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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September 1965 incorporation

(In September, 1965 the Jasper County commissioners formally signed the ordinance to incorporate the Town of DeMotte. This has become known as the first incorporation, the second (and last) incorporation was bill 1766 which was passed in 1967 by the Indiana General Assembly. Below are articles which appeared in the Kankakee Valley Post during September 1965.)

The Jasper County commissioners Tuesday a.m. formally approved an ordinance declaring the Town of DeMotte to be incorporated as of September 21 (1965).

In unanimously passing the ordinance declaring DeMotte to be a town, the commissioners named five resident inspectors to conduct the elections and establish wards within the incorporated area.

Voting on each of the five town trustees to be elected will be done by every voter, but candidates will run as residents of wards, with one to be elected from each.

Cost of the election is expected to be paid by the county, with the Town of DeMotte reimbursing the county when funds are available. The town will probably seek emergency appropriations or borrowing to meet needed expenses. Since the town was not established at the time of submitting budgets (in July each year), there will be no tax rate for the town government next year.

DeMotte has been divided for the first election into five wards which have nearly equal population, although they are diverse in size. A description of each of the wards as established for this election are: Ward 1: All of DeMotte north of county highway 1300 north. Ward 2: North of the railroad, but south of county highway 1300 north. Ward 3: Enclosed by the railroad on the north; highway 231 on the east; the Thayer-DeMotte road on the south; and the corporation boundary on the west. Ward 4: Boundaries are the railroad on the north, highway 231 on the west and south. The east line follows no road but is about one-half mile east of the west boundary of the ward. The ward includes the small triangular block to the west of the curve on 231. Ward 5: The remaining incorporated area.

The commissioners passed the ordinance following its first reading, having suspended the rules requiring second and third readings.

(The following article explained the duties of the five resident inspectors appointed by the commissioners to conduct the election.)

DeMotte voters will go to the polls Monday, October 11, (1965) to elect five trustees and a clerk-treasurer for the newly incorporated town.

Gerald Kooy, chairman of a group of five resident inspectors chosen to conduct the election, said that October 22 had been chosen as close as possible to the end of the 20-day period within which the election is to be held. Tuesday October 12 was rejected because it is Discovery Day (Columbus Day).

All voting will be at the American Legion hall in DeMotte. The town has been divided into five wards from which one town trustee will be elected from each. A clerk-treasurer will also be chosen. Republicans and Democrats will caucus to choose slates of candidates and independents may also choose to run.

Kooy believes that only those voters with registration now valid will be able to vote, and that there is not enough time for reregistering by those whose registration may have lapsed.

Kooy said that it will be up to the inspectors to determine whether those seeking to vote reside within the corporate limits of DeMotte.

The other resident inspectors are Ruth Curtiss, ward 2; Frances Zeck, ward 3; Cecilia Lapsley, ward 4; and William Ooms, ward 5. Kooy was named from ward 1.