Porter, Indiana, and the Disastrous Train Wreck of 1921

By Captain B

The great train wreck of 1921 took place in the small town of Porter Indiana. The town was not even one hundred years old when this disaster occurred. The town was founded in 1822 by a man named Joseph Bailly. At this time, it was known as the Bailly Settlement. The Bailly Settlement had eight log cabins on it by the year 1833. Just one year later in 1834 the Bailly Settlement is platted and is known as the Bailly Homestead. Tragically, Joseph Bailly died in 1835. Joseph family continued to live on the land and expand it after he died. Joseph’s son in law and a man named Joel Wicker open a saw mill and start clearing the land in 1848. This attracts a lot of people who come to buy and settle on the land once it is cleared. Two years the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Railroad reaches Porter County. This marks a turning point in the town because the town is now much more accessible. Large numbers of people start to move to Porter County and settle the land in the ten years including a large amount of Lutheran people. Then in 1861, the civil war breaks out. A lot of men and boys from the county go off to fight. Once the war is over, the town then continues to expand. In 1865, President Lincoln was murdered. Lincoln’s funeral train came through and stopped at Porter’s train station. Life continues to move on in Porter Indiana. In 1882 the population of Porter is roughly 250 people.[1] That is a serious amount of progress is some sixty year span.

The Great Porter Train Wreck of 1921

By M. C.

With great progress always comes the possibility for great adversity, and as the United States entered a time of advancement in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, its communities would experience both.  Developments in technology and industry provided Americans with new opportunities for employment and transportation, connecting cities and towns throughout the country.  The railroad industry in particular would revolutionize the way people and products were transported, laying its first foundations across the Eastern and Midwestern regions of the United States.  The state of Indiana would prove to be a major component in the development of railways, however it would not be immune from the innumerable train wrecks that disturbed communities all over America.  One such tragedy reached Porter County in the early twentieth century.

The Hagenbeck-Wallace Circus Train Wreck of 1918

By C. A. S.

            The Hagenbeck-Wallace Circus had previously finished their last show on June 1, 1918 and were preparing to leave for their next location they were to perform at. They performed a charity show for the inmates in the State Penitentiary located in Michigan City, Indiana.[1] They were setting off to perform on June 22^nd at Hammond, Indiana. They had previously performed in Hammond in 1907, 1910, 1912, and 1914 and this performance was to be no different than the ones before. Most of their traveling occurred at night, when most of the trains were not on the railroads. This trip was thought to be no different. Everyone was exhausted from a long week of performing. They were comforted by the fact that they were able to rest on a long relaxing train ride, or so they thought.

The Influence of a 1912 Train Wreck in Indianapolis, Indiana

 By J. Y.

On November 13, 1912, fifteen people died in a train wreck at Irvington, a suburb near Indianapolis, Indiana.[1] The train wreck was caused by a lack of block signal system, according to the investigation from Indiana railway commission.[2] This accident was disastrous. Nevertheless, the brakeman of the train admitted that the accident was caused by his failure of closing the switch to a siding.[3] However, it is also reported that the train was running forty miles an hour in order to catch up and arrive its destination on time.[4] Whether the accident was caused by the lack of block system, or the failure of closing the switch, or exceeding speed, the cause was still unclear. Therefore, it is necessary to examine the social structure, background of Indianapolis, different perceptions and solutions of this disaster, as well as the influence of this train wreck. Later, we will have a better perception of the cause of this disaster, as well as how this disaster impact Indianapolis socially, politically and economically.

The 1910 Bluffton--Fort Wayne Trolley Car Wreck

By Samantha Goldberg

Trolley cars were a promising source of transportation that became commonly used throughout the United States in the late 1800s and early 1900s.  Richmond, Virginia was the first city in the United States that successfully installed an electric street railway, which soon became known as a trolley.  Trolleys became a popular way to transport goods, people and more quicker than other forms of transportation that were around previously.  Trolleys were helpful in transporting individuals to and from their jobs in the city and more.  People using trolley cars as transportation did not anticipate the accidents that would occur.

Trapped in a Burning Tomb: Carmel, Indiana, 1890

By Bo Logan

January 27, 1890. This date has a lot of sorrow, and a lot of pain. This day goes down as a tragic day, not only for the people affected in the incident, but also as a sad day in Indiana state history. On this day, the No. 1 passenger train, headed from Chicago towards Indianapolis, on the Monon, suddenly derailed and hurdled down to the fiery wreckage that was its final resting place. On the train were women and children, all included in the eighty-five passenger total. Of the eighty-five persons, thirty-two were killed or injured in the disaster.[1] Although train accidents were a more common thing during this time period than they are now, even this incident was reported as different. The Indianapolis News reported that “This horror is worse than the Broad Ripple bridge disaster six years ago.”[2] This goes to show the importance of the disaster and destruction this train wreck caused. It was lucky that only six deaths came from this accident, considering many more passengers were involved, it still held strong to the local community as a disaster, and required change and justice for those who suffered through the incident.

The Purdue Train Wreck of 1903: A Look at How a Community Recovers

By S. J.

Every once in a while everything goes wrong for no apparent reason.  Sometimes everything that can go wrong does.  October 31^st, 1903 was one of those days were everything went the wrong way.  Purdue’s football team was 4-2 traveling by train to meet their largest rival, Indiana University, in Indianapolis.  As the train got close to 18^th street it collided with a slow moving coal train, killing 17 people in total, including 14 football players.[1]  This disaster affected so many people and the entire Purdue community, changing the structure of how these people and communities functioned.  Even though the community lost so much, Purdue University has made sure that the disaster will be remembered.  It is now a event that gives Purdue an identity.  So much was lost that day, but the community rebounded from the incident and became closer and stronger because of it.  This disaster had little affect at the national level, but was felt in the state of Indiana.  The wreck is a main reason the Indiana University and Purdue University rivalry is no longer violent.  17 people died that day, and the memory of this incident lives on to this day.  The accident changed the layout of the Indiana University and Purdue University rivalry, the bond between Purdue Boilmaker fans, and the accident left memorials behind for those who lost their lives.

"Bluffton, a City of Gloom": The 1910 Trolley Wreck

By Molly Grace

On September 21, 1910 two trolley cars on the Fort Wayne & Wabash Valley interurban railroad collided as a result of negligence, lax regulations and bad luck. The wreck rocked the town of Bluffton and nearby towns of Kingsland and Fort Wayne as well as gaining national attention if for nothing other than its incredible body count; forty-two people were killed, most of them immediately in the crush of splintered wood and steel, and seven people were left either somewhat or seriously injured. The effects of this, the deadliest interurban wreck in the history of the interurban era in the United States, were complicated and would take years to unfold, not necessarily making waves all on their own. However, the immediate aftermath was felt deeply by the inhabitants of Bluffton, Indiana, whose fathers, brothers, sisters and mothers made up the majority of the people on board the trolley car. The effects of this crash, as such, were felt in many ways—the community was torn apart, yet brought together, and the addition of such a major wreck to an already long list of deadly wrecks would eventually lead to regulation changes for how passenger trains could operate, making the railways safer for everybody.

Porter County, Indiana: The Disastrous 1921 Train Wreck

By C. M. K.

            A train wreck that took place in Porter, Indiana on the night of February 27^th, 1921 affected the community.  This disaster not only affected the local community, but drew national attention as well. The train wreck took place at the intersection of the Michigan Central line and the New York Central line.  People aboard the train were as young as two years old.  Some people were traveling from Ontario, while others were traveling local from places like Elkhart and Michigan City.[1]  Thirty-seven people were killed from this disaster, as well as over 100 people injured. This included passengers, as well as railroad crew.

Post Disaster: The 1910 Kingsland--Bluffton Trolley Wreck

By Richard Hardy

On September 21 of 1910 there was a trolley wreck where 42 people were kill and 7 were injured. Two trolley cars had crashed into each other on a sharp curve near Kingsland and Bluffton, Indiana both of which are close to Fort Wayne, Indiana. The two trolleys had collided when there was a misunderstanding and one of the trolleys had gotten onto the wrong tracks. One of the trolleys had more people in it; it had so many people in it to where there was no room and people were forced to stand on the trolley. Making it impossible for more people to get onto the train. Most of the damage came from the trolley that had much more people on it, slid through most of the other trolley. Making this the worst railroad accident Indiana has ever seen to date. Kingsland and Bluffton are both small towns in northwest Indiana.

The Social Construction of Society through the Disastrous Event the Train Wreck of 1903

By Chantel S. White 

            On October 31, 1903 a tragic disaster between the Big Four Railroad that could possibly be described as one of the biggest in the history of college sports.  “Purdue College Team Almost Wiped Out, and Lives of Three Outsiders Sacrificed, Victims of Colliding Trains Near Indianapolis” (Fort Wayne News). In October there was a train collision between a special passenger train on the Big Four railroad and a freight engine on the edge of the city of Indianapolis. There were a total of 954 people on the train who were students from Purdue University and friends on the train traveling from Lafayette to Indianapolis. The reasoning behind them traveling is because of the state championship annual football game between Purdue and Indianapolis. There were a total of 31 people killed including 17 passengers killed and 14 football team members. While researching according to Indiana Historical Bureau I was able to find that there was a survivor named Harry Guyer Leslie who also became and Indiana Governor. The source stated that “While a student at Purdue University Leslie played football, miraculously surviving the tragic 1903 train wreck that killed sixteen of his fellow team members in Indianapolis. After many operations to repair extensive injuries, he graduated from Purdue and received his law degree from Indiana University( "Indiana Historical Bureau).In the following paragraphs I will be giving you information from newspaper databases, secondary sources, and other materials that will be showing you how the community reacted to and was shaped by this train wreck of 1903.

Purdue, IU, and the Train Wreck Tragedy of 1903

By M. E.

Indiana University and Purdue University have been known to be long time rivals in the state of Indiana when it comes to sports. Today, it is almost a crime to be seen supporting the other school’s team at a football or basketball game. Rather, students support their home team by wearing their school’s colors proudly and cheering on their own. However, this typical situation for both schools was not the case at the state championship game of 1903. It could be argued that this was the only time in history that Indiana University students did not wear their red and white colors proudly and came together in support of the students and team members of Purdue University at a supposed to be football event. The reason for this unusual situation was due to the horrific train accident that occurred right before the game was supposed to take place.