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Local History
Lafayette
The Native Americans were the first to discover the
beauty of the Wabash Valley. Then the French arrived
in the early 1700’s and established a trading post
at Ouiatenon and changes began instantly.
Soon there after, Tecumseh and his brother, the Prophet, arrived to
try and preserve the Native American way of life. To do this, they
established headquarters for their confederation at Prophetstown,
which eventually led to the Battle of Tippecanoe in 1811. Within
five years, Indiana became a state and the settlers arrived here on
the banks of the Wabash.
In 1826, Tippecanoe County was formed with Lafayette as its county
seat. In the 1840s, the Wabash & Erie Canal arrived. By the 1850s
the railroads had arrived to serve the developing town. Lafayette
was soon a manufacturing, merchandising, and transportation center.
Lafayette continued to grow and in 1869, Purdue University was
founded. The school has played an important part in the development
of the Greater Lafayette area. Today, Lafayette has developed as a
diversified community ... with manufacturing, merchandising,
education and transportation all contributing their share.
We continue to honor our past, but look to the future. In 1995,
Lafayette was named an All-America City ... and we all agree. It is
a wonderful community to live in and an interesting place to explore
and visit.
West Lafayette
James Suit was probably the first settler in Wabash Township where
West Lafayette is located. He came about 1822 and would load keel
boats with honey and pelts, then float to Vincennes and trade for
supplies needed by other early settlers.
The first platted West Lafayette was laid out in 1836, close to the
fording area near where the railroad bridge presently crosses the
Wabash. At least one house was built before it became obvious that
flooding was going to be a serious problem. Therefore, the town was
never really developed, and people decided to move up the hill and
out of the "bottoms".
Purdue University opened for classes in 1874. It had, at that time,
a faculty of six, 46 students, a 100-acre farm and five buildings.
Purdue is a land grant college that was created under the Morrill
Act. However, John Purdue was able to secure the site of the college
after he pledged $150,000 of his own money, obtained another $50,000
in pledges from other prominent citizens and donated 100 acres of
land. The university was then named in his honor.
The people of Chauncey voted to change the name of their town to
West Lafayette on May 21, 1888. West Lafayette and Lafayette
citizens continue today, to share the many attractions of the two
towns as they did in the early years. |
