Early Recollections of Crawfordsville

    I recently came across a delightful little historical book located in our reference department about the settlement of Montgomery and several other counties in the area written by Sandford C. Cox --”Recollections of the Early Settlement of the Wabash Valley.” As a young man, soon after he moved to Montgomery County, Cox was hit by a falling tree, and lost a leg. Because of his lost leg, he was unable to do most physical labor so he worked ambitiously to educate himself and become a respected worker. He quietly learned the law and later practiced in Lafayette. He was a conductor on the Underground Railroad. In 1859, Cox began publishing “extracts” of local history in the Lafayette Daily Courier.  

   One of the first recollections concerns land sales in Crawfordsville, on December 24, 1824. At the time, Crawfordsville was the epicenter for business and government for about one hundred miles around. He reports that the town was full of strangers, but that he had also entertained old “White Water” neighbors. He had three old buddies show up for the sale, and in his twelve foot by sixteen-foot cabin slept his family of seven, plus the three friends. This was not an uncommon occurrence in pioneer times. They just spread beds on the floor and made room for everyone.

image of the Speed cabin, from CDPL database

    His description of Crawfordsville at the time is this--”It is the only town between Terre-Haute and Fort Wayne….Major Ristine keeps a tavern in a two story log house, and Jonathan Powers has a little grocery. There are two stores--Smith’s, near the land office, and Isaac C. Elston’s, near the tavern. Thos. M. Curry and Magnus Holmes are the only physicians, and Providence M. Curry the only lawyer in town. John Wilson is clerk of the court, and David Vance is sheriff. William Nicholson carries on a tannery and shoemaker shop. Scott and Mack have cabinet shops, and George Key blows and strikes at the blacksmithing business”