Mishawaka, Indiana

Mishawaka, Indiana

St. Joseph County, Indiana

Mishawaka is a city that iron drafted and water power filled in. Where the St. Joseph River gathers itself over a fall of broken rock — the rapids at the head of which the town was planted — a Potawatomi village stood on the south bank, and the village's name, in the form the settlers took it up…

98 sections
1,495 entry pages
923 dated events

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The Story of MishawakaThe Story of Mishawaka: From the Rapids to the Present Day
Before the CityMishawaka Before the City: The ground before the town
The River & ParksThe St. Joseph River at Mishawaka: Water, Bridges and Green Ground
GovernmentMishawaka Government: The Mayors, the Council, and the City's Own House
Businesses & BanksMishawaka Business History: The Rest of the Economy, Whole
Ball BandBall Band in Mishawaka: The Woolen Mill That Put a Red Ball on America's Feet
AM GeneralAM General in Mishawaka: The Humvee Works on McKinley Highway
Churches & ReligionMishawaka Churches and Religion: The Faiths of the Princess City, Congregation by…
Notable PeopleNotable People of Mishawaka: The Human Record of the Princess City
Mishawaka TodayMishawaka Today: The City as It Stands, November 2026
The timelineEvery dated event in the record, in order

Churches & Religion

The Faiths of the Princess City

Mishawaka's religious record begins with the iron works. The village of St. Joseph Iron Works was platted in the 1830s around its furnaces, and its first congregations were organized while the place…

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The record, by topic

Origins

The ground before the town, the peoples of the rapids, the St. Joseph River, and the city's whole story.

Government & Population

Who governed, who served, how many lived here, and the fights.

Business & Industry

Ball Band, AM General and the mill town: firms, owners, founders, inventions and fortunes.

Transportation

Railroads, streetcars, the interurban and buses, airfields, cars and the great roads.

People & Communities

The people of Mishawaka and the communities they built.

Black History

Black history in Mishawaka and the Underground Railroad years.

Events

The days the city gathered, and its fairs.

Military

Wars, the home front, veterans and those who served.

Crime & Justice

Crime history and the cold cases.

Schools, Churches & Civic Life

Churches, schools and colleges, hospitals, libraries, museums, charities and lodges.

Landmarks & Neighborhoods

Landmarks, buildings, maps, parks and neighborhoods.

Arts, Media & Sports

The Cavemen and the town's teams, music, stage, screen, press, books, fashion and honors.

Food & Nightlife

Where the city ate, drank, stayed, shopped and went out.

Nature & Trails

Wildlife, the zoo question and the trail record.

Legends & Mysteries

Folklore, oddities, ghost stories, sightings and famous stories set beside the record.

Today & Sources

The city now, and the sources behind every page.

Every section, in reading order

Mishawaka in its county and state

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Cite this page

Using this page? Copy a credit line. Last updated November 12, 2026.

Source: Mishawaka, Indiana, Moosed History by Project Moosed, https://history.projectmoosed.com/usa/midwest/indiana/mishawaka/

@misc{moosed-mishawaka,
  title        = {{Mishawaka, Indiana}},
  howpublished = {\url{https://history.projectmoosed.com/usa/midwest/indiana/mishawaka/}},
  organization = {Project Moosed},
  note         = {Moosed History. Last updated 2026-11-12. Accessed 2026-11-12},
  year         = {2026}
}