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N18 Form 14a004 CUB ACPVvW Nn 1024=18 ("Q United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet E 11 East Bank Multiple Property Listing Section number Page St. Joseph County, Indiana Joseph River at the foot of Howard Park. Although the railroad line has long since vanished, this bridge recalls the era when rails carried the manufactured goods of the town to Port Huron in the east, or north to Chicago. About the time that the East Bank was annexed into South Bend, the municipality (which had also just been incorporated) established its first systematic grades for streets. Most streets during this era were gravel, with a few gutters or streets paved in cobblestones. It wasn't until 1889 that the city began paving streets in brick. Money was scarce for such improvements, which had, by law, to come within a two percent limit of indebtedness. Thanks to a change in financing which was made possible by the state legislature in 1889, South Bend was able to begin a program of sewer installation and street paving which resulted, by 1906 in a total of 42'miles of pavement, of which 36 and a half was brick. one of the first of these pavements was laid by the East Bank contractor and occasional politician, Martin Hoban. 28 His statuesque home on East Colfax is evidence of the • success he experienced, helping develop the infrastructure of the East Bank. Today, many brick -paved streets are partially or fully evident in the East -Bank. Two good examples are the block of East Madison between Niles Street and the river and East Washington Street, in the East Washington Street Historic District. Trolleys were first franchised in South Bend in 1880, the earliest still drawn by horses or mules. By the early 1900s, many areas of the city were served by electric trolleys, including.the East Bank, and connections to other cities in the region were easy and convenient. When the Jefferson Street Bridge was completed in 1906, the tracks of the Northern Indiana Railway (an electric trolley) were laid down the center. In order to keep interruption of this important artery to a minimum, the old bridge was temporarily moved by scows to a location 42 feet north, where piles had been driven. The trolleys continued to run while construction ensued, thus ensuring that people and goods could move quickly between east and west bank areas. 9 Industries and Industrialists in the East Bank While South Bend's largest industries were located, after 1870, in the 211 Ibid., p. 370. • p. 8. 29 Ibid, P. 241 and "New Bridge Ready", South Bend Tribune, July 21, 1906,