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Lafayette is a city in Tippecanoe County, Indiana, 74 miles (119 km) northwest of Indianapolis. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 56,397. The city is the county seat of Tippecanoe County. West Lafayette, just across the Wabash River, is ... more »
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Airports Lafayette is a city in Tippecanoe County, Indiana, 74 miles (119 km) northwest of Indianapolis. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 56,397. The city is the county seat of Tippecanoe County. West Lafayette, just across the Wabash River, is home to Purdue University, which has a large impact on both communities.
Things to do * Purdue University, located in West Lafayette * Jerry E. Clegg Botanic Garden * Horticulture Gardens at Purdue University * Lafayette Farmer's Market in historic downtown (May through October) * Ninth Street Hill Historic District * Tippecanoe Battlefield (in Battle Ground, IN) * Farmer's Institute (Friends Meeting House) * Wolf Park (Battle Ground, IN)
The area around what is now Tippecanoe County was inhabited by a tribe of Miami Indians known as the Ouiatenon or Weas. The French government established Fort Ouiatenon in 1717 across the Wabash River and three miles south of the location of present-day Lafayette. The fort became the center of trade for fur trappers, merchants and Indians. An annual reenactment and festival known as The Feast of the Hunters' Moon takes place there each fall.
Lafayette was platted by the river trader William Digby, in May,1825. The town was made county seat for the newly formed Tippecanoe County soon after in 1826. Like many small frontier towns, Lafayette was officially named for the French general, Marquis de Lafayette (September 6, 1757—May 20, 1834) who aided the American armies during the Revolutionary War.
In its earliest days Lafayette was a shipping center on the Wabash River. The Wabash and Erie Canal in the 1840's further cemented Lafayette's regional prominence and was escalated by the arrival of the railroads in the 1850's.
Modern history owes a fair debt to Robert Kriebel, a reporter since retired from the Lafayette Journal and Courier newspaper. By way of his books and columns the curious are provided a convenient, accessible, and even colorful way to grasp the events around and preceding him. Old Lafayette in two volumes is highly recommended. For further reading, the curious might look into some other notable historians of Lafayette appearing below. These were compiled by Kriebel for his "short list" as provided in the Lafayette Bank & Trust's The Best of Lafayette (2000): Sandford C. Cox, Richard P. DeHart, Sallie Sample, Sarah M. Crockett, Thomas B. Helm, Jesse Henderson Levering, Paul K. Mavity, Logan Esarey, and Herbery H. Heimlich.
Airports
Purdue University Airport, West Lafayette
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Railroads
Bus Service
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