When I write and research my various blogs, there is one name that continuously comes up: Chauncey Rose. Rose left a very large footprint on Vigo County and Terre Hatue. Various schools, foundations, and even a college are named after this great man. But what made him so beloved in Terre Haute? I have decided it is high time I find out.
In 1794, Chauncey Rose was born into a low-middle class family in Connecticut. His formal education was extremely limited; it is believed to have only lasted five years.
Although little is known about his teenage years, it is known that he settled in the Wabash Valley at the age of 23. He took up residence in Dotyville - currently renamed Rosedale. For the next seven years, he operated his own logging and milling business.
Rose was a man of long-term-vision. In 1817, he arrived in Wabash Valley and knew the growing town of Terre Haute was something special. By locating his logging and mill business nearby, he became the leading supplier for all construction materials in Terre Haute. By 1824, his business scheme had paid off. Terre Haute was fast becoming a highly populated urban city, and he had made a small fortune.
Chauncey Rose did not stop after he had made his fortune. He believed Terre Haute’s future lied to the east. With his newly made capital, he bought much of the land that is between present day Seventh Street and Rose-Hulman campus. At this time, the land was virtually worthless, and critics believed he had wasted his fortune on low value land.
Using his newly acquired land, Rose created the Terre Haute and Indianapolis Railroad in 1847. The new railroad was paid for by a few investors and him. This method was highly irregular for building a railroad. At the time, tax money would pay for a new railroad. Chauncey Rose did not agree with this practice; he felt all the success or failure should rest on his shoulders. If the railroad succeeded, he would be a multimillionaire. If it failed, he would be financially ruined.
Learn Chauncey Rose’s fate in my next blog.
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