ple of Vermillion County, but not "to the joy" of most of the villages along the route; for, strange to say, it seemed to be object of those in power to work in the interests of Terre Haute and Danville, and accordingly located the road a mile or so distant from all the villages on and near the west bank of the Wabash except Clinton. This location of the road has had the desired effect, in building up Terre Haute and Danville. To prove the advantages of railroad communication, even Clinton has been set forward of all the other towns in the county.
Mr. Collett was made president of this section of the road, which position he held until May 1, 1880, when the link was leased to the Chicago & Eastern Illinois Company, the present operators. The subsequent year efforts were made for leasing the whole line to the Louisville & Nashville, and were nearly successful. The present lessee pays the proprietors $75,000 a year rental, besides all taxes and expenses for repairs. The road has a funded debt of $1,100,000, the interest on which is six per cent.
On this line there are 34-1/2 miles of main track, which in 1880 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 stations are, in order commencing at the south -- Clinton, Summit Grove, Hillsadale, Opeedee, Newport, Walnut Grove, Cayuga (or Eugene), Perrysville, Gessie, Rileysburg and perhaps two or three points of less importance.
INDIANAPOLIS, BLOOMINGTON & WESTERN.
The first railroad proposed through Vermillion County was an east and
west line, through the northern portion, projected as early as 1847 and
known in short as the Wabash route, to run from Toledo, Ohio, to
Springfield, Illinois. Stock was subscribed in this county, and a route
surveyed. The first effort was to build the road to Paris and then to
St. Louis; and after considerable grading was done, the enterprise was
placed under a new management, who located the road through La Fayette,
Attica, Danville and Springfield to St. Louis, and completed it in
1851-'52, without touching any part of this county. After the final
location of the road in this manner the people of Vermillion, of
course, lost all interest in it. This road has had various names: at
present it is known as the Wabash, St. Louis & Pacific. The most
active men here to work for the location of this road through
Vermillion County were James Blair, J. F. Smith, J. N. Jones, of
Perrysville, and Joseph Moore and Robert A. Barnett, of Eugene.
After struggling and waiting for many tedious years, a company was finally formed which was accommodating enough to give Vermillion County two and one-fifth miles of track and a flag station, completing it in 1871-'72. This has long been known as the Indianapolis, Bloomington & Western Railway Company, but we understand they have recently been merged into another comprising an extended system of railways. In 1880 their track in this county was assessed at $6,700 per mile.
TOLEDO, ST. LOUIS & KANSAS CITY RAILWAY (NARROW-GAUGE).
In this road the citizens of Eugene Township were more interested than
any other section of the county. They took subscriptions and voted a
tax, but the original company failed to come to time and did not
realize subscriptions, stock or tax. The link here was then known as
the Frankport & State Line Road. The Toledo, Cincinnati & St.
Louis Railroad Company constructed the road, of a narrow gauge in 1882,
but, like the other company, left the village of Eugene
a mile and a half to one side, crossing the Chicago & Eastern Illinois Road at Cayuga. About two years ago the company was reorganized under the name given in our heading, and proceeded immediately to enlarge the track to the standard width, put on first-class rolling stock and made the road in all respects as good as the best.
The longest bridge on its route is across the Wabash opposite Eugene, having five spans of 160 feet each. Of this line there are eight and a half miles of main track in his county, asessed in 1880 at $12,000 per mile, and one mile of side track, assessed at $600.
INDIANAPOLIS, DECATUR & SPRINGFIELD
This railway was completed about 1874, without much ado in
raising stock, or subscriptions or tax in this county. Many years ago,
about 1852-'54, -- during the great period of railroad projects
everywhere, -- the "Indiana & Illinois Central Railway Company"
nearly completed the grading on this route. The road is now leased from
the old Indianapolis, Bloomington & Western Railway Company. It has
nine and a half miles of main track in this county, assessed in 1880 at
$5,000 per mile, and the rolling stock at $1,700. It has two stations
in Vermillion County, namely -- Hillsdale, where it crosses the Chicago
& Eastern Illinois track, and Dana, an enterprising town two and a
half miles east of the State line.
Every acre of Vermillion County is good farming land. About one-fourth the area was originally prairie, and most of this prairie is of the common black-soil variety. Nearly all the rest of the county is second bottom. All this area, being easily and well drained, is available for profitable cultivation. The lower bottom lands are rich, much of it being subject to inundations, which leave a sediment equal to the best compost, and are therefore the best for corn, except that the floods and frosts are often untimely. As high as sixty-five bushels of wheat to the acre, and 110 bushels of corn, have been raised in Vermillion County.
In pioneer times hemp, flax and cotton were raised here to a considerable extent. The flax and cotton were "home-made" into clothing. Every cabin was a factory, on a small scale. The machinery for the manufacture of flax consisted of a brake, a wooden knife to swingle out shives with, and a hackle to remove the tow and straighten out the lint. They also used the small spinning-wheel ("jenny") to twist it into thread. For cotton, a hand gin was used, and hand cards were employed to make it into rolls, which were spun into thread upon a large spinning-wheel. A day's work for a woman was to card and spin from six to eight cuts. Ready-made clothing was not then known. Nearly every man was his own shoemaker. Some of the settlers employed an intinerant cobbler, who went from house to house in the fall and winter seasons with his kit of tools, which was quite limited, and boarded with the family where he worked until they were shod all around, or until the leather was all used up. If there was not enough to go round the youngest had to go barefoot all winter, which was frequently the case.
At first the settlers could not enter less than 160 acres of land, which at the Congress price, $2 an acre, amounted to more than most of the settlers could pay. This hardship, however, was soon recognized by Congress who reduced the amount that might be entered to forty acres, and the price to $1.25, so that any one who could raise $50 could obtain a respectable home.
Agricultural history strictly involves more statistics that the average reader has the patience to study, or even refer to, and we must therefore omit at least the details, contenting ourselves with only a few general results.
Of wheat there was raised in Vermillion County, in 1880, 635,501 bushels; 1881, 367,938 bushels; 1882, 569,420 bushels; 1883, 14,955 bushels; 1884, 411,624 bushels.
Of corn, in bushels, there was raised, in 1880, 662,701; 1881, 564,103; 1882, 970,051; 1883, 832,260; 1884, 1,126,065.
Of oats during those years from 54,000 to 104,000 bushels was raised; of barley from none to 1,760 bushels; of rye, from 100 to 6,180 bushels; Irish potatoes, 18,000 to 37,000 bushels; sweet potatoes, 48 to 840 bushels; buckwheat 160 bushels (only the crop for 1883 is reported); tobacco, from 200 to 3,000 pounds; timothy seed saved, 200 to 800 bushels.
The diminution of certain crops does not indicate actual decline of the agricultural interest generally, as more ground is devoted to pasturage certain periods than others.
A county agricultural society was organized in 1866, the first year after the termination of the war, and a successful fair held. That society continued to hold annual exhibitions on their grounds northeast of Newport until 1879, when, apparently on account of the railroad running through the grounds and becoming more and more a nuisance, public interest so declined that they practically disbanded. In 1880 a joint stock company was organized, but they failed to do anything. Last year, however, two agricultural associations were organized in this county, namely the Vermillion County Fair Association, having its headquarters at Eugene, and the Vermillion County Joint Stock Society, with headquarters at Newport. Both held fairs last year, the latter with success, but the former with a reduced aggregate of receipts on account of rainy weather. They will try it again this year. At the Newport fair, which was held the first week of October, the total receipts were over $2,200. Every premium was paid in full. Two hundred and fifty stalls were occupied by horses and cattle, steam water-works and reservoirs. No drunkenness nor gambling on the ground, and everything passed off quietly.
| Townships, including towns |
Sq. miles | Pop. in 1880 | Personal property in 1882 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clinton | 42 | 3,000 | $ 643,675 |
| Helt | 72 | 3,027 | 1,411,745 |
| Vermillion | 45 | 2,215 | 1,086.385 |
| Eugene | 33 | 1,340 | 680,870 |
| Highland | 60 | 2,433 | 1,300,950 |
| ------ | ---------- | --------------- | |
| 257 | 12,015 | $5,123,625 |
The data for the above figures are somewhat characterized by discrepancy, but for practical purposes they are sufficiently exact. The real estate is estimated at about $6,000,000 for the county. The total wealth of the county may now be given in round numbers at about $12,000,000.
The taxes in 1880 were, for State purposes, $17,219; county $21,683, town, village and school district, $16,962. The bonded debt then was $27,600; floating $100; no sinking fund.
There were, in 1880, forty-seven manufacturing establishments, with an invested capital of $127,700, employing 105 hands, to whom were paid in wages that year (ending May 31, 1880), $22,025; value of materials, $166732; of products $222,946.
The population of most of the vaillages has grown a great deal since the last Federal census was taken. The estimates given by the
residents of the respective villages are given in the township histories on succeeding pages. The school enumeration, being about one-third of the total population, gives corroboration of the estimates adopted.
It has often been a subject of remark that there is something about Vermillion County that is very favorable to longevity. In 1877, it was ascertained that there were ninety-six voters in the county between seventy and eighty years of age, nineteen between eighty and ninety, and two over ninety. At that time Jesse Richmond was the oldest man in the county, being ninety-five years of age, and his wife, who was then still living, was ninety-four years old.
In addition to the account we have given of the railroads, we should note the advance made over the rest of the territory. At first the Wabash River constituted the only outlet for the exports of the county, and hence flat-boating was a prominent pursuit, many of the old settlers having made twenty to fifty trips to New Orleans. James L. Wishard once made the return trip on foot, but generally the voyagers returned by steamboat. William Swan and Wesley Southard each made about sixty trips to New Orleans.
In the fall season goods were brought from Evansville and Cincinnati by wagon. The men often went in companies for mutual protection and assistance, with five or six horse teams. One of the lead horses always wore a set of bells. If a team got stuck in a mudhole or on a hill, it was the custom for any 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 were constantly changing from one to another. In a few years the river boats superseded this expensive mode of shipping.
The surface of Vermillion County is naturally far more favorable for wagoning than most counties in the State. In addition to this, the enterprise of the citizens has added the following well-finished 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 eighty miles.
Vermillion County is confessedly ahead of most others in this latitude in the character of her public schools. As the people "take pride" in this institution, so do the teachers. Institutes and normals have been faithfully attended and zealously and profitably conducted.
Helt, Eugene and Highland townships have graded schools, while Vermillion Township united until recently with Newport in sustaining a graded school, and the town of Clinton has an excellent graded school, to which the pupils of the township are sometimes admitted.
Arrangements have been made by the school board for a uniform length of school session throughout the county. The per cent. of enrollment was raised from 78 in 1882-'83, to 85 in 1883-'84, and the per cent. of attendance correspondingly increased. In 1874 it was reported that 418 children who had attended school could not read. The number has been growing smaller each year until none are so reported by the last enumeration, although there are probably a few.
The last log cabin school-house was super-