went into the hands of a receiver, and in November, 1893, its assets passed into the hands of private parties. In May, 1894, J. J. Burns and others organized a company also known as the Indiana Electric Railway Company for the purpose of buying the roads above referred to, of completing them and consolidating them into a single system. The new company bought the lines, soon had the Elkhart road in operation, and not long after the Goshen line was opened, the first car on the latter line being run on the Fourth of July, 1896. From time to time during the next two years gradual extensions of these lines were made. In September, 1898, the owners of the South Bend & Mishawaka Street Railway lines, Arthur Kennedy and Frances J. Torrence, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, bought the stock of the Indiana Electric Railway Company and took possession of the property early in October. This long delayed construction of the line required to connect the two cities was pushed rapidly forward, and on the 21st of December, 1898, the first car was run from Elkhart to Goshen. THE CHICAGO, SOUTH BEND & NORTHERN INDIANA RAILWAY The largest consolidation of electric lines giving access to Elkhart County is represented by the Chicago, South Bend & Northern Indiana Railway Company. It operates a well-equipped system connecting Northern Indiana and Southern Michigan, the company being incorporated in 1907 with a capital of $7,500,000. The system embraces lines from Goshen to South Bend and thence to Michigan City, via Elkhart, Mishawaka and Laporte. As intimated, its nucleus was the street railway company organized at South Bend in 1873. In that city, the horse was displaced by electricity in 1882, by the installation of an overhead trolley system, which was not considered a notable success. building of the line to Mishawaka, by the South Bend & Mishawaka Then followed the Railroad Company and its consolidation with the local electric line, and still later the extension of the line from Mishawaka to Elkhart and Goshen. The line was next built by the Northern Indiana Company, to Laporte and Michigan City, and encouragement was given the company that contemplated constructing a road to Niles and St. Joseph, Michigan. In 1906 the Northern Indiana sold the bulk of its holdings to the Murdock syndicate, which in 1907 was incorporated, as noted, under the name of the Chicago, South Bend & Northern Indiana Railway Company. Much freight, as well as many passengers, is carried over the lines of its system, and within comparatively late years large buildings have been erected at Elkhart and South Bend for the convenience of shippers. THE WINONA INTERURBAN RAILWAY The Winona Interurban Railway is the electric link connecting Elkhart County with the country to the south. It extends from Goshen to Peru, Indiana, a distance of sixty-nine miles. The enterprise originated in 1903, and in the following year Elkhart Township voted $30,000 for the construction of the road which was to pass through Waterford, New Paris, Milford and Leesburg, to Warsaw. The work of construction was begun in 1905, when the Winona Interurban Railway Company was incorporated, and, as noted, the line was afterward extended to Peru, where connections are made with the Indiana Union Traction Company's lines to Indianapolis and other points south. At Warsaw, connections are made with cars running frequently to Winona Lake, around which are the beautiful grounds of the Chautauqua Assembly and Schools Association, covered with handsome hotels, charming cottages and all modern facilities provided for rest, study, recreation and reflection. The Winona line also provides means for handling freight, as well as passengers. ELKHART AS A RAILROAD CENTER Elkhart is on the main line of the New York Central Railroad, and is the terminus of four of its divisions, and has become one of the most important railroad centers of that system. Its great switch. yards, repair shops and round houses are located about a mile west of the city depot and give permanent employment to over 1,000 men. Besides the round houses and locomotive shops, the industrial improvements at that point include foundries, rail shops, carpenter shops and a great coal dock. It is estimated that more than half of the employees reside within the city proper. Elkhart is 100 miles east of Chicago and much of the great business at the Lake Shore freight yards consists of making into trains the cars which come in from the East consigned to points west of the great lake metrop olis. Thereby much confusion is avoided, which would occur if the trains were made up in Chicago. Elkhart's standing as a railroad town is further enhanced by the fact that it is one of the most important stations in the Big Four System. RAILWAY FACILITIES, AS A WHOLE Broadly speaking, the transportation facilities of Elkhart County are now controlled by the railroad systems known as the New York Central, the Big Four and The Wabash, and the Chicago, South Bend & Northern Indiana Railway Company and the Winona Interurban Railway Company, the development of which has already been described. The New York Central accommodates fully one-half of the county, although its trunk line which runs diagonally through that territory from southeast to northwest, or vice versa, is paralleled between Elkhart and Goshen by the Big Four road. Millersburg, in the southeastern part of the county, is also on the main line of the New York Central, which throws out spurs on the northeast to Middlebury, Bristol and Vistula. Directly to the south of Goshen are the stations of Waterford and New Paris, on the Big Four. The Wabash, which cuts across the southern part of the county, runs through or near Millersburg, Benton, New Paris, Foraker and Wakarusa, while the Baltimore & Ohio, which clips off the extreme southwest corner, divides Nappanee and has virtually made it what it is. THE GOOD ROADS MOVEMENT Reference was made at the commencement of this chapter to the strength of the good roads movement in Elkhart County. This statement is especially true for the period covering the past five years, during which the northern, southern and central townships have been most active in the work; the eastern sections of the county have been in the rear of the procession. As to mentioning names, no citizen will probably take exception to the giving of special credit to County Commissioners W. W. Showalter, Edward Greiner and Edward C. Fischer; Ethan Arnold, A. H. Beardsley, B. D. Houseworth and H. D. Merkel, of Elkhart; Benjamin F. and Anthony Deahl, Charles Gorham, Haines Egbert, Vol. I-12 Harris Oppenheim and Joseph Yoder, Goshen, and Charles The figures which speak show what has been done in the way of road construction since and including 1912 and up to the spring of 1916. DETAILS OF ROAD-BUILDING, 1912-16 NAME OF ROAD TOWNSHIP KIND YEAR N. Main St., Elkhart; macadam. 1913 .90 16. S. Main St., Elkhart; macadam. Union Center, Union; concrete. 16 . 1914 .58 18 18 1914 4.00 8-10 14-16 .50 18 W. Market St., Locke; gravel.. .1914-15 2.50 14-18 Locke-Union Tp. Line, Locke & Union; gravel . 1915 5.00 14-16-18 Vistula Ave., Concord; concrete. 18 Ft. Wayne-Goshen, Elkhart; brick.. 17 Goshen-Elkhart, Elkhart; brick.. 18 Elkhart-Goshen, Concord; concrete.. 16-18 Oakland Ave., Harrison; con. & gravel. . . . . 1916 4.00 26 5.00 16-18 CHAPTER IX PIONEER PICTURES AND PEOPLE SPECIALLY APPLICABLE TO ELKHART COUNTY-MALARIAL EPIDEMICS CORN HUSKING BEES REPLACE LOG ROLLINGSWOOLEN MANUFACTURE A HOME INDUSTRY-PREPARING CORN AND WHEAT FOR FOOD-GETTING SALT UNDER DIFFICULTIESALSO, ON GETTING RELIGION-PRIMITIVE AGRICULTURE-PIONEER HISTORY LARGELY A PERSONAL MATTER-GOSHEN AND ELKHART PIONEERS-SOUTHERN TOWNSHIPS FIRST SETTLED EASTERN AND NORTHERN TOWNSHIPS-COL. JOHN JACKSON AND HIS DESCENDANTS-OLD-TIME SOUVENIRS-MAJ. JOHN H. VIOLETTE AND PLAIN JOHN H.-THE IRWINS-THE COOKS OF ELKHART AND GOSHEN-JESSE D. VAIL-ASSOCIATE JUDGE DIDDY "FRIENDS, LET'S PAUSE A MOMENT"-GOSHEN PLONEERS ANTEDATING 1840-ANTHONY DEFREES THE VIOLETTS AGAIN THE CARPENTERS-DR. SPARKLIN'S RECOLLECTIONSJOEL P. HAWKS LOOKS BACK-PIONEER MILLS OF THE COUNTY -THE OLD HAWKS MILL AND "OFFICE"-THE NEW HAWKS MILL GETTING TO MARKET AND ARKING-STONE-DRESSINGMILL MOVED TO GOSHEN THE VAIL REMINISCENCES-THE GOSHEN COOKS-MINOR INDUSTRIES BEFORE THE VILLAGE WAS-GOSHEN VILLAGE FOUNDED PULASKI, PREDECESSOR OF ELKHART DR. HAVILAH Beardsley and the BEARDSLEY FAMILIES J. R. AND ELIJAH H. BEARDSLEY-HOW ELKHART WAS NAMED ORIGINAL TOWN AND FIRST ADDITION-FIRST RESIDENTS AND BUILDINGS-POSTOFFICE MOVED FROM PULASKI TO ELKHART FIRST NATIVE TOWNSMAN-SETTLERS OF 1836IMPRESSIONS OF the Village (1838). The decade following the organization of the county in 1830 is the pioneer period beyond dispute. It was not until its close that Goshen town was incorporated, and the flail and tramping horses |