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The History of Southern Indiana
Southern Indiana - The Sunny Side of Louisville - is a region rich in history
and tradition. For centuries before the coming of the Europeans it was home to a
succession of native cultures who established villages along the Ohio River and
its tributaries. When French and English explorers began arriving during the
18th century, they encountered bands belonging to such tribes as the Shawnee,
Miami, Potawatomi, and Wyandotte.
The region was opened for settlement during the American Revolution. In 1778,
General George Rogers Clark led a daring expedition down the Ohio River and
captured the forts of Kaskaskia, Cahokia, and Vincennes from the British and
their Indian allies. In 1783, the Virginia legislature awarded Clark and his
troops a 150,000-acre land grant at the Falls of the Ohio. This grant comprised
nearly all present day Clark County and much of Floyd County. By 1820 settlement
was well under way in Clark and Floyd counties.
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During the 19th century, Southern Indiana was home to numerous outstanding
figures such as President William Henry Harrison, Governors Jonathan Jennings
and Ashbel P. Willard, and US Speaker of the House Michael Kerr, along with
General Clark himself.
For more than two centuries the Ohio River has been a powerful force, shaping
Southern Indiana's cultural and economic development. The river served as an
economic lifeline for the entire region and strongly influenced the form and
direction of growth in cities and towns such as Jeffersonville, Clarksville, New
Albany. Steamboats brought visitors ranging from the famous to the infamous,
giving the area a colorful, rough-and-tumble character whose remnants survive
today. And for more than 170 years, Southern Indiana has produced some of the
world's finest steamboats, packet boats, barges, towboats, and excursion
vessels.
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The early French explorers called the Ohio "La Belle Riviere," meaning
"Beautiful River". But on occasion, the beautiful Ohio can turn mean, as it did
in January 1937. During that month over 19 inches of almost continuous rainfall
produced a flood that caused an estimated $18 million in damages to
Jeffersonville, Clarksville and New Albany. While the community recovered fairly
quickly from the physical and economic devastation, the flood's psychological
trauma inspired a determination to prevent such a disaster in the future. The
onset of World War II and the new economic resources it generated heightened
both the need and the capacity to develop a flood protection system. Local
officials joined with the US Army Corps of Engineers to build a system of
floodwalls and levees that extends from eastern Jeffersonville to southwestern
New Albany. Construction began during the war and the entire system was
completed in 1945 - long before construction of Louisville's floodwall - at a
cost of about $8 million. However, construction of the floodwall had the
unfortunate side effect of cutting off the community from its riverfront. To
alleviate this problem, local governments in all three communities are working
with county, state, and federal officials to develop a river greenway which,
when completed, will extend for approximately seven miles from downtown
Jeffersonville to the western edge of New Albany.
With most of its residential, industrial, and commercial area free from the
potential ravages of "Old Man River," Southern Indiana is a modern, two-county
metropolitan region with a population of more than 151,000 in 1990. Clark County
led the way with 87,777 residents, followed by Floyd County with 64,000
citizens. The region's largest city is New Albany, with a population of nearly
40,000. Jeffersonville has approximately 22,000 citizens and is followed closely
by Clarksville with over 20,000. Each of these communities boasts numerous
attractions representative of its rich heritage.
But many of Southern Indiana's other cities and towns also have fascinating
histories of their own. Charlestown, home of Jonathan Jennings, Indiana's first
state governor, and Clark county seat from 1811 to 1878, is the site of the new
Charlestown State Park. Located at the junction of the Ohio River and Fourteen
Mile Creek, this rugged peninsula, known as the Devil's Backbone, includes the
remains of Rose Island, a popular amusement park during the 1920s. The nearby
town of Speed has been a major cement manufacturing center for over a century
and was operated as a company town for more than half of the 20th century.
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Henryville, located about 10 miles north of Speed, is the hometown of Col.
Harland Sanders, founder of the Kentucky Fried Chicken empire. In the far
western Clark County town of Borden, the Borden Museum highlights the work of
Professor William W. Borden, the distinguished 19th century geologist and
educator after whom the town is named.
Rural Floyd County boasts an outstanding collection of 19th century farm houses
and country churches, including numerous structures in the Federal, Greek
Revival and Victorian styles. Georgetown, in far western Floyd County, is a
remarkably well preserved example of 19th century Midwestern town development.
Among the homes still standing is the birthplace of US Senator and Supreme Court
Justice Sherman Minton. The Edwardsville Tunnel, a railroad passageway through
the knobs near Old State Road 62, is Indiana's longest tunnel. Measuring 4,311
feet, it was completed in 1881 at a cost of about $1 million.
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Whether they live in one of the larger communities along the Ohio River or in a
century-old farm house in the "Knobs"; whether they are relative newcomers or
members of generations-old pioneer families, most Southern Indiana citizens look
upon their past with a deep sense of pride and admiration. We hope this World
Wide Web site, which highlights the histories of Clarksville, Jeffersonville,
and New Albany, will help you understand why we are proud of our past and leave
you yearning to learn more about the Sunny Side of Louisville.
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