From Goodspeed's "History of Knox and Daviess
Counties":
VIGO TOWNSHIP
This township was set off by the commissioners February 2, 1837, on the
petition of Samuel Chambers and others. It was named in honor of Col.
Francis Vigo. It embraces sixty-three square miles of area, or about
40,000 acres. The greater part of this township was formerly a part of
Widner Township. The township is composed largely of rich farming land,
particularly along White River and Black Creek bottoms. Some mining is
done in different parts of the township, but farming and stock raising is
the principal industry.
SQUATTERS, SETTLERS, ETC.
The first settlers in the northern part of the township lived mainly in
the vicinity of Black Creek. One of the first in that section was Thomas
Anderson, the father of Presley Anderson. He settled there about 1820. He
moved there in a two-horse wagon and settled on a land warrant of 160
acres of land. Anderson was a soldier at Tippecanoe. Samuel Scamp was
from the East; he settled on Black Creek in 1819. He was a farmer, but
occasionally took a flat-boat to New Orleans. John Johnson settled about
one and a half miles southwest of Sandborn after the war of 1812, in
which he was a soldier. Robinson Anderson was from Kentucky; he settled
east of the railroad about two miles from Sandborn. Phillip Slaughter and
Fred Slaughter were from Kentucky, but came at a later date. The last
named built a water-mill on Black Creek about 1835. Mrs. Smith (granny)
lived as a squatter on the river at Owl Prairie. She had a son, Jacob,
who dressed as an Indian and did little but hunt. "Granny" Smith was
supposed to possess the mysterious power of witchcraft, and woe unto the
one that should come within her enchanged circle, the silver bullet being
the only remedy, which was once tried by Phillip Slaughter. John McMurray
and John McCombs also settled near Black Creek. Others were George
Williamson, brother-in-law of Blan Ballard, the great Indian fighter.
James Anderson, the great-grandfather of Presley Anderson and a
Revolutionary soldier, and Moses Slinkard, who was a son-in-law of Scamp.
Slinkard lived between Black Creek and White River, where he built a
horse-mill between 1820 and 1830. William Keith settled on Section 36
about 1820. Hopkins lived near the present site of Edwardsport. Other
settlers in the same vicinity were Comstock, Goodman, Azbell and Hulen.
Near the southern part of the township were Bicknell and Buntin and later
the Medleys.
GAME
Deer, turkeys and smaller game were abundant. Wolves were so numerous as
to make it difficult to raise sheep or hogs without great care. Wolves
seem to be particular enemies to sheep and young pigs. Few bears were
seen. Moses Williamson once killed a young bear in his potatoe patch with
a hoe. Pelts Hooser once tracked tow bears to a large hollow elm tree
about three miles east of Edwardsport, smoked them out and killed them.
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