A Brief History of Fort Wayne, Indiana

An eighteenth century American fort (built in 1794) was the fort from which the community derived its name. It replaced several earlier frontier outposts originally established by the French. For many centuries before, this site had site had been a gathering place for Native American tribes. Because of the confluence of three rivers, the site was a traditional trade center for the Miami, Potowatomi, Wea, and other tribes that inhabited the Great Lakes region. These waterways provided access to the Great Lakes and much of Ohio, as well as northern and central Indiana.

Because of the profitable fur trade, early pioneers were were attracted to Fort Wayne. By the mid-1820s, early settlers had begun building the future city of Fort Wayne. The population of Fort Wayne increased from 45,115 in 1900 to 114,946 in 1930. Fort Wayne continued to grow even during the depression years, and downtown Fort Wayne reached its peak in the 1940s with hundreds of businesses from small shops to large department stores thriving in the central business district.