Wadena is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

in Union Township, Benton County, in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

. It is part of the

Lafayette, Indiana Lafayette ( , ) is a city in and the county seat of Tippecanoe County, Indiana, United States, located northwest of Indianapolis and southeast of Chicago. West Lafayette, on the other side of the Wabash River, is home to Purdue University, whi ...

Metropolitan Statistical Area In the United States, a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) is a geographical region with a relatively high population density at its core and close economic ties throughout the area. Such regions are neither legally Incorporated town, incorporate ...

History

Wadena was founded by John Swan and named after

Wadena, Minnesota Wadena ( ) is a city in Otter Tail and Wadena counties in the State of Minnesota. It is about one hundred sixty miles northwest of the Minneapolis – Saint Paul metro area. The population was 4,325 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat ...

, a town Swan had recently visited and found pleasing. The name derives from an

Ojibwa The Ojibwe, Ojibwa, Chippewa, or Saulteaux are an Anishinaabe people in what is currently southern Canada, the northern Midwestern United States, and Northern Plains. According to the U.S. census, in the United States Ojibwe people are one of ...

term meaning "little round hill". The town was situated along a north/south rail line constructed through Benton County in the 1880s, originally operated as the

Chicago and Great Southern Railway (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

and later as the Chicago and Indiana Coal Railway, the

Chicago and Eastern Illinois Railroad The Chicago and Eastern Illinois Railroad was a Class I railroad that linked Chicago to southern Illinois, St. Louis, and Evansville. Founded in 1877, it grew aggressively and stayed relatively strong throughout the Great Depression and two Worl ...

, and ultimately the

Chicago, Attica and Southern Railroad The Chicago, Attica and Southern Railroad , nicknamed the "Dolly Varden Line", was a railroad linking small towns in west central and northwestern Indiana to the Chicago and Eastern Illinois Railway (C&EI) near Momence, Illinois (where traffic con ...

which maintained the line until its abandonment in the 1940s. The line was also commonly known as the Coal Road and the Dolly Varden Line. A post office was established at Wadena in 1883, and remained in operation until it was discontinued in 1919. In the early 20th century, four Wadena residents gained national repute as professional baseball players: *

Doc Crandall James Otis Crandall (October 8, 1887 – August 17, 1951) was a right-handed pitcher and second baseman. He was the first player to be consistently used as a relief pitcher. Consequently, he was given the nickname Doc by Damon Runyon who said C ...

: A utility pitcher for the New York Giants (1906-1914), he then joined St. Louis in the Federal League (1914-1918), then Los Angeles (Coast League). * Karl Crandall: Played several years for a Memphis, Tennessee, team, played three years with the Indianapolis American Association (1913-1916) and then entered the Coast League. * Arnold Crandall: Pitched for the Buffalo, New York, International League team in 1921. *

Cy Williams Frederick "Cy" Williams (December 21, 1887 – April 23, 1974) was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as an outfielder for the Chicago Cubs (1912–17) and Philadelphia Phillies (1918–30). As Major Lea ...

: outfielder for the Chicago Cubs (1913-1916), then joined the Philadelphia Nationals. Wadena currently consists of several private residences and a defunct

Baptist Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only (believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compete ...

church that burned down. A monument east of town commemorates Wadena School, which served the township's students from 1895 to 1961.

Geography

Wadena is located at along Benton County Road 600 North in Union Township, midway between 200 East and 300 East. Big Pine Creek Ditch begins in the fields just west of town and flows southeast approximately six miles to

Big Pine Creek Big Pine Creek may refer to: * Big Pine Creek (California), Inyo County, California * Big Pine Creek (Indiana) Big Pine Creek is a creek in northwestern Indiana, USA. It begins in Round Grove Township in southwestern White County and flows gene ...

. Carpenter Creek, which meets the Iroquois River about 14 miles to the north, begins northeast of Wadena.

Mount Nebo Mount Nebo ( ar, جَبَل نِيبُو, Jabal Nībū; he, , Har Nəḇō) is an elevated ridge located in Jordan, approximately above sea level. Part of the Abarim mountain range, Mount Nebo is mentioned in the Bible as the place where Moses ...

, the highest point in Benton County, stands a little less than two miles to the east.

References

External links

* {{authority control Unincorporated communities in Benton County, Indiana Lafayette metropolitan area, Indiana Unincorporated communities in Indiana