Gazetteer of the St. Joseph Valley (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1867 Excerpt: ...weighs over fourteen thousand pounds. There is only one larger bell in the United States, and but two upon the continent. It is claimed that this bell, when in place, can be heard for a distance of twenty miles. The first bank at South Bend was established in 1838. It was a branch of the Indiana State Bank, and had a capital of $102,000. When the charter expired, in 1856, and the Bank of the State of Indiana was incorporated, a branch was organized here with a capital of 1100,000, afterwards increased to $150,000, which continued until the First National Bank, with a capital of the latter amount, took its place. In addition, there is now in operation the St. Joseph County Bank, which is not a corporation. Under the late free banking law of the State, the Bank of South Bend was located here by some eastern capitalists. It was little more than a redemption office, but was one of the few of its class that never suspended. The property of the city is valued for taxation at $2,522,977. This is less than one-half its actual value, which may be safely put at $6,000,000. The levy for 1867 is only about sixty cents on the hundred dollars, a fact hardly to be credited by the over taxed citizens of New York, Chicago, and other large cities. Perhaps when South Bend is rejoicing in her hundred thousand inhabitants, some victim of municipal rapacity in that " good time coming," may point back to this item as evidence of the unsophisticated innocence of primitive councilmen. It is difficult to particularise the business interests of South Bend; yet it is proper to do so to some extent. The Messrs. Studebaker Brons have established a business in the last dozen years which is really an " institution" of the city. Their carriages, buggies, wagons, sleighs...