The Beginning of Culver as Told By Dan McDonald

My Dear Friend Holt:

I can hardly command words to tell you how much pleasure Mrs. MoDonald and I have derived from reading the weekly visits of your clean and delightful little paper, the Culver Citizen, during the long, cold and dreary five months since we closed our summer cottage at the south end of the lake, and opened our home bere for the winter and spring.

Unfortunately a year ago last December I accidentally slipped on the ice, fell and dislocated my right arm, and in falling sprained my left arm, hurting both of them so that when cold weather came on last fall, I became afflicted with rheumatism in both arms, and generally debilitated to such an extent that I have been confined at home about all winter.

So you see that the papers that are sent to me, especially those of a local nature, like yours, help me to pass away the long and lonesome hours and are thoroughly read every week.

The locality in which your paper is published is dear to me and has very many pleasant memories clustering around it. Originally the town of Culver was named Union Town, taking its name from the township, and was platted and named by my unole, Bayiess L. Diokson,out of the southwest oorner of seotion 16, eto., from a parcel land had entered for farming purposes

. This was in 1844, A time prior to that time he had married a second cousin of mine, Miss Emma Houghton, who, by the way, is still living in the 90's with her daughter in Dayton, Ohio.

As far as I can remember back, Union Town was the first town, or village, or whatever you might call it, that I visited in the county. I visited with my father and mother, my uncle and aunt after they located there, and I am not sure, but I think their log cabin was the only dwelling there at that| time.

My father and his family lived in a log cabin in the woods a short distance south of where Hibbard now is.

In 1851 the town was resurveyed, and transferred to Mr Dickson's brother-in-law, Thomas K. Houghton, and the name changed by the board of county commissioners to Marmont. This was done at the suggestion of Dr. G. A. Durr, who resided there then, in honor of General Marmont of France.

It was known by this name for over 40 years, until the name was changed in 1895 to Culver, in honor of H. H. Culver, who was at that time building the great monument to his name, the Culver Military academy. The officers of the town of Marmont and the citizens unanimously were anxious that the name be changed and assisted all they could to help it along.

The trouble arose when application was made to the postoffice department for change the name of the postoffice from Marmont to Culver City.

It was learned that there was already a postoffice by the name of Culver in Indiana, down in Tippecanoe county, and but one postoffice of the same name could be permitted under the laws governing the establishment of postoffices. So here was a difficulty that required grit and determination and money to overcome. Mr. Culver had all of these to an unlimited extent, and as long as there was hope he kept busy.

So one morning he boarded an early Vandalia train and went down into Tippecanoe county and hunted up the town with the Culver name. In his investigations Mr. Culver found that the town had been nemed for a man by the name of Crane Culver, whom the people liked very much, and were opposed to changing the name. Mr. Culver suggested that they could call it "Crane," his first name, which would perpetuate his memory equally as well as Culver, and in order to make it an object, the town being considerably in debt, he would give them a financial donation (probably $1,000) which they accepted, and thus the name Culver was abandoned, and the way was clear for the name of Marmont to be legally changed to Culver and it was so done without further trouble.

The Vandalia Railroad company also changed the name of the station from Marmont to Culver. And that's how it happened.

Meantime, Mr. Culver, with his force of workmen, had so far completed the Culver Military academy that it was ready for dedication, At that time there were large number of summer resorters about. the lake, and so Mr. Culver concluded to make the long to be remembered.

DeWitt Talmage was then considered the most noted this country, and Mr. Culver procured him at a largeexpense (#1,000 it was said) to preach dedicatory discourse. He did so. The Auditorium was crowded,but whether the great preacher's address was worth what he received for it is a problem I have never yet been able to satisfactorily solve.

The dedication was followed by Mr. Culver procuring the noted Sam Jones for a week's evening ings at $50 per day, and Bro. Jones pounded pure defiled religion, as he called it, into to the few wioked sinners and summer resorters who with their presence during that memorable week, was remarkable.

He said they were d---d sinners and unless they repented and mended their ways they would all go to hel, sure as sure as guns.

When he was at the lake it was not long after the election, and in one of his sermons he said that he had been born and reared and had affiliated a democrat and had affiliated with ththat party until it had become so nasty, and full of drunkardsards and deadbeats, that he couldn't stand it any longer and so he cut loose from the "whole rotten concern".

Of course republicans present thought that was awfully funny and laughed and applauded immoderately. Sam then stopped a moment, and gazing in the direction from which the applause came, he pointed his finger and said: "Oh, you needn't laugh, my republican friends. I have been guilty of a great many mean things in my life, but I never got low enough nor mean enough and so lost to all sense of honor and decency as to join the republican party." Then the democrats all laughed, and after all had joined in singing the doxology the meeting was dismissed.

No man did so much in assisting in building up the town of Culver, and bringing the beautiful Maxinkuckee into the fame it has attained, as did Henry H. Culver during his residence there prior to his death.

If there is "Sweet By and By," may it be his to the full over there.

DAN'L MODONALD.
Plymouth, March 15.

Culver Citizen Mar 21, 1912