and 1783, the western question presented three distinct phases." INTO THE UNION. 109 From 1748 to 1763, England and France struggled for possession, and England won in the French and Indian War. From 1763 to 1775, there was a right for supremacy between the white man and the red man. In 1763, Pontiac formed a conspiracy for the purpose of beating back English emigration from the west. In the summer of that year all the garrisons of the Northwest were attacked at the com- mand of Pontiac, and many of them fell into the hands of the savages. General Bouquet marched into the wilderness and beat off the Indians. The Ottawa chieftain soon found that the task was too great even for his combined forces, so he entered into a treaty of peace in 1 7 65 , at Detroit. During the twelve j^ears follow- ing the treaty with Pontiac the British govern- ment was busy trying to win the good will of the Indians. From 1775 to 1783, there was a ques- tion whether this territory would form a part of the United States, or of some foreign power. This last question was answered by Colonel Clark, who conquered and held the Northwest Territory for the United States. Before 1763 the laws were administered in the French settlements by deputies sent out by the royal governors of New France, or of the Province of Louisiana. After the French and Indian War, imtil the close of the Revolution, this western country was under military rule, I IO YOUNG FOLKS' INDIANA. administered by officers at Kaskaskia and Vin- cennes. From 1783 to 1787, there was much confusion in the government of the territory of which Indiana formed a part. New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Virginia had certain claims on the Northwest Territory, and these claims overlapped one another. Under her charter Virginia claimed from sea to sea. This gave her all the territory lying between the 38th and 41st parallels of latitude. Vir- ginia's claim was strengthened by the fact that in 1744 the Iroquois had deeded to her all the lands claimed in her charter. The claim of Virginia was still further strengthened by the conquest of Colonel Clark, who had conquered the whole Northwest under the direction and authority of Virginia. As early as 1684, the Iroquois had placed themselves under the protection of King Charles and the Duke of York, and again, in 1726, conveyed all their lands in trust to the King of England. Upon these acts New York claimed the lands of the Iroquois. As they had hunted, fought and fished o\ T er all the Northwest Territory', they claimed it by right of conquest. Thus New York acquired her title to the territory claimed by Virginia. The claims of the other colonies were based upon their charters. Indiana was claimed by Virginia, New York and Connecti- cut. Virginia and New York claimed the whole INTO THE UNION. m of the state, and Connecticut claimed that por- tion lying north of the 41st parallel of latitude. It was not until a general interest in the lands beyond the mountains was aroused that these land claims were brought forward. When civilization began to climb the mountains and look toward this fertile empire, the owners became alive to the importance of their posses- sions. Soon after the Declaration of Independ- ence the question of disposition and control of these lands was brought before Congress. There was a general feeling that the Confedera- tion could realize a great deal of money if it could get possession of this territory and sell it. Then the colonies claiming the lands came forward to defend and protect their claims. The controversy growing out of these claims greatly delayed the formation of the Confedera- tion. Through the patriotism of the colonies the difficulty was finally settled. New York was the first to surrender her claim to the general government. In 1780 she gave Congress the right to take such of her western lands as it saw fit and dispose of them for the good of all the colonies that would sign the Articles of Confederation. This patriotic step on the part of New York made possible the settlement of the whole matter. Other colonies followed her example. Her offer was formally accepted by 1 1 2 YOUNG FOLKS' INDIANA. Congress in 1782. Two years later Virginia ceded to the government all her lands north- west of the Ohio except 150,000 acres, which were to be granted to Colonel Clark, his soldiers and officers. This grant lies in Clark County, Indiana, and is still known as Clark's Grant. April 19, 1785, Massachusetts deeded to Con- gress the tract of land owned by her and lying between the Hudson and Mississippi rivers. With some reservations, Connecticut surren- dered her claims the following year. In this manner the lands lying northwest of the Ohio became public lands under the control of the United States. Much praise is due these colonies for their generous action toward the general government. It now became necessary for Congress to provide some general form of government for this empire beyond the mountains. After much discussion and deliberation, Congress passed an ordinance for the government of this newly acquired territory. It is known in his- tory as the Ordinance of 1787. It was the first government exercised over this dominion after it was wrested from England. It provided that Congress should appoint a governor for a term of three years, and three judges to serve during good behavior. The governor and judges were given the power, until such time as the people should elect a general assembly, INTO THE UNION. 113 to choose such laws from those governing - the colonies as were suited to the conditions of the wilderness. As soon as these laws were approved by Congress they became the laws of this territory. The Ordinance further provided that, as soon as there were in the district five thousand male inhabitants, they might organize into a terri- tory with a governor, legislative council, and a house of representatives. Provisions were also made for a general system of public schools and for freedom of worship. On the question of slavery it said that "except for the punishment of crime there shall be neither slavery nor involuntary servitude. ' ' It provided for the admission into the Union of all the states carved out of this territory, if their constitutions were in harmony with the constitution of the general government. This Ordinance is con- sidered one of the greatest and most important state papers mentioned in history. Arthur St. Clair was appointed Governor ©f the territory in 1787 and served until 1802. In the year following his appointment he pro- ceeded to organize the government. From the first he experienced much difficulty — both on account of the Indians and of the French. The Indians were unfriendly to the colonists, and the French did not understand English laws and institutions. They had grown into their 1 1 4 YOUNG FOLKS' INDIANA. way of thinking, and could not be readily brought into sympathy with laws and customs other than their own. During the first few years of St. Clair's administration there was in the Northwest but little government of any kind. Colonial laws were not fully established in the wilderness until the mountains were crossed and the wilderness settled by those who were acquainted with the laws and were in sympathy with them. In 1800, Ohio was set off from the Northwest Territory, and the remainder was named the Indiana Territory. Indiana Territory began its independent existence on the 4th of July, with William Henry Harrison as Governor. The first capital of the Territory was located at Vincennes, where it remained until 18 13, when it was removed to Corydon. The total popula- tion of the Territory at this time was 5,641. What is now the State of Indiana then con- tained a population of 2,514 souls. An elec- tion was held in January, 1805, and in February following the territorial government for Indiana Territory was organized at Vincennes. Michigan Territory was separated from Indiana Territory in 1805, and in 1809 Illinois Territory was organized. This left to Indiana the same territory that she now occupies. September 24, 181 2, Governor Harrison learned that he had been appointed to com- INTO THE UNION. 115 mand the army of the Northwest in the second war with England, and therefore resigned his position as Governor. After his resignation John Gibson, Secretary of the Territory, acted as Governor until the arrival of Governor Posey, in May, 181 3. Congress passed an act in April, 18 16, enabling Indiana Territory to organize and enter the Union as a state. An election was held and delegates were selected to frame a state constitution for the Territory. On the 10th day of June, 18 16, the delegates met at Corydon, and were in session nineteen days when they completed their work. The first election under the new constitution was held in August, and Jonathan Jennings was chosen Governor. In November the General Assembly met and chose two United States Senators and the state officers as pro- vided in the constitution. Indiana's first constitution was very much like her present one, which went into effect November 1, 185 1. These are some of the provisions in which they differ : The General Assembly then met annually; it now meets every two years. The Governor's term of office was then three years instead of four as it now is. The Governor then appointed the Judges of the Supreme Court for a term of seven years; they are now elected by the people for a term of six years. The Secretary, n6 YOUNG FOLKS' INDIANA. Auditor, and Treasurer of State were then chosen by the Legislature, while they are now chosen by the people. It will be seen that the present constitution is much more democratic than the first one. In this manner Indiana was brought into the Union out of the ungov- erned wilderness of the Northwest. * £< Jb # 4S%«Afc?l THE SCHOOL HOUSE ON THE HILL. 117 VIII The School House on the Hill, THOSE were courageous men and women who left comfortable homes in the east and sought new homes in the wilderness, beyond the borders of civilization. The wide wilderness with its unclaimed lands was attrac- tive in its promises of future wealth. These pioneer fathers and mothers desired for their children the wealth and land that this untamed territory offered. In making their decision to push beyond the mountains into the forest, many serious thoughts came to trouble them. Life consists of more than lands and money. In the wilderness they would find few homes, no society, no churches, and no schools, only the splendid forests growing, from which homes, churches, school houses, and even cities should be built. Such surroundings were not the most inviting to those anxious about the future of their children. But they came with courage for the present and with hope for the future. , Their first duty was to provide rude homes for their fam- 1 1 8 yo UNG FOLKS' INDIANA . ilies, then the timber must be cleared away and crops planted and gathered, that want might not come to their homes. These things, easily and quickly told, required years of hardest toil. As soon as the plainest comforts had been pro- vided for these simple forest homes, parents began to think earnestly about their children, growing into manhood and womanhood with no education, except that which they gathered from the home, and the rugged lessons taught them by the wild forest. At first the homes were scattered miles apart through the trackless wilderness. Other settlers afterward moved in and neighbors were brought closer together and neighbor- hoods were formed. The wilderness increased the sympathy of all and made them seem akin. After a while they told one another what was in their minds and hearts concerning their children, who were daily growing in strength of body, but with minds untrained and uncultured. They longed and planned for better things for their children. These thoughts and longings afterward took form in the first rough log school houses. These were the beginnings that have devel- oped into our public school system, which is the pride of our people. The foundation for this system is the Ordinance of 1787, which is discussed in our United States histories. This THE SCHOOL HOUSE ON THE HILL. 119 was an act passed by the United States Con- gress for the government of the Northwest Territory, of which Indiana was a part. It provided that this vast territory should be sur- veyed into townships six miles square, by a set of lines running north and south, and another running east and west. It also pro- vided that these townships should be divided into lots one mile square and numbered from one to thirty-six. Each lot numbered sixteen was set apart for the support of a system of public schools. When the Ordinance was passed, the lands were of little value, but long- afterward they were sold for large sums, and the money was turned into the common school fund, the interest of which is now used in the employment of teachers throughout the state. In 18 16, a convention was held at Corydon and a constitution for Indiana was adopted. The framers of this constitution did not forget the interests of the boys and girls who were afterwards to build and preserve the state; and, in remembering their interests, the mem- bers of the convention were at the same time providing for the highest good of the state itself. Through the constitution, they said that the preservation of a free government depends upon the general diffusion of knowl- edge and learning, and made recommendation concerning a system of public schools. They 120 YOUNG FOLKS' INDIANA. advised that the General Assembly should pro- vide for the general improvement of all lands granted for educational purposes, and that all funds arising from the sale of these lands should be used for the promotion of public education. They also recommended that as soon as possible the Legislature should provide by law for a general system of public schools, wherein tuition should be free and equally open to all. These were splendid suggestions, but very little was done toward carrying them out for more than a generation afterward. The question of living in the wilderness was still too serious. Too many other questions were pressing the pioneers for answers. Homes were to be built and protected from the Indians, lands were to be cleared and tilled, bread and clothing were to be provided, and a state was to be wrought out of the wilderness. These early settlers were compelled to put aside the question of educating their children and attend to the pressing physical and political wants and needs of the wilderness. Public education was dis- cussed by the most thoughtful men, but there was little progress made along the lines marked out by the constitution. Feeble efforts were made from time to time to carry out the suggestions of the constitution. In 182 1 a committee was appointed by the THE SCHOOL HOUSE ON THE HILL. 121 General Assembly to consider and report upon a general system of public schools. The com- mittee reported in 1824 and the chief features of the report were enacted into a law. This was the first dim outline of our educational system. However, the law failed, as all law fails when not supported by public opinion. It was provided that the people of different com- munities should decide by vote whether they would support a school in the midst of them. There was a lack of general funds, and in many communities the people refused to tax them- selves for the support of a public school. They generally desired that their children should be educated, but not that it should be done at pub- lic expense. This local option feature of the law made it impossible to establish a general system of education. Some districts would maintain a school and others would not. The following is a copy of the minutes of a school meeting held in District No. 7, Hamil- ton County, January 8, 183 1. It will be observed that the building to be erected was superior to the school houses usually built in Indiana at this time: "We the neighborhood near and about Hains Mills met on the 8th day of January 1 83 1 for the purpose of making of arrange- ments concerning of a school house on motion J. Colborn chosen chairman and J. Hur- 122 YOUNG FOLKS' INDIANA. dock clerk on motion of Mr. Colburn it was agreed that there should be a house built 20 feet square built of good hughed logs foundation white oak 8^ ft. between the floors with the corners sawed down it was further agreed that there shall be a shingle roof it is further agreed that there shall be one door in the center of the side next to the road it is further agreed that there shall be four windows 5 ft length each 2 in front and 2 back it is further agreed that there shall be a plank floor oak or ash laid down loose loft laid with y 2 inch 2 double it is further agreed that there shall be a brick chimney fireplace five feet in the back and well flared have a harth of brick or stone on motion Nathaniel Palmer Wm. Stoops and Isaac Hur- dock was chosen trustees for the term of one year or until there successors is qualified." It must not be thought that the failure to establish public schools in certain districts deprived all the young people of those districts of an education. Many excellent private schools were established in the most prosperous settlements and some of them are still main- tained. But only those who were able to pay tuition could attend these schools. In 1833 another law was passed which made clearer the duties of the officers and the people in regard to public education. It made pro- vision for the building of houses and the hiring of teachers. The district was made the unit and was to look after its own affairs. THE SCHOOL HOUSE ON THE HILL. 123 Every able-bodied male of the district who was twenty-one years of age and owned land, or had a home, was compelled to give two days work to the building of a school house. Those who did not desire to labor on the building could be exempt by paying thirty-seven and one-half cents for each day they were expected to labor. They were also permitted to pay this amount in glass, nails, shingles, or other materials necessary to the building. It was further provided that persons with children, and with property, should pay equitably the taxes which the people should assess at a meeting called for that purpose. Each patron was left to fulfill his contract with the teacher. Through the efforts of earnest men, the laws relating to public education became stronger as the state grew older, but for a long time the people were permitted to vote or refuse to vote taxes upon themselves to support a school in their district. In many districts public sentiment was against public schools, and in these the law failed to provide for educating the children. There were other obstacles in the way of the growth of the public school system. The public lands brought in but very little money. They could not then be sold, and the returns from rents were very small. Besides the lack of general interest on the part of the 124 YOUNG FOLKS' INDIANA. people, and the lack of public funds, there was a scarcity of good teachers. The men and women of that time had generally come into the wilderness for other purposes and were laboring to accomplish those purposes. While the struggle for a general system of public schools was going on, a system of county seminaries was established by law. Wherever a sufficient amount of public money had accumulated in a county, it was provided that a seminary should be built in which tuition should be free to all persons of proper age who desired to attend. Though these seminaries failed at length for want of proper support, they were a great power in the development of our present public school system. Many a young man can point with pride to the old seminary as the basis of his educational life. From these schools there went forth strong young men and women, whose influence did much to pave the way for the higher educa- tional advantages that we now enjoy. In com- munities where these schools were established their influence can still be felt in the intellec- tual life of the people. Some of the buildings are still standing as landmarks, but are serving other purposes than those for which they were erected. For these seminaries, principals were usually employed who could take charge of the school and the public funds, advertise the THE SCHOOL HOUSE ON THE HILL. 125 school, employ ^assistants and give scholarly service, all for a very small salary. The census of 1840 showed that one grown person of every seven could neither read nor write. This was an alarming condition in a country where the strength of the government depends upon the intelligence of the people. This report stimulated the friends of a public school system to more earnest action. The question of free schools was to be voted upon by the people in 1848. Public meetings were held throughout the state, and a vigorous cam- paign was carried on by the leaders in the movement. In the fight the press was on the side of free schools. When the vote was counted, it was found that about sixty per cent of the voters had cast their votes in favor of free schools. A new constitution was formed in 1851. The summer and fall before the meeting of the con- stitutional convention was spent by the friends of public education in arousing the people on the subject. From the stump and the pulpit and through the press the question was earnestly brought to every voter. The educational leaders made use of every means to advance their cause, nor did they labor in vain. This new constitution made provisions for an elaborate system of public schools. With this constitution as the founda- 126 YOUNG FOLKS' INDIANA. tion, the General Assembly enacted laws for the establishment of a system of public schools. These laws contained the chief features of our present system. Some changes have since been made and there have been additions both bylaw and by general custom. Each year sees a growth in the system toward greater perfec- tion, and each year it becomes a source of greater pride to the people of Indiana. The system is administered by the Superin- tendent of Public Instruction, the State Board of Education, county superintendents, city and town school boards, township trustees, and truant officers. Through these officers every school in the state, even those in the woods among the hills, may be reached. Every good thought of the highest officer may be carried into these remote schools. There is now no community in the state that is not within reach of a free school, and higher education, through the township and village high-school, is coming nearer each year to the boys and girls of the country. At the head of the state school sys- tem is Indiana University, offering splendid opportunities to the ambitious boys and girls of the state. The State Normal was established for the purpose of educating teachers for their special profession. The influence of this school upon the educational development of the state cannot be measured. Purdue University pre- THE SCHOOL HOUSE ON THE HILL. 127 pares young men and women for special trades, and thus sends out into the business world men and women educated and specially trained for their work. In the development of this, system, the various church organizations have played an important part, and are still maintaining schools and colleges of high character. They are worthy of much attention, but we are con- sidering only the system of public education, and that but briefly. The first school buildings erected by the pioneers of Indiana resembled very little the splendid frame, brick, and stone buildings of to-day. When these first settlers came, houses existed only in the trees of the forest. They had neither time nor means for building better. There were no mills or quarries, no architects, few carpenters and fewer tools. Houses must be built according to these conditions. When a community decided to build a school house, a suitable place for building was selected. As much of Indiana was then wet and swampy, school houses were usually built upon some hill or knoll. When the people were ready to begin the building, they would come together with saws, axes, and hammers, each man prepared to do his part. These new- comers to the wilderness were themselves 128 YOUNG FOLKS' INDIANA. being educated by coming together for a worthy purpose, and these were joyous times for most of them. The trees were felled, and the logs were hewn, notched and put together. Each man did what he could best THE OLD LOG SCHOOL HOUSE. do, — those least accustomed to using tools doing the rougher work. The spaces between the logs were filled with "chinking" and mortar. An enormous space at one end of the building was set apart as the THE SCHOOL HOUSE ON THE HILL. 129 fire-place. The floors of the first buildings were made of puncheons, — timbers, — split from logs and smoothed on the upper side. The seats were also split, and not sawed. There were no desks in front of the children, except when they were at the writing desk, which was a long puncheon, placed upon pins driven in the walls. Two smaller pins supported the switches of the teacher, who thought such things neces- sary to the government of the school. In these wilderness schools, "apparatus was scarce, but the sources of discipline were abundant. ' ' The roof was made of rough boards, "rived" from the oaks of the forest. The windows were long and narrow. In some places glass could not be gotten, so the light was let in through paper, oiled and put in for windows. These were rude places of learning, but they were prepared by a brave, devoted people, and from them there went forth strong men to fill responsible positions, to found good homes, and to become worthy citizens. When the school house ' was completed and furnished, after the manner of those days, the people of the district would come together in a school meeting. In this meeting they decided what taxes they would vote for the support of the school, what amount of produce they would pay the teacher whom they should hire, and where the produce should be delivered. They 130 YOUNG FOLKS' INDIANA. would also select a teacher, who must know the English language and be able to teach read- ing, writing and arithmetic. If a teacher could write a beautiful hand, perform wonderful feats in arithmetic, or spell down the whole neigh- borhood, he was certain of employment. The teachers of these early days usually came from the more eastern states, but some of them even came from the old country. They were men seeking adventure and fortune in the wilds of America, and taught school while they were waiting for something to "turn up." At first none but men were employed as teachers. These were not always good men, but many of them were earnest and strong, and left upon the wilderness and its young people impres- sions of lasting good. These pioneer schools were little like the schools of 1898. Great changes have come to Indiana since the first school was opened within her borders. The buildings, furniture, and apparatus of the present remind us of a new world of education. Side by side with this growth have come changes equally great in the courses of study, character of teaching, and methods of school government. The salary of the teachers was very small, and was paid in part in butter, eggs, poultry, potatoes, and other produce. Sometimes the teacher boarded round. He was always a wel- THE SCHOOL HOUSE ON THE HILL. 13 1 come and an honored guest. He was given the best bed, the choice place by the fireside, the most comfortable chair, and the seat of honor at the table. In this manner the good teacher successfully reached both parents and children and impressed himself upon the whole com- munity. The school terms were short, but the days were long — from nine to ten hours. The days were made even longer by the surroundings. The pupils were compelled to sit erect, with no support for their backs. The benches were rough and uncomfortable. They were not suited to the size of the pupils, and often the feet of the smaller children dangled in the air until their legs became numb. The fear of punishment frequently added to the unpleasant- ness of the situation. If one pupil offended, all the pupils on his bench shared the penalty. The teacher did not take the pains to separate the guilty from the innocent, but would bring the full length of his switch down upon the backs of the whole row of boys. The switch was an important part of the school furniture and it never grew rusty or dusty for lack of use. The joyous life of the boy or girl was not then well understood. All mischief was considered evil, and met its just reward. The rude life and untamed surroundings of these early days created within the children a restless 132 YOUNG FOLKS' INDIANA. and mischievous spirit. It was sometimes troublesome, but seldom harmful. It was but the natural expression of their life in a new country. In many of the schools there was little com- panionship between the teacher and his pupils. The teacher was not on terms of friendship with the children of his school, and thus lessened his opportunities for helping them. He felt that such a thing would lower his dig- nity and interfere with his government, for it must be remembered that aristocratic manners were often brought into the wilderness. In such cases the teacher was the monarch, and his pupils were his subjects, with no part in the government except to hear and obey. But there were many enjoyable events in connection with the schools. The longest ses- sions must always have a close, so recess came, — and such recesses as those were ! The pent- up shouts of the school boys made the woods ring with glee. The frown, the rough benches, the switch and the switching were all forgotten in the black-man, town-ball, and bull-pen that followed. Water was to be brought from the spring, or some neighboring house, and it always required two to bring it, however small the bucket, and they never chose the shortest way, nor hurried to return. The large fire- place devoured a great deal of wood, and, so THE SCHOOL HOUSE ON THE HILL. 133 far as the boys could control the matter, no wood should be brought in at recess time. The bringing in of the wood shortened the time between recesses, and gave the boys a chance to straighten their tired and cramped limbs. Very often the wood must be cut as well as brought into the house. This offered the larger boys an opportunity which they gladly accepted. Those were boys of strong muscles and they grew restless when shut up in the house. They were glad of a chance to use their stored-up strength, even though many of them felt that they were doing some- thing for nothing. Then there was the hour when all the pupils were permitted to study their lessons aloud. No pupil failed to study at this hour. Every one tried his lungs and the boy with the best pair was the hero of the occasion, at least in his own mind. Little was learned in this way, but it broke the monotony of the daily school life and served as an escape valve through which the boys and girls could harmlessly express themselves without danger from the teacher. In these first days, when the country was new, before the hum of the b'usy world had drowned the finer voices of our state, there were other teachers which the children of to-day do not have. They were the teachers 134 YOUNG FOLKS' INDIANA. of nature, and their lessons went deep into the lives of the people of that time. The great oaks of the forest lifted their heads like giants above the surrounding trees. As they thus stood in their strength and beauty, many a boy looked upon them, and, without his knowing it, there came into his heart a longing to be like the oak tree, and in the longing to become, he grew more like it. The boys saw them in the sun and again in the storm, when the wind would beat upon them, and they would bend before its fury. Then, when the storm was past, they would arise and shake off their weep- ing, and stand erect again, stronger for having struggled with the storm. Though giants in strength and stature, they were kind in nature. They stretched out their long, leafy branches, inviting the birds to come and nest and shelter there. Their deep shade offered a resting place for both man and beast. Even the flowers felt safe, and clustered around their feet, where they were gathered in early spring by girls who were likewise not afraid. Every young man, who, armed with ax and saw and maul, has measured strength with these raon- archs of the wood, has gathered lessons not to be gotten elsewhere. The wild flowers grew in abundance and were for any who would pluck them. Their fragrance entered in through every open win- THE SCHOOL HOUSE ON THE HILL. 135 dow and into every sick chamber, and their beauty into every life. The song birds filled and thrilled the woods, and later the orchards as well. They sang in choruses, not in quartets or as soloists, as they now sing. They had not yet been made to feel fear. There was a note of gladness and of liberty in all their singing. There was life in their music such as we can- not buy. We must not smile at the schools of these early times, though they were not ideal. They were planted and sustained in the times of beginnings in church, society, commerce, gov- ernment, and civilization. They were equal to the demands of the new country, and have served as a sure foundation upon which the children and grandchildren of those pioneer times have since builded wisely. IX Some Old-Time Customs. IT was not all shadow in the wilderness, nor was it all labor with the early settlers of Indiana. There were days when the sound of the ax was not heard in the forest, and when the pioneer plows were drawn from the ground. There were evenings when the hum of the wheel was hushed, and all the latch-strings but one were drawn, and the fire burned low in all but one of the homes of the neighborhood. These days and evenings were given up to enjoyment, such as the times of our early history offered to an earnest people. These customs, which grew out of the newness of the country, passed away with the pioneer life, and we now delight in other customs, which will likewise go as our country further changes. Every good time was earned by the work that went before it — the fun always followed 136 SOME OLD-TIME CUSTOMS. 137 the labor. The husking-bee among the early farmers was an occasion both of business and pleasure. The corn was "snapped" and placed in long ricks, sometimes under shelter and sometimes in the open air. When a farmer was ready for a husking, the word was passed around, and at the time set, all the neighbors were present. No one wanted to miss a husk- ing. When all were gathered, two captains were selected, and the crowd was equally divided. Poles or rails were placed across the center of the rick, dividing it into two equal parts. The captains gave the word to begin, and each company charged upon the corn with a full determination to win. In the hurry and anxiety, many ears of corn were tossed into the pile but partly husked, and many more were slyly tucked away under the husks. At these huskings the bottle or jug was always present and was freely circulated. In some communities the jug was passed every time a red ear of corn was formd in the husk- ing. If red ears were scarce, when one was found it was hidden away to be brought out again after sufficient time had passed. The man who planted the most red corn had the most popular husking-bees. As the end drew near, the excitement and anxiety grew more intense. Commands were given in louder tones, flying ears filled the air, 138 YOUNG FOLKS' INDIANA. and more corn was half husked and more cov- ered up not husked at all. Soon a shout of victory rent the autumn air, and the captain of the winning side became the hero of the hour. Sometimes he was hoisted upon the shoulders of the strongest young men, who carried him about the premises, followed by his victorious band of corn huskers. In some neighborhoods both sexes joined in the husking-bee. Instead of dividing into two parties, the young men chose partners and husked by twos. At such huskings the red ear again played an important part. If one of the young ladies found a red ear, she was entitled to be kissed by all the young men, and when a young man found a red ear, that entitled him to kiss all the young ladies present. It has been hinted that this aroused a great deal of interest in planting as well as husking corn. After the husking, a bountiful supper was served, then the floor was cleared and all engaged in the fun that followed. Sometimes the remainder of the evening was spent in playing games, but more frequently the time was given up to dancing. It was not a ball-room, there were no electric lights, no evening dresses, no orchestra, only a log cabin, lighted by tallow dips or candles, men and women in home-spun garb, led on by the neighborhood fiddler, in a SOME OLD-TIME CUSTOMS. 139 simple dance in which the young and middle- aged joined with an enthusiasm born of the life of the times. From house to house these huskings were repeated, making labor pleasant and life joyous. The old-fashioned apple -cut ting was an occasion of unusual merriment on the outskirts of the western wilderness. They were fre- quent in the early fall, when the good house- wives were making apple- butter and drying apples for later use. They were mostly attended by the young folks, yet the middle- aged people did not hesitate to be present. The word was passed from neighbor to neigh- bor till all had been notified of the time and place of the apple-cutting. None willingly missed an occasion of this kind. So far as the young people were concerned, it was less a time of business than of pleasure. A certain number of basketfuls must be pared and cut, but much merry-making went along with the work. Seeds were counted and for- tunes were wisely told. The first letter of the name of husband or wife was told with an apple peeling. It must be from the whole apple and unbroken. Then, by whirling it three times around the head and dropping it on the floor, it would form that magic letter. Here words were whispered that joined hearts and made homes in this new west. 14© YOUNG FOLKS' INDIANA. After the apples were all pared and the floor cleared, the remainder of the evening was devoted wholly to en jo) T ment. When the even- ing's merry-making was ended, the young men escorted the young ladies home by the light of torches made of hickory-bark, or of boards split and made into small bundles. During the winter months of the early years of our state's history, the singing-school formed an important part of the social life of the people. It was little like the class or chorus of to-day, which is led by the piano or an orchestra. The singing-master then pitched the tunes by the aid of the tuning-fork. He also beat time for the singers and thus kept them together. As there was no instrument to lead, the tone of each part was given to those selected to sing it, and on a certain beat the singing began. The selection was sung by note until the tune was very well known, then the words were sung. The songs of those days were as little like the songs we sing to-day as the pioneer life was like the life of the present. They were differ- ent both in words and music. They were battle hymns sung by fearless men and women while conquering the wilderness of the west. The notes used in the first singing-schools were called "buckwheat notes," because they were in shape like grains of buckwheat. The young people valued the singing-school SOME OLD-TIME CUSTOMS. 141 more as a place for pleasure than for learning'. It brought them together where they could exchange greetings and tell of the simple joys of their home life. Then it gave them oppor- tunities for long rides together. The attend- ance depended greatly upon the weather. If the sleighing were good, the attendance of the young people was very large. As they were more interested in one another than they were in the singing, they often created confusion and made more difficult the work of the singing-master. Spelling was much more of an accomplish- ment with the early settlers than it is with their grandchildren. The best speller of the neigh- borhood was then as much of a hero as if he had taken a city or destroyed a navy. Spelling- schools are still popular in some parts of the state, but there are none such as there used to be. They are no longer the center of interest, as they were when they were the chief public evening entertainment, and they do not now witness such contests as were held in those early days. Other interests and attractions now control the time and minds of the people. Each neighborhood had its own way of con- ducting a spelling after the choosing-up, but the evening always ended in a contest to decide who was the champion speller. The interest of the occasion centered in this contest. It 142 YOUNG FOLKS' INDIANA. was easy to keep order then, for all were inter- ested and wanted to hear every word. Some- times the spellers stood and spelled by pairs ; sometimes all stood at once and spelled around, each one taking his seat as he missed. The interest and excitement reached the highest point when the two would-be champions faced each other. Sometimes all the hard words of the spelling-book were spelled without lower- ing the colors of either contestant. Then catch words and foreign names were pronounced until one party missed. After the contest was over, the victor received the congratulations of his friends, and the people returned home to discuss the result till the next spelling-school. The log-rolling was a necessity in the tim- bered districts of Indiana. The woods were so thick and the trees were so large that the pioneers found their hardest work in clearing the land. They could alone cut down the trees, pile the brush, pick the chunks, and do the grubbing, but they needed help in rolling the logs. Out of this necessity grew the custom of neighborhoods joining to roll logs in the spring. A man who did not cheerfully help on such occasions was not considered a good neighbor, and found it difficult to get assistance in his times of need. In preparing for the rollings, the farmers cut or "niggered" the trees into logs short enough SOME OLD-TIME CUSTOMS. 143 to be handled by a number of strong men. "Niggered" is a term brought into the wilder- ness by the emigrants from the south, and refers to making the timber into logs by build- ing fires ten or twelve feet apart on the fallen trees. These fires were "chunked up" every morning and evening until the trees were burned into logs. In this way the pioneer farmer both shortened and lightened his labor. The labor of rolling logs was very hard, yet these strong-limbed pioneers treated the time of log-rollings as a spring holiday season. As at the husking-bee, the jug was always present and added not a little to the jollity of the occa- sion. Sometimes the two strongest men were chosen captains to divide the men into two companies. Then the territory to be cleared was divided and there was a race to see which side would first complete its work. There were many tests of strength among the strong- est men. Sometimes it was man against man, sometimes they lifted two against two, and sometimes there were teams of four to lift against each other. It was a source of great pride to be able to hold up one's end of the handspike against all comers, and the man who was never vanquished bore his honors quite as proudly as some birds wear their feathers. It is not difficult even now to learn from the old residents of the feats of strength performed at 144 YOUNG FOLKS' INDIANA. these rollings, so well has their memory been kept during the forty or fifty years intervening. After the logs were all in heaps, there usually followed an athletic contest. It was very much like our high-school or college field-days, only there were not so many rules. There were contests in running, jumping, lifting, throwing, and wrestling. The vigorous life of these early times made the men strong and lithe of limb and enabled them to perform many wonderful ath- letic feats, but some of the stories we hear about the strength and fleetness of the men of those days must have grown a great deal as they have been handed down to us. No trained athletes have ever been able to make such records. The wives and sweethearts of the men gath- ered to help with the cooking, and they pre- pared a feast worthy of a king. The day of hard labor was usually followed by an evening of merry-making. Through these gatherings to assist one another, there was developed the spirit that conquered and beautified the wilder- ness of Indiana. Whisky was much more freely used in pioneer times than it is now, though not so often to excess. It was found in the best homes of the state, where it was used both as a medicine and as a beverage. It was present in the harvest field and at all corn huskings and SOME OLD-TIME CUSTOMS. 145 log-rollings. In those days the use of whisky was not thought to be wrong. Our grandmothers made a "frolic" of all kinds of work whenever it was possible. When the men gathered to help one another, they went too. Their chief social gathering was the quilting-bee. No formal invitations were issued. It was enough to know that on a cer- tain day there would be a quilting at the home of one of the neighbors. At these meetings the stout-hearted women of Indiana were mak- ing history as well as making quilts. However nimbly their fingers moved, or swiftly their needles flew, the conversation kept pace with the work. Here they discussed their hopes and experiences, were brought into closer sympathy with one another, and were made stronger for the serious duties of the wilder- ness. Here wives spoke of experiences that they had concealed from their husbands — how they had wept alone as they thought of the friends and homes they had left, and of the long years to be spent in making homes com- fortable in this new country. But with such thoughts lighter ones were mingled, and in their happy associations the rough, hard ways of the first settlers were smoothed and softened. Each woman was anxious to finish her block first and have it as neat as possible. The women were quite as proud of their skill with 146 YOUNG FOLKS' INDIANA. the needle as the men were proud of their strength at the log-rollings. In the afternoon there was hurrying to get the quilt out, as the men were to come for supper, and then the remainder of the day would be given up wholly to enjoyment. Sometimes the quilting-bee was given in connection with the log-rolling, and the women quilted while the men rolled logs. The wool-picking was another time of merry- making among the pioneer women of Indiana. After the wool was cut from the back of the sheep, it was washed by tramping it in tubs. After it was thus cleaned, the women of the neighborhood were invited to come and bring their scissors. The wool was carefully picked over, all the loose dirt removed from it, and the burs clipped out with as little waste as pos- sible. Having been washed and clipped, the wool was then combed, carded and spun into yarn, then made into clothing by the hands of our grandmothers. THE OLD LOG FIREPLACE. 147 X The Old Log Fireplace. THE old log fireplace stands for the home- life of the early settlers with all its joys and sorrows. It was made broad and deep, of sticks and mud, and in front of it was a hearth of clay. Its outlet was a mud and stick chim- ney, with an immense throat, whose roaring draft made glad music when the winds of winter howled about the cabin home. The fire was fed from a supply of wood "piled up" in the corner of the room in the evening time. A huge "back-log" of green wood was a neces- sary part of every fire. The "fore-stick" was placed on the "dog-irons," which frequently were but stones picked up from the fields or woods, and the space between the "back-log" and "fore-stick" was filled with smaller wood. These fireplaces were rough and ugly, but their roaring, blazing fires warmed and cheered a home-life that conquered the wilderness and enriched the whole life of our people. In winter, when the snows were deep and the evenings were long, the old fireplace was *4* YOUNG FOLKS' INDIANA. fullest of meaning. The family gathered home with the coming on of night. The father came in from his work and fed the stock, and the children came home from the log school house and did the evening chores. When supper was over, the busy mother usually brought out her knitting or her spinning-wheel, the father read, and the children prepared their lessons or enjoyed their simple plays. In such family circles silent influences were at work prepar- THE OLD LOG FIREPLACE. 149 ing men and women for the important duties of after years. Lessons were generally prepared by the flickering light of the tallow-dip, or candle, but sometimes without either. There were homes where boys studied by the light of the fire. They were anxious to learn, and they had no lights by which to read, so they gathered bark from the hickory trees, fed it to the fire, and studied by the light of the burning bark. These boys always won in the battle of life. The spelling lessons were "given out" by father or mother, who also heard the "sums" and the reading lessons. Many times the chil- dren pronounced the words of the spelling lesson to one another, and the older ones helped the younger with their "sums." Apple-cuttings, spelling-schools, and other gatherings, often took the young people away from home, and left the father and mother alone with the smaller children. These were times when the serious questions of pioneer life were earnestly discussed. After the little ones had been put to bed, the husband and wife drew their chairs near each other, and nearer the waning fire, and talked in low tones of the things that deeply concerned them and the life of their children. In this manner, by the open fireplace, grave questions were decided by our grandparents. 150 YOUNG FOLKS' INDIANA. Sometimes in the home there was a bright boy who had outstripped his schoolmates, had read all the books in the neighborhood, had gathered many lessons from the objects about him, and was still unsatisfied. He was longing for an education such as he could not get on the little farm in the midst of the woods, and he worked on secretly, hoping that some day he might get the desire of his heart. Father and mother understood and were anxious too. Could they send him away to school, and still support those who remained at home? Thus they questioned while they looked into the open fire as if seeking an answer, which they found in their own hearts before the return of the young folks. Father and mother were to make a few more sacrifices and the boy was to go to school. In the fall when the woods were golden the children, like the squirrels, gathered nuts to eat in winter. On the long winter evenings these were brought out and enjoyed as keenly as King Nut Cracker himself could have enjoyed them. Frequently a neighboring family would come to spend the evening, and then there was fun and frolic without limit. The spinning- wheel was placed well back in the corner, and all possible room was given to the children, who played all the games of the neighborhood, THE OLD LOG FIREPLACE. 151 then romped till they were tired, and finally sat down to listen to the songs and stories of the older people. The parents enjoyed them- selves no less than the children. They talked of their daily experiences, told jokes, sang bal- lads, and discussed their hopes for the future. It had not been long since our war for inde- pendence and the second war with England were fresh in the minds of the people. Both of these furnished interesting topics of conversa- tion, for almost every family had been repre- sented in one or the other. Stories of the Indians were told, and the children listened with eager ears and quickened breath. Before the end of the visit the apples and cider were brought out and added their share to the enjoy- ment of the evening. The outdoor sports of the boys were such as the conditions of the times offered. They "rollicked" through the woods, played Indian, climbed trees, and hunted birds and squirrels. They made their own "firearms," which con- sisted of a pop-gun, cross-bow and bow and arrow. With the pop-gun they celebrated Christmas time, teased their sisters and younger brothers, and otherwise amused themselves. The wadding for it was made of tow. Their chief pleasure was in the bow and arrow and cross-bow, with which they practiced until they could kill birds and even squirrels with them. 152 YOUNG FOLKS 1 INDIANA. They played marbles as boys do now, but the)?- made their own marbles by rolling them out of clay and baking them in the fire, and thus doubled their enjoyment. Most boys are able to invent some kind of amusement out of their surroundings, and our fathers and grand- fathers were no exceptions. In one home three boys were left with their little sister. There were no neighbors near and the timber was all around them. The boys spent most of the day enjoying themselves in various ways, but finally decided to entertain their sister, which they did in their own way. They opened the pig-pen and drove one of the hogs into the house and closed the door, then climbed upon the stool chairs and laughed at their half- frightened sister. The girls enjoyed themselves very much as they now do, though their "playthings" were of their own make and invention, and the idea of house-keeping entered more into their play. The chief delight of every girl was her play- house, built in the chimney corner, or in a corner of the rail fence that surrounded the yard. Her tea-sets were of acorn cups, or pieces of broken blue-edged dishes. Her doll was a rag one, but it was just as precious as if it had been bought at a toy store, and had real hair and could cry and open and close its eyes. The floor was carpeted with soft green moss, gath- THE OLD LOG FIREPLACE. i$3 ered in the woods, and no velvet carpet was ever richer or more beautiful. The chairs, beds, tables, and settee were made of moss, and the walls were decorated with toadstools of various sizes. No happier hours were ever spent in queens' palaces than our grandmothers spent in their pioneer playhouses. In the first schools of the state, each teacher boarded round with his patrons, and his coming into the house was a time of glad anxiety. The children were glad to have their teacher in their home, and the mother was anxious that he should have the best of everything. He had read more and had seen more of the world than they, so he brought new life and learning into the home. He helped with the chores, assisted the children with their lessons, and entertained them with stories of his experience as a student at college and as a teacher. He became their hero, and long afterward they spoke of his visits and repeated his stories to their own children by their own firesides. In many homes the duties of the day were closed with family worship. The family Bible was taken down from the bureau or "mantel- piece," and the father or mother read a chapter. An old-fashioned hymn was sung and all knelt on the uncarpeted floor, while the father returned thanks for the blessings of the day, and prayed that his family might be kept 154 YOUNG FOLKS' INDIANA. through the night and strengthened for the work of the morrow. These were beautiful scenes, upon which the old log fireplace looked and smiled in the days of log houses and plain and simple manners. INDIAN THAILAND BUFFALO TRACE. 155 XI Indian* Trail and Buffalo Trace. THE first settlers of Indiana found her for- ests and plains checkered with a network of paths well beaten by the Indian and the buffalo. The red men roamed at will over the whole of the Ohio valley, but there were certain places more beautiful and of more importance to them than others. These places were con- nected by trails winding through the woods or across the prairies. Where the land has not been tilled, some of them can still be seen. Their chief haunts were in the valleys of the Whitewater and the Wabash, and in the region about Fort Wayne. Fort Wayne was the chief stronghold of the Mi amis and guarded the way to the south and west. To and through this place bands of Indians came in single file from all the sur- rounding territory. Thus the wilderness around Fort Wayne was marked by many Indian paths. Some of these led off to other Indian villages, while others stretched away into the depths of the wood, growing dimmer 156 YOUNG FOLKS' INDIANA. in their windings until they disappeared. Fort Wayne continued to be a favorite resort for the Indians even after they could not call it their own. After General Wayne defeated the Miamis at Fallen Timbers, the territory includ- ing Fort Wayne was ceded to the United States. Fort Wayne was then made a depot, where the Indians received from the government the annual payments for their lands. This brought many of them back each year by the old paths to their former homes and hunting grounds. Near the present city of Peru was a Miami village called Mt. Pleasant. It was established by Francis Godfroy, the last war chief of the Miamis. He was a wonderful man and lived like a prince. He was more than six feet tall and weighed more than three hundred pounds. He was rich and powerful, and drew around him a large band of warriors who gladly obeyed his commands. His village was not made of wigwams, but of two-story log houses, and was the chief trading post in that part of the state. Many trails led from other villages in the wilderness to Mt. Pleasant. The most noted one of these was Godfrey's trail, made by the Indians living along the Mississinawa and Salamonia. Ouiatenon was the most noted Indian village of the western part of the state. It was strongly and beautifully situated about four miles INDIAN TRAIL AND BUFFALO TRACE. 15 7 southwest of Lafayette, on the Wabash River. It stood on a high point of land reaching out into the river and overlooking the plains of the Wea Indians, which are said to have been among the richest and most beautiful places of all the BUFFALOES ON THE PRAIRIE. west. Ouiatenon was in the midst of a region rich in fur-bearing animals and the soil of the fertile plains produced bountifully under the simple cultivation of the Indians. There were fish in the Wea River and many kinds of game on the prairies and in the forest. It was 158 YOUNG FOLKS' INDIANA. at the head of the deep water navigation of the Wabash. Articles of commerce were brought down the river in canoes and here transferred to the larger boats and carried to the outside world. From the village the river could be seen far away, winding its course through the plain on its way to meet the Ohio. In one direction the prairie rolled away with its wilderness of grass, threaded by the broad paths of the buffalo. In another direction were spread out the plains of the Weas, dotted with irregular clumps of forest trees. Over the prairies and the plains thousands of buffaloes grazed like slow-moving armies uniformed in brown. A landscape of such beauty must have appealed even to the untrained soul of the red man. It is not strange that the Indians felt that such a land was a gift to them from the Great Spirit. The French early established a trading post at Ouiatenon and the Indians continued to flock hither in great numbers. From this post to the Prophet's town at the mouth of the Tippecanoe, there was the best known trail in Indiana. In the uncultivated places the trail can still plainly be seen winding through the woods and over the hills that follow the course of the Wabash. This is known in history as the Tecumseh trail, though it was made before Tecumseh came to Indiana. It does not stop INDIAN TRAIL AND BUFFALO TRACE. i$9 at Ouiatenon, but continues on along the Wabash to Vincennes. Over this trail Tecum- seh and his warriors made many journeys to Vincennes to see General Harrison, who was then governor of Indiana Territory. It was over this route that he traveled on his journey to the far south to unite the southern Indians in a league to drive the whites beyond the mountains. Along this trail the Indians stole in silence and robbed and murdered the whites in the years just before the battle of Tippecanoe. But a little more than a hundred years ago, vast herds of buffaloes grazed over the plains and prairies of Indiana during the summer season. They were few in the timber-lands, but numberless on the plains and prairies. In spring they came north into Indiana and covered the plains in great armies, then, as winter approached, retreated to the borders of the large rivers, where they sheltered in the forest and fed upon the boundless fields of wild cane. The oozy soil of the Kankakee region furnished them abundant pasturage, both in early spring and late fall. It required a vast region of rich country to furnish food for these roaming armies of the plains. As the buffaloes moved back and forth in spring and fall, they so beat down the earth that their traces still remain. The best known buffalo trace in Indiana is the one leading 160 YOUNG FOLKS' INDIANA. from the Wea plains, near Lafayette, along the Wabash to Vincennes, where it crosses the river and passes beyond the Ohio into Ken- tucky. The tall grass of the prairies was divided by paths made by the buffaloes as they grazed in long, unbroken lines. These small trails that checked the prairies all led into one great trail made in their journeyings to and from the pasture lands. On his way from Vin- cennes to Ouiatenon, Colonel Croghan wrote that the country was full of buffaloes. Another trail passed up the Ohio from Vincennes and crossed the river where Louisville now stands. In eastern Indiana another trail reached from the Ohio up the valleys of the Miami and the Whitewater. Evidences of this trail still remain along the Whitewater. This was the great highway of the buffaloes on their way to and from the Big Bone Lick, south of Brook - ville, across the Ohio River. A number of buffaloes were seen not far from the town of Brookville in 1784, and in the following year one was killed in the Whitewater valley. The favorite resorts of the buffaloes that fed on the pasturage of Indiana were the Big Bone and Blue licks of Kentucky. To these salt springs they came in armies too great to be numbered. The earth for miles around their meeting places was beaten bare by the hoofs of these restless hordes. It is said that in their INDIAN TRAIL AND BUFFALO TRACE. 161 migrations they obstructed the Ohio River for miles. On his voyage down the Ohio Colonel Croghan frequently wrote in his journal of the great herds of buffaloes seen by him. It was told by the Indians that the buffaloes of this region all perished near the close of last cen- tury. One winter the country was swept by a "great cold." The snow lay deep on the ground for many months and the animals could find no food. The cold and snow con- tinued until they all died, and long afterwards their bones lay bleaching on the plains where they fell alone or in herds. In some parts of the state the Indian trail and buffalo trace are the same. They were paths beaten by both, and for both they were public highways across the plains, or through the forest. This is true of the trail along the Ohio, the one in the valley of the Miami and Whitewater, and the one along the Wabash. However, there were traces which led far into the heart of the wilderness, and were made only by the feet of the Indians in their single - file journeys from place to place. These trails and traces were great high- ways over which civilization came into the wilderness. Each important trail was as well known to the Indians and emigrants as are the chief roads known to us. It was important that each new-comer should know the trail by which 162 YOUNG FOLKS' INDIANA. he came and the place to which it led. Out- side of these there was little other than a track- less wood, and for many years after the first settlements were formed these remained the only gateways to the west. Until 1830 the Indian trail from Fort Wayne to Niles, Michigan, was the only road leading into the valleys of the Maumee and St. Joseph. For many years pack horses came over the trail along the Ohio from its falls to Vincennes, on the Wabash. Both the French and the Eng- ish pushed into the interior over the trail from Vincennes to Lafayette. The trace in the Whitewater valley is called the Carolina trace, because it was the highway over which the Carolinians came to find homes in the south- eastern part of the state. Along these trails the emigrants traveled in search of land on which to settle. Along these pack-horses threaded their way, loaded with simple articles precious to the pioneers. Along these there came the power that conquered the wilderness and compelled it to yield up its hidden wealth to enrich humanity. NATURE'S GIFTS TO INDIANA. 163 XII Nature's Gifts to Indiana, NATURE has given bountifully to Indiana. She has made her both rich and beauti- ful. Few states are blessed with as many sources of wealth. There is but little of her land that is not productive. Where the hills are too steep to be cultivated, and the soil too poor to grow wheat or corn, there lie hidden rich mines of coal or quarries of stone. Even where the forest trees once lifted their heads highest, and where the grain now grows rank- est, there are beds of coal and stone, and deep down are stores of gas and oil. Many sources of our natural wealth have been discovered, but, doubtless, many more are yet to be revealed. Our state's chief wealth lies in the fertile soil of her abundant farm lands. The valleys of the creeks and rivers hold the richest soil, but the uplands also respond generously to the labor of the farmer. Her pasture lands feed fine herds of cattle and her meadows fill the barns for winter use. The clover of the hills and 1 64 YOUNG FOLKS' INDIANA. table-lands gives honey to the bees in summer and in winter feeds the cattle. Rye, oats, and barley are cultivated in all parts of the state, but wheat and corn are the chief farm prod- ucts. Farm gardens surround the cities and supply the tables of those who labor there. The state in summer is one vast picture of mingled shades of green, brown and gold. Fields of grain stretch away from north to south with their different shades of green and yellow — surrounding the hills of brown and blending their colors with the changing green of the bordering forests. Each year Nature's artist with his paint-pot of gold, crosses the Ohio into Indiana, and as he journeys north- ward paints the heads of the growing grain a golden yellow. The farmer follows in his path and gathers into his barns what the artist has touched. The sound of the binder is heard along the Ohio, and as the season advances it moves toward the north. Before it reaches the middle of the state the hum of the thresher is heard where the binder first began, and fol- lows along in its wake, pouring streams of yel- low grain into the granaries of the farmers along the way. Though one of the smaller states, Indiana has taken rank among the first of the agricultural states of the Union. On the highlands, among the hills and in the valleys, fruits grow both tame and wild. NATURE'S GIFTS TO INDIANA. 165 Orchards of peaches, plums, pears, apples and cherries, enrich the farmers and add to the joys of the home. Berries of many kinds grow in the woods and gardens. In spring the state is like one great flower garden, with her bloom- ing orchards and berry farms, and her woods decked with the bloom of wild berries. Indiana is rich in water courses. No part of the state is without streams, either large or small. The "Beautiful River" sweeps along her southern boundary and welcomes to her bosom the waters of the historical Wabash. The Wabash is the grand trunk line into which flow the principal rivers of the state and through which they have final outlet to the Gulf of Mexico. The Whitewater carries the waters of the southeastern hills into the Ohio through the Big Miami. The extreme northern part of the state finds outlet into the Great Lakes. The small streams of the southern hills find their way direct into the Ohio River. The first emigrants into Indiana were guided greatly by the river courses. For years they furnished the power by which the timber of our forests was cut into lumber, and our wheat and corn were ground into flour and meal. They fed the canals that bore our early inland com- merce. Upon their waters the products of our farms and factories were carried to market. They are the channels through which our land 1 66 YOUNG FOLKS' INDIANA. has been drained and made productive. They have enriched their valleys and made them bear more abundantly. The river valleys were our greatest timber-lands, and to the rivers myriads of animals have come to drink. Many parts of the state are supplied with flowing springs of fresh water. They often take the places of wells and around them farmers build spring houses, where the milk and butter are kept cool in summer. Some springs in the state give out mineral water. These have become popular resorts for people who are ill and hope to become well by using the spring water. The water is also shipped to people who desire it in their homes as a medicine. When the first white men came to Indiana they found the greater portion of it covered with a growth of heavy timber. Small tracts of timber land are still preserved throughout the state, but they very dimly suggest the deep forests of a hundred years ago. Specimens of all our forest trees are still found, but they are little like the giant trees that covered Indiana when it was a part of the hunting grounds of the Indians. The principal kinds of timber arc beech, maple, elm, sycamore, cotton-wood, ash, poplar, walnut, and oak. The monarch of all these is the oak. No estimate can be placed upon the wealth NATURE'S GIFTS TO INDIANA. 167 that Indiana possessed in her vast reaches of timber-land. The pioneers found the land they selected for homes covered with timber, and it must be removed before they could plant their crops. They were far away from mills and markets and were surrounded by a forest that seemed unbounded, so they gave no thought to the value of the timber. The largest and most valuable trees were felled and burned. Rich yel- low poplar and the finest black walnut were made into rails even after the pioneer days had passed. In many needless ways the valuable timber of our majestic forests has been destroyed, and our state has lost both in wealth and beauty. While Indiana was still in mist land, great quantities of gravel and sand were collected and hidden away for our use. These store houses have since been discovered and used in various ways. The gravel is used in making streets for our cities and good roads for the country. Most of the railroad beds of the state are also made of gravel. The sands found in Indiana are chiefly used in plastering, mold- ing, and in making glass. During this period fine clays were also formed. These are used in making granite ware, roofing and drain tile, brick of many kinds, door-knobs, roadways, and ornamental pottery. The clay products of Indiana in 1896 amounted to $2,675,000. During a long period in the formation of the 1 68 YOUNG FOLKS' INDIANA. world, the heat of the sun was stored up in the abundant plant life that was then on the earth and put away for the use of man when he should come. A large amount of this heat was stored up in Indiana, where we now find it in our fields of coal, gas, and oil. The coal was formed directly from the plant life, but the oil and gas were formed indirectly. Millions of animals ate the plants that grew on the mar- gins of the ancient seas that covered parts of the earth. These animals died and before their bodies decayed they were buried in a covering of lime. In these ancient graves they were slowly changed into oil and gas. So far as is now known about one-fifth of the state is underlaid with coal. The coal fields are in the southwestern part of the state. The coal is usually found in veins from three to eleven feet in thickness, though it sometimes reaches a thickness of twenty-eight feet. Indi- ana has two kinds of coal — block and bitu- minous. The block coal is the better, but it is not so plentiful. The whole coal field occu- pies 7,000 square miles. Of this field, the block coal occupies only 500 square miles. There are now about ten thousand men engaged in mining in Indiana. The value of the coal mined by these men in 1896 was almost four millions of dollars. It is said that a good ton of coal, when rightly used, will do NATURE'S GIFTS TO INDIANA. 169 as much work as 1,300 horses working ten hours a day. In 1896 more than 4,200,000 tons of coal were taken from the mines of Indiana. This amount of coal could do more work than 182,000 horses, working three hun- dred days each year for a hundred years. Indi- ana is the seventh state in the Union in the amount of coal produced. Petroleum was discovered in Indiana in 1889. Since that time, 5,223 oil wells have been "sunk." Of these, only 3,646 are now produc- ing oil. The oil field is small, though scientists say it will probably spread until it covers all the natural gas territory. The territory thus far developed is at Broad Ripple, near Indian- apolis, and in the northeastern part of the state. The oil is pumped from wells more than a thousand feet deep, into large tanks, and is then refined and marketed. As no oil is now being formed in the earth, the supply will sometime be exhausted. The oil produced in Indiana in 1896 was valued at three millions of dollars. Under the northeastern part of the state is a great storehouse of natural gas. Its area is three thousand square miles. The natural gas produced in Indiana in 1896 was valued at five millions of dollars. It is the cheapest and most convenient fuel thus far discovered. Its discovery brought into Indiana wealth and population, and changed the gas belt into the 170 YOUNG FOLKS' INDIANA. manufacturing center of the state. No other influence has added so much wealth to the state in so short a time. It is not only used in the cities and the mills and factories, but it is piped over the country and used in the homes of the farmers. It is also used as fuel in many of the country school houses of the gas belt. In the production of gas Indiana stands second among the states. Great beds of sandstone and limestone were formed in the quiet seas that covered Indiana many centuries ago. These are both valuable for many purposes. The sandstone is of many colors, which makes it desirable for purposes of trimming. It is chiefly used for building houses, foundations, bridges, and for making grindstones. The limestone is the best building stone of the state, and its supply is unlimited. It is sawed out in prisms six by ten feet at the ends, and of various lengths. When first quarried, it is very soft and is easily cut into any form desired. It is then smoothed by immense planes and made ready to be polished and carved by the sculptor. After it is taken from the quarries, it hardens until it becomes strong enough for use in any building, however large. It is used in all parts of the United States in building state and court houses and fine resi- dences. More than a million and a half dollars' NATURE'S GIFTS TO INDIANA. 171 worth of building- stone was quarried in Indi- ana during 1896. Animal life was abundant in Indiana before the coming- of the white man into the forests. Buffaloes, elks, and deer were plentiful on the plains Fur-bearing- animals abounded around the lakes and along the rivers. Bears, pan- thers, wolves, and turkeys roamed through the forests in great numbers. This was a rich field for the trapper and hunter, and his hut went before the cabin of the settler. These all have been destroyed or have retreated to other homes, except a few deer or turkeys, that are found now and then in the wildest portions of the state. Representatives of the smaller quadrupeds still remain, though their number is not so large. Changes just as great as these have come to the bird life of the state. These changes have been wrought by clearing the woods, draining the swamps and marshes, and settling the country. Many birds that loved the solitude of the for- est left when the woods were no longer dark and deep, and in their stead have come others that love the home, orchard and farm. The larger birds have become fewer in number. The shrill cry of the eagle is not so often heard, and the "troll -loll" of the raven is now seldom heard at all. Hawks are not so numerous and the "who-who" of the horned owl less frequently 172 YOUNG FOLKS' INDIANA. frightens the traveler journeying- through our state. The number of ducks, geese and swans on our lakes has annually grown smaller. The pigeon no longer stirs the hearts of the farmer boys in its northward and southward nights in spring and fall. Not a great many years ago these birds migrated across Indiana in countless numbers. It was a most interesting sight to watch them, when they stopped in droves to feed in the woods. They moved forward like an immense ball of feathers rolling over the ground, those in the rear flying over those in front like boys in a game of leapfrog. Almost every county had its pigeon roost, where thou- sands of pigeons resorted at night time. Of Indiana birds there are 321 species. These include birds of prey, runners, swim- mers, waders, climbers, perchers and scratchers. The southern part of the state has numerous caves of exceeding beauty. Of these the Wyandotte is the largest. It ranks next to the Mammoth Cave in size and excels it in the beauty of its limestone decorations. It is located in Crawford County and gets its name from the Indian tribe that once owned this wild region. Since its disco very in 181 2, it has been an object of great interest to scientists and sight-seers, who have explored almost a hun- dred and fifty of its halls and chambers. Some of these are reached by creeping, NATURE'S GIFTS TO INDIANA. 173 crawling, climbing, and sliding, but every effort is repaid with interest. Near the entrance stands on edge a massive stone, weigh- ing more than five hundred tons. Long, long ago, it fell from the roof of the cave, and, though it has remained undisturbed through all these centuries, it makes every passer-by feel as if it would fall and crush him. On the ceiling, not far away, is the "Wyandotte Chief," formed of clear white limestone. It is the dim outline of an Indian, with tomahawk and scalping-knife, as if hiding in the dark to take the life and scalp of some white man. Each hall and chamber possesses its own peculiar beauty and attraction. There is one chamber where thousands of bats hang and sleep, then wake and whisper and fly away. Crawfishes, without eyes, are in the streams; there are immense halls with crystal pillars; there are mountains with stalactites of clear- est limestone ; there are massive columns fluted and ornamented with crystal wreaths; and there are chambers whose walls and ceilings are draped with curtains of wonderful beauty. Solomon's Temple could not equal it. It all suggests strength, wisdom, and eternity. The scenery along our rivers and among our hills has entered greatly into the life of our people. The Ohio valley has no scenery which excels that along the Wabash and Whitewater, 174 YOUNG FOLKS' INDIANA. and among our southern hills. Some scenes are wild and romantic, while others are gentle and poetic. There are places where, over beds of stone, the river winds among the hills, wooded to the water's edge. The hills are rounded against the background of sky and cloud, and are pictured in the waters at their feet. Their wooded sides suggest deeper soli- tudes, and the foliage, changing with the sea- sons, tinges the surroundings with its varying colors. Between the hills, narrow valleys, rich with vegetation, come down and meet the river. The river banks are fringed with soft willows that bend low over the waters below and make them dark and shadowy. A purple haze hangs over the river and over the hills, and the sunsets give to the whole landscape a touch of Alpine glory. Artists have recognized the beauty of our landscape scenery, and spend their summers in the midst of it, while they catch its changing beauty and fix it on canvas, where we may enjoy it after much of the beauty and poetry of nature has been stripped from the hills and rivers. HISTORY, SONG AND STORY. 175 XIII History, Song and Story. INDIANA is too young and has been too busy to do great things in literature, yet her voice has been heard in other lands. Litera- ture tells of the life of a people and the beauty of their country, and also makes that life richer and wiser to understand and enjoy. The men and women who came to Indiana were strong in character and strong in purpose. The wilderness with its trials made them stronger, and likewise richer, in their experience. Out of this life men and women of genius have risen to tell of the deeds of their fellows and to sing of their country's beauty. The hills, the rivers, the forests, the wild flowers, and the bird-life have enriched the hearts of men and women and inspired them to write the things they felt and saw. The love, the cour- age, and the patriotism of Indiana's men and women have been recorded in literature by her gifted sons and daughters. All the thoughts and feelings of our people have been woven into literature by the poets, novelists, and historians of Indiana. 176 YOUNG FOLKS' INDIANA. Almost every stream has found a patriotic voice to celebrate its particular beauty. ' ' Ingin Creek" and Brandy wine, as well as the Wabash and Ohio, have found poetic lovers to sing their praises. But some of our sons have gone beyond home scenes, beyond Indiana, and touched and enriched wider fields. The Tale of the Christ, and The Flying Islands of the Night are visions of this wider field. It would require many pages even to give the names of the literary men and women of Indi- ana who are worthy to be remembered. Only a very few can here be mentioned. General Lew Wallace stands at the head of a very long list of Indiana writers. His Ben Hur brought him both fame and money. Few books have ever sold in so great number. It has been translated into many different lan- guages and is read in all parts of the world. It is a story of the Christ, and is for all times and all peoples. It is good to find in a hero so much of strength, gentleness, devotion, truth, and dignity as is found in Ben Hnr. We even admire his physical strength, developed under the toil of slavery. In the chariot race there is waiting a treat for those who have not read it, and those who have read delight to return and read again. It is a scene so wonderfully described that we feel to be in the real pres- ence, and it never grows old. General Wallace HISTORY, SONG AND STORY. 177 has also written the Fair God and the Prince of India. These would have made his name great among writers if he had written nothing else. But Ben Hnr is greater than either of these. The people who settled the valley of the Whitewater were superior men and women. They established splendid homes, from which have gone out many of the strong men and women of our state. In this valley 'were established the first churches of Indiana, and here the best elements of our civilization found footing. A very large number of the prominent people of Indiana have come from this valley, and of these many have come from Franklin County. It is a fitting place for greatness to be born. The mystic history of a primitive race of America hovers over the Whitewater. Her hills are capped by the remains of the lookout towers of this ancient people. Nowhere in the Ohio valley is there scenery more beautiful or more varied. The hills are crowned with the grandeur of age, poetry lingers in the wonderful sunsets, and the artist finds the rarest tints in the haze that hangs over the valleys and skirts the hills. In Brookville, in the valley of the Whitewater, the author of Ben Hnr was born, April 10, 1827, and here he spent the early years of his boy- hood. 178 YOUNG FOLKS' INDIANA. His father was a man of strong character and of much ability. He served both as Lieu- tenant Governor and as Governor of Indiana. He also served one term in Congress, and, strange as it seems to us now, was defeated for re-election because he voted for an appropria- tion to assist Professor Morse in testing his invention — the magnetic telegraph. As a boy General Wallace was not fond of school study, but took great delight in reading. The fields, the woods, and the hills were his close companions. Many days he spent among them, listening to their stories of love and beauty, and in reading to them and with them some favorite book. He read good books and many of them, or he could never have written as he has. Nature and good books are splen- did teachers. The writer of Ben Hnr became a soldier in the Mexican War at the age of eighteen. While a soldier in the City of Mexico, he first thought of writing the Fair God, though he did not finish it until 1874. At the close of the Mexican War he studied law, married, and settled down at Crawfordsville, Indiana, where he has since lived. At the opening of the Civil War, General Wallace immediately offered to Governor Mor- ton his services as a soldier. He was given com- mand of the Eleventh Regiment of Indiana and HISTORY, SONG AND STORY. 179 served throughout the war. He fought in Vir- ginia, was at Paducah and Fort Donelson commanded a division at the battle of Shiloh^ and was sent to guard the city of Cincinnati against attack from the Confederate army. The close of the war found him one of the prominent men of the Union he had fought so gallantly to preserve. In 1877 President Hayes appointed him Governor of New Mexico. In this position he proved himself a terror to the outlaws of this border territory. In the Governor's palace, in the quaint old city of Santa Fe\ Governor Wal- lace completed Ben Hur. When General Garfield came to the Presidency, he appointed him Minister to Turkey. As Minister, he was brought into touch with the Sultan, and they became close friends. The Sultan gave him access to the palace at all times. At the close of his term as Minister, the Sultan offered to give him any position he might choose, but the General declined his offer and returned to his home in Crawfordsville. His last book is the Prince of India. Near his home General Wallace has built him, after his own plans, a beautiful and roomy library. Here he keeps his books and his rich and curious collections. Here he reads, writes, smokes, and entertains his company. Capt. Lee O. Harris is not a native of Indi- 180 YOUNG FOLKS' INDIANA. ana, but he came to his adopted state when but a small boy, and here he has done his writing. He was born January 30, 1839, in Pennsylvania, where he spent his early boyhood very much as other boys. He attended school, worked in the fields, and roamed the hills as did the other boys of the neighborhood. But the woods, the fields, and the hills gave to him secrets that they withheld from the other boys. They spoke to him a voice the other boys could not understand. His ear was close to the heart of nature, and he heard and felt its beatings in harmony with his own life. He loved her and she taught him. To him there was music in the murmur of the brook and the singing of the birds ; there was beauty in the changing cloud and the blooming flower; there was wisdom in the rounded pebble and the unfolding bud ; and there was grandeur in the forest and in the gathering storm. At the age of thirteen, he moved with his parents to Franklin County, Indiana, where he spent five years in the midst of the natural splendor of this beautiful region. He enjoyed the scenes upon which the soul of Wallace had feasted in his boyhood days. Thus surrounded, before he was fifteen years of age, he began writing poems, which were published in the local papers. These early poems were full of music and were fresh with the fragrance of HISTORY, SONG AND STORY. 181 wild flowers and of new-mown hay. They gave fair promise of the better things which he was yet to write. At the age of eighteen, the future "School Master Poet" joined a party of United States engineers who were surveying a route through the mountains to Puget Sound. For one of his age, this was a rough service, but it proved to be a fruitful one. To sleep in the open air, sheltered only by the foliage of the trees, and be awakened by the first bird note of the morn- ing, was a new and delightful experience to him. The spirit of the mountains, of the scenery, and of the sunsets of that journey, has since been woven into his nature poems. He returned from the "Rainy Region of the North," and began teaching school at Foun- taintown, two miles distant from the "Little Town of Tail Holt." He was teaching when Sumter fell and President Lincoln called for volunteers. Mr. Harris responded to his country's first call, and became a soldier with Indiana's host of patriotic young men. He was under McClellan at Rich Mountain, was with Rosecrans in West Virginia, and with Thomas in Tennessee. For faithful service, he was promoted to the rank of major of the Indi- ana Legion. He re-entered the school room at the close of the war, and has since given almost all his time 1 82 YOUNG FOLKS' INDIANA. to school work. Most of the many years he has taught, his home has been in Greenfield, and much of his teaching has been done in the schools around the city. During the school term, he could be seen five days in each week, with cane in hand and with willow basket on his arm, on his way to his school. He was so regular and punctual in his journeys, that the farmers along the way declared with great emphasis that they regulated their clocks by his movements. He is now County Superin- tendent of his adopted county, Hancock. His poems that first attracted attention were written over the nom de plume oi Larry O'Han- negan. His published books are: Interludes and The Man Who Tramps. Interludes is a volume of his best poems, classed under the following heads: "Songs of Nature," "Home and Affection," "Retrospective," "Sorrow and Bereavement," "Flights of Fancy," "Echoes of War Time," and "Miscel- laneous." The Man Who Tramps is a story of tramp life, beautifully woven around a farmer boy, who, by unkind treatment, was driven to tramping. Captain Harris seldom writes to order or in a hurry. When he feels a desire to write, he closes the door of his study, and waits till all about the house have retired, then, in the still- ness of the night, he gives himself up to his HISTORY, SONG AND STORY. 183 work with no thought of time. His heart is kept young and kind through his great love for nature and his fellow man. There is not a nook or corner within a radius of five miles of his home that he has not explored. Within this scope there is not a plant or flower that he has not examined and classified. Choice flowers of his own tending fill his garden, cluster around his doors, and bloom about his windows. The pure and lofty spirit of his poems is but the spirit of the man himself. To know them well is to know the inner life of the author. To read them is to associate with him. He is quiet, kind, and retiring, is loyally devoted to his friends and appeals to the good in every one. James Whitcomb Riley is a native of Green- field, Indiana. Here he grew to manhood, surrounded by the people and scenes that his poetic genius has touched and made familiar. His father was a prominent attorney, who placed high estimate on education. He sent his son to school, but the young "Hoosier Poet" disliked to study. He especially dis- liked arithmetic. From his school room window he could look out upon the woods and fields, and they seemed to be inviting him to come. Out- side was the great wide world, which was to be his teacher, and he was restless under the rules 1 84 YOUNG FOLKS' INDIANA. of the school room. Not all the time he spent in school was given up to study, as his old text-books will show. Their margins and fly leaves are covered with weird pictures, drawn by him to illustrate the strange visions that were then passing through his brain. He quit school altogether at the age of fif- teen. His father wanted him to attend college, but the young poet asked permission to learn the painter's trade instead. His father finally consented, and placed him in charge of an instructor. He had already displayed con- siderable skill in drawing, as was shown by his school books and his neighbors' barns. In the barns of the neighborhood he conducted Saturday circuses, in which he was chief tumbler, ring-master, clown, and sketch artist all in one. At the close of his first week as a student of painting, his father was informed by his instructor that the pupil had already surpassed his master as an artist. One year of his life Riley spent on the road with a patent-medicine man. They traveled from town to town, where Riley served as a sort of clown to attract and hold the crowd. Upon the blackboard which they carried with them, he would illustrate the wonderful quali- ties of the medicine with crayon sketches and quaint sayings. He grew tired of this kind of freedom and HISTORY, SONG AND STORY. 185 began editing a county newspaper. He said that he strangled this poor little thing to death in less than six months. He then began writing poetry for the magazines, but he declared that more manuscripts were returned to him than he had sent out, so he gave that up. On the advice of a friend, he tried prose, with no better success. He again tried poetry, and success came sure and rapid. His first success was with the Indianapolis Journal. Soon afterward he moved to Indianapolis, and has since made that city his home. He is still the "Hoosier Poet," but his fame has gone out beyond the Atlantic, where his poems are read and praised. His deep sym- pathy for all grades and conditions of human life has made it possible for him to reach many hearts. The children are his friends, for he has entered into their joys and sorrows, and has made them plain to older people. The Raggedy Man has become a real man in the child-world which he has so enriched and beautified. The titles and characters of many of his poems have become household words, and many of his odd sayings have entered per- manently into our language. The list of his writings is very long, and includes both prose and poetry. Some of the latest are: Afterwhiles, Arrnazindy, Child- World, Flying Islands of the Night, Doc 1 86 YOUNG FOLKS' INDIANA. Sifers, Rhymes of Childhood, and Poems Here at Home. As in almost everything else, he is peculiar in his manner of writ- ing. He writes only when he feels so inclined. Sometimes he will sketch a poem while riding in a car, and sometimes, forgetful of the meal, will throw off a poem or a sketch while sitting at the table. He wrote When the Frost Is on the Pumpkin while standing at the printer's case. Mr. Riley's heart is still warm towards the scenes and companions of his boyhood days. Every intimate friend at Greenfield is remem- bered when Riley publishes a new book. Every year he visits his old home, and the boys of the Old SwimmirC Hole are still his compan- ions. They wander together around the familiar places, about which still linger pleas- ant memories. If one of the old crowd falls, Mr. Riley is sure to send some token of remembrance. If one is in distress, he quietly sends relief. His largeness of heart is not more fully shown in his highest poems than in his attitude toward his early friends, most of whom live humbly. Maurice Thompson was born at Fairfield, Franklin County, Indiana, in 1844. His father lived on a farm, and here the son was brought into immediate touch with nature. While Maurice was but a small boy his parents HISTORY, SONG AND STORY. 187 removed to Kentucky, from there to Ten- nessee, and finally settled in Georgia. He was educated by a private tutor and through his outdoor life, where he gathered lessons from living things as well as from books. He is equally learned in books and things. He draws upon his rich store of language to express in the most beautiful manner the things he has learned in the study of nature. The inhabit- ants of the rivers, fields, and forests are his friends, and of these he has written freely, tell- ing their most sacred secrets. His Sylvan Secrets and Byways and Bird Notes are overflowing with a fragrance and a music found only where flowers bloom and birds sing wild in the open air. Lew Wallace and Maurice Thompson were both born in the same county, and at the beginning of the Civil War both enlisted in the army — one to fight for the North, the other for the South. After the close of the war, Mr. Thompson returned to Indiana, and settled in Crawfords- ville, where he and General Wallace became neighbors. He was at one time a member of the Indiana Legislature, and also served as State Geologist. He is a lawyer by profession, and writes mostly because of the pleasure it gives him. It seems quite as easy for him to express himself in poetry as in prose. How- 1 88 YOUNG FOLKS' INDIANA. ever, even his prose is musical with poetry. He has read widely, is acquainted with a num- ber of languages, and has a choice vocabulary with which he expresses himself simply but elegantly. Probably no other Indiana author is so scholarly as he. He has the rare gift of seeing directly into the heart of things, so, when he writes, he tells of the things hidden from the common eye. During the past few years, his literary work has taken much of his time. His winters he usually spends in the south, and lately his work on the editorial staff of the New Yo?'k Independ- ent has kept him in the east during the summer. Among the books he has published are: Byways and Bird Notes, Sylvan Secrets, The Story of Louisiana, and Stories of Indiana. Benjamin S. Parker was born in Henry County, sixty-five years ago. A lofty spirit fills everything he writes. He touches the common things and they become strong and beautiful. He always waits to serve rather than to be served. Though he is most widely known through his poetry, he has also written well and much more extensively in prose. Besides his literary work, he has done many other things. He was reared on a farm and shared in its labors; has been a teacher, a merchant and an editor and has had some- thing to do with politics. He was a presi- HISTORY, SONG AND STORY. 189 denlial elector on the Garfield and Arthur ticket in 1880. When Mr. Arthur became President, he appointed Mr. Parker consul at Sherbrooke, Canada. In 1886 he was elected clerk of the circuit court of his native county, retiring from office in 1892 with a wide circle of friends. Mr. Parker has published four volumes of poetry, three of which, The Cabin in the Clearing, TJie Hoosier Bards and The Rhymes of Our Neighborhood, are still in print. His most popular, though not always his best poems, are those descriptive of pioneer life in which is expressed the rich simple life of the country folk — a life in which we all feel akin. The Hoosier Bards is a poem, or series of short poems, descriptive of our native birds, which many critics have pronounced his best work. In reading these poems it is easy to know that the author has seen through friendly eyes, and has felt with a kindly heart. The critic o-f The Indianapolis News says of two of his poems, that The Building of the Monument is the finest heroic poem ever written in the state, and that ' Tis Morning and the Days Are Long is as fine a lyric as the language con- tains — an opinion which has been re-echoed by competent authorities, east and west. Mr. Parker, Captain Harris and James Whitcomb Riley, are fast friends of many years' 19° YOUNG FOLKS' INDIANA. standing; each of whom has expressed over and over again his admiration of and respect for the others. Mrs. Sarah K. Bolton was one of the pioneer Avriters of Indiana. She was born in Newport, Kentucky, December 18, 1814. When she was but a few years old, her father moved to the wilderness of Indiana, where all the household joined in making a home. The father was anxious to educate his children, but there were no schools near. His desire to see his children educated grew so strong that he sold his farm and moved to Madison. Mrs. Bolton was then ten years of age. She soon began writing poems, which found their way into the local papers and attracted much attention. At the age of seventeen, she was married, and went with her husband to Indian- apolis, which was then a small town. Misfor- tune overtook them, and to save their home, they kept tavern nine years, where now stands the Central Insane Hospital. Part of the time during these years, she performed all the duties about the tavern with her own hands. During these long, hard years, her pen was idle, but when brighter days came to her home she again took up her writing. Her husband became State Librarian in 1847, and Mrs. Bolton was his assistant. In this position she read and wrote a great deal. HISTORY, SONG AND STORY. 191 Her husband was afterward appointed consul at Geneva, and this gave her wide opportuni- ties for study. For two years she traveled in Europe, then returned to Indianapolis, more than ever in love with her own country and the state of her father's adoption. Few poems breathe a higher spirit of patriotism than Mrs. Bolton's Indiana. In 1880, Mrs. Bolton published a collection of her poems in one large volume, and later a smaller collection of her selected poems was published. Her best known poem is Paddle Your Own Canoe, which grew out of her life of struggle. Every boy and girl of Indiana should commit at least the last stanza of this battle hymn of life : Nothing great is lightly won ; Nothing won is lost; Every good deed, nobly done, Will repay the cost. Leave to Heaven in humble trust All you will to do ; But if you succeed, you must Paddle your own canoe. The greatest Indiana name in the field of history is that of John Clark Ridpath. He was born in a log cabin in Putnam County, Indi- ana, in 1840. While a boy, he worked on a farm, and attended school in the country. The school house was made of logs, was supplied 192 YOUNG FOLKS' INDIANA. with pioneer furniture, and was reached by a forest path. While a student in Asbury (now De Pauw) University, he wrote a number of poems and essays of high rank. Soon after his graduation he was elected Professor of English Literature in the college from which he gradu- ated. Two years later he was given the chair of history, which position he held until a few years ago. He has written and published almost forty volumes of history. His best known works are : Grammar School History, Academic History of the United States, Life and Work of Garfield, Great Races of Mankind, and History of the World. It is an unusual thing to find in the historian so much of the poet. He takes the common facts of history, and so clothes them that they become interesting to us. He makes history read like a story. Mr. Ridpath now spends most of his time in the east, where he is editing a magazine. Edward Eggleston was born at Vevay, Indi- ana, but has done his writing since leaving his native state. His early writings were in the field of fiction, but lately he has turned to history, in which he seems to be equally great. His last book is The Beginners of a Nation, which is the first volume of a series he is preparing. To this series of books, he is giv- ing much time and effort. The material for HISTORY, SONG AND STORY. 193 the Circuit Rider, Hoosier School Master, and. the Hoosier School Boy was gathered from Indiana. Joaquin Miller is another Indianian who has gained fame abroad in the field of letters. He was born in Franklin County in 184 1. When thirteen years of age, he moved with his par- ents to Oregon. He has written both in prose and in poetry, and all he has written is full of the mountains and the sea. Some of his prose writings are: The Baroness of New York, The Danites of the Sierras, Shadows of Shasta, and The Gold Seekers of the Sierras. Among his books of poetry are Songs of the Sierras, Songs of the Sun lands, Songs of the Desert, Songs of Italy, Collected Poems, and Songs of the Mexican Seas, 194 YOUNG FOLKS' INDIANA. XIV From Pack- Horse to Palace-Car. THE trails and river courses led the early settlers into the Northwest, and afterward brought to them articles to supply their simple wants. By these trails and rivers, all the movements of the pioneers were guided. By the trails, the pack-horse threaded his way into the wilderness with supplies for the pioneer stores. Upon the bosom of the rivers was also borne the scanty commerce of the scattered settlements. Supplies for the first settlers were brought overland from Virginia and the Carolinas on pack-horses, or down the Ohio River in flatboats. Over these same routes Uncle Sam sent mail to the people living on the outskirts of civilization. The first settlements were made alcng the Wabash and the Ohio. The pioneers then made their way slowly along the banks of their tributaries, and formed settlements farther inland. It was a long time before settlements were established far away from the water courses. The rivers thus became the natural FROM PACK-HORSE TO PALACE-CAR. 195 outlet of the settlers. Flatboats were built in summer on the smaller rivers, then loaded with the produce of the country. When the freshets came, and the waters were high, these boats were pushed off into the streams and carried down into the Ohio, and out into the Mississippi down to New Orleans. Oftentimes, the Indians watched on the river banks and attacked the boats as they floated by. The first flatboats were small, rudely put together, and were simply furnished. These 196 YOUNG FOLKS' INDIANA. gave way for larger ones with better equip- ments. As the settlements grew in size and number, commerce became more important, and boats increased in number. Besides the flatboats, there were keel boats and barges. Barge was the dignified name for a keel boat that was covered with a house-like roof. The keel boats and barges ascended as well as descended the rivers, but the flatboats only made the downward voyage. At the end of the trip they were torn up and sold for lumber. Sometimes a fleet of fifty or sixty of these boats, loaded with hay, wheat, corn, hogs, cattle, horses, and tan-bark, floated down the Ohio and Mississippi rivers together. To the dwellers along the rivers such a fleet must have presented a beautiful picture as it quietly moved with the waters toward the gulf. In places, the forest grew to the river's edge, and the trees dipped their branches in the water. Again the prairies rolled away and lost them- selves beyond the horizon. Deer, grazing along the banks, raised their heads, looked at the silent moving fleet, then trotted away into the woods. On the prairies the buffalo grazed undisturbed, and flocks of river birds looked inquiringly at this greater flock of larger birds. Such were the surroundings of the commercial beginnings of the Northwest. In these early fleets were the hopes of an earnest people and FROM PACK-HORSE TO PALACE-CAR. 197 the promises of the greater commerce that would so soon fill the large merchant vessels of the ocean and find its way to the cities of all the civilized peoples of the world. Many of the emigrants came to the land of their new homes in flatboats. The stock was placed on the open deck at one end of the boat, and at the other end a rough cabin was built for the families of the pioneers. When they reached the place selected for their homes, and had no further use for their boats, their lumber was used in building the cabin homes, and in furnishing them with chairs, tables and beds. As settlements pushed farther into the interior, they were connected with other settle- ments by roads cut through the wilderness. It was difficult to travel over these new-made roads, even with ox-teams. The timber and brush were removed, but the stumps were left standing.. The soil was rich and undrained. The water collected in the hollows, and the travel made mudholes, through which a strong team could scarcely pull an empty wagon. After a while, the worst places were bridged with corduroy, which is made by laying logs, rails or poles side by side in the mud. This kind of roads kept the wagons above ground, but the corduroy was so rough that one could scarcely remain in the wagon while driving over 198 YOUNG FOLKS' INDIANA. it. On the main highways, the corduroy gave place to plank roads. These were made of broad planks, from two to four inches in thickness, laid side by side. These roads were broad enough only for a single team, but wooden turnouts were made along the road where teams could pass. There were still no bridges, and streams were crossed by means of fords and ferries. The ferries were often kept by quaint people, who entertained their customers with wonderful stories of their pioneer experi- ence at the ferry. The Legislature early passed a law permitting men to form private companies for the purpose of building plank roads and turnpikes. This law greatly aided in giving better roads to Indiana. Road-making through the wilderness was a slow and difficult task. Many of the inland settlements had no outlets for their meager produce, nor could they easily communicate with the outside world. They grew anxious for better and quicker means of communication. They wanted better roads, and also desired to have the chief settlements and the chief rivers of the whole state connected by a system of canals. They knew the value of these, and were willing to be taxed to pay for their con- struction. Two years after Indiana became a state, her leading men began to discuss the question of FROM PACK-HORSE TO PALACE-CAR. 199 canals and better roads. The Governor said that upon a system of good roads and canals depended the progress of the state and of civili- zation. Each year the people grew more in earnest, till, in 1832, a great system of internal improvements was undertaken. It was unwisely managed, and failed before the work was completed, but it was the beginning out of which greater things grew. Part of the work planned and undertaken by the state was after- ward completed by private companies. It was planned to connect the different parts of the state and the Ohio River with a system of canals. Under the plan, the chief towns of the state were to be joined by plank and gravel roads, and the central part of the state was to have swift outlet by means of railroads. The waters of the Great Lakes were to be poured into the waters of the Ohio, and Indiana was to be covered with a network of waterways, pikes and railroads. It was wisely planned, but was too expensive, and was given up by the state in 1839, after part of the work had been completed. Indianapolis was to be connected with Lafay- ette by a gravel road seventy miles in length ; Vincennes and New Albany were to be joined by a pike one hundred and five miles long ; and a public highway one hundred and sixty-four miles lung was to connect Crawfordsville and 200 YOUNG FOLKS' INDIANA. Jeffersonville. Indianapolis and the Ohio River were to be connected at Madison by a railroad eighty miles in length. The Wabash and Erie canal was to be constructed from Toledo, Ohio, to the mouth of the Tippecanoe River, then down the valleys of Wabash and White rivers to the Ohio, at Evansville. The central canal was to reach from the Wabash and Erie, from Logansport through Indianapolis, and join it again at Point Commerce, in White River valley. A cross canal was to connect the cen- tral with the Wabash and Erie at Terre Haute. Lake Erie and Lake Michigan were to be joined by a canal crossing the northern part of the state. The Whitewater canal was to be con- structed from Lawrenceburg to Hagerstown. The whole system embraced more than twelve hundred miles. It was a dream of Washington to connect Lake Erie with the Ohio River and mingle the waters of the Great Lakes with those of the Gulf of Mexico. A half century after his death, his dream was fulfilled in the completion of the Wabash and Erie canal. This canal was then the longest artificial waterway in the world, being 459 miles in length. Its completion marked a new era in the progress of Indiana. Along its course are many of the best cities, and much of their early progress was due to the canal. The first section of the canal, thirty- FROM PACK-HORSE TO PALACE-CAR. 201 two miles long, was finished July 4, 1835, and the day was celebrated with unusual earnest- ness. After the state gave up the work, Con- gress voted part of the government's public lands to complete this canal. The land appro- ON THE TOW-PATH. priated by Congress amounted to 3,200 acres for each mile of the canal. By this means the whole canal was completed in 1853, and the dream of Washington was realized. The contract for the Whitewater canal was let and the work begun in 1836. The day on 202 YOUNG FOLKS' INDIANA. which the first ground was broken for this canal was set apart for a fitting celebration at Brookville. Eloquent and distinguished speak- ers were secured for the occasion, the people of the Whitewater country came together, and in the midst of oratory and the firing of cannon, the first step was taken in the construction of the Whitewater canal. It was a day full of promise for the town of Brookville, nestling among the hills, almost shut in from the world outside. In three years the canal was com- pleted as far as Brookville. On June 8, 1839, the first canal boat was drawn into the town where the ground was first broken for the canal. It was the "Ben Franklin," and was greeted with wild enthusiasm. Six years later, "The Patriot," the first boat, reached Connersville. In 1847, a freshet so damaged the canal that it cost $100,000 to repair it. The next year a second freshet, almost as destructive as the first one, followed, and the usefulness of the canal was destroyed. The enterprise that promised so much for this part of the state ended in an early failure. The first railroad built in Indiana is the one from the city of Madison to Indianapolis. By this road, the capital of the state was given a direct route to the Ohio River. It was begun in 1836 and completed in 1847. The steepest FROM PACK-HORSE TO PALACE-CAR. 203 railroad grade in the state is the one where this road leads down into Madison. An engine of immense size is required to push the trains up this grade. The engine is so large and heavy that it was necessary to make the track of extra strength to bear its weight without danger. Before the time of canals and railroads, caravan routes were established between the central part of the state, and supplied with clumsy wagons. Sometimes they were drawn by oxen, but usually by four or six horses. The roads were so bad that a great deal of time was consumed in going a short distance. When moving the state capital from Corydon to Indianapolis, in 1825, the teams traveled only twelve miles a day. Very early in our state's history, steamboats began carrying commerce on the Ohio. They were swift and strong, and, as they increased in number, crowded out the slow-moving flat- boat. The steamboats could not navigate the smaller rivers, so the flatboats continued to carry the commerce from the interior down the tributaries of the large rivers. Later, the railroads came and crowded them off the inland rivers. The canal boats shared the same fate. About the time the canals were finished and began proving their usefulness, they were supplanted by railroads. The plodding mule 204 YOUNG FOLKS' INDIANA. gave way to the iron horse, and the railway train took the place of the canal boat. The ' ' New Orleans' ' was the first steamboat on the Ohio. It was launched at Pittsburg in 1811. From the Smoky City, it made its way down to Louisville, and stopped after dark. By its puffing, beating the water, and the sparks flying from its huge smokestack, it greatly frightened the people. They thought a meteor had fallen into the river and was caus- ing all the disturbance. As it proudly cut the water on its way to New Orleans, the people of the towns along the way gazed upon it with wondering eyes. The Indians came out of the woods to see the mon- ster that made the forests tremble with its hoarse bellowing. Some of them fired upon it as it passed, and at one time it was chased by a canoe filled with warriors. There was great anxiety on board the "New Orleans" as the light canoe of the Indians skimmed the waters in pursuit. All the members of the boat's crew were at their places, the furnaces were filled to their fullest, and the engines snorted as if they scented danger. Every effort was made to outstrip the Indians. For a time, it was an even race, but steam proved stronger than muscle, and the red men were beaten. While the "New Orleans" was making her FROM PACK-HORSE TO PALACE-CAR. 205 first trip down the Ohio and Mississippi, there occurred an earthquake at New Madrid, a town on the Mississippi, below the mouth of the Ohio. The sky was red and hazy, the earth quaked and trembled, and the waters of the Mississippi were greatly disturbed. When the people of the earthquake region saw the "New Orleans" sending up clouds of smoke and streams of fire, watched her pounding the water into a foam, and heard her hoarse whistle, they said that the steamboat had caused the earthquake. The people on the boat were frightened quite as much as those on the shore. They had felt the repeated shocks of the earthquake, and the pilot found the bed of the river so changed by the upheaval of the land that he lost his way, and it looked as if the boat would be wrecked. Each day the crew went ashore for fuel. Sometimes they obtained coal, but more fre- quently they were compelled to cut wood from the forest to furnish steam for the following day. Other boats followed the "New Orleans," until the sound of their whistles is now as familiar along the large rivers as is the chatter of the wren, or the "bob-white" of the quail in Indiana. For many years before the building of rail- roads, the chief mode of traveling in Indiana was by stage. Stage lines were established on 206 YOUNG FOLKS' INDIANA. the principal roads through the most thickly settled parts of the state. The stage-coach was passenger, baggage, and mail coach all in one. It was provided with three seats, each of which would accommodate three people. When it was crowded, one person could find a seat on top of the stage by the driver. In fair weather this was the choice seat. It was an excellent lookout station, and then the one riding by the driver could hear the stories of his rough life. The top of the coach was arranged for carrying baggage and mail. The coaches were frequently painted with showy colors, but their rough journeys soon made them look old and dingy. The arrival of the stage was the most impor- tant event in the life of the little towns along the route. A blast from the driver's horn notified the waiting passengers of his coming, and aroused the people, who came out to see. The mail bag was handed down to the post- master, who emptied it upon the floor of his office, and, while the stage waited, selected the mail that belonged to his office. The remainder was then returned to the bag and given back to the driver, who cracked his long whip and was quickly off on his journey. Stage driving was rough and dangerous work, and required men who were rugged and brave. Along the way there were wild places FROM PACK-HORSE TO PALACE-CAR. 207 where dark deeds had been done by bold high- waymen. To protect the passengers and their property, the drivers were always armed. The stage must go, however rough or cold the weather. At one of the stations on the Old National Road, a team turned into the stable at the end of the route, one cold night, with the driver still at his post, but dead from the cold. The coach was drawn by four horses, which the driver handled with the skill of an ancient charioteer. Through deep mud and along dangerous ways, he guided his team slowly in the safest places, then, where the roads were good, with dash and daring, he urged on his horses at breakneck speed. The teams were changed at stations ten or twelve miles apart. A blast from the driver's horn was the signal to bring out the waiting team. The Change was quickly made, and the stage was soon rumbling on. Before the coming of railroads, the stock raised in some parts of the state was driven to market. In the early days, hogs were the chief live-stock, and to drive them through an unfenced wilderness across unbridged streams, to a market a hundred miles away, was a troublesome, but an interesting, task. The hogs ran wild in the woods and fattened on the mast. Little account was taken of them 208 YOUNG FOLKS' INDIANA. until the farmers were ready to market them. The stock-buyer came around, as he now does, and arranged with each farmer to deliver his hogs on a certain day at the place of weighing. Each man knew his own by a certain ear-mark he had made with a knife while they were pigs. Even by the aid of dogs, it was not easy to get them away from the woods where they had fed and slept. There was much fun and more labor at the place where the hogs were delivered. Each hog must be caught, placed in the harness pro- vided for such occasions, and weighed on a large pair of steelyards. The hogs ranged from one to three years of age. The old ones were armed with long tusks, and when angry were very dangerous opponents. When one was caught, he sounded the alarm, and it fre- quently happened that his friends and relatives came to his assistance. When a charge of this kind was made, it required a number of per- sons to beat them off. These hogs were little like the ones now fatted on corn and clover, hauled to town in wagons, and shipped away on fast-moving freight trains. They were hogs suited to the conditions of their time. They were long of wind and leg and snout, and never grew too fat to drive. After a drove of sufficient size had been col- lected, they were started to market, driven by FROM PACK-HORSE TO PALACE CAR. 209 a number of men and dogs. Sometimes on the way, a number of them would take to the woods, and much time and patience would be expended before they were captured and returned to the drove. Again, some one with head and legs of unusual length, would dash into the forest, escape both dogs and men, and become a real bushwhacker. The drovers usually stopped for the night at the -taverns scattered along the way. They were tired and muddy. Their clothing fared the same whether there was rain or shine. They must chase the hogs through the swamps and capture them covered with mud, and many times were com- pelled to drag numbers of them across the streams. After supper was over, and all the incidents of the day had been recounted, the tired drovers would wash their muddy clothes and hang them up to dry, then retire to rest for the drive of the following day. The pack-horse, the caravan wagon, and the stage-coach have gone. The canals have been abandoned, and the barges and flatboats have been driven from our rivers. The shout of the drover is no longer heard. These have given way to better things. The steamboats have been perfected in strength, speed and beauty. The state is covered with a network of rail- roads. The primitive trains that stopped the stage-coach and canal -boat, have given place to 2IO YOUNG FOLKS' INDIANA. fast freights and moving palaces. Express lines have been established, and the telegraph and telephone are a part of our daily lives. What will follow next?