Tremont, Indiana

Tremont
Ghost town
Tremont

Location of Porter in the state of Indiana

Coordinates: 41°38′55″N 87°02′37″W / 41.64861°N 87.04361°WCoordinates: 41°38′55″N 87°02′37″W / 41.64861°N 87.04361°W
Country United States
State Indiana
County Porter
Township Westchester
Established as New City West 1833
Name changed to Tremont 1876
Abandoned 1960s
US 12 running through the former town of Tremont--note urban fire hydrant under the brown sign.

Tremont, Indiana, is a ghost town formerly located in what is now the Indiana Dunes State Park and Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore in Westchester Township in northern Porter County, Indiana. It was first established in 1833. It was located at the intersection of U.S. Highway 12 and County Road 100 East, near Indiana 49. The community is named for three massive sand dunes that are now contained within the State park. They are Mount Tom (200 feet (61 m) above the surrounding area), Mount Holden 170 feet (52 m), and Mount Green 160 feet (49 m).[1]

History

Tremont was originally referred to as New City West because City West was a settlement on the nearby shore of Lake Michigan that seemed prosperous in the mid-1830s. City West intended to become a large harbor settlement to rival Chicago, which was a small town at the time and had not yet been incorporated. However, after the Panic of 1837, City West was abandoned, becoming a ghost town without a single resident, and subsequently burnt to the ground. Despite the end of its namesake, New City West still maintained the City West Post Office and City West School. New City West became commonly called Tremont in approximately 1876 due to the establishment of one or more rail lines that used this name for their local stations.[2]

Tremont's most important rail service was provided by the South Shore Line, an electric interurban railroad line that skirted the heart of the Indiana Dunes. For this reason, descriptions of the history of the Dunes often mention Tremont. For example, the Prairie Club beach house built in 1913 by landscape preservationist Jens Jensen and a group of friends was built in Tremont, close to the rail line.[3]

Tremont was always an unincorporated community, but grew to some extent during the early twentieth century and had its own commuter railroad station on the South Shore. The community soon dwindled, however, and by 1929, "scarcely a building of New City West survived."[2] The creation of the National Lakeshore in the 1960s, and subsequent land condemnation proceedings, caused the remaining community to disperse.

Heritage

The Indiana Dunes, including the Tremont area, played a role in the creation of The Nature Conservancy[4][5] and inspired conservation efforts.[6][7][8][9]

Part of the former village of Tremont remains built upon, as the South Shore Line's current NICTD headquarters building and station is located adjacent to the former village center. The original Tremont railroad station was built somewhat east of the current Dune Park station and parking lots.

References

  1. ↑ Powell A. Moore; The Calumet Region, Indiana's Last Frontier; Indiana Historical Bureau, 1959, reprinted 1991.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Bowers, John O. 1929. "Dream Cities of the Calumet," in (pp. 174-198) History of Lake County. Volume 10. Gary, Indiana: Lake County Historical Association (Calumet Press). 223 p.
  3. ↑ "Reading 3: Beauty of the Wild", U.S. National Park Service, accessed November 21, 2008.
  4. ↑ Smith, S.H. & Mark, S. (2010). The historical roots of The Nature Conservancy in the Northwest Indiana/Chicagoland Region: From science to preservation. The South Shore Journal, 3, 1-10.
  5. ↑ http://www.southshorejournal.org/index.php/issues/volume-3-2009/83-journals/vol-3-2009/75-the-historical-roots-of-the-nature-conservancy-in-the-northwest-indianachicagoland-region-from-science-to-preservation
  6. ↑ Smith, S. & Mark, S. (2007). The cultural impact of a museum in a small community:The Hour Glass of Ogden Dunes. The South Shore Journal, 2, pp. 16-28.
  7. ↑ http://www.southshorejournal.org/index.php/issues/volume-2-2007/82-journals/vol-2-2007/104-the-cultural-impact-of-a-museum-in-a-small-community-the-hour-glass-in-ogden-dunes
  8. ↑ Smith, S. & Mark, S. (2006). Alice Gray, Dorothy Buell, and Naomi Svihla:Preservationists of Ogden Dunes. The South Shore Journal, 1, 15-21.
  9. ↑ http://www.southshorejournal.org/index.php/issues/volume-1-2006/78-journals/vol-1-2006/117-alice-gray-dorothy-buell-and-naomi-svihla-preservationists-of-ogden-dunes

Historic images