Boone County, Indiana - Chapter 19: Railroads, Traction Lines, Telegraph and Telephone Lines, 1914

Chapter 19: Railroads, Traction Lines, Telegraph and Telephone Lines

The railroads of Boone county have made a marvelous growth, keeping pace with the development of the county, and doing much toward facilitating its progress.

The Indianapolis, Cincinnati And Lafayette Railroad

This was the pioneer railroad of the county. It made its appearance at the beginning of the fifties. It enters the county from Hendricks county at the southwest corner of section 12 in town 17 north, range 2 east in the southeast corner of the county ; thence north to Zionsville ; thence northwest diagonally across the county passing through Zionsville, Whitestown, Lebanon, Hazel rigg and Thorntown ; passing out of the county into Clinton county near the middle of section 16 town 20 north, range 2 west. A distance of 2$. 76 miles of main track and side tracks 8.21 miles; assessed in 1914 for taxation in the county at $1,001,230. This road is now known as the Chicago division of the Big Four or Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis.

The Central Indiana railroad enters the county from Hamilton county at the southeast corner of section 36 town 19 north, range 2 east; thence west on the half section line through Rosston, Gadsden, Heath, south of Ratsburg into Lebanon. Thence in a southwesterly direction through Max, Advance at the southwest corner of section 30, town 18, north range 2, west, 25.25 miles. Side track 2.36 miles. Assessed for taxation in 1914 at $195,335.

It passes through the northeast corner of Marion township in a northwest direction, a distance of 4.68 miles main track, and .27 of a mile side track. Assessed at $119,279.

Vandalia (Michigan division) passes through the northwest corner of Sugar Creek township, a distance of .40 of a mile and is assessed at $6,000.

Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis (Peoria division) crossing the southwest corner of Jackson township in a northwesterly direction and passing through Jamestown. Length main track, 4.65 miles, side track, 1.22 miles. Assessed value, $97,230. The five roads have a total mileage of 75.80 miles and a total assessment of $1,419,974.

Traction Lines Lebanon-Thorntown Traction Company

This line enters the county at the southeast corner and parallels the Big Four line to Lebanon ; thence one branch to' Frankfort and one branch to Crawfordsville, a total distance of 40.81 main track, and .72 of a mile side track, with a total assessed value of $433,933-

Indianapolis, Crawfordsville & Western (Ben Hur) parallelling the Peoria division of the Big Four in the southwest part of Jackson township and passing through Jamestown, a distance of five miles. Valued at $49,000.

In addition to the above the following telegraph, telephone, express, gas and oil companies are doing business and have lines and properties in Boone county and assessed as follows :

Telephone companies - American Telephone and Telegraph Co., 401.38 miles, at $75 per mile, $30,103.50; Central Union Telephone Co., 570.25 miles, at $36 per mile, $20,529; New Long Distance Telephone Co., 131 miles

The Telephones Of Boone

Only a few years have passed since the first establishment of telephones in Boone county. Now there are five thousand and ninety-two, or one phone to about every five persons in the county. There are fourteen centrals in the county, distributed as follows, with the number of phones given as follows for the years 1910 and 1914:

This is a great luxury that has come to us in this day. It has knit our hearthstones nearer together and enables us to talk to each other from one extreme of the county to the other. How different is this from the privation of our fathers who lived here in the woods. The forests were so dense that they could not see each other's homes or even the smoke curling from the chimneys. The roads were so bad that often they could not visit each other. What a lonely time it must have been. How different today. Do we appreciate it? Do we fully realize what a blessing has come to us of this day? Are we grateful for our homes, our great blessings and towards those who toiled and endured privations that we might be so blessed? How would we feel if we were back seventy-five years in this county? Think of 1840 and the condition of this country at that date and compare it with the present and you will be thankful to some person, if it is only your stars.

The Flying Voice

Carbon quarried from burning fire ; Throbs that thrill o'er a nerve of wire Mined and brought from the copper hills, Rolled and drawn in the busy mills, Sheltered under a silken skin - Warp that the worms of China spin. Iron sinews from Norway's shore Shaped and forged from the rugged ore, Sending back to the rhythmic wave Double force for the strength it gave. Vibrant message of human will, Infinitesimal, feeble, still Speeding lightly across the land. Borne aloft on a metal strand, Poles of cedar, naked, tall, Roughly torn from the forest wall. Guard the path that the message sought - Sentinels of a passing thought. Turning in where the line is led, Passed again through a copper thread, Coiled and whirled on a tiny reel. Magnetized on a rod of steel ; Trembling disc where the forces start Rhythmic throbs in its iron heart - Throbs that thrill with the current's play And echo the voices of far away.