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History of Downtown South Bend
<br /> OVERVIEW
<br /> The storyof Downtown South Bend is a history -" '°" - ra ` i inextricably ' a a<cr„r,
<br /> tied to the ups and downs of industrial development across - � 4 `. •.:� �' "' % S }}- i1�� I
<br /> the country.South Bends downtown,bounded to the east 1 • •Ski
<br /> _fit„I I
<br /> by the southwesternmost bend of the St.Joseph River,was v t _
<br /> the economic powerhouse of the region throughout the igth a f; `.�, -' 7 .ten ¢ ' `a\ °
<br /> century,but it experienced the same decline in the mid-loth .�n r. .e y� a Rile; 4: g.
<br /> century suffered by many Rust Belt cities.But the last few y t`'K ` ft, i z Irk =l� ,,
<br /> decades have seen major improvements,with a growing }". ,---• f -'
<br /> population and renewed interest in urban living.From a culture �,,r „,MNcuc.
<br /> centered on the river and the railroad to the education,tech, '`- / _-g.,
<br /> and healthcare driven economy of today.Downtown South "`i m., ,•
<br /> 1��..
<br /> Bend has experienced an incredible amount of change � lt��_ �o �
<br /> throughout its history-a history that will continue to define the r" z a ,y-7 /
<br /> to '
<br /> _. . . r 4 TRANSPORTATION 41!e
<br /> future story of Down wn, r -
<br /> '
<br /> EARLY SETTLEMENTS & INDUSTRIES Map of South Bend,1866 1922Pamphtet
<br /> A River-Based Economy Institutions&Education
<br /> Geographically located at the southwesternmost bend of the In 1842,Father Edward Sorin accepted 524 acres of land just local economy rooted in production,South Bend experienced
<br /> St.Joseph River,this region was occupied for centuries by the to the north of Downtown South Bend with the intent to found a huge influx of Polish,Hungarian,Irish,German,Italian,and
<br /> Miami and Potawatomi tribes and used as a portage,or an a Catholic college amongst the small local population,which Swedish immigrants looking for steady,well-paid work in
<br /> overland route between waterways,between Lake Michigan was majority Protestant.Sorin was successful,receiving the factories in the latter half of the century.
<br /> and the Kankakee River which flows into the Illinois River and official college charter in 1844 for the University of Notre Dame
<br /> eventuallythe Mississippi River.French explorers and fur traders South Bend was incorporated as a city in 1865,and the
<br /> PP P du Lac.Buildings began to spring up to form a campus within industrial economy flourished following the end of the
<br /> were the first European settlers of South Bend.building cabins the century.The economic influence and renown of Notre American Civil War.Downtowns were thriving economic hubs
<br /> and trading posts along known trails and routes,including Dame continues to shape the City of South Bend today by
<br /> at this time,with factories mostly occupying riverfronts and
<br /> Michigan Road,Indiana's first"super highway.° attracting young talent and respected faculty to the region. small commercial storefronts lining busy,gridded streets
<br /> Two of the first fur trader settlers,Alexis Coquillard and Railroad Connections&Industrialization filled with vendors,early automobiles,horses,streetcars,and
<br /> Lathrop M.Taylor,plotted the town of South Bend.home to The first steam locomotive entered South Bend in 1851,shifting people.With a population of more than 30.00o in 1880,South
<br /> approximately 128 inhabitants in 1831.Within the next two commerce from the river to the railroad.This shift spurred Bend boasted a local newspaper,an opera house,a Large city
<br /> decades,businesses and industries began to spring up in the establishment of some of South Bend's most famous park(Howard Park),hotels(including the original Oliver Hotel at
<br /> Downtown South Bend,particularly around the two man-made industrial titans,including Henry Studebaker's first wagon Main&Washington Street and the Grand View Hotel where the
<br /> canals,the East Race and West Race.The waterpower was shop in 1852.the Singer Sewing Company in the 186os,and Century Center stands today),a public library,courthouse,and
<br /> necessary for production before the development of electric the Oliver Chilled Plow Company in the 187os.With a booming more.
<br /> power.
<br /> Overview y CtrW N rGd:w 5,Jo T,,BEND zoa P'._3,N . Si,IH FEND INC ii,ii= , r4APCh,et 25
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