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Terre Haute, Indiana has had an evolving identity since the early 1800s. Taking advantage of the fertile, then-navigable Wabash River, settlers first located at Fort Harrison, a federal military reserve. After the expansive growth of the railroads, Terre Haute boasted more smokestacks than any other city in the Midwest, earning it the nickname "The Pittsburgh of the West." In the early twentieth century, the community became known as "Sin City" and "Indianas Delinquent City" because of its reputation for brothels, saloons, and gambling establishments. Although many of Terre Hautes prosperous periods reached a decline, its people never lose hope or their strong commitment to the city they love. With hard work, attention, and a little time, Terre Haute always reinvents itself and flourishes again.Terre Haute: Queen City of the Wabash reveals the people and places that comprise this distinct city, one that maintains its pride and perseverance in the face of good times and bad. Tales of accomplishments such as the construction of the 465-mile Wabash and Erie Canal, the longest manmade waterway in the western hemisphere, segue seamlessly into portraits of influential citizens, such as Eugene V. Debs, a prominent labor organizer and the Socialist Partys presidential candidate five times. This new volume takes readers on a tour of the citys high points, from the industrial boom preceding Prohibition to the educational tradition of Indiana State University, Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College, and Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, while illustrating the challenges dauntless citizens have overcome.
About the author
Vigo County Historian Mike McCormick is the author of the Tribune-Star's weekly Historical Perspective and numerous other works. Terre Haute: Queen City of the Wabash is the first comprehensive history of his city in more than 80 years.
