Railway Facilities. - The great resources of Indianapolis have been made available as elements of progress by the development of transportation facilities that are exceptional in their completeness. The earliest years of the State's history preceded the railway era, and during those first years the towns that were located upon the Ohio River and the lower Wabash had a great advantage over any other of the locations in the State. Soon afterward came the canal building era, when American enterprise manifested itself all over the country in the endeavor to give convenient outlets to the products of the various sections through the medium of artificial waterways, Indiana especially participating in the extensive canal building activity by constructing the Wabash & Erie Canal from Toledo to Evansville, 476 miles, which is the longest in the United States, part of which is being held by the slack-water navigation on the Maumee and Wabash Rivers. The Whitewater Canal, from Lawrenceburg, on the Ohio, to Hagerstown, was also built, and these waterways for many years constituted the principal features, outside of the Ohio River, in the transportation facilities of the State. The canals are still used to a considerable extent, although the section of the Wabash & Erie Canal between Fort Wayne and Lafayette has not been used for many years. In 1847 the first railroad was completed into Indianapolis, and connected this city with the Ohio River at Madison. This was the beginning, and the transportation facilities have continued to increase, until now there are sixteen completed lines in Indianapolis, connecting in the State with many other lines, which all bring their passengers to one magnificent Union Station. The erection of the present Union Passenger Station was begun in 1888. No capital city in any of the States is more advantageously situated with reference to convenience of access by the citizens of the State, and there are but few county seats in the entire State from which it is not possible to reach Indianapolis and return the same day. (top of page)

Indianapolis Union Railway Company. - The Indianapolis Union Railway Company succeeded in 1883 to the enterprise inaugurated in 1853 by the Union Railway Company. The company operates fourteen miles of track known as the Belt Railroad, which is double-tracked and extends around the city, and also has a mile of track in the city, connecting the Belt with the Union Passenger Station, which is also owned by this company. The station is one of the finest in the United States, has a train shed 300 x 650 feet, and has a handsome three-story brick building surmounted by a lofty tower, which is a beautiful structure in Romanesque architecture, used for offices and waiting rooms of the station. Over one million freight cars are handled annually over the Belt Railroad. It was the first switching railroad to be built in the country, and transfers freight from factory switches to all roads. (top of page)

Interurban Railways. - Coming into its great terminal station, the finest in the world, are fourteen independent electric traction lines, connecting with more than twenty-five roads, which tap one of the richest and most densely populated sections of the country. Over 600 cars are operated in and out of Indianapolis every twenty-four hours, and these carry more than 6,000,000 people annually.

Indianapolis secured its first interurban lines in 1900, when two short lines were completed, one between Indianapolis and Greenfield, a distance of sixteen miles, and between Indianapolis and Greenwood, a distance of twelve miles. (top of page)

The Indianapolis Terminal and Traction Company. - The completeness of the streetcar service of Indianapolis is one of its most notable features. Over 168 miles of track are in operation, reaching all sections of the city, parks and suburbs. The first street car line was built in this city in 1864, and from this grew the present magnificent system. Under the management of the present company, which was organized August 4, 1902, many notable improvements and extensions have been made. (top of page)

Indianapolis Terminal Station, for use of the electric roads entering Indianapolis, was the idea of Hugh J. McGowan, president of the Indianapolis Terminal and Traction Company. It is the greatest station of its kind in the world, and was built at a cost of $1,000,000. The building, in addition to being the terminal for all electric traction interests, is one of the finest office structures in the city. (top of page)

The Belt Railroad & Stock Yard Company of Indianapolis was organized in 1877. The geographical location of the yards has made this the most important point in the country for the unloading, watering and marketing of stock destined for New England and export slaughter. The system of railroads centering at Indianapolis makes it the most accessible point in the country for live stock shippers. The great capacity of the yards and the facilities for unloading, resting and reshipping are unequaled by any other yards in the country, east or west. (top of page)

Track Elevation in Indianapolis was started by the Commercial Club at a meeting held in 1894. The meeting authorized the appointment of a permanent commission on track elevation to continue the effort in Indianapolis until successful. The commission was headed in the beginning by Colonel Eli Lilly as chairman and William Fortune as secretary. On the death of Colonel Lilly in 1898, Mr. Fortune became the chairman, and has since continued at the head of the commission. In 1898 an ordinance was passed under the Taggart administration regarding elevation of tracks, but was defeated in the courts. Finally in 1905, under the Holtzman administration, track elevation at the Massachusetts Avenue crossing was started. (top of page)

Journalism and Publishing. - Indianapolis had a newspaper before it had mail facilities, roads, or even the most primitive means of regular communication with the outside world. There are at present over ninety daily, weekly, bimonthly, monthly and quarterly publications issued from this city. In class or industrial publications Indianapolis is exceptionally well represented, some of the most influential journals of their kind in the country being published here. In recent years, this city has also become prominent as a book and music publishing center. In the mechanical and manufacturing branches of the printing business it has kept pace with the largest cities in the country, and it affords advantages in the production of blank books, coupon books, bank and county office supplies not excelled elsewhere. There are several large plants located here engaged in this work, and Indianapolis ranks third in size as a publishing center in this country. (top of page)

The Indianapolis News, now [1915] the oldest daily paper published in Indianapolis, is located in the ten-story building constructed for its needs, in 1909, by Delavan Smith, one of its owners. The building is on the site of the old News building in Washington Street and immediately in front of the News Mechanical building in Court Street. The business and editorial offices of the paper are in the new building, while the manufacturing processes are carried on in the fireproof building constructed for that purpose in 1896. The News was founded by John H. Holliday in 1869, and has had a continuous existence from that date. It was the first two-cent (ten cents weekly) daily paper in the West. Though not an old paper, as compared with other publications in the East, yet its career spans practically the period of development of the modern newspaper.

The News has had but two owners, its founder and his associates, including Major W. Richards, and the present proprietor, Delavan Smith, with whom was associated for about twenty years Charles R. Williams as editor. Mr. Smith is now the publisher and sole owner. Louis Howland is the editor and Richard Smith the managing editor. There are employees in every department who have grown up with it, including the present general manager, Hilton U. Brown, who began as market reporter in 1881. (top of page)

The Indiana Times was established on May 12, 1888, under the name of The Indianapolis Sun. It is a daily afternoon paper and for a period published a Sunday morning edition. (top of page)

The Indianapolis Star was established in 1903, first issue appearing on June 6th. Immediately after it was started the Star associated itself with the Muncie Star and the Terre Haute Express, now the Terre Haute Star, the three forming the chain of papers known as the Star League. On June 8, 1904, the Star management bought the Indianapolis Journal, its morning contemporary, a high-class newspaper established as a weekly in 1823, and as a daily in 1850. The Journal was merged with the Star and some of its best features incorporated in the latter paper. In February, 1906, the Star bought the Sunday Sentinel and combined it with the Sunday Star. Thus the Star became the only Sunday and morning newspaper in Indianapolis. In June, 1907, the Indianapolis Star removed to its present quarters at the northeast corner of Pennsylvania and New York Streets, a building built especially for its use. John C. Shaffer is editor and publisher of the Star, B. F. Lawrence is business manager and Ernest Bross managing editor. (top of page)

The German Daily Telegraph and Tribune. - Established 1865, is the only German and the oldest daily newspaper published  in Indianapolis. It is independent-democratic in politics, and is a member of the Associated Press. The Gutenberg Co. publishes it. The Sunday Spottvogel, a humorous and literary paper, established in 1865, is also published by this company. August Tamm is president of the company. (top of page)

The Indianapolis Daily Live Stock Journal is devoted to the interests of shippers and is published at the Union Stock Yards. (top of page)

The Indianapolis Commercial. - Published daily by the Central City Publishing Co., makes a specialty of court news, financial matters, etc., and has a wide and influential circulation. It is considered the standard for newspapers of this class in the United States. Fred L. Purdy is the editor and O. L. Thayer secretary-treasurer. (top of page)

Other Publications are numerous, embracing weeklies, semi-monthly and monthly issues, among which are a number of the most influential trade journals in America. (top of page)