1821 – In accordance with the Treaty of St. Mary’s, Chief Anderson and over 1,300 Delaware Indians left their homeland on the White River in Indiana to journey to new lands west of the Mississippi River. They made a home in Missouri for a few years before being relocated to the Kansas Territory.
1874 – Indianapolis businessman William S. Wooton advertised his “Patent Cabinet Office Secretary,” a massive wooden desk four to five feet in height, with numerous drawers, shelves, and compartments. Called the “King of Desks,” it was said to be used by Queen Victoria, Ulysses S. Grant, and John D. Rockefeller.
1890 – The first mule-powered streetcar began operation in Columbus from the Crump Theater to Orinoco Avenue. Public officials and members of the press occupied the first car on the initial run. The public was given free rides for the first hour.
1905 – The Indianapolis Post Office began moving into the new United States Federal Building on East Ohio Street. The massive structure, constructed of Indiana limestone, features marble columns, mosaic tile ceilings and cantilevered marble staircases. The beaux-arts style of architecture influenced future buildings in the city, including city hall and central library.
1917 – Several thousand attended the dedication of a branch of Methodist Hospital in Princeton, Ind. The main speaker at the event was former United States Senator Charles W. Fairbanks, who had also served as Vice President under Theodore Roosevelt. In transferring ownership to the hospital, attorney Claude A. Smith said it was the most important warranty deed ever executed in Gibson County.
1939 – “In Old Monterey” opened at the Alamo Theater on North Illinois Street in Indianapolis. The movie, starring Gene Autry, was the first film for the “Hoosier Hot Shots,” a popular musical comedy group from Arcadia. Starting in local radio, they moved to Hollywood where they made dozens of western movies, appearing with Gabby Hayes, Dale Evans and even the Three Stooges. Their work inspired later performers like Spike Jones and “Weird Al” Yankovic.