The Vidette-Messenger Centennial EditionThe 1936 special edition celebrating Porter County's centennial year . . . .
The following article has been transcribed from the August 18, 1936, issue of The Vidette-Messenger, published in Valparaiso, Indiana. This particular special edition focuses on Porter County's centennial celebration and contains a 94-page compendium of Porter County history up to that time.
Return to the index of articles from The Vidette-Messenger's Porter County Centennial special edition.
Source: The Vidette-Messenger, Valparaiso,
Porter County, Indiana; August 18, 1936; Volume 10, Section 3, Page 24.
Patrick T. Clifford Lost $75,000 Building "Pennsy" From City To Wheeler, Ohio
One of the
most important events in the development of Valparaiso was the coming of the
Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne and Chicago railroad, now known as the Pennsylvania
Lines.
Patrick T. Clifford, founder of the P. T. Clifford and Son Company, of this
city, and father of P. W. Clifford, president of the Farmers' State bank of this
city, lost fully $75,000 in building the line to Valparaiso.
The elder Clifford had the contract for the section from the cemetery, east of
the city, to Wheeler, Ohio, where he had constructed 80 miles of the railroad.
Mr. Clifford brought more than 500 workmen, many of whom settled here and reared
families.
P. T. Clifford was worth $100,000 when he came to Valparaiso. In a box he
carried $40,000 in gold. He had much equipment, including horses and oxen.
The railroad venture in the early days was not a howling success. Mr. Clifford
lost fully $75,000. Hundreds of acres of land north and west of the city was
given by him to men whom he owed wages at 50 cents on the dollar. Some of this
land is still owned by descendants of the men who received it back in those days
from Mr. Clifford.
A judgment of $72,000 was obtained by Mr. Clifford against the railroad, but not
one cent was ever collected.
Later on in the days when railroads were able to pay their bill, the P. T.
Clifford company was able to recover some of their losses. The company had a
large part in the elevation of the railroads in the Chicago districts.
The building of the Pennsylvania railroad was projected early in 1853. On April
7 of that year, Mr. Pierce and Mr. Anthony returned from Fort Wayne with the
cheering news that work on the road would begin in a month, and that it was
expected to have trains running to Chicago by the beginning of winter. This
"cheering news was premature."
In September, 1853, a new board of directors was elected, S. I. Anthony, of
Valparaiso, being one of the number, and the new board announced it hoped to
have the road completed by the fall of 1854. Again the work was delayed by
various obstacles and three years elapsed before the work really was actively
begun.
In August, 1856, some eastern men became interested in the project, a new board
of directors was chosen, and the name of the road was changed to the
"Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne and Chicago." Early in 1857 the contracts for
construction were let, and about April 1 work was commenced at Valparaiso. Later
in the summer it became rumored that an effort was being made to have the road
leave the original survey and run by way of LaPorte. This aroused indignation of
the Valparaiso people, and late in July a meeting, T. A. E. Campbell, presiding,
and a resolution was passed urging all people of Porter county to get behind the
project.
T. A. E. Campbell, S. C. Haas, J. N. Skinner, Myron Powell, Philip Hall and
George Earl were appointed a committee to canvass Porter and Lake counties and
the southern part of LaPorte for money to prepare the road bed for laying the
track.
Not long after the Valparaiso meeting the work was suspended "for want of
funds," but the contractors were given the privilege of continuing the work,
provided they would take the bounds of the company at seventy-five cents on the
dollar. The committee used the funds collected and subscribed to take the bonds
and the work went on according to the original plans. The track was completed to
Valparaiso about the first of October, 1858, and was finished to Chicago a year
or so later. The first train run over the new railroad was an excursion to
Chicago for employes of the railroad.
John N. Skinner and Company is credited with making the first shipment of wheat
from here over the railroad. Fifteen cents per bushel was saved by the new form
of transportation. Previous to the coming of the "iron horse" farm products were
hauled to Michigan City for shipment by either boat or rail. George W. Powell
was the first freight agent here.
On April 14, 1859, a new time table was announced. A new train was added, making
our passing each way.
W. G. Windle, of this city, was an engineer on the Pennsylvania railroad for
many years. At the time of the Chicago fire in 1871 his train was approaching
Chicago when the fire was at its height.
Article transcribed by Steven R. Shook