Shakamak High School - Shakamak Yearbook (Jasonville, IN)

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Y1YYY Old Landmarks The LSLM Railroad is the oldest railroad in Indiana. It was quite an important part of the history of the Civil War: its trains were attacked many times by Union troops. One famous engine, the General, is preserved in a museum. The Monon Depot, south of Midland, is still in operation. According to agent, Bob Mintier, at one time the depot served 23 area mines. lt now serves Peabody and Howesville Farm Service in this area and three businesses at Clay City: Buis Feed and Grain, Custom Farm Service , and Clay County Co-op. The old wooden bridge fright and belowj 'spans the tracks which lead to the depot. Local traffic still travels over the bridge. Trucks and buses were banned several years ago to preserve the bridge . - . .... .,..,. N X-.. x A ns The gob pile Ccenter rightj is the only remaining evidence of the deep coal mines which were the life blood of the early community. At the right is the old Express Office building, which is all that remains of the Jasonville depot area. 26

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Baseball was one of the earliest organized sports in the area. The teams were composed of coal miners and busi- nessmen who played baseball for the love of the sport. Many potential good players were encouraged to settle in the area by being given jobs in the local mines. The 1909 Iasonville team played and defeated a traveling national professional team of that era. BASEBALL 1909 TEAM IASONVILLE ROW 1, Left to Right: Ray Wakefield, Frank Miller, Clell Sexton, Ben Zink, Hiney Smith, Horace Christy. ROW 2: Tom Reed Cmanagerj, Wat- son Neal. Hide Phegley fsec.!treas.l. ROW 3: Jack Barber, Pete Ruth, Fred Soxy Lynch, Ote Littlejohn. Tillman Hunter, and Mike Lyons. 1912 TEAM VICKSBURG ROW 1, Left to Right: Tommie Hyslop, Hobert Hays, Matchel and Rudy Vitosky. ROW 2: Andrew Pritchard, Frank Hays, Kelsie Tetrick, Jock Hyslop, Nelsie Tetrich. and Jack Hays. FOOTBALL The first football team in the area was in 1908 at the Jasonville High School. One of the greatest high school elevens ever assembled performed for lasonville High School in 1926. They were the undefeated, untied, 1926 Indiana State Football Champions. 1926 TEAM IASONVILLE ROW 1, Left to Right: Ed Greenwood, Bull Griffith, Doc Elson, Tom Ketchem, Ed Woodruff, Sam Gillespie, Ed Fleming. ROW 2: Frank John- son. Lawrence Sheets, Dale Elson, Charles Fleming, George Tiller, Jerry Naugle QCoach7. ROW 3: Lawrence Fougerousse, Chuck Hostettler. Mutt Letsinger, Don Squires, Lowell Sheets, Bob Lynch, Wayne Cush- man, Earl Row. and Mark Leach.

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Eel River bridge fleftb spans Eel River, which is of histori- cal significance to the school area. Prior to 1927, the land along the river belonged to the Piankeshaw Indian tribe. They ceded it to the Deleware tribe, who called the river Shak'a'mak, meaning in their language, The Waters of the Long Fish. Eel River was a part of the canal system completed in 1850 which linked Worthington and Terre Haute. The work on the canal was done by men with spades, shovels, picks, and wheelbarrows. Boats were pulled along the waterway by horses and mules. In later years a ferry transported passengers and vehicles from one bank to the other. Peavey Cemetery was originally an Indian burial ground. There is a wide strip at the top where no white people have ever been buried , respecting the Indian graves. Shakamak Trading Post Cleftj which is now a furniture store and a lodge, was used for a school before the Old Coalmont High School was completed. ' The Powder Mill Cabovej is located in what was the first mining community in Lewis Township, Alum Cave. Alum Cave had a company store and a saloon called the Sample Room. The U.S. Powder Mill dates back to 1904. It manu- factured all the gunpowder for the mines in the area: later it turned to manufacturing black powder and pellet powder. When it was the property of Olin Mathison Company in 1908, there was a terrific explosion which rocked the entire coun- tryside. Dupont leased the property during World War II to manufacture gunpowder for the army. Another big explosion in 1942 ended the manufacturing of gunpowder.