Decatur Daily Democrat, Volume 26, Number 213, Decatur, Adams County, 8 September 1928 — Page 15

■bates story I f founding of I Him IN 1833 B„, Os (>!,<■ 01 T h e | '» u "< | - Tells Interesting Story r of Pioneer Days Lamas JOHNSON AND P KU.I. 101 NDERS I By French Quinn | o „e of the most interesting stories ILp -r days of Adams county L has come to notice i“ the one Lcermng tbe location of the county Lt Just how the present location K Latur »as agreed upon anil the Cents pertaining thereto were a Eatery to most persons until a few Ers ago When Jacob W. Johnson, If'necatur, related a story that he B. heard his father, Johnson John- * tell many times during his life--FL elder Johnson. Thomas, was Lrn in I'" 1 anil move(l into A,lams Lttv in the year 1533. having heard L b travelers who come to his Ohio Line that Adams county was a good L in which to locate. Johnson Lcordingly sei out on his journey, Lowing the trails and river to WillLro catne on down the river to Lasaut Mills, which at that time Las a little settlement, and struck off Lnt there across country. He locatL what appealed to him as being a L, (i place foi a homestead, staked it, jramped to Fort Wayne and made his Ltrieand got his certificate and made blearing and erected his cabin. The Lee is still owned by his son. Jacob. L that time Johnson s isolation was Wete: Pleasant Mills was a small Ltlement on the river, .Monmouth W a few souls and one store and a fettle larger settlement at Willshire. Wl traffic, such as there was, was by L river. Supplies were barged by mal to Fort Wayne and salt and taffee were boated from Fort Wayne ■pthe river to Monmouth and Pleasant Mills. Salt and coffee was the limit however, to the imports. These two necessities of course, Johnson had to have and he had to come to the river and wait with patience for ithe boat which made weekly trips (very irregularly. Where Decatur is, I and all the adjacent territory was a trackless forest, Johnson blazed a few trees to mark the trail from his cabin to the river and his river object was the'high bank at the foot of what is

Heat Your / HOME This Winter With BURK’S COAL For a good many years Burk has supplied many Decatur Homes with ‘winter comfort’. Let them do the same for you this year. Order Coal NOW

now Monroe street. There was no other tree marking, blazes, as they were called, in the whole territory. The General -Wayne trail made long before by General Wayne and his soldiers on their march from Winchester to Fort Wayne and known as tue Winchester trail, but that had been only of such a nature as to let the army wagons and guns through ami was long since almost obliterated. One day Johnson was sitting on the hank of the Saint Marys river on the spot where the Monroe street river bridge now stands, waiting for the supply rovy bodt with it? tiny cargo of salt and coffee to come, having waited for hours and yet no boat in sight, whim four men on horseback J r 1 * IM > > ’ ■ng* Mfrafc Thomas Johnson, who blazed the tree at a point along the river near the Monroe street*, bridge where Samuel Rugg wrote th 3 words, “DECATUR/’ rode up and accosted him and introduced themselves as Samuel 1,. Rugg, Joel Roe and two that Johnson did not remember and stated to Johnson that they had been prospecting for a county seat for Adams county, had been over the territory in the center of the county, had found it unsuitable, being low and swampy and no immediate possibility of drainage and had investigated the Wabash river section in the south of the county amj, were now about through with the Saint Marys river section in the north part of the county. They quizzed Johnson as to his knowledge of the land thereabout and Johnson told them that he had been in the country about three years, had tramped and hunted all around, knew that the ground in this immediate section laid prettyhigh, that only two creeks run through it, they being what is known as Borum’s Run and Number’s Creek, and to his certain knowledge the spot they were now on, and immediate

jun vuj unu <<u<ux>m*m. vu | t.iiv I ’’ ’ — - r «... .k- 5 jrW» ■ 1 * *** l IQV - API rX> x The Burk Elevator Co. ' ~~ "~ c t~ BURK SIM BURK Z* _T AVON BURK G. I.BLKK - Z£ V,; Vj A I extend a Hearty and Sincere Greeting H to all visitors During the Celebrating B| of Decatur’s Big CT W OLD HOME WEEK S iwT l 2tfS9k / I Hv We are indeed glad to have you with us and hope: your vustt AgCT with friends and relatives in our ctty will be a week that will never be forgotten. - Come out and sec us. - always welcome. X/Sralhfex * "**>?*' fl r a

DECATUR DAILY DEMOCRAT SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 1928.

vicinity was«he highest along the liver and was not subject to overflow and could be easily drained. This conversation took place along about noon, and Rugg and his associates determined that they would go a little farther north4l nd made a circuit, and verify this Information and asked Johnson to accompany them, which Johnson declined, stating that he was out. of salt and coffee and could not afford to miss the boat -and at any rate would have to start home before dark because he had to follow'his biases while it was yet light. Rugg and the others made arrangements with Johnson to meet them at 9 o'clock the next morning which was done and after some consultation Rugg said that in spite of the fact that the location was considerably north of tile center of the county, that other Ceatures'of the location made it imperative that it be selected for the county seat and lie asked Johnson to biace a tree for the location notice. Johnsftn was an expert, axeman and selected a white oak tree of large diameter ami blazed a smooth surface thereon—as smooth as if made by a plane, and Rugg formally marked the location. Johnson accompanied Rugg to Fort Wayne, and at Ragg's solic.tation entered the northeast quarter of section three and while there they prepared for a survey of the townsite, which was soon done, the original survey ami plat being bounded by Monroe street on the north and Adams street on the south and the river von tlie east and Fifth street on the west. Johnson carried the chain in these surveys. Johnson also carried the chain idr the survey made soon afterwards between the village of ?| Vera Cruz, or Newville on the Wabash ' liver in Wells county, following closely the creek now known as Boruni's Run, to the newly-located town , of Decatur. This old angling road is' still remembered by a number of people. Almost immediately after the ■ completion of the town survey Rugg gave orders for the construction of ■ a double log building so that travel- , ers going up and down the river might have accomodations for man and beast and shortly followed other buildings, and settlers came iu, in ever-increasing numbers. This first double log building was located about where the AshTiaucher tin shop on First street is now. Mr. Johnson is entitled to the honor of having laid the first axe into the clearing of the ground for the location of the best town in Indiana. o Common Colds Expensive Records kept by a large Industrial concern showed that out of every ten men four lost time from work during the year because of common colds. .

A Particular Welcome r SINCE WE ARE PRIVI- » ' LEGED TO SUPPLY THE HOMES OF DECATUR WITH A SERVICE THAT IS SO ESSENTIAL TO ” MODERN LIVING, WE TAKE PARTICULAR DELIGHT IN WELCOMING OLD HOME WEEK GUESTS. WE HOPE SINCERELY THAT THEY WILL FIND HERE DAYS FILLED W I T H REAL HAPPINESS. NORTHERN INDIANA PUBLIC SERVICE CO.

A Ready Market for your GRAIN We buy Grain of all kinds and Pay the Highest Market Price. Sec Us Before You Sell. Work With Burk