INDIANAPOLIS 



2960 



INDIANAPOLIS 



Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago & Saint Louis 

 (Big Four); Illinois Central; Lake Erie & 

 Western; several divisions of the Pennsylvania 

 Lines; and the Vandalia System. 



The great interurban system of Indiana radi- 

 ates from Indianapolis, its center, like a spider's 

 web, to all important cities in the state and 

 into Illinois, Michigan and Ohio. Shipping 

 'facilities are further increased by the Belt Rail- 

 way, which surrounds the city. Its central loca- 

 tion and transportation facilities have made 

 Indianapolis an admirable convention city. In 

 1916 the population was estimated by the 

 Federal Census Bureau to be 271,708; in 1910 

 it was 233,650. The area of the city exceeds 

 thirty-four square miles. 



Location and City Plan. Indianapolis lies 

 700 feet above sea level, in a rolling, well- 

 wooded country, rich in mineral and agri- 

 cultural resources. It is a city of homes, and 

 has long been noted for its streets, some of 

 which are 120 feet wide and beautified by 

 abundant growths of maple and elm trees. In 

 the city are some of the finest residence dis- 

 tricts in the United States; most of the work- 

 ing men own their homes, and the scarcity of 

 tenement dwellings is noticeable. The heart 

 of the city is occupied by a circular plaza 

 known as Monument Place (formerly Gover- 

 nor's Circle), and from it radiate four wide 

 avenues to the four corners of the city. In 

 the center of this plaza is a magnificent sol- 

 diers' and sailors' monument designed by 

 Bruno Schmitz of Berlin, one of the most 

 artistic memorials in the world. It is a shaft 

 of bronze and stone 285 feet in height, sur- 

 mounted by a figure thirty-eight feet high, rep- 

 resenting "Victory;" the two fountains playing 

 at its base are classed with the largest in the 

 world, their capacity being 20,000 gallons per 

 minute. 



Near this monument are bronze statues of 

 General George Rogers Clark, William Henry 

 Harrison, ninth President of the United States, 

 Governors James Whitcomb and Oliver Perry 

 Morton, all conspicuous in the history of the 

 state. The park reservations of the city com- 

 prise 1,554 acres including Riverside Park, ex- 

 tending five miles along both sides of the river, 

 Garfield, Brookside, University and Military- 

 parks ; all the parks of the city will be con- 

 nected eventually by a system of boulevards, 

 several miles of which are already in use. The 

 river is spanned by six bridges of more than 

 ordinary beauty. North of the city is located 

 the Benjamin Harrison Army Post. The motor 



speedway of Indianapolis, with parking facili- 

 ties for 10,000 automobiles, is the finest of its 

 kind in the United States, and great numbers 

 of people are attracted by the motor races 

 held here annually. 



Buildings and Institutions. The most im- 

 posing of the city's numerous handsome build- 

 ings is the State Capitol, built of Indiana 

 limestone at a cost of $2,000,000; a fine statue 

 of Thomas A. Hendricks ornaments the 

 grounds. The city hall, Federal building, 

 county courthouse, Masonic Temple, John 

 Herron Art Institute and the Y. M. C. A. and 

 Y. W. C. A. buildings are modern structures. 

 The Traction and Terminal building is the 

 largest exclusive interurban station in the 

 world. The Union Station, Maennerchor Club, 

 and the Coliseum are also worthy of mention. 

 To maintain its reputation as a convention 

 city, Indianapolis has a number of fine, well- 

 equipped hotels, the Claypool, Severin, Grand, 

 English's, Washington and Denison being the 

 most widely known. 



Besides the public and parochial schools, in- 

 cluding three high schools and a normal train- 

 ing school, there are state schools for the 

 deaf and the blind, Butler College, the medi- 

 cal department of Purdue University, Indiana 

 Dental College, Indiana Law School, Indiana 

 Central University, the University of Indian- 

 apolis and Winona Technical Institute. The 

 public library contains more than 100,000 vol- 

 umes. Here also is located the Indiana Prison 

 for Women, and in the vicinity is the Indiana 

 Central Hospital for the Insane. All denomi- 

 nations find places of worship among over 180 

 churches of the city. 



Commerce and Industry. The excellent 

 shipping facilities of Indianapolis and its near- 

 ness to vast coal mines and to natural gas and 

 oil fields have helped to make the city a 

 leading industrial center. There are over 1.200 

 manufacturing plants, more than 100 of these 

 and the Union Stock Yards being located on 

 the Belt Railway. The grain elevators have a 

 capacity of 1,000,000 bushels. Grain, live stock, 

 meats and the products of its extensive manu- 

 facturing industry comprise the chief articles 

 of commerce. The wholesale business is enor- 

 mous. In the building of automobiles, In- 

 dianapolis ranks second only to Detroit among 

 the cities of the United States. It is the largest 

 live-stock center in the Ohio Valley, and 

 slaughtering and meat packing are its leading 

 industries. There are iron works of all kinds, ; 

 flour, grist and lumber mills, furniture, cloth-.' 



