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| Indianapolis Apartment Locator Services : Indianapolis |  | Contents | |
| History |
Indianapolis in the 1910s |
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| Indianapolis was founded as the state capital
in 1821 by an act of the Indiana General Assembly. Prior to
its official founding, Indianapolis was a sparsely settled swampy
area. The first white settler is generally believed to be George
Pogue, who on March 2, 1819 settled in a double log cabin along
the White River in what is now White River State Park in downtown
Indianapolis. The state commissioned Alexander Ralston to design
the new capital city. Ralston was an apprentice to the French
architect Pierre L'Enfant, and he helped L'Enfant plan Washington,
DC. Ralston's original plan for Indianapolis called for a city
of only 1 square mile. Under Ralston's plan, at the center of
the city was placed the Governor's Circle, a large circular
commons, which was to be the site of the Governor's mansion.
It was used as a market commons for over six years. Although
an expensive Governor's mansion was finally constructed in 1827,
no Governor ever lived in the house at Governor's Circle, as
the site in the city center lacked any privacy. The Governor's
mansion was finally demolished in 1857. (See HISTORY OF INDIANAPOLIS
AND MARION COUNTY INDIANA by B.R. Sulgrove, 1884). Later, Governor's
Circle became Monument Circle after the impressive 284-feet
tall neoclassical limestone and bronze State Soldiers' and Sailors'
Monument, designed by German architect Bruno Schmitz, was completed
on the site in 1901. |
| While the city lies on the old east-west National
Road, the portion of that road that crosses Indiana was not
completed until a decade after the city's founding. Indianapolis
was founded on the White River under the incorrect assumption
that the river would serve as a major transportation artery;
however, the waterway was too sandy for trade. Through the mid-1800s,
a horse-drawn barge canal by-passed the river bringing goods
into the city. The Central Canal was one of eight major infrastructure
projects authorized by the state's Mammoth Improvement Bill
of 1835. The Central Canal was intended to run 296 miles (476
km) from near Logansport, through Indianapolis, and to Evansville.
The Central Canal was planned to connect the Wabash and Erie
Canal to the Ohio River, completing a link between Lake Erie
in the State of Ohio with the portion of the Ohio River flowing
through southern Indiana in order to promote trade and commerce
along its length. Construction of the Central Canal commenced
in 1836, but Indiana went bankrupt in 1839 from the loans taken
out under the aforementioned bill and all work on the project
ceased. At the time, the 24 mile (39 km) portion of the Indianapolis
section of the canal was dug and filled, but only an 8.29 mile
(13.34 km) portion connecting downtown Indianapolis with the
village of Broad Ripple to the north was ever operational. |
| The first railroad to service Indianapolis, the
Madison & Indianapolis, began operation on October 1, 1847,
and subsequent railroad connections enlarged the town. The population
soared from just over 8,000 in 1850 to more than 169,000 by
1900. Later, the automobile, as in most American cities, caused
a suburban explosion. With automobile companies as Duesenburg,
Marmon, National, and Stutz, Indianapolis was a center of production
rivaling Detroit, at least for a few years. With roads as the
spokes of a wheel, Indianapolis was on its way to becoming a
major "hub" of regional transport connecting to Chicago,
Louisville, Cincinnati, Columbus and St. Louis. Today, four
interstate roads intersect in Indianapolis: routes 65, 69, 70,
and 74. The city is a major trucking center, and the extensive
network of highways has allowed Indianapolis to enjoy a relatively
low amount of traffic congestion for a city its size. |
| Indianapolis entered a period of great prosperity
at the beginning of the 20th century, and during this time the
city witnessed great economic, social, and cultural progress.
Much of this was due to the discovery of a large natural gas
deposit in central Indiana in the 1890s. The state government
offered a free supply of natural gas to factories that were
built there. This led to a sharp increase in industries such
as glass and automobile manufacturing. However, the natural
gas deposits were depleted by 1915, and this contributed to
an abrupt end of the golden era. |
| A darker period of Indianapolis history began
with the rise of the second Ku Klux Klan movement in the United
States. The Indiana chapter of the Klan was founded in 1920
and quickly became the most powerful Klan organization in the
United States. In 1922, D. C. Stephenson was appointed the Klan
Grand Dragon of Indiana and 22 other states; he promptly moved
the Indiana Klan's headquarters to Indianapolis, which was already
coming under the Klan's influence. The Klan became the most
powerful political and social organization in the city during
the period from 1921 through 1928. The Klan continued to solidify
its stronghold on the state, taking over the Indiana Republican
Party and using its new political might to establish a Klan-backed
slate of candidates which swept state elections in 1924. The
elections allowed the Klan to seize control of the Indiana General
Assembly and place the corrupt Governor Edward Jackson in office.
By then, more than 40 percent of the native-born white males
in Indianapolis claimed membership in the Klan. Klan-backed
candidates took over the City Council, the Board of School Commissioners,
and the Board of County Commissioners. Through the Klan, Stephenson
ruled over the State of Indiana, leading a powerful national
movement set on gaining control of the United States Congress
and the White House. However, the power of the Klan would quickly
begin to crumble after Stephenson was convicted at the end of
1925 for the rape and murder of a young Indianapolis woman,
Madge Oberholtzer. Following Stephenson's conviction, the Klan
suffered a tremendous blow and quickly lost influence. When
Governor Jackson refused to pardon Stephenson, he retaliated
by going public with information of corruption which brought
down several politicians throughout Indiana. The Mayor of Indianapolis
and several local officials were convicted of bribery and jailed.
Governor Jackson was indicted on charges of bribery, but he
was acquitted in 1928 because the statute of limitations had
run out; he completed his term in disgrace. The Klan continued
to dwindle in popularity in Indiana and nationwide, and the
national organization officially disbanded in 1944. |
| Years later, Indianapolis would witness an historic
moment in the Civil Rights Movement. On April 4, 1968, while
on route to a presidential campaign rally in Indianapolis, Robert
F. Kennedy would learn of the assassination of Martin Luther
King Jr. earlier that day. Kennedy would deliver an impromptu
speech on race reconciliation to a mostly African-American crowd
in a poor inner-city Indianapolis neighborhood. While rioting
broke out in cities across the United States following the news
of King's assassination, Indianapolis was the only major city
where rioting did not occur. |
| As the result of a 1970 consolidation between
city and county government (known as "Unigov"), the
city of Indianapolis merged most government services with those
of the county. For the most part, this resulted in a unification
of Indianapolis with its immediate suburbs. Four communities
within Marion County (Beech Grove, Lawrence, Southport and Speedway)
are partially outside of the Unigov arrangement. Also, 11 other
communities (called "included towns") are legally
included in the Consolidated City of Indianapolis under Unigov,
per Indiana Code 36-3-1-4 sec. 4(a)(2), which states that the
Consolidated City of Indianapolis includes the entire area of
Marion County, except the four previously mentioned "excluded"
communities. The 11 "included towns" elected to retain
their "town status" under Unigov as defined according
to the Indiana Constitution (there were originally 14, but 3
later dissolved), but the Indiana Constitution does not define
"town status." These "included towns" are
fully subject to the laws and control of the Consolidated City
of Indianapolis, but some still impose a separate property tax
and provide police and other services under contract with township
or county government or the City of Indianapolis. Additionally,
throughout Marion County certain local services such as schools,
fire and police remain unconsolidated. However, the mayor of
Indianapolis is also the mayor of all of Marion County, and
the City-County Council sits as the legislative body for all
of Marion County. Currently, Indianapolis is undergoing serious
internal debate over how much, or whether, more of local taxation,
government, and services should be further integrated. Further
consolidation of city and county services and functions would
require passage of new legislation by the Indiana General Assembly.
Initially proposed by the current Mayor, Bart Peterson, a bill
was introduced in the 2005 legislative session of the General
Assembly which would have further consolidated local government
in the City of Indianapolis and Marion County. After a very
contentious and partisan debate, the Assembly passed an extremely
watered-down version off the original bill; the final enacted
legislation consolidates budgetary functions of the City and
County, permits the Indianapolis City-County Council to vote
to consolidate the Indianapolis Police Department and the Marion
County Sheriff's Department, and theoretically permits consolidation
of the Indianapolis Fire Department with township fire departments
based upon approval of all affected parties. |
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