Vermillion County, Indiana - Chapter 14: Tkansportation Facilities, 1913

Chapter 14: Tkansportation Facilities

Before the introduction of canals and railroads, or even before wagon roads had been provided, the Wabash valley was the center of attraction, for the Wabash river was the only means of transportation of products and supplies. The towns and villager .along this river were thus made the centers of trade and exchange. All the adjoining region, to the east in Indiana and to the west in Illinois, was compelled to bring its produce to the river Wabash for transportation to New Orleans and other Southern ports and markets. At first flat-boats by hundreds and thousands, forty, fifty, sixty, one hundred and one hundred and twenty feet in length, were constructed, loaded with pork, hogs, beef cattle, corn, wheat, oats and hay and sent down south. Five hundred of these boats were sent out of the Big Vermillion river from Eugene, Danville and other points on that stream in a single season. Scarcely a day in the April. May and June floods but that from twenty to forty of these boats would pass. They were generally manned by a steersman, who also acted as captain ; four oarsmen, with long side sweeps, and one general utilitv boy who did the cooking. Supplies of food were taken along, and no boat was considered safely equipped which had less than twenty gallons of whisky.

To the boatmen this journey was a source of delight and pleasure, and one that even attracted the attention of minds like that of Abraham Lincoln. There was something about the romance of these "down-rix-er" trips that charmed the young and middle-aged. The water, the free open air, the natural scenery and health-giving exercise, all conspired to draw many men and youth into this occupation. Those who made these trips came home with a large fund of interesting stories of the Mississippi river and the cities along its either shore.

Dozens of captains and boatmen li\ed in Clinton, Eugene and Perrysville, Sometimes the boatmen would come north through the Cherokee Nation on foot. This trip, bowe\er, was considered a dangerous one on account of the noted gang n\ robbers known as "Murreirs Gang," of southern Illinois and western Kentucky. Many men from southern Indiana, Ohio and east Ken-

Mercantile and other supplies were hauled b)- wagons across the .\lleghany mountains, taken down the Ohio river in flat-boats and brought by keel-boats up the Wabash by push-poles and cordeling ropes, which were sent in advance, tied to trees and wound up on improvised capstans. The first steamboat made its appearance on the Wabash in 1820, and it was a great and much-talked-of event, creating much public excitement. The people, one and all, wondered and rejoiced at the steaming monster. The screaming fife, the throbbing drum and the roaring cannon welcomed the newly applied power. Soon steamers became more Lommon, as one or more might have been seen passing each day up or down the gently winding banks of the Wabash. Once, when the Vermillion was at its flood-tide and the river at Perrysville was obstructed with ice, as many as eleven steamers sought harbor at Eugene.

Freighting By Wagons

Before steamboat days, howe\er, especially in the autumn and summer months, goods were brought from EA-ansville and Cincinnati by wagon. Men usualh^ went in companies for mutual protection and assistance, with five or si.x-horse teams. One of the lead horses always wore a set of bells. If a team got stuck in a mud hole, which they frequently did. it was the custom for any other teamster with the same number of horses to make an effort to pull the wagon out. In case of success the bells changed ownership. In this way the bells A\ere constantly changing from one to another. In a few \ears the river boats superseded this expensive mode of shipping.

Twenty-five years and more ago it was written of A'ermillion countv : "The surface of Vermillion county is naturally far more fa\orable for wagoning than most counties in Indiana. In addition to this, the enterprising citizens have added the following well-established turnpikes : One from Newport to Walnut Grove and Eugene ; Newport to Quaker Point ; from a point on the latter to Dana; from Dana to Clinton; from Clinton to the state line, on the Paris road; Clinton to the county line, on the road to Terre Haute; from Perrysville southwest about eight\- miles.

Here in \'ermillion, as in all Indiana counties, the systems of railroads lia-i-e had much to do with the development of the countv, the building and (22 undoing of long-ago-platted villages. As early as 1847 - sixty-five years ago - an east and west line of railway was projected through the county, yet the north and south railroad (now the Chicago & Eastern Illinois) was the first to be completed. The division from Evansville to Terre Haute was built in 1853-4: but the link through Vermillion county, connecting Terre Haute with Dan\-il!e. was not finished until it was taken up by Joseph Collett, Jr., in 1868-69. This wealthy, enterprising gentleman, assisted by O. P. Davis, Nathan Harvey, William E. Livengood, Joseph B. Cheadle and others, held rousing meetings throughout this county, and thoroughly, honestly explained the advantages of the railroad and the feasibility of building it w^ith a very light tax. But little opposition was met with, nearly everyone desiring such a railroad communication. In 1869 all the townships in this county voted a two per cent, tax, the limit in Indiana for such purposes. It was really one per cent, in addition to the one per cent, tax which the county agreed to give, provided it should be needed.

^^'hile this enterprise was going forward, other men were working on what wa'^ st>led the "Raccoon Valley Railroad Compan\-," planning to construct a railroad from Harmony, Clay county, to a point on the state line, near the roadbed of the old Indiana & Illinois Central railroad, passing through Clav, Parke and X'ermillion counties: but it was generall\- supposed bv the citizens of A'ermillion county to be a ruse, just prior to the vote to be taken on the north and south line, to defeat the latter. Another discouragement arose from other projected east and west lines, notably the narrowgauge route through Eugene township, in which the people along that line felt much interest. The ensuing election, however, gave a decided majority for aiding the north and south line, then called the Evansville, Terre Haute & Chicago railroad. This, under the management of Mr. Collett. was completed in 1870, to the uni\-ersal satisfaction of the people of Vermillion count}-, l)ut not to many of the \-illages along its line, for the road was constructed in the interests of the traders at Terre Haute and Danville mnre than for the local good of these villages and towns in Vermillion countw Tlie road was located a mile or more from many of these towns, except at Clinton, which took on new life and has prospered ever since, \\hile manv of the ri\-er towns have suffered bv reason of this line having been located so far back from the original town sites.

Air. Collett was elected president of the railroad and remained its executixe head until May r, 1880. when this link or division of the road was lea-^cMl til the Chicago &: Eastern Illinois Company, which corporation still ownv and -lu'cessfully i)])cvalcs it. in N'ermilliini cmuity there are 34.1.?

miles of main track, and as early as 1880 it was assessed at $17,000 per mile: seven miles of side-track, assessed at $2,500 per mile, and rolling stock at $1,300. The principal stations in this county are Clinton, Summit Grove, Hillsdale, Opeedee, Newport, Walnut Grove. Cayuga (Eugene), Perrysville, Gessie, and Rileysburg.

What is now known as the \\^abash system was the first road proposed from east to west through Vermillion county. It was projected in 1847 and was designed to run from Toledo Ohio, to Spring-field, Illinois. Stock was subscribed in Vermillion count}- and the route surveyed. The first effort was to build the road to Paris and then on to St. Louis. After much grading had been done, the enterprise changed management, and the result was that the route was changed and Lafayette and Attica obtained the road, instead of Vermillion county. It was finished in 1851-52. The men who worked day and night for this line to be located through A'ermillion county were James Blair, J. F. Smith, J. N. Jones, of Perrysville, and Joseph Moore and Robert Piarnett, of Eugene. But their work failed to secure for this county the coveted railroad. After struggling and waiting many long years a company was finally successful in obtaining two and one-fifth miles of railroad and a small flag station, the corporation being then styled the Indianapolis, Bloomiiigton & Western, but in the late eighties this was taken o\er by the present system styled the "P)ig Four.'" which crosses the ^^'abasll river at Covington, Fountain county, and simply touches Vermillion territor}- as above noted, less than three miles in di.stance of main track.

The Old Indianapolis, Decatur And Springfield Line

This railway \\as completed in 1874, without much aid from the people. About 1854. when so many roads were projected and so few finished, the Indiana & Illinois Central RaihAa\' Company nearly completed the grading of this route. Later the Indianapolis, Bloomington & Western Company leased the road. It has nine and a half miles within Vermillion count\', with station points at Hillsdale and one at Dana, near the state line between Indiana and Illinois. Subsequently, it passed into the hands of what is known as the Cincinnati, Hamilton & Dayton Company, and they operated it until the summer of 1912. when it was taken over by the Baltimore & Ohio system. It crosses the Wabash at Hillsdale, passes through the southern )x-)rtion of Montezuma, and so on through Parke county.

The Old Narrow Gauge Railroad

More than any other portion of VermilHon. the citizens of Eugene township were interested in the old narrow-gauge hne. They voted a tax, took subscriptions, and aided in all possible ways, but finally the project failed. The link here was then known as the Frankfort & State Line Road. The Toledo, Cincinnati & St. Louis Railroad Company constructed the road, of a narrow gauge, in 1882, but, like the original company, left the village of Eugene a mile and a half away, crossing the Chicago & Eastern Illinois line at Cayuga. In 1886 the company was reorganized under the name of the Toledo, St. Louis & Kansas City Railway (narrow gauge). They proceeded to enlarge the track to the standard gauge, put on first-class rolling stock and made the highway in all respects ui>to-date. The longest bridge on this road is the one crossing the Wabash opposite Eugene, having five spans of one hundred and sixty feet each. There are eight and one-half miles of this road within A'ermillion county.

The Electric Line

Clinton, in this county, is the western terminus of the Terre Haute, Indianapolis & Eastern Traction Company, that has a line from Terre Haute to Clinton, and runs its interurban trains every hour of the day, making a great convenience for the people desiring to trade in Terre Haute. It is a well equipjjed electric highway with all modern improvements.

This railroad was generally staled the "Walsh road" on account of its having been built largely through the capital furnished by that noted capitalist and Chicago banker, John R. Walsh, who finally was arrested for mismanagement of the people's money and, after serving in the government prison in Kansas for his ill-doings, was pardoned after several years, and soon died. This line of railroad, in its course from Chicago to the great coal fields of Indiana, runs through Danville and Terre Haute sections and, en route, traverses the western line of \'crniillion county, with a station or two, including West Dana, where il crosses the old Cincinnati, Hamilton & Da)'- ton road. It was projected and completed early in the first decade of this century, al)OUt 1905. It transports immense quantities of coal. The length of its main track in this county is a fraction o\-er seventeen miles.

Parke And Vermillion Counties, Indiana. 34I

According to the latest official returns to the state authorities, the following is the mileage for the various railroads within Vermillion county :

Highland Township - Chicago & Eastern Illinois, eight and eighty-seven one-hundredths miles. Peoria & Eastern, two and nineteen one-hundredths miles.

Eugene Townshij) - Chicago & Eastern Illinois, six and nine one-hundredths miles. Toledo, St. Louis & Western, five and se\ent}'-nine hundredths miles.

A^ermillion Township - Chicago & Eastern Illinois, six and seventy-three one-hundredths miles. Chicago, Terre Haute & Southeastern, two and twenty-nine one-hundredths miles.

Clinton Township - Chicago & Eastern Illinois, one and eighty-five hundredths miles. Chicago, Terre Haute & Southeastern, six and three onehundredths miles.

Helt Township - Chicago & Eastern Illinois, nine miles. Chicago, Terre Haute & Southeastern, nine miles. The C. I. & \\\ line, eight and seventyfour hundredths miles.

Gravel Roads In The Countv

The average number of miles per township was fifty-five and sixty-eight one-hundredths miles. The total mileage in Vermillion county was at that date three hundred.