DHPA Jewish Historical Resources
Cass County
The city of Logansport developed in the fertile land right at the juncture of the Wabash and Eel Rivers. Local legend maintains that in 1827 a shooting contest took place between Hugh McKeen, an early settler, and Colonel John B. Duret for the right to name the new city. Duret won and chose the name Logan’s Port after Shawnee Chief Logan, who died in the War of 1812 fighting with the Americans against the British. The name was eventually modified to Logansport and the city was incorporated in 1837-38. The city’s location along the rivers, coupled with the construction of the Wabash and Erie Canal, and followed by the construction of the railroad through the town, ensured that Logansport would continue to grow. By 1850 the city boasted a population of 2,251 people. In 1870, the city had grown to a population of 8,950, and the population peaked in 1920 at 21,626. A fairly large Jewish community developed in Logansport early in the city’s history, with the first known family settling in the late 1850s.
Read the entire paper about Cass County’s Jewish Population.
