Starke County Indiana Railroad History

150 YEARS OF RAILROADING IN STARKE COUNTY, INDIANA

Compiled by Marvin Allen, Starke County Historical Society 2005

Contents

Chapter 1: Chapter 2: Chapter 3: Chapter 4: Chapter 5: Chapter 6: Chapter 7: Chapter 8: Chapter 9:

New Albany and Salem Railroad (Monon)
1852-1853 Radioville-San Pierre-Kankakee-LaCrosse

Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne and Chicago Railroad (Penn)
1856 Donaldson-Grovertown-Hamlet-Davis-Hanna

Cincinnati and Chicago Railroad (Penn)
1858-1861Denham-North Judson-English Lake-LaCrosse

Chicago and Atlantic Railroad (Erie)
1883 Monterey-Ora-Bass Station-Aldine-North Judson-Lomax-Wilders

New York, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad (Nickel Plate)
1882 Burr Oak-Ober-Knox-Brems-South Wanatah

Iowa, Illinois and Indiana Railroad (NYC)
1881 & 1894 Walkerton-Hamlet-Knox-Toto-North Judson-San Pierre-Teft

Cincinnati, Richmond and Muncie Railroad (C&O)
1902 Lawton-Lena Park-North Judson-English Lake-LaCrosse

Bass Lake Railroad (Erie)
1898 Bass Station-Lake Station

Lake Michigan, Logansport and Ohio River Railroad
1852 & 1855 The line that was never built

Foreword The year 2002 marks the 150th year of railroad history in Starke County. It all started with the New Albany and Salem Railroad that ran north and south through the western portion of the county. At its peak, seven railroads traversed Starke County. Today, although much has changed, the Norfolk Southern runs many trains through Knox between Chicago and Buffalo on the former Nickel Plate line. Norfolk Southern also uses the former Pennsylvania line across the northern half of Starke County for additional freight traffic. While it may seem to the casual observer that railroads are in a decline, statistics from the Association of American Railroads show that freight revenue is at an all time high of 33.5 billion for the year 2001. These days Class 1 railroads rule the road. There are 8 of them and CSX and Norfolk Southern (operating in Starke County) are two of them. As with most communities that were settled and developed in the second half of the 19th century, Starke County’s settlement and growth paralleled the expansion of railroads through Indiana. The county and its communities have been referred to by some as the crossroads of the nation. There is a basis for this claim in the various routes connecting Chicago, Lake Michigan’s harbors, and the Ohio River. North Judson, in particular, was at the intersection of several major railroad lines, connecting the Great Lakes Area with the Ohio River, as well as eastern and western United States. If we examine early maps and relate them to the present day, we find that almost every town and village in Starke County had its beginnings as a railroad stop. Some have changed names, or even faded away, as the needs of the railroads have changed. The conversion from steam to diesel had a major impact on Starke County’s villages. There was no longer a need for locomotives to stop and fill their tenders with water to make steam. Stops such as Davis, Kankakee and Riverside soon vanished into history. Others changed their names, such as Rye, Starke, Nickel Plate and Brandtwood once they were more than just railroad stops. It is difficult these days to understand the importance and reliance of our ancestors on railroads in Starke County. But we have to remember that roads that could be navigated during wet weather and winter conditions were nonexistent until the 1920’s. And even then travel was perilous and very limited to just a few main roads like the Yellowstone Trail, Lincoln Highway and the Michigan Road. The following excerpt from Centennial History and Handbook of Indiana by George S. Cottman, A Survey of the State by Counties by Max R. Hyman, Originally Published in

1915 also by Max R. Hyman describes the difficulty of travel in the 1800’s prior to railroads quite well. “Most of the year a journey over the roads was simply a slow, laborious wallowing through mud; the bogs were passable only by the use of "corduroy," and this corduroy of poles laid side by side for miles not infrequently had to be weighted down with dirt to prevent floating off when the swamp water rose. In a book called "The New Purchase," which purports to depict life in central Indiana in the early eighteen twenties, the wagon trip to Bloomington is described in the author's peculiar, half-intelligible style. He speaks of the country as "buttermilk land," mashland," rooty and snaggy land," with mud holes and quicksand and corduroys, "woven single and double twill," and there are fords "with and without bottom," IN the early spring, he says, the streams were brimful, "creeks turned to rivers, rivers to lakes, and lakes to bigger ones, and traveling by land becomes traveling by mud and water." As one proceeded he must tack to right and left, not to find the road, but to get out of it and find places where the mud was "thick enough to bear." The way was a "most ill-looking, dark-colored morass, enlivened by streams of purer mud (the roads) crossing at right angles," and these streams were "thick-set with stumps cut just low enough for wagons to straddle," Innumerable stubs of saplings, sharpened like spears by being shorn off obliquely, waited to impale the unlucky traveler who might be pitched out upon them, and the probability of such accident was considerable as the lumber wagon lunged over a succession of ruts and roots, describing an "exhilarating seesaw with the most astonishing alternation of plunge, creak and splash."” This record will attempt to document the beginnings, history and present day status of each of the seven railroad lines and spurs that once traversed Starke County. Along the way, we will illustrate using maps, photographs, stock certificates and post cards. Sometimes it may seem our information conflicts with other recorded histories of local railroading, but this is only because the ancestry of railroad lines is complex. The definitive resource for railroading in Indiana may be “Railroads of Indiana” by Simmons and Parker and published by Indiana University Press.

Telephone book listings for Starke County Railroad offices in 1951

Chapter One The first railroad through Starke County was built in 1852 and ran north and south through the western portion of the county. It was known as the New Albany & Salem Railroad and had been organized in 1847 to connect Michigan City with Louisville.

There were only two stops along its way through west Starke County; Culverton, which was later called San Pierre, and Kankakee, which was on the south bank of the Kankakee River. The Kankakee stop was later known as Riverside. The New Albany and Salem was truly a pioneer railroad and faced many of the problems of early railroad building. From Chapter 9 of The Story of American Railroads by Stewart H. Holbrook we learn: “Two years after beginning of construction the New Albany & Salem had completed 27 miles of road and was the third longest railway in the state, the two longer being the gigantic Madison & Indianapolis, with 88 miles of road, and the Indianapolis & Belfontaine, with 28 miles. The mileage for the entire state totaled 212. The New Albany built its first track on ties laid four feet apart and connected by stringers imbedded in notches in the ties. The rails were simply bar iron, held in place by big spikes driven through the center and their heads countersunk in order not to project above the rails. It was presently discovered that because the ends of the rails were connected by tongue and groove, there was not enough space to allow for the expansion caused by changes in temperature. The bars heaved and writhed, loosening the spikes. The spikes gave way,

the bars spread, and locomotives were derailed. The T-rail was already being used on all of the better-financed roads which were publicizing the sinister menace inherent in bar rails in order to scare passenger traffic off such murderous contraptions. Railroad President Brooks was not slow to see the disadvantages of bar iron, and soon he was replacing his own tracks with T-rail made by the Crescent Iron Manufacturing Company of Wheeling, Virginia. This, he told his directors, would relieve the New Albany from the "bad name" of running on bar iron which, he said, "has had a very unfavorable influence upon our passenger business." He added that agents of competing roads had been able, by a series of gross and unspeakable misrepresentations, to alarm passengers and "keep them off our line." Pioneer railroads such as the New Albany & Salem had to devise their methods of operation as they went along, and the primeval Hoosiers were equal to the task. Wood was, of course, the fuel used. The company figured it could run as average train about 28 1/2 miles on one cord of four-foot wood; and the wood could be cut, delivered and piled in the tender for $1.41 a cord. Wood-up stations were established at regular intervals of from 20 to 25 miles, and here farmers delivered the wood in four-foot lengths. The woodup at Lafayette was the largest on the line and remained in use until after 1870. It held one hundred cords. To cut the sticks once more for easy handling by firemen, the New Albany's ingenious mechanics devised a flatcar with a stationary engine aboard, rigged to a circular saw. This was called The Rooster, and a picture of a cock appeared in full color on the car's sides. The Rooster was hauled up and down the line, its crew making little ones out of big ones. It became an institution. The early locomotive stacks were not covered with any screen, and naturally gave forth a continuous shower of sparks, causing many fires in grass and forest, for which the company was held responsible. The sparks were also hard on both passengers and employees. Charles Bane, an old hogger of the New Albany, related that one could always tell a member of an engine crew of that day by the holes burned in the back of his vest. Water for the locomotives was taken at likely places and was poured into the locomotive tank by a bucket brigade of engine and train crews. This system was followed by a pump worked by horse power, the horse being harnessed to a long pole and walking in a circle. Gravity water tanks gradually came into use as the company could afford their construction. The first passenger cars cost $2,000 apiece and seated from fifty to sixty persons. The lamps burned lard oil, and were continuously smoking. The task of tending them was given to the trainboy, a sort of forerunner of the news butcher. One of the first trainboys on the New Albany was W.W.Garrott, 13 years old in 1856 when he made his first run. It was a dangerous job for a youngster. The cars were of various heights and were coupled together with three great links of chain, and it was necessary in getting from one coach to another to make a considerable leap. Young Garrott had to do this while carrying a basket of fruit and candy, or perhaps a bundle of newspapers. He was so sure-footed, however, that Conductor Rush Prosser permitted the lad to run regularly on his train. Another of Trainboy Garrot's duties was to supply drinking water to passengers. A barrel of ice water

was carried in the baggage car and every hour or so Garrott had to fill a two-gallon can that had a long spout, and with this and two tin cups make his way through the train, cooling the throats of adults and of children, the latter never so thirsty as when traveling on the steam cars. For a number of years one car served for baggage, mail, and express. The last car on the train was the Ladies' Car, and into this no male dared enter unless accompanied by a woman, who might or might not be a lady. All other males had to sit in the smoker, whether or not they smoked. All passenger cars were heated by round stoves fastened to the wall to prevent turning over in case of derailments, which apparently were many. The trainboys had to keep the stoves going and the woodbox filled. There were no wrecking cars in those days. Into a long box hung to the underside of each New Albany baggage car went chains, ropes, crowbars, hammers and such, for use in emergencies. Conductors were to open this "switch box" just before starting a run to make certain that no one had made off with the tools. The conductors were paid $83.33 a month, the brakemen $30. The scale for engineer and fireman was about the same. The trainboy got no regular wage, but Garrott recalled that he used to make as much as $40 a month in commission on sales. He did not mention any side-lines, so perhaps he was not working for a news agency but was on his own. Like many another early road, the New Albany was often hard put to meet its payroll. At such times it was the custom to issue meal and lodging tickets. The regular paymaster was authorized to redeem these in cash when presented by anyone not an employee of the road but not when offered by employees. The train crews on the New Albany were not slow in finding means to add to their wages. It soon became a custom for them to buy berries, eggs, and chestnuts along the way and sell them in the larger towns at a profit. The company did not object, at least not for many years, and the business of certain trainmen became so extensive as to call for newspaper comment. In 1857, for instance, the Review of Crawfordsville remarked it was time the Postmaster General of the United States added an extra car to make room for the mails that were being crowded out by heavy shipments of eggs and butter incident to the produce business being carried on by mail clerks and baggage men on the New Albany & Salem Railroad.” Many of the county’s early settlers came from West Prussia (Germany) and migrated down this railroad line from Michigan City, settling in Wanatah, San Pierre and Medaryville. Family names such as Weinkauf, White, Rennewanz, Podell, Neupert and Schricker. Many of our ancestors worked on these railroads, as they established farms. August (Weiche) White was listed on the 1870 census as a bridge watcher, when he lived on his farm near the railroad stop known as Kankakee a few miles north of San Pierre in Railroad Township.

The New Albany & Salem Railroad fell upon hard times in 1856 due to droughts that limited the shipment of farm products and entered into receivership in 1858. It was reorganized in 1869 as the Louisville, New Albany and Chicago Railway under the leadership of John Jacob Astor.

From Kurtz’s The Early History of Starke County, chapter 7: “This railroad was the only one built in the county previous to the Civil War. The soldiers of Starke County embarked for the south, not in Pullman cars, but in cattle or box cars from Culverton, which was later named San Pierre.” From the Starke County Centennial, p. 13: “Civil War soldiers recruited in this county entrained there, returned there wounded or on sick leave. At one time during the Civil War a group of Union soldiers gathered at the depot waiting for a train, were fired upon by some Copperheads attempting to incite them to riot. San Pierre then was located about one-half mile north of its present site and was known as Culvertown. It was also called Custer at one time. President Lincoln’s funeral train stopped at San Pierre on its way to Illinois. At midnight the journey resumed over the Lafayette and Indianapolis to Lafayette, leaving there at 4 A.M. over the Louisville, New Albany and Chicago to Michigan City. Through the night, residents of town after town turned out to watch the train.”

Chapter 9 of The Story of American Railroads by Stewart H. Holbrook describes the uncertainty of early railroad travel: “Operating schedules were set up on the early years but were seldom met. Horace Greeley wrote a vivid description about delays on this railroad in a letter to his paper in New York. He was on a speaking tour, this time on Temperance, and planned to leave on a certain train from Lafayette to get to Laporte, where another lecture was due. This was in October of 1853. Greeley went to what he thought was the New Albany & Salem Railroad station in Lafayette, and there he waited a long time only to learn that the train left from another depot, the one on Salem Street. He got to this depot just in time to see the smoke of the departing train. So, he remained overnight in Lafayette, and next day he caught the train. It was, one judges, quite a train: I was in ample season (says Greeley), but the train that was to start at ten did not actually leave until noon, and then with a body entirely disproportionate to its head. Five cars closely packed with hogs, five ditto with wheat, two ditto with lumber, three or four with live stock and notions returning from the fair, and two or three cattle cars containing passengers, formed entirely too heavy a load for our asthmatic engine which had obviously seen its best days in the service of other roads before that from New Albany to Michigan City was constructed. Still, we went ahead, crossed the Wabash, passed the Tippecanoe Creek Battle ground, ran our engine partly off the track, and got it on again; and by three o'clock had reached Brookston, a station fourteen files from Lafayette, with a fair prospect of traversing our ninety odd miles by the dawn of Monday morning. Mr. Greeley's troubles were not over. They were merely beginning. The halt at Brookston seemed endless. The engine was in want of both wood and water, but neither was present. The locomotive was uncoupled and run ahead some five miles for water, still farther for wood, and two hours later returned to the stalled train and hitched on. The cheery call of "all aboard" gladdened the hearts of the passengers - though not for long. After a run of half a mile, the cock of the boiler blew out, letting off all water and steam. The Conductor, a hardy soul, one judges, a Spartan ready to meet any and all conditions imposed by life, considered the matter for a bit, then got aboard a handcar and started pumping back to Lafayette where, he said, he would get a locomotive that could haul the train and the disabled engine back to that village. Mr. Greeley did not want to return to Lafayette. He said so, aloud. He had seen, he remarked, enough of Lafayette, and now he must get on to Laporte. The engineer of the stalled train had an idea. He recollected that a pretty good locomotive was resting at Culvertown, forty-three miles ahead, and he proposed to take a handcar - there seemed to be plenty of handcars around Brookston and go get it and run it back to Brookston. Mr. Greeley had seen not only enough of Lafayette but of Brookston too. He grabbed his carpetbag and climbed aboard the handcar: The full moon [reported the editor of the New York Tribune] was bright over the eastern woods as with the north start straight ahead, we bid adieu to the embryo city of Brookston. We were seven of us in the handcar, four propelling by twos, as if turning a heavy, two-handed grindstone...the car, about equal in size to a wheelbarrow and a half, just managed to hold us and give the propellers working room. To economize space, I sat a good part of the time facing backwards, with my feet

dangling over the rear of the car, knocking here and there on a tie or a bridge timber, and often tickled through my boots by the coarse, rank weeds growing up at intervals between the ties and recently stiffened by the hard October frosts... We made our first five miles in twenty-five minutes, our first ten miles in an hour, but out propellers grew gradually weary. We stopped twice or thrice for oil, water, and perhaps one other liquor so that we were five hours in making forty-three miles, or from seven o'clock until midnight. Excellent observer that he was, Greeley saw a good deal of the country on that ride. The night was clear and chilly. The course lay across the east end of that "Grand Prairie that stretched westerly from the banks of the Wabash across Indiana and Illinois to the Mississippi, and thence through Iowa and Nebraska, perhaps to Council Bluffs and the Rocky Mountains." The ground seemed nearly level, sometimes marshy, and for the most part, Greeley noted, clear of woods. But they frequently crossed belts of higher ground and Greeley noted occasional clumps of sturdy oaks - isles of timber in the prairie sea. He saw four prairie fires, burning brightly but lazily. A flock of wild geese flew over, murmuring. The editor saw one great heron rise from beside the track and fly heavily over the marches. The handcar frightened several wild animals, including one skunk and one opossum. Greeley took it all in, and at last came the climax. They reached Culverton and found that the engine they had come for wasn't there. It had been taken north to Michigan City. Well, that left Mr. Greeley still in the wilderness, still many miles from Laporte. Now that he had got his teeth into the matter, he resolved to go on at any cost. He waked everyone in Culverton in an attempt to get a team to take him north. There were no teams. But the New Albany & Salem engineer who had bossed the handcar from Brookston liked Greeley's determination. He loaned Greeley the handcar and helped him to find two Culverton men who agreed to pump the rig the remainder of the night. So Greeley and his two men struck out at one o'clock in the morning. At nine next morning Greeley was in Laporte, ready to speak that afternoon on the evils of dram taking. Of the country he had passed through on what must have seemed an extremely long day and night, Greeley had an opinion. He reported that he had seen scarcely a hundred houses in that long ride, and they would have been dear at two hundred dollars each. He did see some fine timber, and "he who passes this way ten years hence will see a different state of things." There was a good future for the region, he thought. But he also remarked that the "financiering which conjured up the means of building the New Albany and Michigan City Railroad is worthy of a brazen monument." One wonders what President Brooks thought of such a remark. If Mr. Greeley rode the New Albany & Salem on a free pass he must have indeed been irritated, just as the man who sees a show on a free pass and finds it bad is irritated. But it is probable the editor paid cash for his trip by train and handcar.”

Coulter railroad maps dated 1871 and 1872 show a “Kankakee” stop exactly ½ way between LaCrosse and San Pierre on the south side of the Kankakee river.

An 1896 map shows the “Wilder” stop on the north side of the Kankakee River, where the Monon intersects with the Erie Railroad built in 1893.

Chapter 9 of The Story of American Railroads by Stewart H. Holbrook says that: “It is more than possible that a part of one of America's great books was written on a Monon train. In 1874 General Lew Wallace was living in Crawfordsville, a Monon town, engaged in writing Ben Hur, and though he finished the novel in Santa Fe, where he was serving as territorial governor of New Mexico, he often related that he had composed portions of the book while riding the cars between Crawfordsville and Indianapolis. Specifically, he related that he composed Tirza's song, "Wait Not," while on "a belated train" between those two cities. Until someone can prove differently, let part of the glory of General Wallace and Ben Hur shine upon the honorable rails of the Monon Route. Anton Anderson, assistant chief operating officer of the Monon in 1946, told me he would like to believe that Ben Hur was written in part in a Monon coach, and that there is an even or better chance that it was. "General Wallace," he admits, "may have ridden horseback from Crawfordsville to Colfax, then taken a train on either one or the other lines which are now the New York Central and the Pennsylvania to Indianapolis. Or, again, he may have taken the Monon to Lafayette or Greencastle, then one of the other lines to Indianapolis. We do know that he used to come often over the Monon to Shelby, where he did a lot of fishing and hunting along the Kankakee River." One could assume the Wilder stop replaced the Kankakee stop when the Erie Railroad was built through Starke County in 1893, but certain maps, including a 1919 Prairie Farmer map of Indiana, show a Riverside stop on the south side of the Kankakee.

Photograph of a crew working on the Kankakee bridge at Riverside.

By the 1880’s the railway looked like an elongated X, that crossed at the town of Monon. It was about this time that the Louisville, New Albany and Chicago Railway became known unofficially as the “Monon Route”. Additional connections were added during the 1880’s connecting it to several other railway lines.

But in 1890 Astor died, and shareholders unseated management, aborting plans to extend into eastern Kentucky. The “Monon” was reorganized as the Chicago, Indianapolis & Louisville Railway in 1897 with J. P. Morgan acquiring control in 1899.

The “Monon” saw much expansion in the next two decades, but by 1920 railway traffic along its routes was drying up. Other lines had more advantageous routes to Chicago. Indiana coalfields were having trouble competing with Appalacian coal fields. And the depression saw a reduced need for Indiana limestone. The “Monon” filed for bankruptcy in 1933, cut passenger service, abandoned several connections and struggled through World War Two.

The Monon approach to San Pierre, looking north

The San Pierre Depot, looking south

Looking south on the Monon tracks toward the San Pierre elevator

In 1946 a new Chicago, Indianapolis & Louisville Railway emerged under more aggressive leadership. By 1952 the “Monon” was once again making a profit and was considered well maintained and well run railroad. During the 1950’s, its name was officially changed to the Monon Railroad.

The Monon #81 pulling a passenger train passing through San Pierre

The 1960’s saw many railway mergers, and the Monon was no exception. The Louisville & Nashville had a keen interest in the Monon’s routes, particularly in the Chicago area. The Louisville & Nashville did merge the 573 mile Monon system into its own system in 1971. This connected Louisville with Chicago and provided a valuable second entry into the Great Lakes area. During that same year, however, the Seaboard Coastline Railroad, which had owned 35 percent of the Louisville & Nashville's stock for many years, bought the remainder of the outstanding shares, and the Louisville & Nashville became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Seaboard Coast Line Industries. In 1980, the Louisville & Nashville abandoned the 45 mile Monon branch to Michigan City, which included the San Pierre stop. The tracks and signals were soon removed, and today only a few traces remain of the roadbed through the farm ground north and south of San Pierre.

In 1982, the Louisville & Nashville Railroad Company was officially merged into the Seaboard System Railroad, ending the Louisville & Nashville's 132-year existence.

The Seaboard System quickly lost its own corporate identity as it and the Chessie System

became CSX Transportation in 1986.

Today the old Monon line is still operated from Medaryville south through Francesville to Monon by CSX and has 3-5 regular customers.

Chapter Two From Kurtz’s The Early History of Starke County, Chapter 7: “The 2nd railroad built through Starke County was the Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne and Chicago Railroad, which was built in 1856 and ran east and west through the northern portion of the county. The town of Hamlet was surveyed and laid out in 1862 and named after the man who was the Chief Surveyor for the Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne and Chicago Railroad.” From the Hamlet Centennial, p.21: “So far as we can tell, the Pittsburg Fort Wayne and Chicago Railroad established "Starke Station" in 1859, and changed the name to "Hamlet" in 1863. On a strip of right of way given them by John Hamlet, they maintained a water tank on the north side of the track across from the present elevator. (At one time Peter Gallagher was pump man and built the old house which was later the Fred Schnitt home on the north side of the track and east of Starke Street). They also bought local timber and kept a wood pile for the early wood burning steam engines. Coal eventually replaced wood and when the driven wells proved inadequate for water, the pumping station was moved to Davis on the river. One of the very earliest buildings in Hamlet was the "section House" which the railroad built on the site of the present Mobil bulk plant. This no doubt served as “station” until the original portion of the present depot was built. John Hamlet, as foreman, lived in this house, which was later improved and occupied by the Christophs and then the Berg family. According to a letter written by him in 1927, Mr. A. D. French was employed by the railroad in Hamlet from 1868 to 1872 as "the first railroad agent, express agent, and telegraph operator." Also "first Sunday School supenntendent in the schoolhouse" in 1870 or 1871, and onetime post- master.

Pennsylvania Depot in Hamlet in the early 1900’s

In the early days life in Hamlet was closely associated with the railroad. Many residents worked for the railroad, and people and produce coming and going did so by rail. Livestock loading facilities were maintained in Ham let, and country side-tracks were spaced every two miles for the convenience of shippers. The advent of the automobile and paved roads lead to the eventual decline and end of passenger train service in Hamlet. Similarly, motor freight has replaced the railway car for anything less than car load lots. At the present time, there is no railroad agent in Hamlet, no depot in operation, and the section crew has headquarters elsewhere. Much of the material presented here was gleaned from early newspapers. In one newspaper we found this note about the first paper in the county: called the Starke County "Press", first published in 1861 by J. A. Berry. The printing press was shipped by rail to Starke Station (identified as present Hamlet) and hauled by team to Knox.”

The Pennsylvania Stop in Grovertown abt 1910 From the Hamlet Centennial, p.55: “The postal records of Davis refer to it first as "'Kankakee", which was established as a post office November 19, 1867, John Davis, postmaster. Swan Swanson was postmaster from 1869 to 1872, when post office was discontinued. It was, however, re-established May 9, 1879, Henry Clay Clark, postmaster. The name was changed to Davis, August 27, 1886 (presumably after John Davis, who bad come to the area in 1846 when there were still a few Indians around. ) Subsequent postmasters included Aron Teeters, Abe Hathaway, Melvin Fancher. The postal record shows the office discontinued September 30, 1902. The Pittsburg, Ft. Wayne and Chicago Railroad established Davis as a stat ion shortly after the tracks were laid. At one time the "depot" stood on the south side of the tracks on the first high ground east of the river. Across the road south was the store and postoffice. The 1890 population of the community has been listed as 50 people.

Much of the station traffic was made up of hunters and fishermen and the produce of the Kankakee marsh land. (Uncounted ducks, geese frogs, m u s k rat s, fish etc.. were shipped out ). The Mac-Saw-Ba club ("Rich Chicagoans") owned large areas of the marsh, and maintained a 28 room club house near the river south of the rail- road, including boat houses and a narrow gauge track for launching boats. The clubhouse was destroyed by fire in May of 1898 while Ira Pease was caretaker. It was rebuilt, and subsequent residents include John Michaelson and Henry Norman. A later 0wner, George Hazzard, tore down the clubhouse and built a bungalow and barn on the site. Across the road east was a house built by Swan Swanson and later owned by Conboys. The railroad at one time maintained a tower about a mile east of Davis Station, and just west of the river, a pumping station, where all trains stopped for water. Pans were laid between the tracks in about 1908 which permitted the fireman to scoop up water on the go. (The Belgian granite blocks which were used to pave these pans originally came to this country as ships ballast, and are now, in 1963, the walls of the pony barn on the Starke County 4"H Fair grounds at Hamlet) The pumping station was dismantled in the 1950 's after steam locomotives were replaced by diesels.” From Railroads of Indiana, p.14: “The Fort Wayne and Chicago, incorporated in 1852 to extend the work of the Ohio and Indiana, built 19 miles of line from Fort Wayne to Columbia City by 1856. Consolidated and reorganized as the Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne and Chicago Railway Company in May 1856, it pushed on to Plymouth, halfway across the state, by the end of the year. Two years later the line was in Chicago, reaching Chicago December 25. In March of 1858, with the completion of a bridge in Pittsburgh, a complete line of rails now existed from Philadelphia to Chicago.”

From Railroads of Indiana, p.111: “The Pennsylvania’s 468-mile Chicago line began as a combination of three smaller railroads which the Pennsylvania assisted. Seeking relief from financial difficulties, they merged as the Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne and Chicago in 1856. One company, the Ohio and Indiana Railroad, had reached Fort Wayne from Crestline, Ohio, in 1854. The PFW&C reached Chicago in 1858. Level and straight, the 153-mile Indiana section was known as a race track.”

By the World War I passenger traffic peak, the line carried 26 through passenger trains daily. After World War II, contrary to national trends, it increased to 32 daily.

The three smaller railroads mentioned above were: the Fort Wayne and Chicago Railroad, incorporated 1853; the Ohio and Indiana Railroad, incorporated 1851; and the Ohio and Pennsylvania Railroad, incorporated 1848. These three railroads were merged in 1862 as the Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne and Chicago Railroad. But in 1869 the new railroad was sold at foreclosure and reorganized as the Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne and Chicago Railway, which was leased the same year to the Pennsylvania Railroad. Even though leased to the Pennsylvania Railroad, I believe the Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne and Chicago Railway operated under its own name until 1918.

The Pennsylvania Railroad merged with the New York Central in 1968 to form the Penn Central, which entered into bankruptcy in 1970.

Regarding the Penn Central line through the north portion of Starke County, freight was rerouted via Elkhart on the former New York Central main; one track was removed; and only local freights, and Amtrack until 1990 used the line. Plans called for abandonment. In 1994-95, however, the Norfolk Southern, whose former Nickel Plate line paralleled the Pennsylvania, bought most of the line as an alternative route between Chicago and Fort Wayne, increasing its own capacity.

Chapter Three The third railroad built through Starke County and the first built in North Judson was known as the Cincinnati and Chicago Railroad. It was built through Starke County during the years 1858-1861. From Railroads of Indiana, pgs 111-115: “The Cincinnati and Chicago Railroad had been formed in 1854 as a result of a merger between the Cincinnati, Logansport and Chicago Railway and the Cincinnati and Chicago Railroad. The Cincinnati & Chicago Railroad enters receivership on suit of contractors George B. Ripley and William D. Judson. In 1860 the Cincinnati and Chicago Railroad was sold under foreclosure and reorganized as the Cincinnati and Chicago Airline Railroad. William Judson was elected Pres. of Cincinnati & Chicago Air-Line in 1860. In 1865 it merged with the Chicago and Great Eastern Railway to form the Chicago and Great Eastern Railway. In 1868 the Chicago and Great Eastern Railway merged with the Columbus and Indiana Central to form the Columbus, Chicago and Indiana Central Railway. W. D. Judson was Assistant President and largest shareholder of the Columbus, Chicago and Indiana Central RR in 1869. It was sold under foreclosure and reorganized in 1884 as the Chicago, St. Louis and Pittsburgh Railroad. In 1890 the Chicago, St. Louis and Pittsburgh Railroad merged with the Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and St. Louis Railway to form the Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railway. In 1917 the Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railway merged with the Vandalia Railroad, the Chicago, Indiana and Eastern

Railway, the Anderson Belt Railway, and the Pittsburgh, Wheeling, Kentucky Railroad to form the Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad.” The Pennsylvania Railroad took over operations of the line in 1921. You might say the Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad was a cousin to the Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne and Chicago Railway discussed in Chapter 2. The history of the subsequent Penn mergers and bankruptcy can be found in Chapter 2.

Pennsylvania RR Depot, North Judson

From Kurtz’s The Early History of Starke County, Chapter 7: “The third railroad in the county was the Pittsburg, Chicago, Cincinnati and St. Louis Railroad [as of 1890]. It runs north and south through Wayne and Railroad Townships and was built in the year 1857 and 1858. North Judson and English Lake are located on this road in Wayne and Railroad Townships. North Judson was laid out in the year 1866. However, there was a small town by the name of Brantwood, about two miles north of North Judson, which consisted of several houses and a general store owned by a man by the name of Strong. Later however, the railroad built a railroad station and located their section men at North Judson and the town of Brantwood disappeared.”

From Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum Web Site: “The first railroad into town was a line constructed from Logansport to Valparaiso, Indiana in the yards 1858 through 1861. This railroad was known as the Chicago and Cincinnati Railroad Company [Cincinnati and Chicago Railroad]. In 1865 the Chicago & Cincinnati was merged with the Chicago & Great Eastern Railway Company. The town was originally called Brantwood, then changed to North Judson, after Judson, one of the promoters of the Chicago & Great Eastern Railway Company. Years later this railroad became part of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company (PRR).”

Chapter Four From Railroads of Indiana, p156-158: “The Chicago and Atlantic Railroad was established in 1873 under the control of the Erie Railroad. The Chicago and Atlantic Railroad reached Chicago in 1883 with 160 miles of track in Indiana. The Chicago and Atlantic Railroad was sold in 1890 and became the Chicago and Erie Railroad. It was controlled by the C&O 1938-1941. It was reorganized in 1941 as part of the Erie Railroad. In 1960 the Erie Railroad merged with the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad to form the ErieLackawanna Railroad. It was controlled by the N&W Railway 1968-1975. It had entered bankruptcy in 1972. In 1976 the Erie-Lackawanna Railroad was assigned to Conrail. The Indiana section was soon abandoned.” From Kurtz’s The Early History of Starke County, Chapter 7: “The fourth railroad to be constructed was the Chicago and Atlantic (now the Chicago and Erie) in the year 1882. This road runs diagonally through North Bend, California, Wayne and Railroad Townships. The towns of North Judson and Ora are located on this railroad. It is now double tracked and one of the three great railroad systems that penetrate the County of Starke.

Erie Railroad Depot, Ora, Indiana

It is not generally known that the Chicago and Atlantic Railroad (now the Chicago and Erie) was first surveyed, from Rochester Indiana to Knox and Valparaiso, Indiana, but as usual some blunder on the part of a few people in and around Knox which caused a delay and through the activity of the people of North Judson headed by our friend Jacob Keller. The company was persuaded to change their route to North Judson and Crown

Point Indiana ,thereby leaving Knox and Valparaiso to the north. However, the company was asked to strike Bass Lake along the south side, but the surveyors in charge could not see the importance of hitting the lake, as Mr. Keller so earnestly pointed out to them. Shortly after the road was built, and in operation, the company found it necessary to build a spur from Bass Station to the lake at a cost of thousands of dollars. This track, from the main line to the lake served two very important purposes. First, hauling ice to Chicago, as the Knickerbocker Ice Company had erected a large ice house at the west end of the lake and permitted passenger trains to the lake daily.” Note: After this line became part of Conrail in 1976, most of the line through Starke County was taken up with the exception of a 16 mile section between North Judson and Monterey. This line was called the JK Line and serviced a large elevator in Monterey. However, in 2005, this line was abandoned and the track removed, except for a short 2 mile section south-east of North Judson, which is used by the Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum.

Chapter Five From Kurtz’s The Early History of Starke County, Chapter 7: “The fifth railroad to be built in Starke County was the New York, Chicago and St. Louis, in the year 1882. This road runs through Washington, Center and Jackson Townships. Knox, the county seat of Starke County, and also the town of Ober, in Washington Twp., are located on this railroad. It will be noted that this is the first railroad for the town of Knox. Up to the year 1882 Knox was without a railroad, however, it could boast of being the County Seat and having a County Court House. Previous to the above date Knox was compelled to rely on its own resources. Its freight and mail had to be hauled over wet roads either from Hamlet or North Judson, and at times the roads were almost impassable. This, within itself, was a very severe handicap for our County Seat. However, after the road was in operation the town took on a new life. It began to grow and prosper and today it ranks very favorably with other County Seat towns of the State. As one person recently said--"all roads lead to the town of Knox." From Railroads of Indiana, pgs. 119-122: “The original New York, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad opened a line in 1882 between Buffalo and Chicago which Vanderbilt interests immediately acquired and operated as part of the future New York Central system. Main lines of the two roads ran parallel and often adjacent to each other. 155 After the government forced the New York Central to divest itself of the Nickel Plate in 1916, the Lake Erie and Western Railroad and the Toledo, St. Louis and Western (Clover Leaf) Railroad merged with the Nickel Plate in 1923. The nickname, the Nickel Plate Road, may have stemmed from a facetious remark that the railroad cost so much that it might as well have been nickel plated.”

The Nickel Plate Railroad Depot, Knox, Indiana

Looking west from the Nickel Plate Depot. Brems, Indiana

It is said that the New York, Chicago & St. Louis Railroad Company was probably the only railroad in the United States built for cash in advance of the issue of stocks and bonds. The subscribers to the founding syndicate agreed to furnish the money in ten percent calls as fast as required. It was February 1881, that a party of aggressive men met in the office of George I. Seney, President of the Metropolitan National Bank of New York City. Among those in attendance was Columbus R. Cummings of Chicago, the first NKP president, Walston H. Brown, Calvin S. Brice, General San Thomas, and John G. Kennaday, who formed what was known to be the financial world as the Seney Syndicate. Later, others who participated included General D.W. Caldwell, Dan P. Ellis, and Hon. William Flemming. In 1880, a survey was made from St. Louis to Fort Wayne, Indiana, to connect with the Lake Erie & Western Railroad, of which Mr. Brice was President. The survey was purchased by the Syndicate and two new surveys made, one from Chicago to Fort Wayne, the other from Fort Wayne to Cleveland, originally intended as an eastern terminus of the road. It was finally determined to temporarily abandon the St. Louis branch and instead build from Cleveland to Buffalo. Early in April 1881, Major Henry L. Merill, an experienced railroad builder, assumed charge of construction. Contracts were let for 45,000 tons of steel rails at $65.00 per ton. Right of way was secured as fast as the surveys were made. The first rails were laid between Arcadia and McComb, Ohio, and the road was practically finished by September 1882. The first train was run over the road October 22, 1882. The Lake Shore & Michigan Southern, later a part of the New York Central System, quickly realized the value of the Nickel Plate Road as a competitor, purchased the road and held controlling interest in it until July 1916. The Van Sweringen brothers were

looking for ways to expand their real estate business in Cleveland and bought the Nickel Plate to acquire a right-of-way for a new traction line. The Vans soon found how nice railroading was and in a matter of a few years became very powerful railroad barons. On July 1, 1922, the Nickel Plate Road was operating 523 miles of track between Chicago and Buffalo. On this date the NKP secured control of the properties formerly operated, managed, and controlled by the Lake Erie & Western Railroad Co. The LE&W added 707 miles of track reaching from Sandusky, Ohio to Peoria, Illinois, with two branches in Indiana. On July 15, 1922, another 453 miles were added to the system by affiliation with the cloverleaf (TStL&W RR) reaching from Toledo, Ohio to St. Louis, Missouri. Thus, the Nickel Plate became a 1683-mile system of trackage serving the industrial, agricultural, and distributing region between the Mississippi River on the west, the Great Lakes on the north, and the Niagara Frontier on the east, with close traffic arrangements and service to the New England States and the Atlantic Seaboard reached through connecting lines.

Nickel Plate Restaurant, Knox, Indiana

The Nickel Plate purchased its first fifteen Berkshire (2-8-4) steam locomotives in 1934. Until that time the NKP had never had a locomotive that was out of the ordinary. With the Berkshire, the NKP acquired an engine perfectly suited to its needs and virtually every 2-8-4 locomotive built afterwards was based on the very successful design of the 700's. The 1940's found the Nickel Plate setting record after record with the Berkshires. An additional fifty-five were built during the War. In 1947, the Nickel Plate received its first diesel road engines from American Locomotive Co. . The streamlined diesels were affectionately called BLUEBIRDS and were the only motive power on the post 1900 Nickel Plate not painted black. In 1949, the Nickel Plate leased the long sought Wheeling & Lake Erie Railway, which it had controlled for a number of years. The Wheeling gave the Nickel Plate a financially

stable railroad that was a consistent money maker. With the addition of the W&LE, the stage was set for Nickel Plate's spectacular operational and financial performance of the 1950's. The New York, Chicago and St. Louis (Nickel Plate) Railroad was operated by C&O 1933-1942. In 1964, it was sold to Norfolk and Western Railway. In 1982 the Norfolk and Western Railway and the Southern Railway became operating units of the new Norfolk Southern. Today, Norfolk Southern operates about 30 freight trains a day through Starke County on the former Nickel Plate tracks through Ober, Knox and Brems.

Chapter Six

The 200 mile Indiana, Illinois & Iowa Railroad, known as the “3I”, was chartered in 1881. It connected Zearing, in the Illinois coal fields, with South Bend, Indiana via Streator and Kankakee, Illinois.

The section between Streator and North Judson was completed in 1886. It was extended to Knox in 18XX and on to South Bend by 1894. This railroad was one of only a few in Indiana to built from the west to the east. Unofficially it was called the Kankakee Belt. Earlier the Plymouth, Kankakee & Pacific Railroad had attempted to build a line along much of the same route, except, it was to have run from Knox to Plymouth, instead of South Bend. Grading through Starke County was completed in 18711872, before the line went bankrupt. Some of this work is still evident in eastern Center Twp and Washington Twp.

In 1906, the Indiana, Illinois & Iowa was merged into the Chicago, Indiana & Southern Railroad, which was jointly controlled by LS&MS and the Michigan Central.

The Indiana, Illinois & Iowa (3I) Railroad Depot, Hamlet, Indiana

In 1915, the 3I was merged into New York Central System and operated through Starke County for many years under that name.

In the 1920’s and 1930’s, the NYC operated a self powered passenger car known as the “Doodle Bug” between Streator and South Bend. The “Doodle Bug” made a round trip in the morning and another in the late afternoon. It was said to have run on fuel oil. The NYC merged with the Pennsylvania Railroad to become the Penn Central Railroad in 1968. Penn Central entered bankruptcy in 1970 and was reorganized as Conrail in 1976. The NYC was promoted as an early bypass route to avoid Chicago freight yard congestion. Passenger traffic was never heavy, and the peak 1916 year consisted of two daily round trips between South Bend and Streator. Passenger service was discontinued in 1940. The line east of Wheatfield though Starke County was abandoned in 1982.

From Kurtz’s The Early History of Starke County, Chapter 7: “The sixth railroad to be constructed in the county was the Iowa, Illinois and Indiana Railroad, called the 3-1 Road, but today it is known as the Illinois Central, or the outer belt of Chicago. The first part of this road was built from Streator, Illinois to North Judson in the year 1886. North Judson was the eastern terminal, and in 1888 was extended to South Bend, Indiana. It is not generally known that this road was surveyed and partially built from Streatro, Illinois to Plymouth, Indiana by a company known as the P.K. and P. R.R. Company in the year 1871. Principal part of "the grading was done, some small culverts and bridges were built and thousands of railroad ties were brought and strung along the highway. However, the company went bankrupt, and was thrown into the hands of a receiver and later sold to Governor Drake of Iowa and his son-in-law, Theodore Shonts. These gentlemen completed the road, not to Plymouth as previously surveyed, but to South

Bend, Indiana. It will be noticed that directly north of Knox the road makes a curve to the northeast to the town of Hamlet, Indiana, and from there into Walkerton and South Bend. Thus, Starke County was well equipped, with railroads. This in turn increased the amount of taxable property and in; the year 1900, the corporations such as the railroads, pipelines, express companies, etc. paid. However, in the year 1900 the State Legislature granted the power to the State Tax Commissioners the right to assess all corporations and the taxes paid by the corporations took a decided slump. It is quite evident that someone got very close to the Legislature.”

The New York Central Railroad Depot in Knox, Indiana in 1924

From the 1908 History of Marshall County: Plymouth, Kankakee & Pacific Railroad Company. “This company was organized in 1869 for the purpose of building a railroad from Kankakee, in Illinois, to Plymouth, Indiana. James A. McGrew, of Illinois, was chosen president; Charles H. Reeve, of Plymouth, vice-president; John C. Cushman, secretary, and J. B. N. Klinger, chief engineer, the last three all of Plymouth. Center and West townships in Marshall county voted aid to this company to the amount of about $60,000, but the company failing to come up to their part of the contract, only a portion of the amount voted was paid. The line was about all graded, several bridges built and ties purchased, when the affairs of the company became financially embarrassed and were placed in the hands of a receiver for final settlement. Work on the road was then abandoned, and upon final settlement the company, having no assets, disbanded and work permanently ceased. A new company a few years later was organized in Illinois, which secured the right of way. of this road from Kankakee to Knox, Indiana, with all the work that had been done upon it. It is called the "Three I" road, its real name being the Iowa, Illinois & Indiana railroad. In place of coming to Plymouth from Knox the company built the road from Knox by way of Walkerton to South Bend. It has been completed and in operation more than a dozen years.”

The Library of Congress has an 1871 map of the PK&P Railroad.

The last train to go through Starke County on the old New York Central tracks was pulled by Norfolk & Western #1218, a 2-6-6-4 Class A Steam Locomotive, in 1976.

Chapter 7 In 1902 the Cincinnati, Richmond and Muncie Railroad became the seventh railroad to be built in Starke County and the fourth railroad in North Judson. It started just south of Richmond, Indiana and ran to North Judson. Then two additional corporations were formed to extend the line south to Cincinnati and north to Chicago. The Chicago & Cincinnati was to build the line from North Judson to Chicago and the Cincinnati and Western Indiana was to extend the line from Richmond to Cincinnati. The three railroad companies were consolidated in 1903 as the Chicago, Cincinnati & Louisville Railroad. However, the new company went bankrupt in 1908 and was sold to the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway in 1910. C&O called this line C&O of Indiana. In 1930, 31 trains were scheduled daily. Much of this was freight, as passenger traffic was light. The line was fully merged into the C&O in 1934. In 1973, the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway became the Chessie System, which was merged into the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad in 1980.

In 1986, it was renamed the CSX Corporation.

While the former C&O tracks south of North Judson through Lena Park and on through Beardstown toward Richmond had been removed, the section between North Judson and Lacrosse were still used by CSX until recent years. In 2004, North Judson, with the financial support of Starke, LaPorte and Porter Counties announced it was purchasing the 33 mile section of the line between North Judson and Malden, north-west of Lacrosse, from CSX and plans to use it for shipping agricultural products.

Chapter 8 The short line to Bass Lake from where the Chicago & Erie Railroad went through Bass Station was opened for operation in June, 1898. It was connected to the main line in both directions, so that tourists could be backed up the 1 ½ miles up to Lake Park Station at Bass Lake. According to Ghost Railroads of Indiana, “At Lake Park Station there was a depot, several ice houses and a long pier extending well out into Bass Lake. During the winter, ice cuttings from the lake were shipped to Chicago. In the tourist season a train ran daily from Bass Lake Junction, connecting with steam boats that landed passengers on other piers jutting out from various sides of the lake. One or more private cars were familiar sights at Lake Park Station. Eventually, the ice business became obsolete as the home refrigerator became popular; and the coming of the automobile proved more handy transportation to the lake than the railroad cars. The line was retired in August, 1928.”

Chapter 9 The Lake Michigan, Logansport and Ohio River Railroad was laid out in 1852 but never built. According to an 1852 Colton Map of Indiana and others, it was to have run across the south-west corner of Starke County connecting Logansport and apparently the Ohio River to the New Albany and Salem Railroad about 2 miles south of the Kankakee River in Railroad Township, Starke County.

This railroad line would have connected to the New Albany and Salem Railroad about 2 miles north of San Pierre and was to bypass Winamac by about 3 miles to the south-west.

It isn’t known why this line was never built. But it may be that the Pittsburgh, Cincinnati & Chicago Railroad, which was built in 1857 on a similar route but through Lacrosse, English Lake, North Judson, Winamac and on to Logansport won the battle for financial backing.

In Conclusion We can say Railroad History is alive and well today in Starke County, Indiana thanks to the efforts of the Hoosier Valley Railroad museum in North Judson and the Gateway Project in Knox.

Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum. North Judson, Indiana

Restored Nickel Plate Depot at the Gateway to Knox, Indiana