Whiting High School - Reflector Yearbook (Whiting, IN)

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The Reflector WHITING -YESTERDAY AND TODAY The present city of Whiting is only thirty-five years old. There were some settlers here before 1889, but the coming of the Standard Oil Company then marked the beginning of a new Whiting. The town received its name from a conductor on a Pennsylvania train that was wrecked on the present site. After the wreck, the place was called Whiting’s turn-out, or Whiting’s. In 1889 the Standard Oil Company men had the name changed to Whiting. In the early days, all Northwest Indiana was full of swamps and woodland. There were no railroads through this region until the middle of the fifties. In 1860 to reach Whiting one had to come by train to Ainsworth, now South Chicago, and then walk to Whiting on the ties. In 1854, when Christopher Schrage came to Whiting from Chicago, he had to go south to Hegewisch to cross the Calumet River, as there was no bridge at South Chicago; from Hegewisch he came north to East Side and then to Whiting. At that time much of the land was covered by water. Mud Lake joined Lake Michigan where Atchinson Avenue now is. Berry Lake was a beautiful body of water surrounded by woodland. When this lake and surrounding sloughs were drained by a canal, great numbers of fish were taken out and many perished. There was a great deal of excellent hunting and fishing. Countless water fowl lived in the marshy lakes, and hunters came from all around here to shoot the wild ducks. In the fifties there was a boom, and more settlers came here. Whiting was composed at that time of about fifty families, mostly Germans, who suffered greatly in the panic of 1857. Then after the Civil War there was another boom, and more settlers came. In 1889 the Standard Oil Company sent a construction gang to Whiting to begin work on a plant for the refining of crude oil. Ground was broken in May, 1889. The plant was two years in the building, although part of it was in use in 1890. In two years two thousand people were here, and a mushroom city was springing up. The settlers who had been here before the coming of the Standard had to sell their homes and move to another part of the town. At first the settlement called “Oklahoma” was located between the two sides of the refinery, but later the houses were moved away and the land absorbed by the plant. One of the first things the Company did was to build a tunnel out under the Lake to provide water for the plant and the town. This was done so well that the town and plant still depend on the original water supply. In the first year, the Company laid out what was known as the “Village”: Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York Avenues, and the North side of 119th street. Here “cottages” supplied with running water were built for the heads of departments, foremen and stillmen. This was soon the most desirable residence section of Whiting. It was the only part that (Continued on page 9) Seven

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......... - The RefleCtOT ............... ......-......... had board side-walks. The business district and most of the residences were east of the Pennsylvania tracks, on Center Street. The first town government was organized in 1895. In 1894, the city of Hammond had passed an ordinance annexing all of Whiting except the part comprising the plant and cottages. Previous to this, Robertsdale had been annexed at the request of its people, Whiting having refused to incorporate. Hammond believed that the Company would not raise any objection to the annexation of the territory, and having established it as part of Hammond, they could annex the plant and cottages without legal difficulty. Jacob Forsyth, the Standard Oil Company, and the citizens of Whiting joined forces, against the illegal annexations. After a long and bitter struggle in the courts, Whiting got back all the territory as far west as Atchinson Avenue. From Atchinson to the State Line remained Hammond. Whiting was incorporated as a city in 1903. During the administration of Mayor Fred J. Smith, twenty-two acres of land along the lake front were purchased to be made into a city park. Hundreds of loads of rich loam were shipped here to cover the sand hills and to furnish a foundation for the lawns, trees, and shrubbery. Thousands of dollars have been spent on the improvement of this park, until it is now one of the most beautiful in this region. It has a bathhouse, tennis courts in summer, skating pond in winter, baseball diamond, play ground for the children, band-stand, and dance pavilion. In the summer months, the park is visited by people from all over the Calumet region. In 1905 Andrew Carnegie gave to the city a beautiful Public Library. It is looted on the corner of Oliver Street and Ohio Avenue, and is surrounded by beautiful grounds. The library is now equipped with over 18,500 volumes and a most complete magazine and periodical list. It is one of the best furnished and most servicable libraries in this region. The Fortnightly Club was organized in 1894 by several women who were interested in literature and art. At first the number was limited to twenty-five, but later this restriction was removed, and at present the membership is one hundred and fifty. When the State Federation of Women’s Clubs was effected, the Fortnightly Club entered the Federation. During the last year the name has been changed to the Whiting Woman’s Club. Another social organization is the Owl’s Club, an organization of young men. The clubhouse is on the corner of Pennsylvania Avenue and 119th Street. Since its organization in 1893 it has been an important part of the social life of the community. There are at the present time four large banks and two trust companies in Whiting. The total resources of these institutions is over five million dollars. This speaks well for the thrift of the community. The first churches were organized in 1890, both the Plymouth Congregational and the Sacred Heart churches being started in that year. Since then the number has increased until there are nine Catholic and six Protestant churches, and one Jewish synagogue. (Continued on page 11) Nine ........................iiiiiii!;tiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiimiiiiiwimiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiM