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Interesting Facts
- Along the banks of the Wabash River, the village of Tippecanoe was razed in the late 18th century in an attempt to open the land to white settlers. Years later, Tecumseh and Tenskwatawa founded another village there, one that they hoped would serve as the capitol of their newly formed Indian Confederacy. Settlers in the area began to grow afraid once they learned that the village was a training center for warriors, and on November 6, 1811, a regiment under the command of William Henry Harrison clashed with forces led by Tenskwatawa and roundly defeated them. In later years, Harrison parlayed the fame he earned from the Battle of Tippecanoe into the office of the Presidency.
- As most followers of collegiate sports know, Purdue University athletic teams are known as the Boilermakers a nod not to the infamous beer-whiskey elixir but to a locomotive. The handle was first coined in the 1890s, when a local reporter used it as a metaphor to describe the way a victorious Purdue football team played against Wabash College (a resounding 44-0 win).
- West Lafayette, home to Purdue University, actually pre-dates the school by 30 years or so. West Lafayette was originally two different communities, Kingston (platted in 1855) and Chauncey (1860), who agreed to join together in 1866 and become the town of Chauncey in honor of the family that was instrumental in local development. In 1867, Chanucey received its charter and, 22 years later, citizens voted to officially change its name to West Lafayette.
- One thing you can say about this friendly little corner of Indiana is that it doesn't want for colorful names. For example, in Tippecanoe county alone, you'll find many small communities with names like Happy Hollow Heights, Norma Jean Addition, Shadeland, Battle Ground, and Octagon.
- Despite its relatively small size around 30,000 permanent residents West Lafayette is cosmopolitan in nature, featuring a melting pot of nationalities and the quintessential erudite charm expected of a college town. In the Chauncey Hill (downtown) area, visitors find a cornucopia of ethnic eateries and shops. As for entertainment, campus-area bars and nightspots showcase eclectic samplings of live music each week, and the university features a superb performing arts department and top-notch NCAA athletic events.
- It's a bird! It's a plane! It's mail call! In 1859, Lafayette served as a launching site for the USPS's first airmail delivery service when a hot-air balloon piloted by Purdue professor John Wise departed with a mail pouch and touched down just south in Crawfordsville some five hours later.
- The Tippecanoe County Courthouse has always been in the center of things quite literally, it would seem. When Lafayette was platted in 1826, its planner, William Digby, designed a grid system that extended east of the Wabash River and around a central square, which would become Courthouse Square. Tippecanoe County's first courthouse was constructed here in 1845, and the one standing today, completed in the 1880s, is actually the third such courthouse on the site. Over the years, Lafayette experienced various growth spurts and many changes, but the courthouse has managed to maintain its 19th-century charm and keep a watchful eye from its seat in the middle of town.
- Believed by many to be the oldest, continually running business in Lafayette, the downtown Farmer's Market lies on 5th Street, between Main and Columbia. While no longer the heart of the city's trade and commerce district, the market continues to offer interested shoppers a rich variety of wares, from cut flowers to home-baked goods to fresh fruits and vegetables. The market is open every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday from May through October.
- A nod to an important player in American history, Lafayette is named in honor of Marie Joseph Paul Yves Roche Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette, a Frenchman who volunteered his services to George Washington and the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War.
- Purdue University was founded in 1869 and named in honor of John Purdue. Today, with more than 500 undergraduate majors and close to 40,000 students, this West Lafayette campus stands as one of the nation's top research institutions, leading the way in fields as varied as engineering, agriculture, nursing, and veterinary science.
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