From Indiana Magazine of History, written by Henry Baker, March l907
issue:
FIRST VINCENNES AND INDIANAPOLIS ROAD
"These facts concerning the first wagon road connecting Vincennes with
Indianapolis were secured by the writer many years ago from Martin Wines, one
of the early settlers of Greene county. The road, or trail, as it was long
called, was
established in the fall of l822. An unusual fact connected with it was that
it was
marked out by dragging a log, or brush, as different reports have it, with an
ox team
over the entire distance of l20 miles, through the woods, prairies and
marshes. The
thick, high grass on the prairies and the wild pea vines in the woods so
obstructed
the progress that the dragging of this log or brush was considered the best
and
cheapest way to mark the route, as mowing would have been too slow. An
engineer
or surveyor was employed by the State to keep the course, as many variations
had
to be made from a straigiht line to suit the lay of the land and the best
crossings
of the many streams and marshes. The route was directly through the site of
Linton,
Greene county, and near the home of Martin Wines. Latta's creek marsh, named
for John Latta, one of the early settlers, was exactly in the line of the
survey, and as Mr. Wines was familiar with the lay of the country he was
asked to mark out the best
ground to cross the marsh. The way by which he piloted the company became the
roadway, and was so used until a few years ago. Along the trail in the woods,
trees
were blazed and in the prairies tall poles reaching above the high grass were
set to
guide the travelers." (an editor's note says "Mr. Baker probably means that
these
guides were used before the road was marked out," but I wouldn't be surprised
if
the pea vines and tall grass didn't give up easily and the road was probably
not that heavily traveled in the first decade of the state's history...and
while today
we might think of the Indianapolis-Vincennes road, at that time the state was
being settled from the bottom up. The treaty with Indians that opened up the
center of the state, and area known as The New Purchase, was only four years
old at the time of the beginning of this road. ~~Dixie Richardson,
Indianapolis & Spencer)