
p. 604: The first road that was surveyed and cut out through this township was the Lafayette Road. It was surveyed and cut out in 1831 and 1832 from Indianapolis to Lafayette. The next was the Michigan Road from Indianapolis to Michigan City; this was surveyed by George L. Conrad in 1832. Some of the citizens are still living who helped cut out these roads. The Lafayette Road runs in a northwesterly direction through the township, and in some places passed through the swampiest land in the township. In such places it was “corduroyed,” and in open, wet winters or in spring this road was impassable for teams and wagons, and in those days it was a great undertaking to go to Indianapolis, a distance of ten or twelve miles, and often required two days to make the round trip to mill or market with a small load. In 1859 to 1862 the Lafayette Road was graded and graveled by Aaron McCray, Issac Meyers, John Bowers, and Manning Voorhes, at a cost of twelve hundred dollars per mile; in these four years twelve miles of this road was graveled and it was made one of the best thoroughfares of the county. Since that time the Michigan Road, the Zionsville, and other roads in this township have been graveled and there are now about thirty five miles of gravel roads in the township, fully half of which are free roads. Quite an improvement has been made in the other roads of the township, all the wet and low places being graded and graveled. In the summer of 1877 the first iron bridge was built in this township across Big Eagle Creek, on the Lafayette Road at Trader’s Point, at a cost of twelve thousand dollars.
any idea on approximate date on this photo?
no but judging by the condition of the roads and the age of the house it could be from the 1920s or 1930s. The archives of Pike Twp are located in Pike High School and they may have better info on this photo.