Indiana and Elkhart County Survey History

The Office of the Elkhart County Surveyor began in 1831 upon the appointment of George Crawford by the County Commission as the first county surveyor.  It was not Crawford who conducted the county's first survey, however.  The following is a list of United States surveyors that contributed to the original survey of Elkhart County and the dates which they commenced their surveys:

E.P. Kendrick (Established the Michigan/Indiana state line) - 1827
William Brookfield - May 8, 1829
C.W. Christmas - October 3, 1829
Thomas J. Todd - October 12, 1829
Reuben J. Dawson - December 27, 1833

Outline Map of Indiana Surveys
Outline Map of Indiana Land Treaties
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Source: Wilson, George R.  Early Indiana Trails and Surveys.  (No Publisher Info).  Located in the Indiana Room of the Goshen Public Library.

Townships
In 1784, the Continental Congress began debating the sale of western lands, based upon a report delivered by Thomas Jefferson.  On May 20, 1785, Congress approved the 1785 Land Ordinance.  This Ordinance proclaimed that surveys of newly acquired land would establish townships 6 miles square, consisting of 36 square-mile sections, with section 16 reserved for the maintenance of public schools, a system based partially on surveys already conducted in the state of Ohio.  A year later, in 1796, the section numbering system was changed to the system used now, with the numbering beginning in the northeast corner, and numbering consecutively back and forth across the township (See diagram 1.1).  Indiana townships themselves are given a two-part number designation based on the Base Line, which runs east to west just south of Vincennes, and the Second Principal Meridian, which runs north and south through the middle of St. Joseph County and bisects the Base Line.  Elkhart Township, for example, is "T36N-R6E," which stands for "Township 36 North, Range 6 East," as it is the 36th township north of the Base Line, and the 6th township East of the Second Principal Meridian.  Civil townships, however, do not necessarily correspond with surveyed townships, which is why in Elkhart County the townships of Baugo, Cleveland, Locke, Olive, Osolo, Washington, and York have less than 36 sections.  Click here for the number designations of all the Elkhart County Townships.

Survey Method
Law prescribed the chain as the unit of linear measurement for public land surveys.  This chain was modified by Benjamin Rittenhouse from the original design by Edmund Gunter, a 17th century English Astronomer, and declared the standard by the United States Land Office.  A 100-link length of chain equaled 66 feet, and 80 chains equaled a mile.  Survey crews were comprised of ax men, "blazers," chain-men, and in the lead a "flagman" wearing a red flannel shirt that he might be more easily seen.  The flagman may have been on horseback.  The survey crews were not large, but had a good amount of supplies on packhorses with which to brave the wilderness.  The original notes indicate that the crews set wood posts to mark section corners, more-than-likely acquired from surrounding woods.  Most of the notes refer to these markers as "ash posts."  Solar and/or Polaris (North Star) observations were frequently made to correct bearing lines for true north.

Elkhart County Surveyors, Chronologically*

1831-1834 George Crawford
1835-1858 James R. McCord
1859-1860 E.J. Wood
1861-1872 A.W. Watters
1873-1875 George T. Ager
1876-1877 Marion C. Proctor
1878-1890 Henry Cook**
1891-1894 Charles L Kinney
1895-1900 James D. Lowell
1901-1902 Defoe F. Cordrey
1903-1906 John L. Cooper
1907-1908 John W. Cornell
1909-1910 Harold A. Keith
1911-1914 Ben E. Wise
1915-1916 Albert A. Reith
1917-1924 Charles L. Kinney
1925-1930 Orin B. Weaver
1931-1934 Ben E. Wise
1935-1944 Robert P. Weaver
1945-1956 Carl A. Cozzi
1957-1964 Wilden L. Snyder
1965-1972 Donald C. Rock
1973-1976 Wilden L. Snyder
1977-1980 Ray D. Pharis
1981-1988 Donald C. Rock
1989-1992 Wilbur E. Peak
1993-Present C. Blake Doriot

*Special thanks to Wendy Hudson of the Elkhart County Clerk’s Office for this information

A History of the Names of Selected Elkhart County Rivers and Drains

Source:
Bartholomew, H.S.K. Stories and Sketches of Elkhart County. Nappanee: E.V. Publishing House, 1936. (Available in the Indiana Room of the Goshen Public Library.

The St. Joseph River enters into Elkhart County just northeast of Bristol, and exits to the west of Elkhart.  The river was named for Father St. Joseph, a prominent priest in the area who led a small band of French missionaries, some of the first white people to visit the St. Joseph Valley.  His grave is said to be marked by a small wooden cross at the bank of the river, just south of the Niles city limits.
Note: The St. Joseph River is not a county regulated drain, but is under the jurisdiction of the Department of Natural Resources.

The Elkhart River, and in turn the Little Elkhart River, derives its name from the original Miami Indian name for the river, "Mishiwa-Teki-sipiwi," which literally translated means "Elk-Heart-River."  The Potawatami Indians adopted the name into their own tongue, calling the river "Misiwa-Odaik-Sebi," and in turn the French, some of the first white explorers in the area, labeled the River "Coeur-de-Cerf," which means "Heart of a Stag." The author of Stories and Sketches of Elkhart County notes that the Reverend Isaac McCoy (see Christiana Creek below) used the name "Elksheart" in his writing in 1822, and six years later in 1828, in the Carey Mission treaty of September 20th, the "s" was dropped to become "Elkheart."  Finally, during the conception of St. Joseph and Elkhart counties, the "e" was removed and the Elkhart River and Elkhart County were given the names we use today.
Note: The Elkhart River and the Little Elkhart River are not county regulated drains, but are under the jurisdiction of the Department of Natural Resources.

Baugo Creek is the 4th largest drain in the county and runs along the western edge of the County in Baugo and Olive townships. The original Native American name for “Baugo Creek” was “Baubaugo,” which supposedly translates to “Devil River,” as it frequently overflows its banks and becomes very turbulent in times of high water.

Rock Run Creek is located in the southern part of Clinton Township and empties into the Elkhart River on the north side of Goshen. The history of the name is unclear, yet Rock Run Creek is known for having hosted two grist mills and a saw mill in the 19th Century, and is referred to in early documents as “Rock Creek.”

Yellow Creek flows to the north through Harrison and Concord townships and empties into the Elkhart River. The Creek derives its name from its yellow appearance in sunlight.

Sheep Creek is located in Jefferson and Washington townships, and reaches the St. Joseph River just west of Bristol. Sheep Creek received its name due to the practice of early Elkhart County farmers washing their sheep in the creek before shearing.

Pine Creek begins in Middlebury Township, and flows through Jefferson and Concord townships to the St. Joseph River and was named for a group of pine trees at its mouth.

Indian Creek extends east from Pine Creek, in Jefferson Township. The creek derives its name from a story in which a Native American died near the mouth of the creek and was placed by his tribe inside a sealed, hollow log and left along the banks of the creek.

Trout Creek flows through Washington Township towards the St. Joseph River, northeast of Bristol. The creek, contrary to popular belief, was not named for a presence of trout in the creek, but for Isaac Trout, who once owned the property through which the creek flows.
Note: Trout Creek is not a regulated drain.

Christiana Creek flows south from Osolo Township into the St. Joseph River. The creek was named for Christiana McCoy, wife of a prominent Elkhart County Baptist missionary, who supposedly named the creek after his wife due to the “purity of the waters and beauty of its surroundings.” Christiana McCoy washed the family’s clothes in the creek, and Mr. McCoy was rumored to have said the true reason he named Christiana Creek after his wife was “because it is rapid at the mouth.”
Note: Christiana Creek is not a county regulated drain.

Sources Consulted:

Bartholomew, H.S.K. Stories and Sketches of Elkhart County. Nappanee: E.V. Publishing House, 1936.

Cazier, Lola.  Surveys and Surveyors of the Public Domain, 1785-1975.  Washington D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office.

Wilson, George R.  Early Indiana Trails and Surveys.  (No Publisher Info).