History: Early Photographs

1920-22 George Esenwein's Perkins Tractor Portable Saw Mill

"The advent of power tools and modern technology has changed many things in the world. But some old fashioned things still happen in and around Wakarusa but they happen just a little bit differently.
The picture at left shows a group of men who have gathered to cut fire wood.
The date and location of the picture are not known but it is guessed that it was taken in the early 1920's and probably just West of Wakarusa. The only man known is the third from the left holding his hat. He is Forest Yoder.
The machine in the picture is a portable steam engine used to power the buzz saw that the man at extreme right is resting his hand on. The steam engine would be moved from place to place to cut the wood needed for heating and cooking or to power other farm equipment.
The picture was loaned to us by the Forest Yoder Family."
by William Nich, Editor of Wakarusa Tribune

Mr. Fred Esenwein of Arlington Texas saw the picture of the early wood cutting on page 4 of the Wakarusa Tribune (printed above) on Jan. 22, 2003, and has shared the following information. He has a copy of the photograph that is identified found in the pictures of the late George Esenwein. His copy is identified as follows:
"George Esenwein and Crew cut firewood with his Perkins tractor, and front mounted bucksaw, on the Bollinger Farm near Wakarusa around 1920-1922. George is standing with his left hand on the bucksaw." This now makes two men who are known in the picture. The first was Forest Yoder, the third from the left holding his hat, and confirms the location.
The Wakarusa Tribune -- February 3, 2003, page 3.

Photo Credit: Forest Yoder Family and William Nich, Wakarusa Tribune, Jan. 22, 2003 
Internet Source: wakarusa.org
Webmaster: Leland M. Haines, Goshen, IN.

History: Early Photographs

Winter scene from the county with hoarfrost on the trees. Note the rail fence and mud road under construction.

Photo Credit: Wakarusa Tribune
Internet Source: wakarusa.org
Webmaster: Leland M. Haines, Goshen, IN.

History: Early Photographs

Staves were used to make wooden barrels. They were strips of shaped wood that were set edge to edge to form the side/wall of a barrel. Elm wood was cut in strips, and placed in boiling water. After soaking, the stripes were cut by a special planer and bent/bowed to conform to the shape of a barrel. The staves ends were "lapped" to make the barrel's sides the proper length. They were later dried to the proper "wetness" and assembled into a barrel.
The large work forces shows a lot of labor went into barrel manufacturing.
The following is from the back of the Stave Factory photo. The author is unknown:
"This is a picture of the crew and stave wagon at the west side of the building. Plank were sawed from elm logs and placed edgewise in a long vat of boiling water. They were separated from one another by vertical iron rods. After a certain period of soaking, a man using a metal hook fastened to a long wooden handle removed the plank from the vat. A man at another machine placed the plank flat side down on a part of the machine that operated in a rocking motion, which forced the plank against a stationary knife slicing a strip, the length of the plank. The strips were all the same width and to conform to the shape of a barrel one side was required to be thinner than the other. This was done by running it through a machine called a planer. After this process, the strips were put on a machine called a lapper. The lapper cut one end of the strip off straight and gave a slight taper to the other end This was the part in the finished hoop that was lapped over the other end. From there it went to hot water tanks again and from there they were taken out and put through a machine that coiled them into a circle. After 7 or 8 hoops were finished they formed a flat bundle. The end of the last hoop was nailed and after inspection the bundles were hauled out where they were stacked in a large circle. Every other row contained one less bundle. The bundles were arranged in this way to make the stack secure.
"Not shown in the picture was the, stave production. Logs were sawed into sections stave length. These were then sawed into sections end to end, placed into bins into whic4 steam was piped. Stave bolts did not require soaking in hot water because they were not required to be bent, only to be softened for the shaving process which was similar to the cutting machine that made the hoop strips. Barrel staves varied in width because the bolts varied in size. I loaded staves during summer vacation for 5 cent per hour."

Photo Credit: Wakarusa Public Library
Internet Source: wakarusa.org
Webmaster: Leland M. Haines, Goshen, IN.

History: Early Photographs

Wakarusa Milling Company. The photo was taken around 1900.

Photo Credit: Wakarusa Public Library
Internet Source: wakarusa.org
Webmaster: Leland M. Haines, Goshen, IN.

History: Early Photographs

"Original Trisinger and Walter Lumber. Windmill in background is for Cement Block Factory. Maude Trisinger Schalliol, Fred Trisinger and Jacob B. Walter."
One door on the Lumber building tells they sold shingles, moulding, and finishing. The other says lath, pulp plaster, and roofing. Signs state they sold Warrer Paints.
The photo was taken around 1900.

Photo Credit: Wakarusa Public Library, donated by Mrs. William Fredericks
Internet Source: wakarusa.org
Webmaster: Leland M. Haines, Goshen, IN.

History: Early Photographs

A real photo of Wakarusa's Southwest side of Elkhart Street around or after 1949. Howard Pletcher emailed "the second car is a post war GM car which first appeared as the 1949 models."

Photo Credit: Wakarusa Public Library
Internet Source: wakarusa.org
Webmaster: Leland M. Haines, Goshen, IN.

History: Early Photographs

A real photo of SE Elkhart Street with a "Model A" (???) stuck in snow.

Photo Credit: Wakarusa Public Library
Internet Source: wakarusa.org
Webmaster: Leland M. Haines, Goshen, IN.

History: Early Photographs

An early truck mounted snow plow on north Elkhart Street looking southeast in the 1930's.

Photo Credit: Wakarusa Public Library
Internet Source: wakarusa.org
Webmaster: Leland M. Haines, Goshen, IN.

History: Early Photographs

A Waterford Street snow scene looking northeast in the 1930's.

Photo Credit: Wakarusa Public Library
Internet Source: wakarusa.org
Webmaster: Leland M. Haines, Goshen, IN.

History: Early Photographs

Winter scene of couple cars and many sleds on south Elkhart Street looking northeast. The three buildings south (on the right) of Yoders were torn down and made into a parking lot.

Photo Credit: Wakarusa Public Library
Internet Source: wakarusa.org
Webmaster: Leland M. Haines, Goshen, IN.

History: Early Photographs

These two cars came to town on a cold snowy day in the early 1930's. The newer car on the right is a 1928-29 Ford Model A. The older(i.e. 1920's Model T) car's engine area was covered to prevent it from freezing. This photo was taken towards the southeast side of Elkhart Street, just south of the "square".

Photo Credit: Wakarusa Public Library
Internet Source: wakarusa.org
Webmaster: Leland M. Haines, Goshen, IN.

History: Early Photographs

Looking north down snow covered Main Street (Elkhart St.) in the mid-1920's???

Photo Credit: Wakarusa Public Library
Internet Source: wakarusa.org
Webmaster: Leland M. Haines, Goshen, IN.

History: Early Photographs

Ford Model T's inside the Doering Store and behind them are rows of buggies. The cars were built in or before 1915.

Photo Credit: Wakarusa Tribune
Internet Source: wakarusa.org
Webmaster: Leland M. Haines, Goshen, IN.

History: Early Photographs

John H. Doerings was an automobile and harness dealer. He had the Ford agency (ref. Charles McDonough A Wakarusa Boy Remembers, 1982, p. 45). This postcard was taken around 1910.

Photo Credit: postcard, owned by Leland M. Haines
Internet Source: wakarusa.org
Webmaster: Leland M. Haines, Goshen, IN.

History: Early Photographs

A real photo of a passenger train loading at Wakarusa's Wabash Depot.

Photo Credit: Wakarusa Public Library
Internet Source: wakarusa.org
Webmaster: Leland M. Haines, Goshen, IN.

History: Early Photographs

The train is coming into the Wakarusa train Station. Note there is a young boy on the next tract.

Photo Credit: Wakarusa Public Library
Internet Source: wakarusa.org
Webmaster: Leland M. Haines, Goshen, IN.

History: Early Photographs

At the Maple Syrup Festival in 1963 there were students from 25 countries, as well as sheep shearing, horse shoeing, and pancakes supper.

Photo Credit: unknown postcard creator, Leland M. Haines, Owner
Internet Source: wakarusa.org
Webmaster: Leland M. Haines, Goshen, IN.