DeMotte, Indiana History 1997

30 Years of Growth
100 Years of Tradition

Contents

Foreword & Acknowledgement

Before the White Man/Coming of the First Settlers

DeMotte Grows into a Town

Early Transportation & Farming

The First Schools

Dredging of the Grand Kankakee Marsh

Leonard Swart (Interview)

Casper Belstra (Interview)

Northern Indiana Land Company

The Halleck Telephone Company

DeMotte Mercantile Company

DeMotte Library Grows

Cheever's Garage

Eighty Years of Community Banking

Fairchild & Tanner History

Earl Schwanke Article

Keener Township Fire Department

(Art) Lageveen Looks Back

Fire Almost Destroys DeMotte in 1936

Kankakee Valley Post-News

Asparagus & Truck Farming

Businessmen's Association

Lageveen Remembers Incorporation

Belstra Remembers When...

Kankakee Valley Schools

DeMotte Elementary School

(DeMotte) Christian School

Mark L. DeMotte

Charlie Halleck

Walter Roorda, State Representative

C-SELM

Van Keppel Construction Company

Fire Destroys Main Building at Kaper's

The Hamstra Group

DeMotte Historical Society

Tysen's Family Food Center

Belstra Milling

The Fire of 1992

United Methodist Church

DeMotte Christian Church

Community Bible Church

Calvary Assembly of God

Bethel Christian Reformed Church

First Christian Reformed Church

Faith Lutheran Church

St. Cecilia Catholic Church

United Pentecostal

First Reformed Church

American Reformed Church

DeMotte Town Court

Incorporation of DeMotte

August 10 Incorporation Hearing

September 1965 Incorporation

First Town Board Election

The First Town Board

DeMotte Town Council 1969-1997

DeMotte Town Hall

DeMotte Park Board

Wastewater Treatment Begins

DeMotte Chamber of Commerce

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The Hamstra Group

The Hamstra Group has been in the building trade for about 35 years and has constructed hospitals, schools, office buildings, and shopping malls over the Midwest. They have constructed many buildings in DeMotte including the stores in the DeMotte Plaza and the DeMotte Town hall. The firm is owned by Wilbert Hamstra.

DeMotte Plaza started with a Hook's Drugstore in 1971. The Hamstra Group built most of the Hook's Drugstores in Indiana during that era. They first bought land for the drugstore in DeMotte, then purchased more land on four separate occasions as the community grew and businesses were added to the plaza.

Bernard and Evelyn Tysen were encouraged to relocate their grocery business from the downtown area of DeMotte. (Tysen's was formerly DeKock's Grocery) Tysen's has expanded twice since moving to the plaza and are making plans to expand again within the next year. According to Wilbert Hamstra, future plans include new store fronts on all the DeMotte Plaza stores. Hamstra said, "We feel strongly about keeping it (the plaza) looking fresh. The parking lot will also be repaved, hopefully in 1998."