US-40/I-70 vol 1 - On the National Road to Indianapolis (and Terre Haute)

[Centropolis]

Indianapolis and Terre Haute, Indiana are both on the historic stretch of US-40 known as the National Road, which originally stretched from western Maryland to Vandalia, IL. The road was planned to connect Baltimore area turnpikes to St. Louis in the 1840s, but funding ran out 70 miles east of St. Louis. Later the road was taken over by the US-40 designation, which in turn was usurped, and in many places physically overlaid by I-70. Being the Rodney Dangerfield of major interstates and highways neither I-70 or US-40 reaches the west coast and "don't get no respect," at least not after the US-40 designation was dismantled in California and I-70 was ended in the side of a Utah mountain. However, side by side, and sometimes as one, they both cross right through the "guts" of America. Here we explore a couple of lesser known cities (to this website, anyway) on my personal "mother road."


http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...-US_40_map.png

Indianapolis, IN, state capital, late bloomer, and one time petroleum boom town. City pop. 807,584 (est.), MSA pop. 1,715,459 (est.) ...

We start on the north side of Indianapolis on the major north south street Meridian near the neighborhood and urban node known as Broad Ripple. I also stop at Broad Ripple Park on the bucolic White River ...



















































Moving south towards downtown, through some older neighborhoods and minor commercial nodes ...









We arrive downtown ...









































































The Indiana countryside ...



We arrive at the outskirts of Terre Haute, Indiana, also a one time petroleum production hub, on US-40/The National Road. City pop - 59,614 /MSA pop. 170,943 ...


http://www.idcide.com/i/mc2/in/terre-haute.gif



































Back on the road to St. Louis ...





By the way, the reason I was in Indianapolis was to see The National perform, at the Old National Centre, of course located on the National Road ...

[STLgasm]

Indiana creeps me out, but good photos nonetheless. Indianapolis' most urban neighborhoods are equivalent to inner-ring suburbs of St. Louis. Broad Ripple reminds me of Brentwood. What's with the narrow sidewalks in a major commercial district?

[Robert Pence]

Thanks for posting these. I like Indianapolis a lot, and it's been a longlong time since I've seen Terre Haute.

In Indianapolis, it's interesting to take the tiny elevator to the observation deck of the Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument; the views are pretty good from there. And the interior of the World War Memorial is classic 1928 Art Deco, mostly un-tampered with, and all done in the highest style of the time. There's a military museum there, and in the center of the tower there's a grand, elegant shrine to those who died in defense of liberty in The War to End All Wars. The first time I saw it was a breathtaking experience.

A lot of people don't realize that after the early petroleum discoveries in Pennsylvania and West Virginia, and before the development of the big oilfields in Texas, there was a huge oil and gas boom in central Indiana that extended over into Ohio. In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries in Indiana the greatest production occurred in an area running south from near Bluffton (note the town of Petroleum, on Indiana 1 south of Bluffton) to near Richmond and encompassing the Muncie and Anderson areas. Monpelier was a roaring boomtown with nearly as many saloons and bordellos as shyster land agents buying and flipping oil leases, and the abundant natural gas fostered the development of a thriving regional glass industry, the fortunes from which still leave their mark on some of the area towns. Other industries including iron and steel rolling and forging and the manufacture of bricks and clay drainage tile made use of gas, too. Some towns and cities offered free gas to attract industries to boost local economies.

As late as the 1960s there were a few oil wells still producing on a limited scale in the Pennville area, and I knew of a sawmill and at least one tile mill that used gas from on-site wells. The pumping machinery on the oil wells was the same original equipment that had been put in place in the 1910s. Just a few years ago I saw producing oil wells in a state park farther west in Indiana.

[Robert Pence]

Originally Posted by STLgasm

Indiana creeps me out, but good photos nonetheless. Indianapolis' most urban neighborhoods are equivalent to inner-ring suburbs of St. Louis. Broad Ripple reminds me of Brentwood. What's with the narrow sidewalks in a major commercial district?

They need the real estate for traffic and parking, and if you can park close, why would anybody walk?

Incidentally, that's meant as tongue-in-cheek. Sarcastic, perhaps, but sadly true.

[diskojoe]

Originally Posted by Robert Pence

They need the real estate for traffic and parking, and if you can park close, why would anybody walk?

Incidentally, that's meant as tongue-in-cheek. Sarcastic, perhaps, but sadly true.

the "why walk if you can drive" mentalty is big here in texas. i find it to be sad too.

but great pics. this was a good indy thread. loved all the old facades of the buildings. you dont see quality work like that anymore.

[stepper77]

I've never thought much of Indianapolis, but,I have to admit you definitely presented the city well. Terre Haute has some nice buildings as well. Thanks!

[Centropolis]

Thanks all.

Originally Posted by Robert Pence

Thanks for posting these. I like Indianapolis a lot, and it's been a longlong time since I've seen Terre Haute.

In Indianapolis, it's interesting to take the tiny elevator to the observation deck of the Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument; the views are pretty good from there. And the interior of the World War Memorial is classic 1928 Art Deco, mostly un-tampered with, and all done in the highest style of the time. There's a military museum there, and in the center of the tower there's a grand, elegant shrine to those who died in defense of liberty in The War to End All Wars. The first time I saw it was a breathtaking experience.

A lot of people don't realize that after the early petroleum discoveries in Pennsylvania and West Virginia, and before the development of the big oilfields in Texas, there was a huge oil and gas boom in central Indiana that extended over into Ohio. In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries in Indiana the greatest production occurred in an area running south from near Bluffton (note the town of Petroleum, on Indiana 1 south of Bluffton) to near Richmond and encompassing the Muncie and Anderson areas. Monpelier was a roaring boomtown with nearly as many saloons and bordellos as shyster land agents buying and flipping oil leases, and the abundant natural gas fostered the development of a thriving regional glass industry, the fortunes from which still leave their mark on some of the area towns. Other industries including iron and steel rolling and forging and the manufacture of bricks and clay drainage tile made use of gas, too. Some towns and cities offered free gas to attract industries to boost local economies.

As late as the 1960s there were a few oil wells still producing on a limited scale in the Pennville area, and I knew of a sawmill and at least one tile mill that used gas from on-site wells. The pumping machinery on the oil wells was the same original equipment that had been put in place in the 1910s. Just a few years ago I saw producing oil wells in a state park farther west in Indiana.

I didn't really know about the impact of oil and gas on the development of central Indiana until recently...I never really understood why Indianapolis so suddenly boomed so late for the eastern midwest, along with being closer to Chicago than its own state capital. I was aware of current production in the Illinois basin, as there are "texas style" pumpjacks along I-64 just a few miles outside of St. Louis, which is always really strange to see.

Originally Posted by STLgasm

Indiana creeps me out, but good photos nonetheless. Indianapolis' most urban neighborhoods are equivalent to inner-ring suburbs of St. Louis. Broad Ripple reminds me of Brentwood. What's with the narrow sidewalks in a major commercial district?

Had a storm not whipped up on Lake Michigan while I was on the skyway, I would have photographed some industrial goodness and neighborhoods in NW Indiana. Instead, this is what I saw...


http://www.greatlakesfreighters.com/.../lostatsea.jpg

[mobyhead]

Neat shots of my city. Robert you are right about the IWM. That shrine gives me goose bumps every time I visit.

Club Indianapolis, gay bath house. I have a friend who works there part time.