Evening Republican, Volume 15, Number 201, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 25 August 1911 — Mennonites Get Option on Big Tract Near Gary for Trucking. [ARTICLE]

Mennonites Get Option on Big Tract Near Gary for Trucking.

The whole region to the east of Gary, especially that part of it lying between Goodrum and Chesterton, will be turned into a great truck farming country if the plans of the Mennonites are carried out The members of this religious sect take to truck farming like ducks take to water, and they have secured options on several thousand acres of land in the territory mentioned. Owing to the fact that the Air Line will shortly pierce the country between Goodrum and Chesterton, excellent facilities will be offered to supply the whole dalumet region with the products of truck gardening. There is no finer land in the country for the purpose than the land of Porter county.* Already there are many fine fruit orchards there and the vegetables grown cannot be excellend by any in the country. Few details regarding the proposed Mennonite colony have been learned as yet. The options on the Porter county farms were secured quietly and it was not known until the last few days that any such great movement was on foot. The coming of the Mennonites will add hundreds to the population of Porter county and probably some to Lake, as these people will doubtless spread over into the eastern part of the latter county in the course of a few years. In truck farming only a relatively small farm is needed. One man can only garden a few acres. Although the people have not bought the farms yet, it is believed in Chesterton that they are coming, in the near future, but owing to the largeness of the proposition it may take soni'e little time yet to work out all the details.