Documentary History of American Water-works

Indiana

Michigan City

Michigan City, Indiana

Michigan City was incorporated as a city in 1835.

The city built water works that began service in August, 1875 by using a steam engine to pump water into a tank.

A new pumping plant was built in 1887, and in 1899 the city granted a franchise to the Lake Michigan Water Company to rebuild the system due to financial constraints. The city bought 200 of the company's 250 shares and leased the system from the company. The city regained full ownership in 1921.

Water is supplied by Michigan City.

References
1875 Water Works Ordinance and Contract with Michigan Central Rail Road Company, April 27, 1875

1875 The South Bend Tribune, August 23, 1875, Page 4.
The Michigan City water works have been completed, and the citizens of that burg are arranging a fireman's tournament.

1881 "Michigan City Water-Works," Chicago Tribune, April 21, 1881, Page 8.

1884 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map from Michigan City, La Porte County, Indiana. January, 1884
Sheet 1: Water Facilities
Sheet 4: City Water Works supply tower at 10th and Franklin
Sheet 10: City Water Works at foot of Franklin street

1884 Michigan City, from Engineering News 11:317 (June 21, 1884)

1886 The Indianapolis News, March 12, 1886, Page 4.
The Michigan city water works has been incorporated by the state secretary. Capital $20,000.

1887 An Ordinance providing for the issue of bonds of the City of Michigan City Indiana for the purpose of improving the water-works of said City. March 14, 1887.

1887 An Ordinance providing for the erection and construction of Water-works, supply wells, tanks, and other appurtenances belonging thereto, also the purchase of Machinery and Materials needed to complete such Water-Works, providong for the letting of contracts for constructing said works, furnishing said machinery, and regulating the erection and construction of said Water-works. April 4, 1887.
Includes detailed specifications.

1888 "Michigan City," from Manual of American Water Works, Volume 1.

1889 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map from Michigan City, La Porte County, Indiana. September, 1889.
Sheet 1: Water Facilities
Sheet 15: City Water Works at Michigan and Eighth

1890 "Michigan City," from Manual of American Water Works, Volume 2.

1891 The Indianapolis News, July 9, 1891, Page 6.
The s[t]and-pipe connected with the Michigan City water-works gave way under pressure, causing $2,000 loss.

1891 "Michigan City," from Manual of American Water Works, Volume 3.

1897 "Michigan City," from Manual of American Water Works, Volume 4.

1899 An ordinance, authorizing the Lake Michigan Water Company to construct, maintain and operate water works and supply water to the city and people of Michigan City; defining its powers and privileges and prescribing its duties. April 10, 1899.

1899 "Indiana Concerns are Incorporated," The South Bend Tribune, April 12, 1899, Page 8.
Lake Michigan Water Company, Michigan City, Capital Stock, $25,000.

1899 An ordinance to provide for the issue of bonds of the city of Michigan City in the sum of Twenty Thousand Dollars for the purpose of paying for two hundred shares of the capital stock of the Lake Michigan Water Company of Michigan City, subscribed for by the Common Council of said city; providing for the sale of said bonds and providing funds to pay the principal and interest thereon. May 22, 1899.

1899 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map from Michigan City, La Porte County, Indiana. July, 1899
Sheet 1: Water Facilities
Sheet 15: City Water Works at Michigan and Eighth

1899 Marshall County Independent, Plymouth, Indiana, September 8, 1899, Page 5.
The Lake -Michigan Water company, which is building a new waterworks system at Michigan City, has purchased a Holly pump, costing $13,915, with a capacity of 4,000,000 gallons.

1899 An ordinance, to amend an ordinance entitled "An ordinance, authorizing the Lake Michigan Water Company to construct, maintain and operate water works and supply water to the city and people of Michigan City; defining its powers and privileges and prescribing its duties, Passed by the Common Council of the city of Michigan City, April 10, 1899. [September or October] 1899.

1902 "Lay Deaths to Water Supply," Chicago Tribune, February 26, 1902, Page 3.
Michigan City People Meet and Protest Against Their Mayor's Course. Pollution is a Menace. "Emergency" Intake Used Despite Protests of Citizens and Physicians. Fever Epidemic Follows.
The water system was built three years ago by the Lake Michigan Water company. The city holds 200 shares of stock, while the remaining fifty shares are held by a number of the city's capitalists. The city leases the plant, runs it, pays off maturing bonds and interest, and expects to own the system in twenty-six years.

1908 "M'Govern Co. Get Contract," The Herald-Press (Saint Joseph, Michigan), June 10, 1908, Page 1.
New Intake System to be Built at Michigan City.

1908 History of Michigan City, Indiana, by Rollo B. Oglesbee and Albert Hale
Page 123: April 27, 1875, there was passed the ordinance for the construction of the water works for supplying water for both domestic and fire purposes.
In 1887 an extension of the water mains was ordered, but in 1887, a special election on February 23 was held, in which the question was put to a vote by the people, whether the city should assume an indebtedness for bonding the water works system. In favor of the plan were 843 votes, against it only 85 votes, so that March 14, 1887, the authority to do so was voted by the council. Three weeks thereafter, in April, the council passed a second ordinance providing for the erection and construction of pumps, machinery and other details of a complete water system. But it was decided that municipal management of this public utility was unnecessary, and therefore, on April 10, 1899, a franchise was given to the Lake Michigan Water Company, which assumed control of the city’s plant, and has since managed it. At present there are two pumps each with a capacity of 400,000,000 gallons every twenty-four hours, although the average daily consumption will not go much above 400,000,000 gallons.

1921 Hagerstown Exponent (Hagerstown, Indiana), February 3, 1921, Page 6.
Michigan City. - Michigan City acquired complete municipal ownership of the water works system by buying the stock of the Lake Michigan Water company.

1922 "Michigan City Water Works Station Burns," The Muncie Morning Star, July 8, 1922, Page 7.

1922 The Times (Munster, Indiana), December 22, 1922, Page 1.
Russel Lingard, former secretary to Mayor Hodges who "went wrong" when he took several thousand dollars belonging to the Michigan City water works will soon start serving his sense of one year. The sentence was reduced from 3 to 21 years to a year.

1930 "Insull Offers to Buy," The Edinburg Daily Courier, July 16, 1930, Page 4.
Subsidiary Firm Bids $860,000 for Michigan City Water Works.

1931 "Bill Safeguards City Utility," Muncie Evening News, January 23, 1931, Page 2.

1931 "Michigan City Action Fails," The South Bend Tribune, June 10, 1931, Page 14.

1935 Pure water : historic sketch and report, Michigan City Department of Water Works.

1958 "Michigan City, Ind.," by H. J. Draves, Journal of the American Water Works Association 50(2):206-210 (February, 1958)

Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps for Michigan City, 1884, 1889, 1899, 1905, 1912, 1922

Michigan City Ordinances since 1836