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History of Downtown South Bend
<br /> OVERVIEW ,A
<br /> The story of Downtown South Bend is a history inextricably . T F 5� ; 1
<br /> tied to the ups and downs of industrial development across . - ' '' SOUTH BEND t
<br /> the country.South Bends downtown,bounded to the east ` x qv
<br /> FAMED
<br /> by the southwesternmost bend of the St.Joseph River,was f
<br /> the economic powerhouse of the region throughout the 19th , - •-'" .....it...,,,:,,'
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<br /> century,but it experienced the same decline in the mid-loth `„_ >. Vic" /,-fir. I+ 'trc; 410-.
<br /> century suffered by many Rust Belt cities.But the last few t ',' f F ,,ir,
<br /> decades have seen major improvements,with a growing ,, -`'" --_ - _s ' R l!y ..f "'
<br /> population and renewed interest in urban living.From a culture *,-' ,. . : r _'" ' •..
<br /> centered on the river and the railroad to the education,tech, `' 5,,.'�'.� �y.. ram..
<br /> and healthcare driven economy of today,Downtown South 7� s u•
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<br /> Bend has experienced an incredible amount of change � ; = Wi
<br /> throughout its history-a history that will continue to define the ''. " r- ' '. •\
<br /> future story of Downtown. "` __ L
<br /> EARLY SETTLEMENTS & INDUSTRIES Map of South Berl,2866
<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 Pl 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
<br /> and trading posts along known trails and routes,including Dame continues to shape the City of South Bend today by American Civil War.Downtowns were thriving economic hubs
<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 188o,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 1860s,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 9 CI...WNT A,N SOUTH BEND zoz,Pi AN 1 ri Fr_ND ,. A... Ni,-;,:rI_.,s5
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