Elkhart County, Indiana

Elkhart County History, Geography, Demographics, Cities and Towns, and Education

County Seat: Goshen
Year Organized: 1830
Square Miles: 464

Court House:

117 N 2nd Street, Room 101
County Courthouse
Goshen, IN 46526-3231

Etymology - Origin of County Name

There are several theories concerning the origin of the county's name.

The first says that the county was named after an Elkhart tribe. However there is no historical proof that such a tribe existed. Another theory, one provided on the city's website, says that Elkhart's Island Park looks like an elk's heart. However, it is unknown how Beardsley could have known what the Island looked like from above. Hot air balloons existed at the time but the first air flight did not take place until the late 1800s.

A third theory, and the most likely, claims that the county was named after the Shawnee Indian chief Elkhart, cousin of the famous Chief Tecumseh, and father of princess Mishawaka for whom neighboring Mishawaka is named

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: Census Bureau Quick Facts

History

At the beginning of the 19th century, the area now known as Elkhart was mainly inhabited by the Ottawa, Chippewa, and Potawatomi tribes. Pioneers began settling in the area known as the Elkhart Prairie in 1829 and on April 1, 1830 Elkhart County was officially established with its original county seat in Dunlap. After some reorganizing of the county borders, the seat was moved to Goshen near the geographical center of the county

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 468 square miles (1,212 km²), of which 464 square miles (1,201 km²) is land and 4 square miles (10 km²) (0.86%) is water.

The county sits in mostly rural farm land with some rolling hills in its northeast corner. Those hills were caused by glaciers and are part of the St. Lawrence Seaway Continental Divide.

Elkhart County is also located in the Northern Indiana region known as Michiana, 20 miles east of South Bend, 110 miles east of Chicago, and 150 miles north of Indianapolis. The area is playfully referred to by locals as the RV capital of the world and is known for its sizable Amish population. For the latter reason, the county teams up with neighboring Lagrange County to promote tourism by referring to the area as Northern Indiana Amish Country.

The St. Joseph River, which flows across the Michigan border north of Bristol, is the main waterway in Elkhart County. The Elkhart River enters the county east of Millersburg and winds its way through Goshen and Dunlap to Island Park in Elkhart where it meets the St. Joseph. The Little Elkhart River flows into the county southeast of Middlebury and creates some scenic views in Bonneyville Mills County Park before emptying into the St. Joseph near Bristol. Numerous creeks wind their way through the countryside and several lakes, including Simonton Lake, dot the landscape.

Neighboring Counties:

Northeast: St. Joseph County, Mich.
East: Lagrange County
Southeast: Noble County
South: Kosciusko County
Southwest: Marshall County
West: St. Joseph County
Northwest: Cass County, Mich.

Cities and Towns:

- Baugo	township
- Bristol	town	Incorporated Area
- Cleveland	township
- Concord	township
- Elkhart	city	Incorporated Area
- Goshen (County Seat)	city	Incorporated Area
- Harrison	township
- Jackson	township
- Jefferson	township
- Locke	township
- Middlebury	town	Incorporated Area
- Millersburg	town	Incorporated Area
- Nappanee	city	Incorporated Area
- Olive	township
- Osolo	township
- Union	township
- Wakarusa	town	Incorporated Area

County Resources:

Enter County Resources and Information Here

County Resource Guide

Counties: US Map

The history of our nation can be seen as a prolonged struggle to define the relative roles and powers of our governments: federal, state, and local. And the names we've given our counties, our most locally based jurisdictions, reflects the "characteristic features of our country!"

But age, size and colorful names of our counties isn't the only reason to explore counties' role in American history, or the history of county government itself. In fact, the story of county government reflects the larger meanings of American history.

Today's counties are the most flexible, locally responsive and creative governments in the US. They are the most diverse, varying in size, population, geography, and governmental structure. In their politics and policies, they express a 1990's political slogan "Think globally, act locally."

Penn Foster High School

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