I had no idea that there was iron ore in northern Indiana.
Tee Ray posted three photos with the comment:
Mishawaka - FoundingIn 1830’s a Businessman from Detroit, Alanson M. Hurd, sent a Prospector/Scout to explore the banks of the Saint Joe River. He found large deposits of Bog Iron in the large, swampy area South of what would become Mishawaka.Settlers arriving to mine the deposits founded the town of St. Joseph Iron Works in 1831. Mr. Hurd financed the building of Blast Furnace near the banks of the St. Joe River on what is now the 300 block of N. Main Street. Within a few years, the town had a blast furnace, the 1st in Indiana, a general store, a tavern, and boarding house with about 200 residents.At the same time, Developers, Joseph Battell, James R. Lawrence and Grove Lawrence began platting out the North bank of the River. They named this area Indiana City and registered it on June 28, 1836. Ultimately, Joseph Battell gifted the original Plat to the City of Mishawaka to be used as a park. Battell Park was born in 1881.Business prospered, and in 1833 St. Joseph Iron Works, Indiana City, and two other adjacent small towns were incorporated to form the City of Mishawaka.Excerpt: Wikipedia & The History Museum
James Torgeson shared
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The industrial spur to the mill came across the river from the northern NYC route, which was a Big Four route.
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| 1958 South Bend East Quad @ 24,000 |
A mill built in the 1830s would have used water power.
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| 1958 South Bend East Quad @ 24,000 |
Some of the headrace still exists. But now it feeds a water fountain instead of a mill.
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| Street View, May 2016 |
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| Dennis DeBruler commented on James share [AR1PK0000040041] 1951 aerial An 1830s mill would have used water power. Remnants of the headrace now feed a water fountain north of Ironworks Ave. https://www.google.com/maps/@41.6644636,-86.1824513,201m/data=!3m1!1e3?entry=ttu |
