Through Indiana by Stagecoach and Canal Boat: the 1843 Travel Journal of Charles H

Through Indiana by Stagecoach and Canal Boat: The 1843 Travel Journal of Charles H. Titus

Edited by George P. Clark*

On an April day in 1841, a promising season for a pilgrimage, a young Methodist schoolteacher from Monmouth, Kennebec County, Maine, set off for Greencastle, Indiana, in the distant Western Country. Charles H. Titus was accompanied by his fian- cee, Martha Dunn, and the couple was appropriately chaperoned by Professor William C. Larrabee and his wife Harriet, the elder sister of Martha. Attractive prospects awaited them at the end of their difficult journey. Larrabee, an 1828 graduate of Bowdoin Col- lege in Brunswick, Maine, and a distinguished professor at Maine Wesleyan Seminary at Kent’s Hill in Readfield, was traveling to Indiana to become professor of mathematics and natural science at recently founded Indiana Asbury (now DePauw) University;’ and

* George P. Clark is professor emeritus of English, Hanover College, Hanover, Indiana. A member of the Canal Society of Indiana, Clark assisted in the society’s production of the slide-tape program, “Indiana’s Canal Heritage.” The editor is in- debted to the Henry E. Huntington Library, San Marino, California, for permission to publish the 1843 travel journal of Charles H. Titus (manuscript HM 29181) and to quote from “Account of a Trip from New York to Indiana” (HM 29179); Charles H. Titus to Martha H. Titus, May 14, 1843 (HM 29180); “Dates and Reminiscences, 1845” (HM 29182); and “Madison Male and Female Seminary,” broadside (RB 229851). For generous assistance in developing information about Charles H. Titus, thanks are extended to Robert W. Williams 111, secretary, and Roberta Hankamer, librarian, Grand Lodge of Masons in Massachusetts, Boston; Johanna Herring, ar- chivist, Wabash College, Crawfordsville, Indiana; Wes Wilson, coordinator of archives, DePauw University, Greencastle, Indiana; Walter Font, curator, Allen County/Fort Wayne Historical Society, Fort Wayne, Indiana; Nancy Weirich, librarian, Tippecanoe County Historical Association, Lafayette, Indiana; John H. Rhodehamel, assistant American history curator, Huntington Library; E. R. Gray 111, Bartholomew County surveyor, and his associate, Daniel P. Rice, Columbus, Indiana; Helen Rowel1 and Fran Kenney, Bartholomew County Historical Society, Columbus, Indiana. Special thanks go to Shirley Ellen Clark for editorial assistance. 1 Founded by the Indiana Conference of the Methodist Church, Indiana Asbury University received its charter from the Indiana General Assembly in 1837. The name was changed to DePauw in 1884. The Larrabees occupy a distinguished place in the history of Indiana Asbury, the Methodist church, and public education in INDIANA MAGAZINE OF HISTORY, LXXXV (September, 1989). “1989, Trustees of Indiana University. 194 Indiana Magazine of History

Titus, after desultory study in several seminaries in Maine, was going to I.A.U. to complete his degree under the aegis of Larrabee- and under the watchful eye of Martha. The three-week journey to Indiana included every kind of public transportation then available. The group traveled by steamboat from Portland, Maine, to Boston; from Boston “in the cars” (by railroad) to Worcester and New London; thence by steamboat on Long Island Sound to New York, where (as Titus unhelpfully recorded) they “saw little except for the streets and buildings.”2From New York they went by boat to Amboy, New Jersey, then to Philadel- phia, where they paused to rest and take in “Peale’s Museum & Dunn’s ditto.” From Philadelphia they traveled to Harrisburg by railroad. Here they interrupted their journey with a side trip of three days to visit Dickinson College at Carlisle. Returning to Har- risburg by rail, they began their passage through the Allegheny Mountains to Pittsburgh. Surprisingly, it was possible for them to go almost the entire distance by the Pennsylvania canal system. At Hollidaysburg they were carried by the Allegheny Portage Rail- road thirty-six miles over the mountains in a frightening snow- storm to Johnstown where they resumed travel on the canal to Pitt~burgh.~It was April 13 when they “started in the splendid steam boat Lebanon” down the Ohio to Cincinnati where the Le- banon paused a day and they were able to go ashore. The river journey then continued to Louisville, a “very flourishing place,” where they took the steamboat Orleans for the remainder of the voyage down the Ohio to its confluence with the Wabash; steamed up the Wabash to Terre Haute; then, as Titus concludes his itin- erary, traveled ‘%y stage 35 miles to Greencastle Ia. [Indiana] where we arrived Apr. 23d 1841.” Within a week after arriving in Greencastle, Titus was ap- pointed tutor of languages in the Preparatory School of Indiana Asbury and at the same time was admitted to the senior class of the university. On September 14, 1842, he received his diploma

Indiana. William C. Larrabee, in addition to his professorship, was acting president of the university in 184S1849 and in 1852 was elected Indiana’s first state superintendent of public instruction. Harriet Larrabee founded the Greencastle Female Collegiate Seminary and was a leader in higher education for women. See George B. Manhart, DePauw Through the Years (2 vols., Greencastle, Ind., 1962), I, 8, 31- 33, 75-76. 2 Charles H. Titus, “Account of a Trip from New York to Indiana,” manuscript HM 29179 (Huntington Library, San Marino, California). The Allegheny Portage Railroad moved canal-boat trains over the mountain by a series of five ascending and five descending inclined planes. This ingenious feat of engineering is explained in William H. Shank, The Amazing Pennsylvania Ca- nals (York, Pa., 1981), 30-39. In 1842 Charles Dickens took the same route by canal boat and steamer from Harrisburg to Cincinnati and Louisville. His lively description of the perilous crossing on the Allegheny Portage Railroad is given in chapter ten of American Notes (1842; New York, 1985), 139-40. Reproduced from Abstract of Procpedmgs of the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts (Boston, 18731, 378. 196 Indiana Magazine of History from the president, the Reverend Matthew Simpson, and that evening was married by Simpson to Martha D~nn.~Soon thereafter the young couple made their way by stage to Madison, Indiana, where Titus was to become superintendent of the newly founded Madison Male and Female Seminary. This position was apparently offered him through his friendship with the Reverend Edward R. Ames, also from Maine, who had close ties to Indiana Asbury and who had come to Madison in 1838 as preacher and director of affairs in the Madison Charge. (He was later to become a prominent Methodist bishopJ5 Though the Indiana Constitution of 1816 had mandated free public schools for all children, the General Assembly did not appro- priate sufficient funds to establish such a system, and education of the time was commonly offered by privately operated or denomi- national schools and “seminaries.” Madison supported several competing seminaries at the time that Titus and his bride arrived to begin their new employment. Among them were the Upper Semi- nary, built in 1838; the school of Mr. and Mrs. E. Levy; and Madi- son Young Ladies’ Seminary, operated by William Twining, all of which were well established before the Tituses came on the scene.6 Further, the Tituses arrived in Madison at a time of considerable dissension among the Methodist community (largely, it seems, the result of debate over the role of music in the worship service). In 1841 the Third Street Charge, of which Ames was secretary, had separated from the Wesley Chapel because of “dislike to the Choir which exists in the old ~ongregation.”~One infers that members of the new congregation wished to sponsor a school answering to their convictions and that Ames brought Titus to Madison to direct it. The circumstances were hardly propitious for two downeasters to bring their learning (and their accents) to southern Indiana. Nonetheless, the Tituses approached the task with a confident professional air, as can be seen in the broadside that they issued to herald their coming. They promised a “thorough and extensive”

4 Titus happily noted this fact in “Dates and Reminiscences,” manuscript HM 29182 (Huntington Library). 5 Edward R. Ames was an influential member of the Indiana Asbury board of trustees during the university’s early years. He served as board president from 1854 to 1856. Ames was ordained a deacon in the Methodist church in 1832 and in that year was assigned to the Indiana Conference. He served the church in Indiana in a number of positions and charges throughout the years. “Bishop Ames,” The Na- tional Magazine, VII (November, 18551, 385-86; William Warren Sweet, Circuit- Rider Days in Zndiana (Indianapolis, 1916), 199; see also Manhart, DePauw Through the Years, I, 108, 113, 11, 533. John Vawter, “Early History of Madison,” April 13, 1950, typescript photo- copy, p. 5 (MadisonJefferson County Public Library, Madison, Indiana). See also Madison Courier, September 12, 1840, April 8, 1843. 7 “Minutes of the Third Street Charge,” Madison, Indiana, February 7, 1842, microfilm (MadisonJefferson County Public Library). JMADZSOW' Male and Female SEMINARY: UNDER THE SUPERINTENDENCE OF THE REV. CHARLES li, TITUS! A. Bq AND HIS LADY. It is the intention of the Teachers, in establishing this Seminary, to make it second to none of itEl kind in the State, and one in which public confidence can implicitly be plnced. The coursc of study will be thorough and extensive; such as shall properly qualify young Ladies and Gentlemen for the active businiss of life; such as shall prepare young men for entering college, or if they should prefer it, such as shall enable them to successfully piirme and complete any of the college course. Those who may wish to prepare for tenching, will receive especial instruction for that purpose. In the Femalc Dcpartment particular attention will be paid to the Ornamental branches. Other Teachers will be engaged as soon as the wants of the school shall require it. There will be two sessions during the year, each twentytwo weeks. Each session will be divided into two quarte elcven weeks. TER~~SOF mmwo.w PER qvmz: Reading, Writing, and Spellin ------8 Arithmetic, Geography, andCfkmmar, - - - - 6 0 Book-keeping, Botany, Philosophy, &c., - - - - 6 QC Mathematics, and Languages, ------7 00 Drawing and Painting, Extra, ...... 4 00 Mu& on the Piano Forte, do., ...... 10 00 THE FIRST QUARTER WILL COMMENCE THE SECOND MONDAY OF OCTOBER. The School Rooms have not yet been selccted, but timely notice will

. .. ~sb~r;u%er&y fm ame time, in the upcity of Tutor in IC. cl h "age., and wm at wr recent mmancement created ~m.'Tituahw been for ulme time Principal of lhe Female Bnefslor 01 Ark Sominary in thin placc, nod hu acquitted henelf with greet Mr. Titlu i.. gandemnn of 600 nchdanhip, of unblemi.hd credit, both in her iiutructiw and government. intsgnty, of devoted piety, md paaa** that peculiar tact 01 M. SIMPSON. mmmnniration asotiil to ur mcomolinhad Precestar. He in (iramdb SOPI...15fh. 1842. Pnm Rev. W.0. Irrrnbn, A. I.PIVh or IAIkemIlOs In the 1. A,' UnlrcrmlIy. Inowu A~BOKXUnnrNlTv, mimble man, an accomplished aeholar, and D devoted chriitiao. M&b Sap4 16 1842. 1 Hs hubean far mmo ywrn occuionally engaged in taachin in 1 ,scammend to the kind attsntiw mod the ca~fidenesof all New-Ihgland, and has been eminently succemful and pop&r. 8" 8" people, my friend, Charla H. Titus, whom 1 have known Mmy the nEection and wnfidonee of the wmmunity, and the 01 man7 ysan, and rho. since 1 hnt knew him, hubwo eon- blassing of Pmridsncc mend him. stmtly naioinn on my atTection and crmldsnce. Ha I# II mat W.C. LARRABEE.

BROADSIDEADVERTISING CHARLES H. TITUS'SMALE AND FEMALE SEMINARY IN MADISON,INDIANA

Courtesy The Huntington Library, San Marino. California. 198 Indiana Magazine of History course of study, special instruction for prospective ,teachers, and “In the Female Department particular attention. . . to the Orna- mental branches.” Featured in boldface type were gracious recom- mendations from “M. Simpson” (President Matthew Simpson of Indiana Asbury University, who had recently married the couple) and the Tituses’ brother-in-law, William C. Larrabee.8 Expectations were clearly running high for Charles and Mar- tha; but disenchantment must have come rather soon in that fall of 1841, for by the following May, Titus was more than ready to abandon the role of Hoosier schoolmaster. In a letter to his wife (who, significantly, had rejoined her sister in Greencastle) Titus complains about his “lonely and desolate” situation. He takes some comfort in the thought that “there are more noise, confusion and misrule” in Twining’s school “than there ever has been in ours, even in its very worst state. So it seems that other teachers are not more blessed than we.” There has been, apparently, a possibility that he might take over the competing school, but he scornfully rejects the thought of being “run over” by Twining’s “set of idle, uncultivated, barbarous girls.” Adding to his disgust, support has not come from his own church. Ruefully he tells Martha, “The Episcopalians, Catholics & Universalists have been more faithful to us, than those of our own far nil^."^ Thus, on June 5, 1843, Titus closed his school, collected all fees due him, and went to the Madison railroad “dep6t on the river” to begin his journey back to Greencastle. There he would be reunited not only with his wife but also with Brother Ames, who had apparently left his Madison responsibilities and had been spending the year “in the Indian Country, South of the Missouri.” It is, however, in happy expectation of reunion with Martha-the unpleasant as- pects of his Madison experience already behind him-that Titus writes lyrically about his life in “the pleasant city of Madison.” On this note begins the first of three “chapters”-seventy manuscript pages-that describe his journey to rejoin his wife and, surprisingly soon thereafter, his departure with Ames for Lafayette and a journey via the Wabash and Erie Canal to Toledo, Ohio, the first stage of an ambitious plan to explore Detroit and the Indian lands of the “North West.” Titus and Ames set out from Greencastle in the middle of June, 1843. They returned on August 25, after extensively exploring Lakes Huron and Superior and covering hundreds of miles in a birchbark canoe with Indian guides. The following transcription thus represents somewhat less than half of the eight “chapters” into which Titus divided the 180 man-

s “Madison Male and Female Seminary,” broadside, manuscript RB 229851 (Huntington Library). Charles H. .Titus to Martha H. Titus, May 14, 1843, manuscript HM 29180, ibid. EDWARDR. AMES

WILLIAMC. LARRABEE

Courtesy DePauw University Archives and Special Collections, Greencastle, Indiana. 200 Indiana Magazine of History uscript pages of his complete journal. Included, however, are those chapters that most tellingly portray life in Indiana a century and a half ago, particularly life along the Wabash and Erie Canal as it was developing into a major waterway through the state. The manuscript also reveals much about Titus himself. One sees a devout, unpedantic young scholar, and a venturesome one as well, who dared leave his beloved Maine to seek a new life on the frontier. He has an appraising eye for the farms and forests and economy of Indiana as well as respect for its people and their history. Perhaps if certain Madison schoolgirls had not been so “uncultivated and barbarous,” he would have remained in Indiana, as did many another visitor from the east, to become a good Hoosier like his men- tor William Larrabee; but the disparity between remembered Maine and experienced Indiana proved too great. On September 19, 1843, the Tituses departed Greencastle for home and the life of the itin- erant Methodist minister. Once back east Titus also devoted himself to advancement in Freemasonry, an interest that he had had since his student days. A Masonic Lodge created at Taunton, Mas- sachusetts, in 1873 bears his name; apparently the only publica- tion until now to do so is the 1874 volume of the New England Freemason, which he edited. Titus died on October 29, 1878, in his sixtieth year. Martha, a son, and a daughter survived him.I0

I0 Sources for Titus’s career after leaving Indiana include: Masonic biographical notice and tribute, Abstract of Proceedings of the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts (Boston, 18731, 378-82; obituary, ibid. (Boston, 1878), 106-14; biographical sketch and obituary issued by the Providence Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church in Minutes of the Annual Conferences of the Methodist Episcopal Church: Spring Conference of 1879 (New York, 1879), 79-80. Through Indiana by Stagecoach and Canal Boat 201

Chapter First.’ Madison-journey to Greencastle-difficulties on the way- fellow passengers &.-start on a journey to the North West.

I had been in the “Great West”, now, a little more than two years. My former errors, in regard to this magnificent country, had become corrected, & many of my former prejudices set aside. I could now enjoy worship in the sanctuary of God, if every thing was not conducted precisely a la New England. I could live on “hog & hom- ony”, “flour bread & chicken fixins”, or even relish “corn bread and common doings”. I had some reason to hope too, that, in my case, I had succeeded, in some good degree, to allay the prejudices against “Yankees”. So life in the West was now becoming pleasant and agreeable to me. I had also been fortunate, in the acquaintances I had formed, in gaining the true and lasting friendship of many of earth‘s most noble sons. Those, whose sensibilities were easily aroused, and whose generous hearts were ever open to sympathy. The “stranger” had been most kindly received, and confidence and trust placed in him. By the aid of a kind Providence, I had preserved that trust inviolate, and places of still greater emolument and trust were open before me. A year and a half of that time had been spent in assiduous study at a new and thriving Institution, where I had also labored to direct and cultivate the mind of the young aspirant for science. The last nine months had been spent, most agreably in the pleasant city of Madison, one of the finest towns on the beautiful Ohio; the “La belle riviere” of the old French settlers. Many

1 The Titus journal, set down in an octavo volume bound in calf, was purchased by the Huntington Library, San Marino, California, on November 23, 1937, from the American Autograph Shop, Merion, Pennsylvania. John H. Rhodehamel, assistant curator of American history, Huntington Library, to George P. Clark, Novem- ber 15, 1988. According to the catalog hmwhich the purchase was made, the journal, together with other manuscripts, had been kept “in the trunk of a descendent.” The editor has made every effort to transcribe the Charles H. Titus journal exactly as it was written. Misspellings and other errors in grammar have been retained and have not been indicated by a [sic].Arbitrary decisions were at times necessary, however, in differentiating between capital and lower case letters. Titus was also frequently unclear in his use of commas, periods, semicolons, and colons. In such instances the editor has selected whichever mark best contributed to the meaning of the sentence. Vagaries in Titus’s handwriting sometimes made it difficult to de- termine whether or not a word was misspelled. (It was sometimes impossible, for example, to distinguish between an ‘‘7or an “e” and between an “m” or an “n” or a “u.”)Because Titus was obviously articulate and well educated, the editor in cases of doubt has assumed that the journalist‘s penmanship, not his knowledge, was at fault and has transcribed the words as if correctly written. No attempt has been made to identify any of the Methodist “preachers on the circuit” whom Titus men- tions other than to provide their first names in brackets in the text whenever possible.

Through Indiana by Stagecoach and Canal Boat 203

circumstances conspired to make this residence agreeable. I was blessed and happy in the ardent affection of a young and lovely wife. I was associated with cultivated, genteel, and religious society, that would have made the life of any but the misanthrope, pleasant and happy. I was now about to return to the land of my “fathers”, and it was with feelings of sincere regret, that I bid my friends in Madison farewell. My wife had gone on to Greencastle before me, on a visit to her sister. This was our first separation, since marriage, and it had now been four weeks since she departed. No wonder, then, that I labored anxiously & hard to close up my business, & that it was with feelings of the utmost pleasure that, on the morning of the fifth of June, I found myself on board a rail road car, ratling along toward G. with most joyful anticipations of the future meeting. I had succeeded in collecting every debt due me for Tuition; & it is but justice to the good people of Madison to say, that they used me most gentlemanly. Madison is delightfully situated on a narrow strip of bottom land, which terminates in high, precipitous bluffs. On one side rolls the majestic Ohio, whose waters abound with numerous fish of excellent quality, and on whose surface the noisy, palace-like, steam boat glides with a rapidity that evinces the amazing power of man’s inventive genius. On the other, rise these mountain bluffs, densely covered with the beautiful hickory, oak & maple. Across the river sight is obstructed by the beautiful hills of Kentucky. The buildings are nearly all new, & built, principally, of brick. Many of the edifices are finely constructed, & present both a neat and comfortable appearance. The streets are wide, & generally very neat. It is one of the most important business places of Indiana, & the first in the no. of Inhabitants. The present population is about six thousand.* When the “Internal Improvement” fever raged in this state, a Rail Road was commenced, to connect this place with Indiana- polis, the capital of the state and continue thence to Lafayette. But a few miles of it were constructed before they “bust their biler”, & had their lofty ideas brought down.3 The road from the depbt on

a According to the federal census, the population of Madison in 1840 was 3,798. Since the years from 1840 to 1843 were years of depression in Indiana and elsewhere, it is unlikely that the town had grown to Titus’s estimated 6,000 in so short a period of time. By 1850, however, Madison’s residents numbered 8,012. US.,Sixth Census, 1840, 355; U.S., Seuenth Census, 1850, 766. 3 Following the financial success of New York’s Erie Canal, other states initi- ated their own internal improvements projects. In 1836 the Indiana General Assem- bly passed a mammoth internal improvements bill that provided for a statewide system of canals, railroads, and roads to be financed primarily by the sale of state bonds. Included was a railroad to be constructed between Madison and Lafayette via Columbus, Indianapolis, and Crawfordsville. Because of poor planning, mismanagement, fraud, nationwide depression, and myriad other problems the System of 1836 had all but collapsed by 1839. No major project was near completion, and the state could not pay even the interest on its debt. In an attempt to get at least a few of the works completed the legislature authorized private companies to take over a number of the projects. The Madison and Indianapolis Railroad was first leased to a group of individuals, then, after brief resumption of control by the state, was in MADISONRAILROAD CUT

Courtesy Lemen Collection, MadisonJefferson County Public Library, Madison, Indiana. Through Indiana by Stagecoach and Canal Boat 205

the river, to the summit of the bluff, is a magnificent structure. A cut is made through solid lime stone, many feet deep, and the valley below filled up, so as to make the descent as gentle as possible. This inclined plane is about a mile in length and presents to the traveller rather a terrific appearance. When it was first constructed, they attempted to ascend by steam power, but it was found impossible, and they found themselves in the most imminent danger of running into the river. Horses are now used to haul the cars up, and they are regulated in the descent, by means of breaks. Up this ascent, I was dragged, with slow & toilsome step.l At the depot on the Summit of the hill, the passengers left the small car in which they had ascended the hill, & stepped into that to which, the loco- motive was attached. This car was commodious, and answered the purpose of transporting passengers, very well, but was much infe- rior, in style and elegance, to those on Eastern Rail Roads. There is but a single track, but this is well and permanently laid. The road is smooth enough to run thirty or forty miles an hour with safety, but the rate of speed is not generally more than about fif- teen. The Rail Road at this time was finished as far as Scipio, thirty miles from Madison. I arrived at this place about twelve o’clock. Here, a temporary depot had been constructed, to be used only until the road was farther completed. The rain, which commenced a short time before we arrived at this place, had made the ground around the depot exceedingly muddy; and this with the incescent

1843 finally sold to the Madison and Indianapolis Railroad Company. The line had reached Scipio, approximately thirty miles from Madison, only a few days before Titus began his journey. The railroad was completed to Indianapolis in 1847; it was never extended to Lafayette. John D. Barnhart and Donald F. Carmony, Indiana: From Frontier to Industrial Commonwealth (4 vols., New York, 19541, I, 324, 334, 336, 337, 360, 398; C. G. Sappington, “The Pioneers of Jefferson County: Part IV, The Madison and Indianapolis Railroad,” Indiana Magazine of History, XI1 (Sep- tember, 19161, 236-42. See also Paul Fatout, Indiana Canals (West Lafayette, Ind., 19721, 76-113, passim. 4 The celebrated inclined-plane railroad cut between Madison and North Madi- son was completed in 1841. The horse-drawn coaches described by Titus yielded in time to a succession of specially designed wood-burning steam locomotives, among them the “Reuben Wells,” preserved as a permanent exhibit in the Children’s Mu- seum of Indianapolis, Indiana. For further descriptions of the Madison and Indiana- polis Railroad, specifically the Madison railroad cut, see Sappington, “The Madison and Indianapolis Railroad,” 238-39; John R. Cravens, “The Pioneers of Jefferson County: Part V, Pioneer Days of the Madison & Indianapolis Railroad Company,” Indiana Magazine of History, XI1 (September, 1916), 244; Wylie J. Daniels, The Village at the End of the Road: A Chapter in Early Indiana Railroad History (In- diana Historical Society Publications, Vol. XIII, No. 1; Indianapolis, 1938), 17-18, passim. See also Kate Milner Rabb, A Tour Through Indiana in 1840: The Diary of John Parsons of Petersburg, Virginia (New York, 19201, 63-65. Although the Par- sons diary is a fictional account, Rabb’s descriptions of Madison and of Logansport, Delphi, and Americus, which Titus passed through later on the Wabash and Erie Canal, provide useful observations of these mid-nineteenth century Indiana towns. Rabb also has Parsons visit Wabash College and Indiana Asbury University, again with interesting revelance to Titus. Ibid., 55-70, 203-208, 229-36, 237-39, 275-79, 283-85. 206 Indiana Magazine of History rain made our exit from the car very disagreeable. It was not long, however, before we made our way to the “Hotel”-so called-where I did ample justice to a dinner of “flour bread and chicken fixins”. About one o’clock we got started in the stage, and were dragged along till five, over a muddy road, full of holes, logs, stumps and other things too numerous to mention, when we arrived at Colum- bus, fourteen miles from Scipio. We considered ourselves very fortunate, that we did not get turned over, & that, we were “stalled’ but once. This was in ascending a steep little hill that was very muddy. The wheels sank into the mud so far that it was impossible for the horses to haul us up; so we were forced to get out into the deep mud, to lighten the coach. Our muddy plight, when we again entered the coach at the top of the hill, caused us much amuse- ment, and the servents at the tavern where we stopped, much labor. At Columbus we found a tolerable good tavern, kept by one Jones, who was quite a gentlemanly landlord. Among the travel- lers who stopped here for the night, I found Bishop ___ of the Episcopalian Church, on his way to Baltim~re.~He was much of a gentleman in his manners, & I judged him a talented man. Ex- Governor Wallace, of whom I had often heard, and to whom I had felt favorably inclined, on account of a speech he once delivered, in which he spoke very favorably of the Methodist Church and eulo- gized her ministers, was also among the company. I had the pleasure of an introduction to him, and found him a very pleasant man in private conversation.6 I retired to rest about ten o’clock, with fears that I should not be able to proceed the next day, as the stage from Indianapolis had not arrived. This stage returns to Indianapolis from this place, with the passengers brought up from the depot, and unless this arrived there was no stage in which we could go on; this not being a daily line. I had hopes that it might arrive during the night, but I found in the morning that no stage had come, being detained by high water in the rivers, that they were accustomed to ford. It was exceedingly unpleasant to be thus detained, when I was so anxious to get on; but there was no means of proceeding, so I was forced to submit. During the day I strolled about the town, but found nothing of interest. In the afternoon I concluded to call upon the Preacher in charge of the circuit, and scrape up an acquaintance with him, that, if possible I might make the time pass less heavily.

Titus possibly refers to J. D. “Jack Jones who for many years operated the Jones House, reputedly Columbus’s leading hotel, on the southeast corner of the square. Brant & Fuller,’ pubs., History of Bartholomew County, Indiana . . . (Chi- cago, 1888),578. Titus himself omitted the bishop’s surname. David Wallace,. a Whig and a Methodist, was governor of Indiana from 1837 to 1840.Rebecca A. Shepherd et al., A Biographical Directory of the Indiana General Assembly: Volume I, 1816-1899 (Indianapolis, 1980),406. Through Indiana by Stagecoach and Canal Bout 207

I found from the minutes of the Conferences, that I happened to have with me, that Br. [James] Templin was sent to this charge; so I enquired where he lived, and made my way to his house. I introduced myself, and soon found that we had met before, at the Con. at Terre Haute.7 I was kindly invited to supper, and as it was an hour or so till supper time, we spent this time, in strolling through the woods, partly for a walk, but principally for the purpose of seeing the singular junction of the Blue river, and White Water river, which, when united form the Flat Rock river. The two streams, before uniting, flow in exactly opposite directions. At the time I was there, the water in both rivers was very high, and the currents exceedingly rapid; so that they came together with great violence, and caused a tremendous whirlling and foaming of the water; presenting an appearance of much interesLS Br. Templin took the pains to send about the town and let the people know that I was in the place, and would preach in the evening. So by dark, quite a large congregation had assembled. During the short sermon I tried to preach for them, they were very attentive, and seemed to be much interested. Wednesday morning we prevailed upon a hack driver, who came up from the depot the day before, to try to take us through to Franklin, from which place there was no obstruction till we should arrive at Indianapolis. We thought that we could get across the streams by some means, and, though our progress might be slow, it would be better than remaining at Columbus. We got started a little after day light, and arrived at Edingburgh [Edinburgh]-ten miles-about seven o’clock. Here we were told that we could not possibly proceed. The water in the river was very high, so that all the bottom land on both sides of it was overflown. It was a mile or more across the water at this place. There was a ferry boat, but it was fastened to a tree about midway from either bank, and there was no means of getting to it. The ferryman declared that it was impossible to set us across, even if the ferry boat could be obtained, on account of the rapidity of the current. We were now worse off, than if we had staid at Columbus, for there was, here, but one poor,

7 The Tenth Annual Session of the Indiana Conference of the Methodist Church met at Terre Haute in October, 1841. Sweet, Circuit-Riding Days in Indiana, 83- 85. Sweet’s volume includes the minutes of the annual sessions from 1832 through 1843. In Mill Race Park west of Columbus, the Driftwood River, flowing eastward, receives the Flatrock, coming from the north, to form the east fork of the White River. Before uniting, the two streams do not now “flow in exactly opposite directions,” as described by Titus. However, a copy of the original plat of the area made by Bethuel F. Morris, United States deputy surveyor, in 1819 reveals that the rivers then did indeed flow into each other head-on, as they evidently still did in 1843. United States Government Original Surveys, plat of surveys of Bartholomew County, Office of the Bartholomew County Surveyor, 440 Third Street, Room B-1, Columbus, Indiana. 208 Indiana Magazine of History filthy, shabby looking, public house, kept by a poor widow woman, who had a large family of dirty children. I managed, however, to make a tolerable breakfast on boiled eggs and coffee. After breakfast we put our wits to work to devise some means of getting on. We learned, after patient inquiry, that by going back four miles, we could find a good ferry, and then by going round by a little town called Williamsburgh [present-day Ninevehl, we could get to Franklin; though it would be a hard days ride. This we concluded to do, rather than remain, we knew not how long in that miserable hole. After much solicitation we prevailed upon the driver to un- dertake it. The road back to the ferry was quite good, & we had no difficulty in reaching it. But the boat was on the other side, & the ferryman gone, so here we came to a stand still again. We sent a boy for a trumpet, and after “tooting” away for a long time, we succeeded in arousing the men on the other side, who had gone over in the ferry boat; when they came and set us safely across. The road as far as Williamsburgh, was not worse than we had before, but from this place to Franklin, it was horribly bad beyond all description. Most of the way all the gentleman pasengers were obliged to walk; the baggage and two ladies making sufficient load for the two tired horses. A great part of this road was through the woods, where there was only a cow path, and it was sometimes exceedingly difficult to find space between the trees sufficient for the coach to pass through. Still we wouned our way along, and, as we had first rate horses and drivers, succeeded in reaching Frank- lin about sun set; when we were completely tired out. At Williamsburgh, we had a fair sample of a back woods village. A cluster of ill arranged houses, built principally of logs, and in every conceivable form and shape. One store with a few old rusty goods and a “beggarly account of empty boxes”; a black smith’s shop, which consisted of a few logs thrown up, a small stone chim- ney, a small bellows, and a small man to blow them; one tavern, built also of logs, presenting a most filthy and unforbiding a~pect.~ At the time we passed through the place, there was also a court of justice, where some poor culprit was being tried, before his excel- lency, the justice, for some misdemeanor. Dickens should have seen the company assembled to witness the trial, for his pen alone could give an adequate description of such an assemblage. Their countenances bespoke ignorance, superstition and their general accom- paniment “brass”. Among them was found the blustering politician, the know-every-thing physician, the profound metaphysician and the astute theologian. Their dress was of all colors and fashions. Take them, all in all, they presented rather a ludicrous appearance.

9 Titus undoubtedly meant “forbidding.” Through Indiana by Stagecoach and Canal Boat 209

At Franklin we had tolerably good accommodations, and found a stage there to convey us on next day to Indianapolis; where we arrived about one o’clock. The road we travelled this day was the regular built corduroy; and the way we were knocked and thumped about was a caution. Those that have never ridden over such a road can have no idea of the tremendous jolting that the poor body suffers. Such roads are generally built where the land is low and swampy. Sometimes the logs are split and laid close together, the split side up. Then it is not bad to travel over. But generally they are round logs, laid crosswise, from six inches to a foot and half through. There were five passengers, beside myself-three gentlemen, and two ladies. One of the former was from Canton, 0. a large muscu- lar man, whose visage denoted that he was not always accustomed to make cold water his only drink, and his breath generally con- firmed the fact. Yet he was a jovial, good hearted, companion, ever ready to stand in the front of every difficulty; and amid all the toil and fatigue of the journey, which were excessive, was ever cheer- ful, .and extremely gallent to the ladies. The two other gentlemen passengers were both from Pennsylvania, and both students. One, however, had been some time from academic study, travelling through the Western States & Territories, so that the study of college life had been, in some degree, rubbed off; and we found him quite a pleasant fellow traveller. The other was just from college halls; travelling for the purpose of recruiting his health, & visiting some friends in Indiana. He was, evidently, but little acquainted with the world. He seemed excessively fond of spouting Latin verses from Virgil, and like other Sophomores, that I have seen, to think that, though the name of his class denoted the “wise fool”, he was an illustrious example of one, who could claim much more of the former than of the latter. However, by a few well directed jokes we succeeded in keeping him near his proper level. One of the ladies was young, and somewhat handsome, and evidently prided herself upon her great beauty. She wore immense curls, of which she seemed very vain. She said but little, and perhaps had a better mind than her appearance indicated. The other lady-a Mrs. H. of I. was the most resigned in difficulties and courages in peril, of all women that I have ever travelled with. She had with her a young child, which required her constant care to keep from being thumped to a jelly against the sides of the coach. This, beside the almost constant danger of upsetting in passing over perilous places, and through deep and dangerous mud holes, caused her excessive fatigue; and yet, I never heard from her one murmur, or one excla- mation of fear. At Indianapolis, I stopped with Br. Wilkins-had a hearty welcome, and found an exceIlent home. Here I rested, and by four o’clock next morning, when the stage called for me was pretty well 210 Indiana Magazine of History recruited. The distance from Madison to Indianapolis is eighty five miles. This is the least interesting part of the State of Indiana. The land is generally low and swampy, difficult for cultivation and exceedingly unhealthy. Perhaps it is more subject to Fever & Ague than any other part of the state. It is now a tedious ride, but when the Rail Road is finished, it will be a very pleasant trip. Indiana- polis is a beautiful village, though, like many other beautiful villages of the West, is very unhealthy, especially for such as are not acclimated to this climate. About noon, on Friday, arrived at Putnamville, on the Na- tional Road, forty miles from Indianapolis. This road, when dry, is quite good, and at no time is so bad as that from Madison. From P. to Greencastle, five miles- I took an other stage, or what purported to be one, but which, at this time was only a box on wheels. At half past one, arrived at Br. Larrabee’s, and found myself once more blessed, in the society of my dear wife, & Br. L’s dear family. Here I met with many of the students with whom I had formerly been acquainted, & spent a week most pleasantly. During this time, Br. E. R. Ames, Cor. Sec. of the Miss. So. for the Western Conf.l0 returned from a tour in the Indian Country, South of the Missouri, and was about to start on a tour through the North West, to visit the Missionary stations in that region. He was anxious to have company, and I was very anxious to travel through that part of the country; so I concluded to delay my return home to Maine for a few months and accompany him; my wife remaining, during the time, with her sister, Mrs. Larrabee. We made our preparations for the journey, and started June 19-for Crawfordsville-twenty eight miles-there to take the stage for Lafayette, from which place we could proceed in the Wabash & Erie canal.” We went as far as

10 From 1840 to 1844 Edward R. Ames was corresponding secretary of the Mis- sionary Society for the Western Conference of the Methodist church. In this capacity he had the supervision of all German and Indian missions of the church. During Ames’s four-year tenure as corresponding secretary he traveled over more than 25,000 miles of the Indian country from Texas to Lake Superior. “Bishop Ames,” 385-86. After years of wrangling, the Indiana General Assembly in 1832 sanctioned the construction of the Wabash and Erie Canal from Toledo, Ohio, through Fort Wayne to the mouth of the Tippecanoe River near Lafayette. The canal was to be financed in part by federal land grants and by state bonds. In 1836 the Wabash and Erie was incorporated into the internal improvements System of 1836. The legislature at that time determined that the canal should be extended to Terre Haute where, via the Cross Cut Canal, it should join the Central Canal on its way to Evansville. Approximately ninety miles of the Wabash and Erie had been completed by 1839 when the system floundered; the canal had reached Lafayette in 1843 shortly before Titus and Ames began their journey to Toledo. In 1847 the state of Indiana deeded the Wabash and Erie to bondholders, who were to complete the canal to Evansville and accept it as full payment on half of the state’s internal improvements debt. The canal finally reached Evansville in 1853. By this date, however, the canal era was already past its zenith, and by the mid-1870s the Wabash and Erie was virtually defunct. Barnhart and Carmony, Indiana, I, 322-25, 333-36, 341-43; Fatout, Indiana Canals, 157-65, 173-75, passim. Through Indiana by Stagecoach and Canal Boat 21 1

Crawfordsville in a buggy-road most of the way bad. We passed through a fine country-land good-soil very rich. We dined with Br. Mills at Parkersburgh, and made a very pleasant stay of a couple of hours with him. Three miles below C. called at Br. [Richard?] Hargrave’s-preacher on the circuit, where we were most diliciously entertained on large, nice cherries. We arrived at C. about sun set, and put up with Br. [Samuel] Brenton, P.C. [preacher on the circuit]. The town is scattered over considerable extent of territory, and has some fine buildings. There are two Presbyterian churches- one Campbellite & one Meth. The Meth. congregation twice as large as any other in town. This town is the seat of Wabash College, under the direction of the New School Pres.12 The college consists of one building about fifty feet by thirty five. It is of most singular construction, and from the external appearance, one cannot deter- mine whether it is two high stories, or four low stories in height. The whole building appears as though an attempt had been made to excel every other speciman of architecture in the whole country, and they had made a complete failure. The halls are narrow-the rooms small, & the whole interior poorly finished. The cupola, on the center of the roof, looks as though it was in deep distress. Num- ber of Students about fifty. Dr. White, formerly of N.Y. President. The college lot is a very fine one. A great number of the trees of the original forest still standing, which give it a beautiful appearance, and afford an agreeable shade.13 The land in the vicinity is finely situated, and of exceeding fertility. The houses in the neighborhood of the college, look as though they had long been afflicted with the Fever & Ague-a disease quite prevalent in the suburbs of the town-both with houses and people. At Br. Brenton’s we were kindly and gentlemanly treated. Next morning-Tues.-we took the stage for Lafayette. There were no passengers beside ourselves; so

”On November 21, 1832, nine men including five home missionaries of the Presbyterian church determined to establish a Presbyterian college in Crawfords- ville, Indiana. The institution was chartered by the Indiana General Assembly the following year. Joseph F. Tuttle, The Origin and Growth of’ Wabash College: Bac- calaureate Discourse, to the Class of 1876 (Logansport, Ind., 1876), 16-17; James I. Osborne and Theodore G. Gronert, Wabush College: The First Hundred Years, 18

Through Indiana by Stagecoach and Canal Boat 213 we could have all the coach to ourselves, with which arrangement we were not at all displeased. I felt in first spirits-like giving myself up entirely to the pleasure of the journey. All thought of books was laid aside, as well as all care for the future. I felt that mind and body needed recreation, & that no better opportunity could ever be offered than the present.

Chapter Second Journey to Lafayette- Lafayettedourney on the Wabash & Erie canal to Fort Wayne-

On our way to Lafayette, we had a state road for a few miles- badly cut up & very rough. A short distance out of Crawfordsville, passed an extensive flouring establishment, belonging to Major Elston, of C., where he is making an immense amount of money.I4 Not far from this mill we passed a building that was formerly used as a distilery. I believe this was the first time I ever looked with unalloyed pleasure upon an old, dilapidated, deserted, ruinous house: It looked as though the poisons that it had, for so long a time, been sending forth to the world, had seized upon its own frame, at last, & brought quick destruction. A greater part of this road was quite good, & we rolled pleasantly along. Part of the country was very fine. There was some splendid timber land-rich strong soil-and gigantic trees. Passed through Nine Mile prairie- the soil exceedingly rich, but the land rather too low for successful cultivation. There were some few “swells” that would make most splendid farms. Some of which were under fine cultivation. After passing from the Nine Mile prairie, through a few miles of wood land, we came to one of the most rich & beautiful prairies of Indi- ana, generally known as the Wea prairie, so named from a tribe of

14 Major Isaac C. Elston was an influential Indiana businessman and land spec- ulator and the father-in-law of General Lew Wallace, author of Ben Hur. He founded the Rock River Mills in Crawfordsville, his hometown, and served as president of the Crawfordsville and Wabash Railroad and as director of the Louisville, New Al- bany, and Chicago Railroad (Monon) with which it merged. In partnership with Henry S. Lane, Elston also established a banking house in Crawfordsville. Isaac Elston, Jr., later replaced Lane, and the firm was known for many years as Elston and Son, then as the Elston National Bank. The senior Elston’s ventures in land speculation included extensive purchases at the site of Lafayette, which was later- in part as a result of Elston’s influence-designated the county seat of Tippecanoe County. Elston also served on the board of trustees of Indiana Asbury University. General Richard P. DeHart, ed., Past and Present of Tippecanoe County, Indiana (2 vols., Indianapolis, 1909), I, 413-14; A. W. Bowen & Co., pub., History ofMontgo- mery County, Indiana. . . (2 vols., Indianapolis, n.d.), I, 299-300, 367-68; Manhart, DePauw Through the Years, I, 16. 214 Indiana Magazine of History

Indians that formerly inhabited it. Here were some of the finest farms I ever beheld-easily cultivated, and productivehto almost any amount. About eight miles below Lafayette the driver stopped to water the horses, as is the custom in this country, a driver seldom travelling more than five or six miles without stopping for this purpose. It was already twelve o’clock, & we began to feel that food was very necessary for the support of life; so Br. Ames enquired of the family who were dining, if they had not a pie and a little milk that they could spare us. The good woman with kindness and frankness assured us that there was an abundance, to which we were heartily welcome, if we would step in. We were not backward in availing ourselves of her hospitality, and made a hearty dinner of corn bread, pie & milk: after which we felt our “corporosity” wonderfully improved. The remainder of our ride to Lafayette was through a rich and finely cultivated country. We saw some excellent fields of wheat, and some extensive fields of barley, which I suppose were intended for the Brewery. Alas, that the blessings of Providence should be turned to poison! We arrived at Lafayette about three o’clock, and found a fine home at Br. [Eli P.?] Farmer’s; where, though strangers, we were received with the kindest welcome. Lafayette has some large, fine buildings, and a great many mean shabby ones. The “Lafayette House” is an extensive establishment, affording fine accommodations, and appeared to be well conducted. On Main St. are a number of large, fine ware houses, that, at the time of my visit to the place, were doing a brisk and quite extensive business. The Court House is old and poor, but the square on which it is situated, a fine one. They have lately built a County Seminary edifice, which is large, pleasantly situated, & well constructed. Though like too many such efforts, they have spent all their money on the building, & have nothing left to support a school with.15 The inhabitants appeared to be enterprising and intelligent. The Wabash & Erie canal terminates at this place, which adds very much to its business and importance. The canal, however, is being continued on to Terre Haute and when it is completed to that place, it will deprive Lafay- ette of a great part of its present business. On Wednesday, June 21st, a little past nine o’clock A.M. we went on board the canal boat, James Durbin, Williams, master, and engaged our passage to Maumee city. This was a freight boat,

Is A legislative act of 1838 provided for the establishment of county seminaries in every Indiana county. By 1840 trustees’ reports indicate that land had been purchased in Tippecanoe county for such a seminary and that $974.42 had been spent for building material’s. In 1842 the trustees reported that the building had been completed. The Tippecanoe County Seminary was the only institution of higher learning in the county uritil private academies were established in the 1850s. The seminary ceased operations in 1855. DeHart, Past and Present of Tzppecance County, I, 352-53. Through Indiana by Stagecoach and Canal Boat 215 and we were obliged to take one of this class, as there were no packets in, & no one knew when one would arrive.16 This end of the canal had been greatly injured by a late flood, & the boats were just now starting out for the first time since the injury was repaired. The boat, on which we took passage, was quite new, & had a neat cabin, though it was very smal. There was also a cabin aR, where the cooking and eating was done. The freight was stowed between the forward and after cabins, consisting of corn, wheat, oats & bacon. There was a little cubby hole, amid ships, which was used as a stable for the horses; two being fed and rested here, while the other two are towing the boat. I said rested, but I should think there could not be much rest, for the place is very small and the horses never lie down. There were but few passengers. One was a young Irish lady, quite neat & tidy-evidently unaccustomed to travelling. There was a gentleman travelling with her, who I supposed to be her father, whose greatest trouble, when he was siting in the cabin, seemed to be, to find a place for his hands, and some object to look at. There were two or three other passengers, rather Jonathan looking,17 & who said but little. Br. A soon stowed himself away on the comfortable cushioned seat, very much at his ease, and engaged in pe- rusing an old novel that he found among the “truck” in the closet. I spent the time in pencilling down such thoughts as happened to come to my mind-when this did not require too much effort-& lolling about on the bench, in the most comfortable attitudes that I could find, pleased with myself & all around me, and fully resolved to get as much comfort as possible. Such canal boat riding, though dul and monotonous, and wearisome on that account, if long continued, is certainly not very disagreeable for a short time; for one can read, or sleep, or lounge about, a la loafer, or engage in writing, or conversation with all the ease and pleasure that such things are done any where. The country through which we passed during the first & second day was very excellent, the farms quite old and fine cultivation. I observed, too, that the fruit trees were older and more abundant, than in other parts of the state which I had visited. Most

l6 Canal boats on the Wabash and Erie ranged from about forty to one hundred feet in length. Freight boats were generally pulled by two or three mules, hitched single file, tandem style, to a tow line approximately 250 feet long. The driver rode the hindmost mule. Three miles per hour was a good speed. Packets were passenger boats, and as a rule they provided better accommodations than freighters as well as averaging from five to seven miles per hour. Drivers and teams, which commonly consisted of three horses, were changed at each station along the route in order to maintain the scheduled time. Benjamin F. Stout, History of the Wabash and Valley (n.p., 19241, 50-51. For further descriptions of canalling on the Wabash and Erie, see George DeLong, with additional material by Mary Blair Immel, Canalling on the Wabash and Erie, 1832-1875 (Lafayette, Ind., 1970). l7 “Jonathan” was a common term of the time for a country yokel. Reproduced from Harry 0. Garman, Whitewater Canal: Cambridge Cit,v to Ohm Riurr . . . (Indianapolis, 19441, 15. Through Indiana by Stagecoach and Canal Boat 217

of the farmers in this region are Eastern men with Eastern enterprise and industry. Such farmers on such land can never want. About eleven miles from Lafayette we passed a small town called Americus. All the greatness was in the name. Appearances were decidedly in favor of the opinion that the Fever & Ague were abundant. A few sleepy looking men were lolling around a store, who looked as though the “chills” had driven all warmth from their hearts, and the fever had burned out all desire and love of industry or enterprise from their souls.1RA few miles further up, passed a grist mill, that was rather a caution. The water was brought in a flue about two feet wide to a wheel of about 20 feet in diameter. There was but little water, and the wheel being much heavier on one side than on the other, would almost stop, when the heavier part was rising and go with a whew when that part was descending. There was one small run of stones, and some corn in grinding. There was no man about the mill or any where in sight. From appearances, I judged that a bushel of corn might thus be ground in about 24 hours. Such was a Hoosier mill. Eighteen miles from our starting place, we came to a pleasant little village called Delphi.lg Here we tarried awhile, & I took a strol through the town and found an old acquaintance, one of the former students of the I.A.U. I was much pleased to meet with him, and told him all I knew of his old classmates, some of whom I had lately seen. The land about the town is low and flat, with many puddles of stagnant water. It is decidedly a sickly place. Fever & Ague are especially abundant. But the inhabitants have become so accustomed to this disease that they do not seem to care much about it. We found here a number of boats loading with wheat, which at this time was very much in demand.20Steam Boats sometimes ascend the Wabash as far as this place. Three or four had been up this year. A short distance above this place we passed into the Wabash and ran up the river four miles, where we crossed it and again entered the canal. The horses were ferried over, and the boat pushed

lR The fictional John Parsons drove through Americus in 1840 and saw “no reason why it should not soon become a great commercial town, outstripping Logans- port, Delphi and Lafayette.” Rabb, A Tour Through Indiana, 238. Describing the Wabash and Erie during its heyday in the 1840s and 1850s, historian Paul Fatout wrote, “Americus, slated [by boosters] to become head of navigation on the Wabash River and metropolis of the midwest, had a start with one drygoods store and two groceries.” Fatout, Indiana Canals, 130. 19 At Delphi can be seen what is probably the longest stretch of the canal (ex- tending for about one mile) still regularly containing water. The Carroll County Wabash and Erie Canal Association is actively developing there a canalside historic park. 20 Delphi was also “a dependable supplier of canvassed hams.” Fatout, Indiana Canals, 130. 218 Indiana Magazine of History over with poles; the bridge not yet being completed. After crossing the river, Br. A. & myself concluded we would try to get a little sleep, it being then nearly ten o’clock. We descended to the cabin and found that the other passengers had already crawled into their births. One little corner of the little cabin we found curtained off with a little curtain, for the little Irish lady. The odor of the cabin was decidedly unpleasant, but there was no help for it. As there was no better arrangement possible, we concluded to pack ourselves away upon the little shelves, that had been prepared for us, and see if “kind natures sweet restorer” would come to our assistance.21 Br. A’s Shelf was immediately above mine, the space between being but little more than one foot. As Br. A. was a pretty heavy man I felt somewhat fearful that his tackling might give way, and I get a little more squeezing than would be comfortable. But, feeling some confidence in his cords I pulled off my coat, vest & shoes, lay myself along, and rolled in. The birth was hard and narrow, and though my limbs ached exceedingly from lying so long in one position, there was no turning over; though I did manage once to get partly onto my back for a few minutes. The clatter of the men upon the deck of the boat, and my unusual and painful position, kept me, for a long time, wakeful & restless. At length, however, I lost all conciousness of my real troubles in sleep; but then, alas! dreams of narrow passages, & of being stifled in some pent up hole, added ten fold to my former uneasiness. Soon my position became still more wretched and I seemed to be in some horrid, filthy den, surrounded by frogs & snakes and all kinds of loathsome reptiles. At length I seemed resolved, at all hazards, to make my way out of that, and commenced crawling from the horrid place. When I became once more conscious, I found myself stum- bling over the chairs of the cabin, on my way to the door. But still I found that it was not all a dream, that a little fresh air would, in reality, be very comfortable; so I kept on to the door, & felt much refreshed by the cool night air. I looked around, on reaching the door, when lo, & behold! instead of moving on toward Maumee City we were fast, yes, actually fast on a log! The captain was talking very fast, and very loud-the men were running this way & that in the utmost confusion, & all seemed to be impressed with the idea, that the more noise they made, the more easily they would get free. By dint of loud talking, and jabbering, & swearing, & halloo- ing, & pushing with their long poles, & pulling & running, and whipping up the horses, they did, after two hours, succeed in getting off. I soon returned to my -shelf, and amid all the bustle & confusion went to sleep, & slept soundly until five o’clock next

21 “Tir’d Nature’s sweet restorer, balmy sleep!” Edward Young, Night Thoughts, Night I, page 1, line 1. Through Indiana by Stagecoach and Canal Boat 219 morning. Upon waking, & succeeding after several efforts in finding out my whereabouts, I became conscious of the fact that I was still alive-that Br A’s. shelf still held its relative distance from my own, and that silence was reigning around. I was fearful that we might be still upon the log, or were stopped from some other cause. I crawled out, and poking my head out of the cabin door found that, sure enough, we were making no progress. I learned upon inquiry that we had been in that fix since two o’clock, & were likely to remain so for three or four hours more. This, certainly, was not very pleasant, especially as we were very anxious to get on. The cause of our delay was, that the gates in the lock where we were, had been opened in the night and permitted to remain so; while those in the lock above remained closed. The consequences of this mismanagement were, that the water was drawn off of the level above us, between the two locks, and it was impossible for us to proceed until the water could be let in at the upper lock and fill the level again. A boy had been sent up to open the gates of the lock above, and the water was already rising. In about two hours the boat floated again, but we proceeded very slowly; the boat rubbing against the bottom, every few rods, and sometimes stopping entirely, where we were forced to remain until the rising water floated us off. I found my breakfast this morning, (Thurs. June 22.) rather uneatable; either from the want of an appetite, or because the breakfast was, in reality, poor. Perhaps a little of both. The coffee certainly was not drinkable; and I seemed suddenly to have lost all relish for eggs and bacon-the staff of life in this country. So I nib- bled away at a cracker, awhile, and drank a little cold water, con- cluding I would wait till dinner time, & see if an appetite would not come. Luckly, when called to the dinner table, I felt that I could relish almost any kind of food; & still more luckily I found what I can relish at most any time, viz: good boiled eggs, good chocolate & biscuit. I sat till all the rest were done, and until the cook was evidently beginning to despair of ever getting rid of me. Though I found a tolerable excuse in the fact that the chocolate was so hot, I must necessarily wait for it to cool. But, surely, I did eat avery abundant dinner. After moving along very slowly for six or seven hours we arrived at Logansport, a very pleasant town, situated on the Wabash. I had a package of letters to deliver at this place, and in the course of my inquiry, found a man who offered to deliver it to the person to whom it was directed. This gentleman was a tavern keeper, formerly from Maryland-had lived in Canada, Detroit, & several other places, previous to his residence in L. He expressed himself much pleased with the character of the people from my native state, & assured me, that he had found no people, in all his travels, that so nearly resembled the people of his own state, as did those of Maine. He expressed himself pleased with Indiana, but if he was back in 220 Indiana Magazine of History

Md. again, with his present knowledge and experience, he should most certainly remain there. I found him a fine speciman of the Marylander; frank, open hearted & generous. The land about the town, as is also true of nearly all the towns in this part of the country, is low and flat, and produces Fever & Ague. But the soil rich, easy of cultivation, and exceedingly pro- ductive. The Churches, Court House, jail, ware houses, & many private residences are built of stone, & look very well. The lime stone, of which they are constructed, is much more durable, & presents a finer appearance than brick. This seems to be a town of considerable business, and promises to become one of the most important in the state. It is now about the same size as Lafayette;22 though, as the canal only passes through it, it is at present, of less importance than that town. Soon after leaving Logansport, we found the current in the canal quite rapid, and it being against us, rendered our progress very slow. This was the more vexatious, from the fact that there was a boat but a few rods behind us, that was struggling hard to run by; and another but a few rods in advance, being, as well as the one in the rear, of much lighter draft than our boat, which we were struggling as hard to outstrip. We did not succeed in getting by the boat in advance-owing to some necessary detentions-but we had some source of gratification in the fact, that the one in the rear could’nt come it.23 Becoming sleepy, I concluded I would once more to so stow myself away, as to obtain a little sleep. I exchanged berths, so as to obtain one, near a window, where I could get fresh air. The space from the berth to the roof of the cabin was about four feet, so that I now had room enough to turn over. I found this berth quite comfortable, & slept soundly. About four o’clock in the morning we were all aroused by a tremendous racket on, and about the boat, and we all, simultaneously, jumped from our berths and rushed up on deck, to learn what all the outcry could mean. The cry, “the horses are in the canal” made known the cause of the uproar, and on looking ahead we saw that, sure enough, one of the horses & the driver were in the water-which at this place, just below a lock, is very deep & the current swift-and both swimming toward the shore for dear life. They soon got out, without any serious injury, & the driver getting on a dry suit of clothes, we went on as usual. The cause of the disaster we learned to be, that they had endea-

According to the census of 1840, Lafayette’s residents numbered 1,570. Lo- gansport’s population was not divided from that of Cass County as a whole. US., Sixth Census, 1840,367. 2R Deleted at this point in Titus’s narrative is a single paragraph containing amusing but irrelevant anecdotes that were related by the travelers as they spent a pleasant evening on the deck of the canal boat. Through Indiana by Stagecoach and Canal Boat 221 vored to cross a long bridge, without unfastening the tow-line, (the manner in which they usually cross the bridges on this canal,) and the current being very rapid, had not only stopped the head way of the boat, but began to carry it down stream. The tow-line remaining still attached to the boat, drew our horse, with the driver on his back, over the railing, into the water. The other horse, by a desperate effort, succeeded in breaking loose, & saved himself from a ducking. The distance from the bridge to the water was, at least, ten feet; but as the water was very deep, neither horse, or driver experienced any other injury than a good wetting. Soon our thoughts reverted to ourselves, and we began to make laudable efforts to preserve our lives, from the dense swarms of large, fat musquetoes, that, with indomitable courage and untiring perseverance, seemed resolved to have a breakfast of our blood. After fighting manfully, for some time, and loosing much blood, I fairly retreated to the cabin: and, jumping into my berth, actually gave up the struggle, & hid myself under the bed clothes. Here, though I could still hear their buzzing, and felt appalled at their cruelty in dealing so unmercifully with a fallen foe, I found that I was comparatively safe from their bloody instruments, & I lay quite comfortably for a couple of hours. On arising again for breakfast, I found them still fresh and vigorous, & their ardor by no means cooled. Of course, breakfast could not be enjoyed; for, beside their buzzing and biting, it was very difficult to get a morsel of food into one’s mouth, without taking more or less of them along with it. I succeeded, however, in making a light breakfast without being in- debted to many of them for adding to the support of that body, they were treating so blood-thirstily; and afterwards, by dint of smoking and brushing we fairly drove them from the cabin, and then proceeded to make ourselves comfortable, after the most approved method. The most usual manner, with myself, was, to lie at full length upon the fine cushioned seats, and place my carpet bag for the support of my head and shoulders. So expert was I in this custom, that the palm was given to me by all, as being the most successful in finding out comfortable positions. Even Br. A. who had even considered himself first in that way, was, as he frankly ac- knowledged, forced to give in. About noon, on Friday, passed a little town called Wabash-one of the most beautiful I had seen since I had left home. It is the only one, so far, that is situated on high, rolling land. The town is north of the canal. Between the canal & the Wabash river, south of the town, is a beautiful tract of bottom land, of exceeding fertility. The land on the north of the canal, being high and hilly, renders the town very healthy, and gives to it something of the appearance of a New England village. I learned this day that there was another passenger on board, one, who, I at first supposed was one of the hands belonging to the boat, as he seldom came into the cabin, seemed intimately ac- 222 Indiana Magazine of History quainted with the captain, & all his men, & often assisted them in their work. I soon found, upon conversation with him, that he was not what I had supposed him to be, but a rare speciman of the shrewd, genuine Yankee. He was a native of my own state, and, certainly, a rare genius. From his own accounts he had been engaged in almost every thing. Left his native state when 21 years of age-spent 8 years in Mass. as teamster, clerck, conducter upon the railroad &c &.-had travelled through Canada and the greater part of the U.S.-was now living on the Maumee river in the state of Ohio-had now been to Lafayette to get goods for opening a store- last winter turned shoemaker-in the spring became stone mason- and was probably once engaged as smuggler.-denies that there is any honesty in the world & labored hard to convince Br. A. that such was the fact. A few miles above Logansport, on the right of the canal, com- mences the tract of land known as the Indian country. This was ceded to the U.S. last year, by the Miami Indians, who still occupy it. They are to leave it, & go west of the Mississippi in a year or two. The tribe, which was formerly numerous and powerful, has now dwindled to but a small remnant: fading away, as do all the other tribes, before the march of the white man. The Weas, whose country I spoke of, lying south of Lafayette, were once very numerous. In the old records of the Catholic missionary operations among them in former years-which records can still be seen at Vincennes, 1a.-there are recorded the births & deaths of more than a thousand souls, during the brief space of the mission among them. Now they are reduced to only 270, all told. This remnant now lives in the Ind. Ter. south of the Osage.24 Friday night, about sunset, commenced raining, and rained powerfully all night. The water in the canal was very low, & the canal narrow; and as it was exceedingly dark, and the hands rather green, they found it difficult to prevent the boat from running against the banks. The pattering of the rain upon the deck, and the clatter and confusion among the men, kept us awake till nearly

24 In 1840 the Miami Indians ceded their last remaining lands in Indiana for $550,000. Of this amount $300,000 was to be applied to the payment of tribal debts, the remainder to be distributed as annuities over a period of twenty years. Certain lands were reserved for various individuals of the tribe, and the federal government was to bear all expense of moving the Miamis to a new reservation of half a million acres in what was designated as Indian country across the Mississippi River in what would become the state of Kansas. Removal did not occur until 1846. Most of the Wea tribes-along wifh the Kickapoos and Delawares-had apparently moved west following their land cessions in 1818 and 1820. The Kickapoos and probably the Weas were given lands on the Osage River in Indian country. Nellie Armstrong Robertson and Dorothy Riker, eds., The John Tipton Papers, 1809-1839 (3 vols., Indiana Historical Collections, Vols. XXIV, XXV, XXVI; Indianapolis, 1942), I, 48- 49, 61811; George D. Harmon, Sixty Years of Indian Affairs:Political, Economic, and DipZomatic, 1787-1850 (Chapel Hill, N.C., 1941), 138-40, 299. Through Indiana by Stagecoach and Canal Boat 223 midnight, and the little sleep I did get, towards morning, was not refreshing. Yet my situation was so much more comfortable than that of the men who worked the boat amid the storm and darkness, that I was kept from murmuring, or finding fault with my position. When I awoke Sat. morn. I found that the storm had abated, and that we were getting on quite comfortably. Ten miles below Fort Wayne, passed the residence of Mr. Vermillia, a wealthy farmer.25 His dwelling house is a splendid one-a large two story brick building, painted white, and neatly finished, inside and out. As they tarried here a short time, to change horses, we took a strol about the grounds. We found the garden, shrubery, fruit trees &c finely arranged & in the best possible order. All the inside wood work of the house is of black walnut, highly polished, and presents a very rich and beautiful appearance. There were three fine barns & other out buildings corresponding. Taking it, all together, it was by far the most beautiful residence I had seen on the journey. Having obtained a drink of good cold water, we returned to the boat, and proceeded on our journey. At three o’clock in the after noon we arrived at Fort Wayne, and we concluded to leave the boat & remain here until monday, as we did not like to travel on the sab- bath. We had now travelled on this canal 118 miles & my expenses had been only two dollars & seventy five cents. Cheap travelling surely!

CharJter Third Fort Wayne-Journey from F.W. to Toledo, Ohio.

Having settled with the captain, and left our baggage at a tavern near by, we proceeded to find Br. [George M.l Boyd, the Meth- odist preacher on the station. After considerble enquiry, we found where he resided, & were most hospitably & kindly received by him & his amiable wife. We found him, not only a sterling man, but an accomplished gentleman. No man could have taken more pains to make our short visit agreeable & pleasant to us, than he did. And his wife was not a whit behind, in her efforts to make us

25 Jesse Vermilyea came to Allen County in the early 1820s and engaged in farming and trading with the Indians. He was also a contractor on the middle di- vision of the Wabash and Erie Canal and was active in road building in the area. In 1839 Vermilyea built a brick colonial mansion-which also served as a tavern- along the banks of the Wabash and Erie Canal approximately fourteen miles southeast of Fort Wayne where it can still be seen today. The house is pictured and described in Cleo Goff Wilkens, “Resource Sheet on Jesse Vermilyea” (Allen County/ Fort Wayne Historical Society, Fort Wayne, Indiana). Reproduced from Tippecanoe Journal & Commercial Adurrtuer, August 11, 1841. Courtesy Tippecanoe County Historical Association, Lafayette, Indiana. Through Indiana by Stagecoach and Canal Boat 225

comfortable and happy. After travelling for four days in a small uncomfortable boat, living on food, that for the most part we could not have relished, even if it had been neatly cooked & prepared for us, and over the best of which, our stomachs would nauseate, at a single glance at the cook-and sleeping, or rather trying to sleep, in positions that we could hardly expect a dog to be comfortable-I re- peat, after living in such a manner for four successive days, we were well prepared to appreciate and fully enjoy our neat supper, with fine strawberry sauce, & other fruit that we could have relished under any circumstances, and our nice clean bed. We took an early supper & prepared to take a ride about the town, in order to visit some scenes that we knew could not fail to interest us. Br. Boyd very politely tendered us his services; harnessed his horse into the carriage, and took us all over the town, & around the suburbs. In the west part of the town we found the site of old Fort Wayne, from which the town is named, where Gen. Wayne had his head quarters for some time, during the Indian wars of this region, and who is generally known in this country as “Mad Anthony”. The site of the fort is the most commanding point in the whole neighljorhood. The Fort was about 100 feet square. The ditch is still to be seen, and also the stumps of the pickets. The well that supplied the fort with water is still to be seen, & still has abundance of good cool water. The principal log building of the fort is yet standing, as a memorial of former years.26Standing here, I had a good view of the point of land, upon which a large Indian came, at the time the fort was occupied by our men; and supposing himself entirely beyond the reach of their rifles, turned round and slapped his back sides at them, in derision. But it so happened that he failed in his reckoning, for a “hunter from Kentucky’’ with his justly celebrated rifle, arose in the sentry box nearest to the In- dian, took deliberate aim, fired & knocked the saucy Indian end over end. We did not measure the distance, & I know not that it has ever been measured; but the land being level we had a good view of the point where the Indian stood-far across, on the other side of the Maumee-and according to the best of our judgment, in measuring distance with the eye, we all concluded that it could not

26 Following the Revolution, Indian discontent increased in the western country as a result of steady white encroachment on lands that the tribes considered theirs. Policies of the new United States government in regard to land and Indian relations and British refusal to evacuate forts in the area exacerbated the situation. Indian raids continued to retard white settlement and challenged the authority of the Washington administration. A series of expeditions against the Indians achieved little until General Anthony Wayne defeated a combined force of tribesmen in northern Ohio near the Maumee River rapids in 1794. Following the Battle of Fallen Timbers, Wayne moved to the headwaters of the Maumee at the junction of the St. Joseph and St. Mary’s rivers where he constructed a fort, named Fort Wayne in his honor. John D. Barnhart and Dorothy L. Riker, Indiana to 1816: The Colonial Pe- riod (Indianapolis, 19711, 297-303, passim. 226 Indiana Magazine of History be much short of 500 yards. Surely, the Indians had some cause for their great fear of Kentuckian rifles. They told me of an old chief, who, in time of the war, was sitting, one day, quietly in his wigwam smoking his pipe, when he saw approaching a company of white men. He looked at them attentively for a few moments, when he exlaimed “Ugh, Ohio Malitia! me no run!” and very composedly sat himself down again upon his bear skin, and continued smoking. But as the soldiers drew nearer the wigwam, so that he could obtain a fairer view of them, he suddenly threw down his pipe, sprang to his feet, and, crying out “Kentuck”! “Kentuck!” siezed his gun, darted into the woods and was soon out of sight. A little north of the fort, on the opposite side of the Maumee, was pointed out to us a large apple tree 8 feet in cir., under which the great Miami Chief Richardville (generally corrupted, in pro- nounciation, to Rusheville.) was born. He died about two years since, and his grave was pointed out to me in the Catholic burying ground. He lived in the neighborhood until his death and, ever since the treaty, has been a great friend to the We also visited the scene of Harmer’s defeat, about half a mile from the fort, down the Maumee. The following lines will give some idea of the situation of the fort and battle ground.

z7 Jean Baptiste Richardville, described by one historian as “one of the clever- est, trickiest, and wealthiest half-breeds in the western country,” was the chief who led the Miami tribe at treaty councils from 1818 through 1840. He conducted the treaty negotiations in 1840 in which the Miamis ceded the last of their tribal lands in Indiana. Richardville, an astute businessman, amassed a large fortune in his trade with the Indians and in other business ventures. He and his family received large personal reserves of land in all treaties with the government and were ex- empted from removal west to the Indian country. Richardville died in 1841 at his home on the St. Mary’s River near Fort Wayne. Bert Anson, “Chief Francis Lafon- taine and the Miami Emigration from Indiana,” Indiana Magazine of History, LX (September, 1964), 244-47; quotation from Nellie A. Robertson, “John Hays and the Fort Wayne Indian Agency,” ibid., XXXIX (September, 1943), 224. Titus’s spelling “Rusheville” does not make clear whether the “u” is phonetically long (00) or short (uh) or whether the first “e” makes a syllable. The present-day pronunciation (roosh- uh-vil) of Russiaville, the Howard County town named for Chief Richardville, prob- Through Indiana by Stagecoach and Canal Boat 227

a. The St. Mary’s river. b. The Little St. Josephs. c. The Maumee, formed by the junction of the St. Mary’s & Little St. Joseph‘s. Fig. 1. The site of the fort. 2. The apple tree. 3. The point where the In- dian was shot by the Kentuckian. 4. The scene of the battle.2R Harmer’s men were divided into two companies. One was to approach from the south & cross the Maumee at fig. 4. The other was to pass up and cross the Little St. Josephs, a little above fig. 2. at the same time the first company crossed the Maumee; and thus both companies would be able to attack the Indians, who were en- camped on this little peninsula, within the dotted line, at the same time, and drive them down to the point of land toward the fort- where the water of Maumee is very deep-& thus give them no chance for escape. The plan was a very good one, but by some mismanagement the Indians were made acquainted with it, & also the time when the attempt would be made to destroy them. Conse- quently, on the night of the contemplated attack, they were wide awake, and, sending a party to intercept those who were to come by the Little St. Joseph’s, the remainder, four or five hundred in number, secreted themselves in a dense thicket, (which still re- mains,) on the bank of the Maumee, at an Indian ford, where the main body of the army was to cross. Here they waited for our men, fully prepared to give them a warm reception, while the approaching party supposed them to be quietly sleeping in their wigwams. The brave, noble hearted, self sacrificing lovers of their country, entered the ford unconscious of the lurking danger, with hearts already swelling with triumph at the anticipated easy conquest of the whole body of Indians. They were unmolested by their secret foe, until nearly the who1 company was in the river, and the fore- most had well nigh reached the opposite shore, when the Indians pierced the still night air with their shrill war whoop, and at the same moment commenced a rapid deadly fire upon our poor devoted countrymen. Before those, who survived the first fire, had recovered from the shock, it was too late to make any effort, except for their own safety in flight. But few remained to tell of their sad defeat & ably represents the pronunciation that Titus heard. (The spelling “Russiaville” is perhaps attributable to a colloquial pronunciation of “Roosha” for Russia.) See Ron- ald L. Baker and Marvin Carmony, Indiana Place Names (Bloomington, 1975), 144. 2x In the fall of 1790 General Josiah Harmar led an expedition against the hostile Indian tribes whose towns lay near the confluence of the St. Mary’s, St. Joseph, and Maumee rivers. Although Harmar’s forces burned a number of villages and destroyed the tribes’ winter supplies, they accomplished little else; and on October 22, 1790, Indians routed a detachment of Harmar’s men in a bloody battle at Ke- kionga, near present-day Fort Wayne. The remainder of the army retreated in dis- array to Fort Washington on the Ohio River. For an account and assessment of Harmar’s campaign see Michael S. Warner, “General Josiah Harmar’s Campaign Reconsidered: How the Americans Lost the Battle of Kekionga,” Indiana Magazine of History, LXXXIII (March, 1987), 43-64. Titus’s sketch of the Fort Wayne area provides an interesting comparison to Warner’s reconstructed map of the Kekionga battlefield. 228 Indiana Magazine of History the horrid massacre of their friends and neighbors, for, out of the small company, 187 were killed. Richardville was in the strife, and often described it in after years. He says, the river was bloody for a great distance, & the dead bodies so thick that he could easily pass from one side of the river to the other upon them, while taking their scalps. They now sleep in one common grave on the bank of the river, and sighs of regret, at their unhappy fate, from the heart of the passing stranger, oft mingle with the gentle breeze that murmurs in the spreading branches that shade their last rest- ing place. The other company learned their danger in time to avoid it & but few of them were injured. An incident was related to me while in the town, that is illus- trative of the bravery and hardihood of the soldiers of that period. It had become necessary to send an express from Fort Defiance, on the Maumee river, 50 miles from this place, to Fort Wayne. The duty was one of exceeding danger and doubtful success, on account of the great number of Indians around and between the two forts. The commanding officer at Fort Defiance called for a voluntire to this dangerous service. A man by the name of Settlefield stepped forward and offered to become the bearer of the despatches, provided he could have the privelege of selecting a horse from all that were in the garrison. This was willingly granted to him, & he chose a noble steed belonging to one of the officers. The officer was very unwilling to let the horse go, as he prized him very highly, but he at length consented. Settlefield prepared himself, mounted his high- mettled charger, and rushed, at the top of his speed, through the opened gates, among the Indians that surrounded the fort, crying out to them, at the same time, with all his might. The Indians were so surprised at the suddenness of the movement, that it was some seconds before they recovered themselves sufficiently to attempt to stop him. They then commenced firing upon him from all sides, but in the hurry of the movement none of the balls happened to take effect, & the noble animal he rode soon carried him beyond their reach. Many of the savages followed in pursuit, but they were soon left far behind. He had proceeded about half the distance, when he suddenly came upon a small body of Indians, just in the act of drinking at a small rivulet. He was too near to retreat undiscov- ered, & his only means of escape was to rush past them with all possible speed. With a yell of defiance he swept passed them, and before they could take murderous aim, was beyond their reach. The Indians knew him, and were aware that it was important for them to prevent his reaching Fort Wayne, if possible. They consequently started in rapid pursuit; but although his horse had already run nearly 30 miles, over a desparately bad road, he still continued to outstrip their Indian ponies, which they would exchange for fresh ones, as often as they became too much fatigued to proceed farther. Settlefield arrived within about ten miles of the fort, when his horse, Through Indiana by Stagecoach and Canal Boat 229

that had run the whole distance, fell, being completely spent, & he was forced to proceed on foot. Being a fleet runner he succeeded in eluding his pursuers and arrived at the fort a little after midnight. The fort was besieged, at the time, by a large number of Indians, & they were lying around the fort in every direction. Supposing that they would sleep at that time if they slept at all, he carefully approached the garrison and getting down on his hands & knees, crawled up to the gate. The ditch near the gate was filled with Indians, and he crawled so near them, that he distinctly heard them breathe. With a palpitating heart he reached the gate, gave the counter sign, and was joyfully received by his friends, having run the gauntlet in safety.2Y The inhabitants of Fort Wayne, so far as I was able to judge from my short stay among them, are exceedingly open-hearted and hospitable. I have never, in all my wandering, spent the same number of days, in a strange town, so pleasantly, as I did here. There was no cold formality, & unnecessary cerimony, but a frank, warm hearted reception, wherever I called, or was introduced. Never shall I forget the noble people of Fort Wayne. I felt that I was at home, & that I could willingly live and die with them. Sunday morning went to a neat little M. church for worship, and was most agreeably entertained and profited by an excellent discourse from Br. Ames. This was the first pewed church I had seen among the Methodists, west of the Alleghanies. It was beau- tifully and neatly finished. The pews are after the modern plan, without doors. Only about half of them are rented, the rest left free, usually every other one. Upon the top of each pew is a strip of Black Walnut, wide enough to hold a note book when singing. The pulpit is also made of B. Walnut, which being highly polished, presents a rich and beautiful appearance. The congregation appeared very intelligent, displayed a better taste in their dress than is usually seen in this country, and were also very genteel. I felt as though I had got back to New-England, and was not only pleased but delighted. At 6 P.M. I attempted to preach to the people. A violent thunder storm commenced about the meeting hour, but yet the people flocked out, and the congregation was quite large. They were very attentive, & I felt that I was speaking once more to an Eastern Congregation. After meeting, went home with Br. J.

29 William Suttenfield (or Suttonfield), in later life frequently identified as Col- onel Suttenfield, was a noncommissioned officer of the Fort Wayne garrison in the first quarter of the nineteenth century. He was in charge of bringing supplies from the outpost at Piqua, Ohio, “and usually had three or four men to accompany and aid him in his perilous and burdensome duties back and forth to the settlements. Being short and slender of form, and very active on foot, he would often say the Indians could’nt [sic] catch him, and that he was not afraid of them.” Wallace A. Brice, History of Fort Wayne, from the Earliest Known Accounts of this Point to the Present Period . . . (Fort Wayne, Ind., 18681, 17b. 230 Indiana Magazine of History

Brackenridge, a former student of the I.A.U. & a member of one of my classes. He and all the family seemed very glad to see me, & treated me with the utmost kindness and attention. As‘we did not find a boat monday morning, we spent the time till noon in riding about the town, & being introduced to the kind people. Dined with a Sister Fairfield, formerly of Kennebunk. Me. a fine, motherly, old lady, and a whole hearted Methodist. Spent 2 or 3 hours with her in most agreeable conversation, about the dear land of our birth, & the good people there. I found, that though she was finely situated here, & seemed well contented, that she still cherished the memory of her former home & associates. In the after noon at- tended the funeral of a young married lady. Aged 22. Died of con- sumption, a disease by no means prevalent in this country.30The sermon was by Br. Boyd-a very good one. I was pleased to notice the respect paid to the departed by the serious deportment of the large concourse that assembled. At 7 P.M. a packet boat arrived and we engaged our passage to Toledo, 0. and bid farewell to the friends that had so kindly entertained us. We found tolerable accommodations aboard the boat, and a spirited, wide-awake young man for captain. Among the passengers were three “Friends” [Quakers] who were very pleasant travelling companions. The crew aboard the boat was good enough, but the horses, & the manner in which they were kept, and the manner in which we had to wait for them, at every station, to be found & brought forth from the woods and fields, whither they had strayed, and the manner in which they were driven after they were found, & the distance that one pair of horses had to go, were all matters that forced themselves upon our attention. This line of boats is known as “Mahan’s line” from the name of the owner. We had heard much said, since we had commenced travelling on this canal, of Mahan’s horses, and his “stations”-i.e. the places where his horses are kept, or, rather, where they are not kept at all, but suffered to roam whithersoever they list-and we now found that matters had not been exaggerated. Each set of horses was forced to drag us for 25 or 30 miles. And horses I never saw before. They had been trying the Irishman’s system for 3 or 4 weeks, viz: learning them to live without eating. The Irishman’s horse had just got fairly learned when he died, and these seemed about to graduate in that peculiar31 branch of knowledge. The great reason of the starvation was the scarcity of grain, in that region, and the impossibility of bringing it up from Lafayette previous to this time, as the numerous breaks in the canal had rendered it unnavigable. The captain had brought up a supply of oats, and it would have done one’s heart

30 Titus undoubtedly meant to write “un”preva1ent. 31 Titus underlines his pun on the Latin pecus, or farm animal. Through Indiana by Stagecoach and Canal Boat 231 good, to have seen the poor horses smile, & the beating of their glad hearts, as they beheld them. I could not look upon these poor horses without having my pity excited. That they had ribbs, no one could doubt, who gave a single glance at them; and their hip bones seemed tending upward, till it was a matter of doubt, if the skin would prove sufficiently strong to prevent their popping out. Their countenances seemed to demand pity of all who gazed upon them, but which was in vain demanded of the driver, who ceased not “day nor night” to thwack away upon their poor old bones, until I wondered that they were not all broken. About 4 o’clock Tues. morning, we arrived at the first station, where we were to change horses. It was a very easy matter to “untackle” those we had been using, but by no means an easy one to “tackle up” those we wanted; for the simple reason that one of them was not to be found. No one seemed to have any charge of them, or could tell whither the missing horse had strayed, except that he had gone into the woods. The captain, who was brother to the owner of the line, in the course of his inquiries came to a sleepy looking Jonathan, who, it seemed, was the one who should have had the horses in readiness, and demanded where the other horse was. “Wall, captain” said he, scratching his head, “I s’pose he’s gone off into the woods” So here we were obliged to wait 3 or 4 hours, while a number of men by ranging around through the woods, succeeded in finding the missing animal. It is doubtful if they would have found him during the whole day, had not the captain gone in person to assist them. He succeeded at last in coming up to the animal, when, observing the driver-the sleepy David of whom I have spoken-within a few rods of it, enquired if he had yet found the horse-which was in plain sight before him-“No” said he in a whin- ing, drawling tone “and I’ll be dam’d if I b’lieve that that are hoss is any where about here, any how”. The captain soon convinced him that the horse was in existence, & ordered him to stir himself, and harness it. He seemed, however, to be in no hurry, but moved as though he was perfect master of his own time. Our patience was nearly exhausted before we got under way again, & when we did move, the scamp of driver seemed very much inclined to the belief that our progress would be slow. Not through any pity he felt for the poor animals he drove-for one would suppose from his movements that he had no feelings, save such as are common to the sloth-but because he was too outrageous lazy to cause them to go in any other way, than just as they chose to go. His appearance when mounted upon one of the horses, was quite amusing. His legge much too long for his tattered yellow pantaloons-pending to which were large sprawling feet, naked & yet covered, were dangling by the sides of the horse, in the most clownish manner conceivable. His coat, the rags of which seemed bidding good bye to each other, might have been large enough, when new, which must have been 232 Indiana Magazine of History

5 or 6 years previous, but was now only sufficient to cover a part of his back, the skirts reaching down just to where his leggs commenced. His slouched hat & whip completed his equipment. The captain soon became impatient with his slow movements and ordered him to drive up faster. But the lad thought himself master of his own motions & heeded not the admonitions and warnings, that were freely lavished upon him. The captain soon became ex- asperated, &, jumping upon the tow-path, demanded the whip, that he might drive the horses himself. The driver refused to give it up, and a struggle ensued in which the poor one eyed scoundrel-for he had but one eye, & that was a little grey one-was dragged from the horse; shaken lustily by the little captain; then squeezed “right smart” under the captain’s little body & in his “warm embrace”; then choked by the captain’s little hand, till his face became blacker than ever, & “last of all” thrown over the bank into the bushes, by the strong little captain, and left there to learn better manners. We were now in Ohio, having passed the state line during the night. The land had the same wet, unhealthy appearance as that I had last seen in Indiana, and continued about the same till we came near to Defiance. At D. there is a fine situation for a town, high healthy looking land, but the village is yet small, & the few houses scattered about without much order, taste, or neatness. There seemed to be none of the stirring enterprise, & “goaheade- cativeness” that I observed at Fort Wayne.32 Here we crossed the Maumee, which is here a large and beautiful river, an ran down in the river 4 miles. The river here is plenty large enough for Steam boats, but the rapids a few miles below prevent their coming up. A short distance below the town is the site of old Fort Defiance, from which the town is named.33I visited the spot, but there was nothing left to indicate its former use, except a part of the embankment and trench, and the stumps of 203 pickets. There are no other towns of any importance between Fort Wayne and Maumee City-a distance of 100 miles. Tues. night I slept but very little; I felt very restless, & was badly troubled by musquitoes. Towards morning, however, I fell

32 “By the way,” observed Charles Dickens in chapter nine (p. 120) of American Notes, “whenever an Englishman would cry ‘All right!’ an American cries ‘Go ahead!’ which is somewhat expressive of the national character of the two countries.” Titus adds yet another syllable to the already extravagant “Go-a-headativeness,” which was apparently a common coinage of the day. In A Dictionary of Americanisms on Historical Principles (Chicago, 1951), 704, editor Mitford M. Mathews cites the term’s occurrence in an 1842 Xenia, Ohio, newspaper article and elsewhere. 33 In 1794 General Anthony Wayne led a major expedition against the increas- ingly hostile Indian tribes in the Maumee River country of northwestern Ohio and northeastern Indiana. Wayne built a number of forts along his route northward from Fort Washington. In July, 1794, his men constructed Fort Defiance at the confluence of the Auglaize and Maumee rivers deep in Indian country. Barnhart and Riker, Indiana to 1816, 300. Through Indiana by Stagecoach and Canal Boat 233

into a sound sleep, and when I awoke found I was the only one of the passengers that had not arisen. As soon as I got my eyes open, and could look understandingly about me, I perceived that we were not in motion. On enquiring the cause, I learned that we were fast on a rock, where we had been for a number of hours. In about an hour more the men succeeded in getting us afloat & we went on again. About 10 o’clock A.M. we arrived at Maumee city. This a flourishing town, on the north side of the Maumee river, and com- mands considerable trade. Steam boats ascend no farther than this place. We saw the site of Fort Meigs on the opposite side of the river, but had no opportunity to visit it. Many Indian battles were fought in this neighborhood. Dudley’s defeat was near fort Meigs, and Wayne’s celebrated battle, at the Maumee rapids, but a short distance above. On the opposite side of the river, a little below Mau- mee city, is Perreysburgh, a very neat pretty village of considerable trade.34 At 2, in the afternoon, we arrived at Toledo, a thriving town of about 3000 inhabitant^.^^ The facilities of Steam canal boat navigation render this a place of considerable importance, and the business quite brisk. There is also a rail road in operation as far as Adrian, Mich. 40 miles. There was a tremendous compe[tiltion here among the Tavern keepers. If life had been at stake, they could, seemingly, have put forth no more strenuous efforts to obtain custom to their several houses. Their runners met us, at least 2 miles from the town, each one urging upon our attention the peculiar advantages and accommodations of the house with which he was connected. “If you want good accommodations, Sir”, said one, addressing himself to me, “go with me to the Ohio House. We will take you and your baggage from the canal to the hotel, carry

34 In August, 1794, Wayne defeated a coalition of Indian tribes in the Battle of Fallen Timbers at the rapids of the Maumee River, southwest of present-day Toledo. This victory led to the Treaty of Greenville in 1795 and for a number of years effectively ended Indian hostilities in much of the Old Northwest. Zbid., 300-306. See also note 26 above. During the War of 1812 General William Henry Harrison, formerly governor of Indiana Territory, commanded the northwestern army of the United States. Instructed to recapture Detroit from the British and to invade Can- ada, Harrison attempted to implement that objective during the winter of 1812- 1813. Stranded in the swamps and bogs of northwestern Ohio during January, 1813, he and his army established winter quarters near the Maumee River rapids where they built Fort Meigs. Zbid.,402-408. Harrison remained in a holding operation in the northwest until the fall of 1813. In May of that year, however, Colonel William Dudley and a force of approximately one thousand Kentuckians were trapped by Tecumseh across the river from Fort Meigs. The Indians captured almost five hundred of Dudley’s men and began systematically to slaughter them. Tecumseh inter- vened on behalf of the prisoners but not before many atrocities and considerable carnage had occurred. Marshall Smelser, ‘Tecumseh, Harrison, and the War of 1812,” Indiana Magazine of History, LXV (March, 1969), 41-42. 35The census of 1840 lists Toledo as having a population of 1,222. Although immigration to the Old Northwest did not entirely cease during the depression of the early 1840s, it is likely that Titus overestimated the town’s population in 1843. 234 Indiana Magazine of History you to any part of the town you may wish to visit, give you supper, lodging & breakfast, and take you to the steam boat in the morning, __all for 50 cents. “No, Sir,” said another, “go with me to the Franklin House, where you will have better accommodations; and we will do all he has promised to do for you, and more too, for 3 bits” (37l/z.) “No”, said another, “we can give you still better accommodations at the American Hotel; which is close to the steam boat landing, where you cannot miss the first boat that starts for Detroit.” &c. &c. &c. till I became tired and vexed, & told them all I would’nt go to any of their houses: & I would thank them to clear out & let me alone. On arriving at the wharf, the keeper of the Indiana House, which was only 2 or 3 rods from the landing, cried out at the very top of his voice, to let us & the public in general know that his was the house that we ought to stop at, if we wanted to have every thing straight. He did’nt send out runners to trouble passengers: his house recommended itself. A carriage should be ready to take us to the Steam boat whenever we wished to go, free of expense: and, more- over, we were at liberty to regale ourselves on iced lemonade whenever we wished it, &c &c. Learning from a fellow passenger, that this was the best Hotel in town, we permitted the man who stood in readiness, to take our baggage to it: while we looked around to view the town, & find a S.B. for D. [steamboat for Detroit] if there was one. In a short time I saw a boat approaching the wharf, and on enquiring of this clerk, found that they were to start immediately for D. In a few minutes we were on board, & on our way out of the mouth of the river into the beautiful Lake Erie. The Wabash & Erie canal affords the greatest facilities of transportation to the farmer & merchant of the Maumee & Wa- bash vallies-two of the most fertile regions in the whole world. By means of this canal, the farmer in the upper Wabash-which is the most fertile part of that valley-finds a ready market for all his sur- plus produce, at a good price. I could but notice the difference of the price of grain on the canal, and in the southern part of the State. Soon after leaving Madison, I saw -corn selling for ten cents a bushel, and a drug at that: on the canal it went quick, without any parleying, for 37% a bushel. Before this canal was constructed, all the produce was transported by wagons to the river, & thence conveyed in flat boats to a southern market, where, after all the labor & expense of transportation, it generally commanded but a small price. A new day has now dawned upon the agricultur- ist of this region. Now, with but moderate industry & common prudence, he cannot fail of becoming independent, & even wealthy. There is no end to the fertility of his farm, and for every bushel that he raises, he has a convenient & never failing market. The people of Indiana have been visionary & childish in most of their projects for internal improvement, but in this they have not failed, Through Indiana by Stagecoach and Canal Boat 235

& it seems destined to fully realize their most sanguine expectation~.~~That part of the canal from Ft. Wayne to Toledo is much superior to the other; being 60 feet wide from the top of the banks & 40 from the bottom, while the other part ranges only about 40 & 25. There are some good line boats-for freight principally-with gentlemanly commanders & good strong teams: but there is not a good line of packet boats. Indeed, we found the accommodations of the line boat, on which we travelled as far as Ft. Wayne, superior to those of the packet in which we completed our journey to Toledo. However, the canal has been opened but a short time, and there is no doubt but there will soon be a good line of packets established. Until that time, I have no desire to travel on this canal again. I had intended to go this way home, on my return to Maine, but I now determined to go any other way in preference.

36 See notes 3 and 11 above.