Lafayette Daily Courier
Friday, November 18, 1859
OLD SETTLERS
"Fountain County was organized in 1825, and soon afterwards the town of
Covington, situated on or near the Wabash river, was adopted as the
county seat. Shortly afterwards Portland was laid off at the mouth of
Bear Creek, and Attica near the mouth of Pine Creek on the east bank of
the Wabash.
Terre Haute was the only river town of any considerable importance above
old Post Vincennes, and it was clearly evident from the vast body of
rich lands, lying on both sides of the Wabash river recently purchased
of the Indians, and brought into the market by the general Government,
that there must be at no very distant day, at least one large Commercial
town on the river above Terre Haute.
As yet Montezuma, Covington, Portland, Attica, Williamsport, LaGrange,
and Lafayette were in the chrysalis state, but were ambitious to enter
the list as rivals to become the great Emporium of trade on the Upper
Wabash.
All of them being river towns, and possessing equal, or nearly equal,
natural and commercial advantages, it was hard to divine which of them
would get and keep the start in the race.
Keel Boats and Picrogues touched at all those points, and the same
pioneer steamboats--Victory, Paul Pry, Daniel Boone, William Tell,
Facility, Fairy Queen, Fidelity, Science, Republican and others, stopped
at the wharf of each of those towns, whenever the business of the place
required it - and it was some time before the friends of either town
could say their favorite was a "head and neck" ahead of the rest.
The rapid growth of Crawfordsville which thus far out-stripped all other
towns in western Indiana, inspired a hope that inland towns might enter
the list of competitors, even against river towns, and forthwith sprung
up Rob Roy and Newtown, so near Attica that they cramped her energies
and held her back from making an early and fair start with the rest.
Indeed they so cut off her trade, and hopes of success, that in the
spring of 1830, poor little dwarfed Attica well nigh give up the ghost.
Her enfeebled and dying condition excited the pity of her sister,
Williamsport, across the river, who brought her over several bowls of
porridge to keep her from kicking the bucket.
Whether Williamsport acted from pure motives of disinterested
benevolence, or on the principal of the boy, who when fighting cried,
"help Jack, fer "help again" tradition does not inform us. My opinion
is that she acted from the prompting of a noble and generous
philanthropy. Her subsequent conduct and character justifies this
conclusion. I believe that Williamsport can this day (although not as
large as many other towns), say with a clear conscience, "That mercy I
to others show, that mercy show to me."
It may not be amiss here to mention that KEEP's store at Portland, and
SLOAN's store at Covington, furnished the most of the goods used by the
people for one hundred miles up and down the river. Powder, lead, salt,
iron, whisky and leather, were the staples of the trade of those days,
and were exchanged for the productions of the country, such as beeswax,
tallow, feathers, ginseng, furs, deer skins, wild hops, &c.
After a while Lafayette dashed ahead of all the rest, throwing dust in
their faces until she got so far ahead that the dust ceased to annoy
them. Portland and Lagrange being distanced, were ruled off the track.
The rest continued the race. Montezuma and Covington kept side by side
several lengths behind Attica and Lafayette which led from the scratch.
Attica in running spread herself so that she threw so much dirt in
Williamsport's eyes, (who was so close to her) that Williamsport was
compelled to fall behind, and just kept from being distanced.
The last round found only Lafayette and Attica on the track. The prize
was a glittering one--bewitching and dazzling. Attica felt her
inability to win it. She yielded the conquest in favor of Lafayette;
nay more, she took the sparkling diadem and placed it on the brow of
Lafayette, and crowned her the STAR CITy of the West, then modestly
stepped back, like a bride's maid, blushing in her beauty, she felt that
she was second best, at any rate, and is now everywhere hailed as the
brightest jewel on the brow of Old Fountain." INCOG