An American Hometown: Terre Haute, Indiana, 1927

The northern plains are often ignored by the rest of the nation or, if not, are mentioned in the context of the weather, Mount Rushmore, or the Black Hills. However, North Dakota and South Dakota have a colorful pastand#8212;and presentand#8212;deserving of greater recognition.

Norman K. Risjord relates the remarkable histories of these two states, from the geological formation of the Great Plains to economic changes in the twenty-first century. Risjord takes the reader on a journey through the centuries detailing the first human inhabitants of the northern plains, the Lewis and Clark expedition, homesteading and railroad building, the political influence of the Progressive movement, the building of Mount Rushmore, and Wounded Knee II. Included are stories of such noteworthy characters as French explorer Vand#233;rendrye, the Lakota leader Red Cloud, North Dakota political boss Alexander McKenzie, and South Dakota Democrat George S. McGovern.

Despite the shared topography and the rivers that course through both states, the diverse reactions of the two states to the challenges of the twentieth century provide opportunities for arresting comparisons. This captivating look at the Dakotasand#8217; geography, ecology, politics, and culture is essential reading for Dakotans and those interested in the rich history of this important region.

"Tom Roznowski has deployed the 1927 City Directory of Terre Haute like a mist net across time to catch a vanished place. An American Hometown is part Akenfield--Robert Blythe's portrait of an English village--and part Edgar Lee Master's Spoon River Anthology. Terre Haute, 1927, is more alive than many American cities today." --Howard Mansfield

"Tom Roznowski uses an innovative way to capture the image of Terre Haute in 1927. The City Directory listings become a social history carried along by humor, deep feeling and a sense of national history. The prosperous and famous share the stage, as they should, with ordinary residents. Even those living at the County Poor Farm find their rightful place in the fabric of community." --Dorothy W. Jerse, On the Banks of the Wabash: a photograph album of Greater Terre Haute 1900-1950, 1983, IUP Indiana University Press

"Tom Roznowski brings the lost world of a city back to life, and in so doing asks us to re-imagine the way we live now." --Bloom Magazine Indiana University Press Indiana University Press

"For Roznowski, the pursuit of the past is not an exercise in nostalgia, but an attempt to bring wisdom forward--to learn not just from our mistakes as a culture, but from the things we did right as well, and then left by the wayside in the 20th century's mad dash to a consumerist, automobile-centered society." --Bloom, February/March 2010

"Roznowski is an evocative, romantic storyteller, and his research revives a simpler time and place not far from here." --

"Roznowski has the storyteller's skill for isolating relevant detail and employing rhetorical flourish to illuminate both character and scene." --Jacob Jones, University of Maryland

"Risjord's Dakota should be seen as both a serious survey of the neglected story of the American midlands and a justification for the greater number of more detailed treatments of the American Midwest and its development within the broader story of American history."and#8212;Jon K. Lauck, Annals of Iowa

They lived "green" out of necessity--walking to work, repairing everything from worn shoes to wristwatches, recycling milk bottles and packing containers. Music was largely heard live and most residential streets had shade trees. The nearby Wabash River--a repeated subject of story and song--transported Sunday picnickers to public parks. In the form of an old-fashioned city directory, An American Hometown celebrates a bygone American era, focusing on life in 1920s Terre Haute, Indiana. With artfully drawn biographical sketches and generously illustrated histories, noted musician, historian, and storyteller Tom Roznowski not only evokes a beauty worth remembering, but also brings to light just how many of our modern ideas of sustainable living are deeply rooted in the American tradition.

Norman K. Risjord is a professor emeritus of history at the University of Wisconsin. He is the author of numerous books, including, most recently, A Popular History of Minnesota and Shining Big Sea Water: The Story of Lake Superior.

Contents

Foreword by Scott Russell Sanders

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Abel Manufacturing Company--to--Robert Axlander

Bachelor Club--to--Roxie Byrd

Barden Calloway--to--John Crowe

Daphne Confectionary--to--Lemon H. Dunn

Tilatha East--to--Mary Euriga

Ethel Failing--to--Emma Fyfe

James H. Gallian--to--Flora G. Gulick

Joseph A. Haddox--to--Frances Hughes

Josephine Ice--to--Abe Issac

Mary Jackman--to--William R. Joyce

Albert Kaeling--to--Lillian Kuhn

Minnie Mayme Lacy--to--Lena B. Lyda

Albert McBride--to--Ernestine Myers Dancing Academy

Agnes Nairn--to--North Baltimore Bottle Glass Company

Harry E. Oaf--to--James Osler

Mabel P. Paine--to--Arvella Pushback

The Quality Shop--to--Jacob Ryan

St. Joseph's Academy--to--Marcella Swim

Elmer E. Talbott--to--Alice Twadell

Jacob Umble--to--Alm Utz

Ohmer D. Vance--to--Robert T. Vrydagh

Clarence W. Wagner--to--John Wright

Ivan Yates--to--George A. Zwerner

Index