A History of Steppesville

Part One - The Beginnings of Steppesville

Steppesville is located in a relatively unknown part of Elkhart County, Indiana. It is often undermined and overlooked, as people seem to be far more concerned with the larger cities and towns in the Northern Indiana area. Steppesville is relatively close to the lower border of Michigan and the shore of Lake Michigan. Because of this, there is a small trading port in the northern part of the town for maritime matters.

The town was first established in 1894, when a small group of travelers from Pennsylvania decided to lay claim to the small area that eventually became Steppesville. They named it Steppesville because of its terrain, which is far more grassland-like than other areas of Northern Indiana. "Steppes" is a term for grasslands located in southeastern Europe and/or Siberia. Various small forested areas dot the area around Steppesville, causing the whole town to be mostly enclosed within a forest. The founders took advantage of this, as they could build an enclosed forest community only very loosely connected with the outside world.

The leader of these founders was Bertrand Barthlake I, who is renowned as one of the most famous historical figures in Steppesville. When he was an older man, and the town had been established, he began the renowned Barthlake University, the local college, which still stands to this day, however it is not nearly as grand as it once was. It contains four miles of nature trails for walking, which lead to the Stickleback Creek and the Stickleback Rock Gully, both named after Charleston Stickleback, a close personal friend of Bertrand Barthlake I and fellow founder of Steppesville. The campus also contains a museum, which is well known for its collection of rotting, vintage pudding that Barthlake I collected on his travels.

The university never gained much traction until Barthlake III took over. Before his reign, the main use of the college was for the headquarters of a secret society. See Part Two for more details on this topic. Besides the college, several other landmarks were constructed in Steppesville quite early in its existence, including the Steppesville Cemetery and Wildlife Preserve, the Steppesville Zoological Park, the Steppesville Mill, and later in the 1920s, a large, now abandoned, theater in the northern area of Steppesville, once known as the Grande Rochester Theatre.

The most notable event to take place in the early history of Steppesville was the infamous Gunfight at Normington Park. It took place on May 30th, 1914, and involved the police chief at the time, Chief Fred Stickleback, and a local criminal, Dr. Martin Vincenson. Both men were injured, although neither were killed. Despite attracting a lot of local media attention, especially from the Steppesville Times, by the time of the rise of Vocational Street in the 1970s, the memories of the inconsequential gunfight had mostly diminished.

When the founders first settled in, they erected a temporary cabin in the area of what is now downtown Steppesville. They began construction on the college, and started roping in more citizens and settlers to assist them. By 1930, Steppesville was a thriving community. Although quite sheltered from the outside world, the residents would send out messengers and merchants to trade at ports around Lake Michigan and the surrounding area.

In the 1940s and 1950s, the town of Steppesville was briefly home to crime boss Al Shapiro and his mafia gang, the Black Mambas of Indiana. They caused a fair bit of chaos for a while, before eventually settling down and being put at bay by the police forces of the town, sent in by Mayor Lydia Strapson. Her great-grandfather Roger Strapson was one of the founders of the town. In general, the town has remained under the control of the descendants of the founders, with the very interesting and notable exception of the mayor's position.

In the 1970s, Vocational Street was established, and soon became the most prominent location in the city of Steppesville. The first businessman to establish a corporation on the street was Lionel Tetchy, a young man from Chicago, Illinois, who quickly became wildly successful with his company, the Tetchy Complex. Other notable corporations throughout the years include Pinstripes Incorporated and the McFill Company. Notable businesses throughout the entirety of the town of Steppesville include Mr. Grey's Northern Resort, Johnson Antiques, Dr. Choir's Chinese Palace, The Bubbly Dwarf, Dr. Koehn's Chiropractic Clinic, Raymond's Trinket Shop, Very Fancy Dresses, The Squint Clinic, and The D&J Music Shop.

Modern-day Steppesville is renowned as quite a beautiful location in Northern Indiana. Many elderly people flock there to live at the well-known Vista Star Retirement Facility near the center of town. It sits on 14 acres of land that is well-kept, and contains many ponds and beautiful natural sites. Although some locations in Steppesville, such as the public schools, have been heavily criticized recently, the majority of the town is currently renowned for its beauty and opulence. The current population of the town is at 21,634 people, according to the most recent census. Overall, it is a fine place to visit, and has quite an incredible history that is far, far more extensive than this short guide book will delve into.