lafayette Indiana

lafayette indiana

ABOUT (brief history)

The Ouiatenon or Weas, a Miami Indian tribe, lived in this region when European explorers first arrived. The French government built Fort Ouiatenon in 1717, three miles (five kilometers) south of Lafayette today and across the Wabash River. Fur trappers, traders, and Indians all conducted their business out of the fort. Every fall, there is a festival and reenactment known as the Feast of the Hunters' Moon.

William Digby, a trader, laid out the town of Lafayette in May 1825. The following year, Tippecanoe County, which had just been created, chose it to be its county seat. Lafayette was given its name after General Lafayette, a French officer who helped George Washington's Continental Army greatly during the American Revolutionary War, like many other frontier communities. In 1824 and 1825, Lafayette made a tour of the country.

Lafayette was a major Wabash River shipping hub in its early years. Valley of the Upper Wabash, Indiana, with Hints on Its Agricultural Advantages was a pamphlet written by Henry Leavitt Ellsworth, the first United States Patent Commissioner, in 1838 to encourage settlement in the area. By 1845, Ellsworth had relocated from Connecticut to Lafayette after acquiring 93,000 acres (380 km2) of nearby farmland. By 1847, Ellsworth was handing out broadsides in an effort to find farmers to buy his lands.

Despite some local animosity against “the Yale Crowd,” he was elected president of the Tippecanoe County Agricultural Society in April 1851. However, that same year, he lost his bid for the Indiana House of Representatives. In honor of him, Ellsworth Street and the Ellsworth Historic District were named.
In the 1840s, the Wabash and Erie Canal boosted commerce and reaffirmed Lafayette's regional importance. In the 1850s, railroads came to the town, linking it to other important markets. Lafayette was connected to other regions of Indiana by the Monon Railroad.

 

Geography and Neighborhoods

Lafayette is found in the Fairfield and Wea Townships at 40°24′38′′N 86°52′29′′W (40.410585, 86.874681)[14]. The Wabash River is somewhat higher than 500 feet (150 meters) above sea level than the courthouse, which is at 550 feet (168 meters), while Murdock Park and Columbian Park are located at around 700 feet (210 meters) above sea level.

Lafayette has a total land area of 27.74 square miles (71.85 km2), as measured by the 2010 Census.

And is surrounded by the following historic neighborhods:

• Centennial Neighborhood District
• Downtown Lafayette Historic District
• Ellsworth Historic District
• Highland Park Neighborhood Historic District
• Jefferson Historic District
• Ninth Street Hill Neighborhood Historic District
• Perrin Historic District
• St. Mary Historic District
  
• Upper Main Street Historic District

 

Government of Lafayette, Indiana
The government consists of a mayor – elected in a citywide vote – and a city council of nine members. Six are elected from individual districts; three are elected at-large.

 

Attractions of Lafayette, Indiana

Prophet's Rock

Prophet Rock, located 10 minutes north of Lafayette, is the site of the Battle of Tippecanoe in 1811, where the Prophet Tenskwatawa, Tecumseh's half-brother, stood guard and urged the surrounding Shawnee Native Americans to battle. Tenskwatawa was a spiritual guide rather than a soldier. As the American Army soldiers advanced north in an effort to obliterate Prophetstown, his brother was out of town. To explore ways to prevent war, Tenskwatawa had hoped to meet with Harrison. He searched for a spiritual vision the night before the battle that convinced him that Harrison needed to be killed.

War broke out as the warriors attacked Harrison's militia early on November 6. In the face of the militia, the warriors were outmatched by supplies and were defeated. The militia invaded Prophetstown, burned it down, and stole supplies while there. Tenskwatawa's rock still dominates the battleground, despite being surrounded by much taller trees presently. You can get to the rock by climbing up its front or by trekking the ridge that leads there.