Name/Title
Plank Road SegmentEntry/Object ID
1901.46.1Description
Oak plank with four metal nails sticking out of it.Context
In 1850, the Plank Road Company began constructing a road between Valparaiso and Michigan City, intending to transport farmers’ crops to distant markets via Lake Michigan. According to one early settler, “The great highway was built of oak plank, made from virgin timber that grew along the road. The plank was nine feet wide, and two inches thick.” Ultimately, the project failed to achieve its goal. The road made it as far as Chesterton before funds ran out in 1851. This segment of plank was found under what is now Meridian Road.Exhibition
Against the Grain