Tolleston High School - Pioneer Yearbook (Gary, IN)

Page 9 text:

To that vast number whose loyalty and interest have brought about the development and progress of' Tolleston School, we dedicate this volume. 5

Page 8 text:

T7c, the first evacuates of Tollcston High School, have chosen Progress as the thcnc of the 1937 Pioneer, because v;c foci that vre‘have placed'a vifcai part in the' progress of our school, • -he wish 'to stimulate in the heart3 of future high school'students the desire to carry on this progress. •.V.V.'v,- PROG RESS 4

Page 10 text:

TBG MARCHES ON! It was morning, the dav.n of a memorable day, as Fath- er Marquette saw for the first time this new land, Uo white man had touched this earth before him. Ho one had marred its natural beauty. Here was a voodl nd, a clear blue sky; here the birds sang, rejoicing in their freedom. Here the Indian dwelt, unharmed by white men's unwelcome presence. Father Marquette, standing on the shores of Lake Michigan, upon the very spot that we proudly call Mar- quette Park, silently thanked God for his faithful guid- ance. The sun rose serenely above the bright blue water, ana he knew that his work had truly begun. His land of opportunity lay before him. This was v;hat he had prryed for, and now, his prayers answered, he must prove himself worthy. Day after day. Father Marquette v;orked faithfully among the Indians, who saw in him a reverent persevering man, busy in his task of teaching them to live and worship righteously. V.’hen Marquette and his small party left this region to resume their journey south, they hc.d unknowingly planted the seed that later blossomed into a great Middle Vest They had begun the westward expansion of a nation, so that it became, not thirteen snail states, but forty- eight united sections of a powerful country. After Father Marquette, came the hunters and trappers and later, the covered wagons. Each man was a pioneer, and each homestead,a thorn in the flesh of the wilderness. Kany Indians were driven from their primitive dv;ellings and forced to seek refuge by moving westward and away from the intruding white man. In their tracks they left their knowledge of corn growing, of fishing, rnd of huntin'. Time marches or.l In 1837, 164 yec.rs after Father Marquette landed on the shore of Lake Michigan, the famous Gibson Inn was op n- ed where Froebel School is novr located. It was run by Mrs. Gibson primarily for the purpose of providing a lodging for stage coach travelers. Thore werc only a few farms in this region, and Indians were .-till roaming tho v ildcrness. From Pittsburgh, in 1858, cam.e George Tolle, a German manufacturer of surgical instruments. He invested a good deal in land in this region that later -was named Tollcston in his honor. By 1862, most of tho Indians had left, and in that year the first public school opened Here, in a portable building, Liss Hattie Thomao taught ten pioneer pupils. Tolleston made slow progross until 1905, when the U. Steel Corporation began constructing the steel mills at the tip of Lake Michigan. 6