| Indian Creek
township is very similar to Van Buren. The rich,
loam-laden soil is exceedingly productive, and added value
is given by the streams, the branches of Clear creek and
Indian creek. Geologically, the townships is
noteworthy. It is one of the few spots where the
Chester sandstone comes to the surface of the ground.
This stone consists of light gray and bright red laminated
stone, very ferruginous and irregularly bedded. At
Buena Vista and nearby points there are outcroppings of this
stone, and in sections 6 and 7 there are iron deposits which
belong to the strata of Chester stone. The main stone
of the township, however, lies underneath the sandstone, and
belongs to the Upper St. Louis group of limestone. The
timber of Indian Creek township is abundant and has not been
completely stripped from the land as in other townships.
Indian Creek township is in the extreme southwestern corner
of the county. EARLY SETTLEMENT.
The rude cabins of
the settlers dotted the country of Indian Creek township as
early as 1815, but the homes were far between, and
intercourse was difficult. Among these families were
the Lambs, Dicks, Crums, Burches, Morgans, Walkers,
Wrights, Mays, Joneses, Clarks, Adamses, Carpenters, Tatumns,
Oliphants, Carmichaels, Brosfields, Penningtons, Teagues,
Phillips, Smiths, Graes, Gwinns, Treadways, and
the Turners. The Lamb family is credited
with being the first in the township, although the Easts
and Walkers, the Wrights and
Burches came at an early date. In 1816 the
following men made entry on land in the township:
William Bigger, Richard Beem and John Kutch on
section 1; Isaac Withers on section 3; John M.
Sadler on section 6; Archibald Wood on the same;
John Storm on section 12; William King and
J. Storm on section 13; Henry Speed on section
19; Storm and Elzy Woodward on section 20;
Archibald Wood on 30. In the year 1817 Moses
Olds entered land on section 1; James Wright, William
Crum and William Leahy on section 2; Benjamin
Freeland on section 5, also four hundred and fifty acres
in section 7; Isaiah Wright and James Wright
on section 11; James Mitchell, James Wright and
Jacob Beals on section 12, and the latter also on
section 24; William Wyman, on section25; James
Wright, section 26; Thomas Wilson, Alexander Clark,
section33; Zachariah Dicks, one hundred and sixty
acres on section34; William Wright and James Smith,
section 35; Peter Sanisford on section 18 in 1823.
Lemuel and Joel Sexson bought on sections 19
and 20 in 1827 and 1828. Joseph Arthur
purchased land on section 21, in 1818, and Richard Wright
on section 23 in the same year. Solomon Morgan
came into possession of one hundred and sixty acres in
section 24 in 1829 and Caleb Lowder bought eighty
acres in section 27 in 1819. Jonathan Howell,
section 28 in 1818; Alexander Clark, section 34 in
1818; William Jones, section34 in 1818.
BUSINESS INTERESTS.
The streams in
Indian Creek township were not of sufficient size or volume
to permit the operation of water-power mills. However,
there were several hand mills. However, there were
several hand mills and horse mills owned in the township,
but they never became very prosperous. The old
Hamilton mill in Van Buren township and the Ketchum
mill in Clear Creek township supplied the most of the flour
and meal for this township. There was a saw mill in
the southern part of the township, also a whiskey shop which
was said to have been the first in the county.
In 1839, Randolph Ross, a native of Virginia,
established an iron furnace in the northwestern part of the
township and began to manufacture iron. The factory
progressed and shortly, under the firm name of Randolph
Ross & Son's Virginia Iron Works, had in their employ
about twenty men. The crude ore was taken form the
hillside, carried to the furnace, melted, and run off into
bars, then shipped by wagon to Louisville or Vincennes.
After five years of success financial difficulties elsewhere
compelled the corporation to suspend the operation of the
factory. |
