Michigan City Timeline - Michigan City Public Library (2023)

before 1800

1674-1675: Father Marquette, a French missionary, travels through the Trail Creek region preaching to the Potawatomi Indians.

1679 – The Griffin (Le Griffon), the first ship larger than a canoe to sail the upper Great Lakes, sets sail from the Niagara River and sails through Lake Erie, Lake Huron, and Lake Michigan to Green Bay (7th century). August). It was built by French explorer Rene'-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle. After leaving Green Bay for her return voyage on September 18, she was never seen again and likely sank in Lake Michigan.

1780: The Battle of the Dunes, the only revolutionary battle in northwestern Indiana. A small group of American and French settlers successfully stormed Fort St. Joseph (near present-day Niles, Michigan). As the invaders returned home, British soldiers and their allies defeated the settlers in a siege along the Indiana Dunes.

1800-1829

1800 - Establishment of the Indiana Territory with Vincennes as its capital (May 7).

1816 - The state of Indiana is incorporated with Corydon as its capital. Its boundaries are extended to include a ten-mile stretch of Lake Michigan's south shore, which was originally part of Michigan Territory.

1824: Indiana's capital is moved to Indianapolis.

1825 – New England settlers plant the first church in the area.

1826 - The Potawatomi cede a 100-foot strip of land from the Ohio River to Lake Michigan to build the Michigan Road (October 16).

1827 - The United States Congress authorizes the Indiana General Assembly to build the Michigan Highway (March 2).

1828 - A surveyor's team sent by the state of Indiana determined that the mouth of Trail Creek would be ideal for a harbor and shipping port.

1830-1865

1830 - Major Isaac C. Elston, the first postmaster appointed by President Andrew Jackson, quietly buys land at the mouth of Trail Creek for $1.25/acre. The land is divided into 206 lots, a public park, and a market, all of which were sold to the Michigan City Land Company.

1832 - Michigan City is chosen as the terminus of the Michigan Road after the selection committee described it as "the most fit site for a market town and the place where the best port is to be had". The state legislature orders an inspection of Trail Creek.

1832 - Michigan City's first mayor, Willys Peck, is elected.

1832 - Michigan City loses its county seat bid to La Porte.

1832: Daniel Webster crosses Michigan City.

1832-1833: Joseph Furman builds the city's first log cabin for Samuel Miller at what is now the intersection of 5th and Franklin. Samuel Miller becomes the city's first permanent resident.

1833 - Map of Michigan registered at the La Porte County Courthouse (September 17). In the fall, Michigan City's population is about 50 people.

1833 or 1834 - The first school building, known as the First Ward School, is built at Fourth and Pine on land donated by Major Isaac Elston.

1834: George Ames arrives in Michigan City. Ames owned a hardware store and was a well-known philanthropist.

1834: Joseph C. Orr opened a tannery. Michigan City also included a forge, tin shop, bank, taverns, shops, and hotels in the 1830s. It served as a place for equipment for settlers and a resting place for travelers.

1834 - A survey is begun to create a harbor but funds are insufficient to complete it (10 October).

1835 - Army Corps reports its survey of Trail Creek.

1835 - The Congregational Church is built.

1836: Michigan City incorporated February 8 and activated July 4. The borders span 15 square miles, making it one of the largest cities in the United States by area at the time. More than 1,500 people live in Michigan City. The state grants $20,000 to create a port in the city of Michigan.

1836 – First merchant ship, Sea Serpent, enters Trail Creek (July 4).

1837: The first port light is installed.

1837 - Foundation of a Baptist church.

1838 - The US government forcibly relocates Potawatomi Indians from Indiana to Kansas, a march called the Trail of Death.

1837 - Michigan City Institute, a seminary (boarding school) at Tenth (Boston) and Franklin Streets. The school was closed in 1841 due to lack of funds. The building was moved to Second and Franklin Streets, where it became the Lake House. The building was later destroyed by fire.

1844 - The first Congregational Church is completed.

1849 – St. Ambrose Catholic Church is established at the southeast corner of 2nd and Washington Streets.

1852 - The Michigan Central Railroad reaches Michigan City, connecting the city with cities to the east. A central railway depot is built.

1852 - Saint Ambrose School, Michigan City's first parish school, opens at 2nd and Washington Streets.

1853 - The first scheduled train on the city's Monon Line leaves Michigan City for Lafayette (October).

1855 - John Barker, Sr. buys Sherman, Haskell, Aldridge & Company, a railcar and freight company. In 1858 the name changed to Haskell & Barker. Under Barker, Sr. and his son, John Barker, the Haskell and Barker factory becomes the largest manufacturing facility in Indiana. Among its many accomplishments, the factory built the first modern assembly line and produced the PS-1 steel box car, which became the standard for railroads.

1856: Monon freight house and depot built.

1857 - The original Barker House, home of industrialist John Barker, is built.

1858 - The Old Lighthouse is built. This lighthouse is now the Old Lighthouse Museum.

1858 - The first Episcopal Church is completed.

1859 - St. Mary's Catholic Church is established at the southwest corner of 4th Street and Washington Street. His parishioners were mostly of German descent.

1860 - Construction of the Indiana State Prison begins. The prison was completed in 1868. Charles Seely, the first overseer, oversaw the construction.

1860s - The first bridge over Trail Creek is removed to convert the harbor into a shipping port.

1861 - The first keeper of the 1858 lighthouse, Harriet Colfax, is named. She has operated the lighthouse for more than four decades.

1861 - The Civil War begins. Hundreds of local men join the conflict, mostly on the Union side. The area serves as an important troop dispatch point and producer of war supplies.

1861 – Michigan City's first volunteer fire department formed under a single chief (May 13). E.L. Valentine ran Liberty Hose Co. #1.

1862 - The original school at Fourth and Pine is replaced by a two-story brick school called the Union School or First Ward School. It later becomes Elston Elementary.

1864 - Established Greenwood Cemetery on Tilden Avenue. Replaces all previous city cemeteries.

1866-1899

1865 - Abraham Lincoln's funeral procession passes through Michigan City en route to Springfield, Illinois (May 1).

1865 - Greenwood Cemetery moves to Tilden Avenue.

1867 - Oberhafen is first dredged, turning the area into a timber and shipping port. The harbor was again dredged in 1870, 1925 and 1953 until it was not economically advisable to continue dredging.

1867 - The Catholic Church of St. Mary's of the Immaculate Conception is built when two Catholic parishes, St. Mary's and St. Ambrose, merge.

1867 - St. John's Evangelical Church building (now the site of the Uptown Center for the Performing Arts) is dedicated. The church was founded on May 14, 1856.

1869 - The city forms a drum and bugle corps, the Band of the Second Ames Regiment.

1869: John H. Barker takes over his father's shares in the Haskell & Barker Car Company. He becomes president of the company in 1883 and oversees an era of unprecedented growth for the company.

1869 - The original St. Mary's School opens in the converted building of St. Mary's Church on the corner of Washington and Fourth St.

1870 - The Saint Ambrose School moves into 4th grade and Washington St. St. Ambrose Academy, a boarding and day school, opens at Chauncey Blair's mansion. Both schools are taught by the Sisters of the Holy Cross.

1870 – The first transcontinental railroad passengers travel through Michigan City on the Michigan Central Route during a seven-day journey from Boston to San Francisco.

1871 - Opening of the Zorn Brewery. The brewery produced up to 15,000 kegs of beer annually.

1871 – Groundbreaking for Central School, a high school, on 8th & Spring (October). The school opened on March 20, 1873. The Union School was used for elementary school students.

1871: A beacon is installed on the east pier (20 November).

1874 - The Canada School is built.

1874: The east mole light is moved to the west mole. In 1886 it was destroyed in a storm.

1876 ​​- St. Paul's Lutheran Church is built after a division with St. John's Church.

1877 - St. John's Hall or Saint Johann Verein's Hall is built, a striking example of the Italianate style.

1877 - Mozart Hall is built on the south side of E. Michigan St. near Franklin.

1879 - Michigan City Police Department formed, replacing city sheriffs (May).

1880: Christopher and August Roeske build Roeske Mill. The mill processes wood, grist, brick and flour.

1880s - Michigan Central Railroad swing bridge built.

1881 - The Congregational Church is built at its current location.

1883 - The Jewell Hotel is built and soon renamed the Vreeland Hotel. The hotel was expanded in 1898. The Vreeland has been Michigan City's premier luxury hotel for decades. It later becomes the Adner Hotel, the Chapel Hotel and the Franklin Hotel before the building is destroyed by fire in 1964.

1885 - The Harrison School is built, replacing the Canada School.

1885 - Park School is founded in a rented building.

1886: St. Ambrose School, Saint Ambrose Academy, and Saint Mary's are combined and reopened as Saint Mary's School on the 10th and Buffalo.

1888 – Completion of US Lifesaving Station (later renamed US Coast Guard Station) at the mouth of Trail Creek.

1889 - Construction of what is now Trinity Episcopal Church on the southeast corner of 6th and Franklin is completed. The first Trinity Church was built in 1836 on Pine St. between 4th and 5th. A Gothic style church was built on the 6th & Franklin property in 1850.

1889 - The German Methodist Church is built.

1889 - The Garfield School, also known as the Fourth Ward School, opens on West 11th St.

1890 - The second Michigan Central Railroad station is built, replacing the depot built in the 1850s and destroyed in a fire.

1890 - Eastport School built.

1890 - Mayor Martin Krueger successfully lobbied the legislature for legislation allowing local governments to buy, sell, and trade parkland. Construction of a bridge over Trail Creek begins. The single-leaf wooden swing bridge cost $10,000 to build.

1890s: Jim Eddy of Elston wins the high school state championship in the long jump.

1890s - Hoosier Slide Sand Company, operated by William B. Manny, begins quarrying sand on Hoosier Slide.

1891 - Development of Washington Park begins.

1891: John H. Barker donated the band's original music stand. It was destroyed in a fire in 1911 and rebuilt.

1892 - Mullen Hospital, Michigan City's first hospital, opens (August 24). The hospital was founded in 1894 after the death of its founder, Dr. Alexander Mullen closed.

1893 - Foundation of the Hermitage Social Club is laid (April 15). Martin Krueger bought the land for the Hermitage in 1890 with the idea of ​​building a religious center, but this failed. Instead, it became a social club, mostly for German-Americans. It was named the Hermitage because a hermit, Gust Anderson, lived on the property. Club disputes led to a decline in membership, and the estate was sold around 1905 to pay off its debts. In the 1920s, Haskell and Barker bought the property to use as a social club for their employees. It was later used as a nursing home and spa. The building was destroyed by arson in November 1978.

1893 - The Winterbotham Soldier's Memorial at the entrance to Washington Park is dedicated on Decoration Day (May 31). The memorial commemorates the Union soldiers who fell in the Civil War. The bronze female figure waving an olive branch represents victorious peace. The bronze belt surrounding the memorial contains the shields of the United States and Indiana, soldiers who answered the call for arms, cannon, and battle gear. The Latin expression means "It is sweet and glorious to die for one's country". The memorial was designed by M. Muldoon of Louisville, sculpted by William O'Donovan and Jonathan Hartley, and donated by John H. Winterbotham. The inscription reads, "In memory of the soldiers of the Civil War who rendered their services to the continuation of the Union of States." The 65-foot memorial is made of Vermont granite and weighs more than 76 tons.

1893 - The peristyle in Washington Park is completed. The peristyle was donated by John Barker and copied from a Columbian Exposition building.

1894 – Marsh School built at York St.

1896 - The Central School at 8th & Spring is destroyed by fire (9 January) and rebuilt the same year.

1896 - A permanent Park School building is constructed. The school had met in rented premises since its founding in 1885.

1898: Roman Eichstaedt builds the first automobile in Michigan City.

1884 - The East Pier is built.

1892 - The Church of St. Stanislaus Kostka is completed.

1893 - The Columbia Club of Chicago holds its first race to Michigan City. This annual event is the oldest freshwater race in the world.

1895 - Michigan City Library Association formed.

1897 – Old Michigan City Public Library building dedicated (October 9). The library was the result of a $5,000 bequest in the will of George Ames. The library was built with donations from citizens including John H. Barker who donated 1/3 of the cost. The building served as a library until 1977.

1899 - President William McKinley speaks from his train at a railroad crossing in Michigan City.

1899 - Chief Justice Waite, an 1874-built passenger steamer sailing between Michigan City and Chicago, wrecked at sea (September). A month earlier, he had been approached by Chicago police, who arrested the owner, the captain and 160 passengers on gambling-related offences.

1900-1929

1900-1908: An entertainment district is built in Washington Park. First of all, it contains a wooden roller coaster, a large carousel, a whirlwind and a miniature locomotive. A Ferris wheel, boat ride and other rides and games will be added later.

1902 – The Frederic H. Burnham Glove Company, founded in Chicago in 1891, moves to Michigan City. A new 30,000 square foot facility is being built at 1602 Tennessee Street. The plant was expanded in 1975 and added a retail store in 1977. Manufacturing at the Michigan City site ceased in 1980, but the retail store remains open.

1902: Michigan City and La Porte are connected by an intercity power line.

1903 - Electric streetcars begin operating in Michigan City. Three routes were recorded: a west route ending at the jail, an east route passing Franklin Street, Ninth Street, and Michigan Street, and a south route in Franklin to Coolspring Avenue.

1904 - The original Saint Anthony Hospital is built, funded in part by a donation made on behalf of Mrs. John H. Barker.

1904: The current pier light (referred to as the lighthouse), east pier, anti-mist signal tower and walkway are built. The old lighthouse is being rebuilt and the houses are being expanded. The lantern will be moved from the old lighthouse to the new pier light (20 October).

1904 - The first Jewish services are held in a rented room during the High Holy Days.

1904: A fire damages the second and third floors of the Mozart Hall.

1904 - Completion of the Pere Marquette Depot and Cargo House in Michigan City. warehouse west of Franklin Street on the former site of the DeWolfe farm; Cargo House East of Franklin (July)

1905 - Michigan City's first paid fire department organized (May 1).

1905 - The Paper Box Company begins operations.

1905 - Michigan City Yukons, the city's first semi-pro baseball team, debuts at Donnelly Field.

1905 - The Barker Mansion extension is completed. The manor house has 38 rooms.

1905: Oscar Wellnitz builds a cottage on Sheridan Beach, beginning the development of the Sheridan Beach area.

1906 - The first Franklin Street drawbridge over Trail Creek is completed. The drawbridge replaced the swing bridge built in the 1890s.

1906: The Grand Opera opens, a performance hall with a capacity for 1,500 people. "The Arbiter" is the first play to be performed. The Grand Opera House becomes the Orpheum Vaudeville Theater and then the Garden Theater which burns down in 1921. The Tivoli Theater is built on the site in 1922.

1906: Charles Lawrence wins the state shot put title, the first high school state championship for the city of Michigan.

1907 - The Michigan City YMCA is formed as a result of a town hall meeting organized by Mr. and Mrs. John H. Barker.

1907: Adath Israel, the first Jewish community in Michigan City, builds a synagogue on Seventh Street. The building was demolished in the late 1960s as part of urban renewal.

1908: The first South Shore train arrives in Michigan City from Chicago, dubbed the Chicago, Lake Shore and South Bend Railroad. The first South Shore train runs between Michigan City and South Bend (June 30). The South Shore is the oldest surviving commuter train in the United States.

1908 - A headless body believed to be Belle Gunness is found in a fire at her farm in La Porte. The remains of at least ten bodies are buried on his property. It is believed that he killed at least 25 people.

1909 - The old Elston School is built on Spring and Detroit streets and serves as the high school. It becomes Elston Junior High School in 1924 when the new Elston High School is built next to the old school.

1909 - The Supreme Courthouse and the old Post Office are built.

1909 - The Merchants National Bank is incorporated. The bank's first location at 505 Franklin opened on May 3, 1909. A building was later constructed at 601 Franklin.

1909 – Two South Shore trains collide head-on near Shadyside Crossing in Porter (June 19). South Shore eastbound No. 59 train was returning from the Cobe Cup car races at Crown Point when it ran over a level crossing and collided with westbound No. 58 train. At least 10 people died and 40 passengers were injured.

Circa 1910: Doll's Park, a popular picnic area, athletic facility, and dance hall, opens on Carroll Avenue near the southwest corner of Carroll and Michigan Boulevard. Doll's Park was a popular picnic park with benches, tables, an open lunch counter, and an open ballroom with a raised bandstand. Doll's Park began to deteriorate and was demolished in the early 1940's. Eastgate Plaza was built on the site in the 1950's.

1910 - Franklin Street Bridge collapses after tour boat United States collides with it (June 24). The bridge is rebuilt in 1911.

1910 - The Ahksakewah Canoe Club builds its clubhouse on the east side of the basin. The clubhouse served as a boating and social center, but the pool's condition steadily deteriorated due to spills. The building was demolished in 1931 and the club fell into obscurity.

1910 - The Muskegon, a 211-foot steel-hulled passenger freighter, catches fire at his company's Michigan City dock (October 6). The wreck is towed offshore from Mount Baldy and sinks. The remains were found by recreational divers in the 1960's and the wreck is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

1911 - The first plane lands in the city. Donald Gregory landed the plane on a test strip in an empty field between Barker Avenue and Greenwood Avenue.

1911: The band's original shell is destroyed in a fire. A bandstand designed by S.M. Miles is built and rededicated on July 6, 1911. The Michigan City Municipal Band hosted weekly summer band concerts at the bandstand stand until 1978, when the amphitheater was completed.

1912 – Michigan City YMCA facility opens.

1912 or 1913: Moses Moritz founds the Sinai Church.

1912: Calumet Electric Company incorporated on August 2, 1912. The company merged on June 2, 1926 to become the Northern Indiana Public Service Company (NIPSCO).

1913 - The largest fire in Michigan City history begins at the southern sawmills of the Haskell & Barker Car Company. Burns 50 acres for 10 hours causing $700,000 in damage before being brought under control.

1914 - Marquette Hall is built.

1914 - The Bader Elmoneer Society is formed to teach the history and practice of the Islamic faith.

1914 - The Michigan Central Railroad's second depot is destroyed in a fire. A new depot is built and completed the following year. The location still functions as an Amtrak station.

1914 - The first Baptist church is completed.

1915 - The lakefront amusement park burns down, severely damaging the roller coaster and other rides.

1915 - The Eastland Disaster, the greatest loss of life from a shipwreck on the Great Lakes - A pleasure boat called the SS Eastland is hired to take the families of Western Electric Company workers from Chicago to Michigan City for a picnic. The overloaded ship capsizes while moored at dock in the Chicago River, killing 844 passengers.

1915 - The lifeboat station is incorporated into the US Coast Guard.

1916 - The Herz-Jesu-Kirche is built.

1916 - A six-day homecoming celebration is held (21-26 August).

1917: The United States enters World War I. Over 2,000 Michigan City men are signing up for the service. A total of 30 Michigan City men are killed in combat, in training, or as a result of the outbreak of the flu pandemic during the conflict.

1917 - Michigan Central Railroad repair shops, employing hundreds of skilled workers, move from Michigan City to Niles, Michigan.

1917 - The Central School at 8th & Spring is renovated.

1918 - The Chamber of Commerce is formed by a group of citizens led by Joseph Hays of the Hays Corporation. Soon 22 new factories will move to the city.

1918 - The Long Beach Company is formed. The first fractions are planted the following year.

1918-1920: The Spanish flu pandemic hits Michigan City, forcing the city to temporarily close church services, public gatherings, and most businesses. In the worst case, up to 200 new cases were reported per day.

1919 (?) - Martin Krueger donates primeval forests to create a memorial park honoring the men killed in World War I.

1919 - The YMCA Seniors, the city's first semi-professional basketball team, begins play.

1920 - The state approves the Dunes Expressway, then the shortest direct route between Detroit and Chicago.

1920: Warren G. Harding meets with political leaders at the Vreeland Hotel before the Republican Convention where he is nominated for President.

1920-1924 Twenty-two new factories, including Weil-McLain, Hoosier Factories (Jaymar-Ruby), and Steel Fabricating, open in Michigan City during a period of great economic growth.

1920s - The Sheridan Beach Hotel is built.

1921 - The Garden Theater (formerly the Grand Opera House and then the Orpheum) is destroyed in a fire (February 4).

1921 - The Spaulding Hotel is completed.

1921 - City of Long Beach incorporated (July 5).

1921 - Captain Joseph O. Simmerman and Patrolman George Spencer are killed outside the Faroh Bros. store on Franklin Street.

1922 - The Tivoli Theater opens on the Grand Opera grounds and shows films for five cents.

1922 – The Lakeview Casino opens in Washington Park. It includes table games, slot machines, an entertainment room and a restaurant.

1922 - The Masonic Temple is built.

1922: Haskell & Barker merges with the Pullman Company, later renamed Pullman-Standard.

1922 - The automatic electric coal station for the Michigan Central Railroad is completed and put into service (December 15).

1922 - Floyd Fitzsimmons, boxing promoter of Benton Harbor, builds the Sky Blue Arena, a 30,000-seat outdoor concrete arena. Over the next five years it features title fights and screenings from boxers such as Jack Dempsey, Benny Leonard, Tommy Gibbons and Georges Carpentier. The arena was demolished on September 14, 1927.

1923 - The Second Street Bridge is built.

1924 - Bader Elmoneer Society reorganizes and renames Asser El Jadeed (now Michigan City Islamic Center). Constructed in the early 1920s, the Asser El Jadeed Building was the first Shia mosque in the United States.

1924: John Lloyd Wright builds his home and studio in Long Beach. Among other things, he designed the Long Beach Elementary School (1927) and the Long Beach City Hall (1931).

1924 - Elston High School in Detroit & Spring is built on the site of the old cemetery, most of which had been moved to Greenwood. The building features Robert Grafton's well-known mural of life along Michigan City's harbor in the 1840's. The building also houses Elston Junior High. Supplements are added in 1931, 1954, 1966, 1977 and 1980.

1924 - The Elston Red Devils reached the state basketball tournament for the first time. They were defeated in the opening game.

1925: Samuel Insull buys the Chicago, Lake Shore and South Bend Railroad into bankruptcy and is organized as the Chicago South Shore and South Bend Railroad.

1925 - Construction of the Niemann School.

1925 - The Warren Building is completed.

1926 – The World War I Doughboy Memorial in Washington Park is dedicated on Armistice Day, November 11, 1926. The War Mothers of the Service's Star Legion held a fundraiser to erect the memorial. It is made of granite with a marble base and features a life size figure of a "doughboy" and the names of the military.

1926 - The Sixth Street Bridge is built at a cost of $100,000.

1926 - Several utility companies, including Calumet Electric Company, merge to form NIPSCO. Samuel Insull is the first President of NIPSCO.

1927 – Merchants National Bank building opens at 601 Franklin (February 26). The building replaced the Leubke Hall, formerly called the Burkhart Hall.

1927: Eleventh Street station opens for South Shore Line (May). The two-story building cost over $200,000 to complete. It has a terracotta facade and a neoclassical design. The station was the city's longest-running storefront depot and closed in 1986. The building is still standing.

1927 - The Oasis Ballroom opens in the Lakeview Casino building, which is now closed. The ballroom maintains the casino's desert oasis theme. It was one of the largest dance halls in the Midwest, seating over 2,400. Many top artists have performed at the Oasis including Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Tommy Dorsey and Lawrence Welk. After the end of the Big Gang era, a gaming center was added to the building to try to capitalize on the pinball craze.

1927 - Long Beach Elementary School, designed by architect John Lloyd Wright, opens at Belle Plaine and Oriole Trail.

1927 – The Elks Benevolent Protection Order building on Franklin Street is completed. The building is now used as an office building.

1927 - The "E" Street Bridge over Trail Creek, a truss structure, is built.

1928 - The Washington Park Zoo is built. It expands in the 1930s with the help of WPA employees. The WPA built Monkey Island in 1934 and Zoo Castle in 1937 along with other facilities.

1929 - Stock market crash.

1929: John Dillinger was incarcerated at Indiana State Prison for almost a year. A few years later, he is credited with enabling the escape of ten inmates.

1929: NIPSCO begins construction of the power plant on the site of the former Hoosier Slide, once a 200-foot sand dune quarried for 30 years for glassmaking. The plant is completed around 1931.

1930-1959

1930s: The S. Karpen and Bros. chair factory closes.

1930-1937 The Civilian Conservation Corps, Federal Emergency Relief Administration, and Works Progress Administration (federal programs that employed people during the Great Depression) renovate and restore Washington Park. Workers are building sea walls, many facilities at the Washington Park Zoo, the Washington Park Observation Tower, gardens, tennis courts, parking lots, picnic areas and more.

1930 - A new airfield is inaugurated (June 18). Construction of the airfield on the site of the former Majot farm off US 212 near the intersection of US 20 and 35 began in the fall of 1929. The airport was operated by Michigan's private City Airport Corporation. The city had planned to buy the field but was unable to do so after the Great Depression began. In the mid-1940s, the field became Joe Phillips Airport. Midway (from 1946) and O'Hare (from 1955) airports were served. In 1986, Joe Phillips Airport was sold to the city and became Michigan City's new municipal airport.

1930 - Patrolman Charles L. Glafcke is shot dead by a Chicago man who had fled to Michigan City after a shooting (December 14).

1931 - Michigan City Yacht Club formed.

1932 - George Washington Bicentennial Bridge dedicated (May) where Franklin St. Spans Trail Creek. The bascule bridge replaced the drawbridge.

1932: After years of financial turbulence, electric tram operations are discontinued.

1933 – A lakeside centenary celebration and parade is held (July 1-3).

1933 - The lighthouse receives electricity and an electronic foghorn.

1933 - The Michigan City Yacht Club is formed. The club acquired its 12 am See building in 1938 and extensively renovated it in subsequent years for use as a clubhouse.

1933: John Dillinger was released from Indiana State Prison (May 22). On July 16, his notorious crime spree begins. He helps 10 members of his gang escape from prison on September 26 by smuggling guns in a box of string to be shipped to the prison's shirt factory. Dillinger and his gang steal more than $300,000 in a series of bank robberies across the Midwest. On July 22, 1934, Dillinger was shot dead by FBI agents in Chicago.

1934 - Se founds Michiana Shores.

1934 - Franklin Street is paved.

1934: Amelia Earhart visits Michigan City to speak for the city's new airfield.

1934 – A mass planting of trees takes place in Washington Park on Arbor Day (April 9). Many of these trees still adorn the park today.

1934 - A major fire destroys the Henry Lumber Company planing mill (June 5). The company was founded in 1894 and remained in business until the early 1970s.

1935 - The city builds a water filter plant and a sewage treatment plant.

1935 - First Indiana Days Festival held (July 4-7). An estimated 200,000 people visited the city during the Indiana Days celebrations in 1935.

1935 - The Elston Red Devils reach the state basketball tournament after an unbeaten season. They lose to Jeffersonville in the final game after Johnny Flotow, the star player and captain, falls ill with the flu.

1936 - The Gardens of International Friendship are opened. It was built by the Stauffer brothers, a trio of master gardeners whose display at the 1933 Chicago World's Fair inspired the garden.

1936: Michigan City donated land to build an armory to be built by the WPA.

1937 - The Coolspring School is built.

1937 - The Engineer Castle and Observation Tower at the Washington Park Zoo are dedicated (May 6).

1938 - Raid on slot machines.

1938: Michigan City News und Evening Dispatch se consolidan en News-Dispatch.

1938: The Moose Home at 1108 Franklin St. is destroyed in a fire (December 19).

1938-39: Richard "Fuzzy" Stephenson of Elston wins the high school state shot put championship two years in a row.

1939: The Hirsch department store is destroyed by fire (April 25). Ten firefighters were injured fighting the fire. The store was remodeled and reopened in June.

1939 - US Coast Guard assumes lighthouse maintenance (July 1).

1939 - Construction of the Naval Armory, designed by John P. Parrish and Ben H. Bacon, is completed. It is part of Naval District 9 until 1965 when the Navy deactivated its Naval Reserve in Michigan City. Ships assigned to the armory included the USS Hawk, the USS Sacramento, and the HSS Havre.

1939: The Hirsch department store is destroyed by fire (April 24).

1939 - Ames Field is completed. The first high school football game to be played on the field ended with the Red Devils losing 7-0 to Chicago Parker (September 15).

1940 - Washington Park Midway is added, including games and concessions.

1940: Babe Ruth has a cameo appearance with the Michigan City Cubs, a semi-professional baseball team that played at Ames Field in the 1940s.

1940: The Old Lighthouse closed after assistant caretaker Ralph Moore retired.

1940 - The Elston High School boys' golf team wins the High School State Championship.

1941 – Ninth Army reservists aboard the USS Sacramento depart Michigan City for the Hawaiian Islands to serve as a defense patrol. The ship and its crew are present during the attack on Pearl Harbor.

1941 - The United States enters World War II. During the war, 99 Michigan City men are killed. Michigan City citizens contributed $18 million in war bonds.

1941: Workers at the thriving Pullman Standard plant in Michigan City go on strike to secure union representation.

1941 - A new Garfield School is built. It is rebuilt in 1974.

1944 - Last remaining La Porte County Civil War veteran, Benjamin F. Kimbrel, dies at age 100 (December 27).

1945 - Fire breaks out at Pullman-Standard's southern shipyards, destroying a shed and 22 new cars and causing $125,000 in damage (June 7).

1946 - An American Airline passenger plane crashes at the east end of International Friendship Gardens, killing the pilot and co-pilot. All passengers survived (December 28).

1947: Beverly Shores is officially incorporated as an independent city (January). The founding vote took place on December 23, 1946.

1947: Elston's Jim Weisflog wins the state track championship in an 880-yard dash.

1948 - Construction begins on Michigan City Municipal Airport in US 421, in the area now occupied by Menard's and Lowe's. The first runway and most of the clearance will be completed over a weekend, December 4th and 5th. The first plane to land on the new runway was reported by News-Dispatch editor Al Spiers, with passenger M.B. Wilson, President of the Booster Club. The aircraft, a Vultee BT-13, departed from Joe Phillips Airport and landed at the new airport on December 11, 1948.

1948 - Elston's tennis team remains undefeated and ranked as Indiana's top high school group.

1949 - A new main school building is constructed on 8th & Spring. It is inaugurated on December 17, 1950.

1949 - Firefighter Charles Neulieb is killed while fighting a fire at the Modern Trend Furniture Factory, 208 Franklin St. (22 August).

1949 - Pine School built.

1949 – The Michigan City Symphony Orchestra gives its first concert (February 27). It was founded by Palmer Myran.

1949: Frank Hobart and Norm Ross win the Indiana State Three-Cushion Billiards Tournament, the city's first win in the tournament's 43 years. Hobart was undefeated.

1950s - The decade marks the end of the great ferry service to Michigan City. For the past 50 years, ferries such as Theodore Roosevelt, Eastland, Missouri, and the United States have brought hundreds of thousands of visitors to the city annually.

1950 - The Korean War begins. Over the next three years of conflict, 10 Michigan City men are killed in action.

1950 - A Senate race betting investigation brings public attention to several bookmaker window shops in Michigan City.

1950 - Springfield School is built.

1951 - A five-day-old baby, Lawrence James Lyons, is stolen from the nursery at St. Anthony's Hospital and makes national headlines (October 13). The case was never solved.

1952 - The Red Devils win the first of 24 consecutive basketball section championships.

1952 - Former fire chief Alfred Zoch is fatally injured in a Beverly Shores fire (March 10).

1952 - The Rose Bowl bowling alley is severely damaged in a fire (September 10).

1953 - The Sinai Temple is dedicated (May 1-3).

1953: The new Eastport School building opens.

1953 - The Park and Shop Center, Coolspring and Franklin opens (November 3). It is the first mall in the city of Michigan and the second in the state of Indiana.

1955 – The first summer festival takes place.

1955 - Eleanor Roosevelt speaks at the Sinai Sunday Evening Forum.

1955 - Dan's Body Shop, 208 E St., is destroyed by a massive fire.

1955 - Edgewood School is built.

1955 – The old Central Fire Station on West 4th Street is demolished (September 2). A new train station is being built on the site.

1956 – The Michigan City White Caps, a Midwest League affiliate of the New York Giants, are formed. They play for four seasons before disbanding. Notable players included Juan Marichal, Manny Mota, José Tartabull and Matty Alou.

1956 - Michigan City native and New York Yankee Don Larsen pitches the only perfect World Series baseball game in history.

1956 - St. Mary's Marquette High School opens after redevelopment.

1956 - Four inmates from Dr. Norman Beatty Memorial Hospital, located in the current Westville Correctional Facility, escape. They are captured the next day. An uprising at the facility a month later leads to the resignation of the superintendent.

1956 - Cargill's grain elevator is built at the docks.

1957 - Michigan City hosts the first official Miss Indiana pageant, held at the Tivoli Theater.

1958 - Michigan City and Lakeland merge.

1958 - The great snowfall of 1958 isolates Michigan City for nearly a week, requiring the assistance of five surrounding communities to rid the city of its feet of snow piled up during the unusual blizzard.

1958 - Captain George Dabagia chokes on smoke while fighting a fire at 227 Huron Street (December 15).

1959 - The Liberty Theater (formerly the Lake Theater and Starland Theatre) and Edwards Store caught fire on the night of January 22nd. Fire Captain Lee Brady was killed in the fire and several other firefighters were injured.

1959: The Smith Brothers cough drop factory closes.

1959 - A classmate stabs a Red Devil basketball player in the school cafeteria, requiring nine stitches to close the wound.

1959: Midwest Steel builds a $100 million plant in Burns Harbor.

1959 - The Port Authority of Michigan City is formed.

1960-1989

1960 - An explosion destroys the Edgewood Motor Company at S. Franklin St. (November 1).

1961 - The first two apartment buildings of Harborside Homes, a low-income housing development, are built on Michigan Boulevard at Canal Street and Fourth Street in the neighborhood commonly referred to as "The Patch". Nine terraced houses are added two years later. Harborside included about 120 apartments. The opening phase of construction cost $2.1 million.

1961: The first human swims across Lake Michigan and lands in Michigan City. Chicago's Ted Erickson completed the feat in 36 1/2 hours.

1961 – Knapp Elementary School (October 8), Barker Middle School (October 15), and Joy Elementary School (October 22) open.

1961: Elstonian, the Elston High School yearbook, wins first place in the Columbia University Scholastic Press Association yearbook competition (October 16).

1962 - A court order blocks renewal of the lease for the Washington Park entertainment district, stating that public property cannot be leased for private use. The Oasis ballroom and entertainment area in Washington Park will be demolished.

1963 – Start of construction of the Bethlehem Steelworks, at the time the largest steelworks in the world.

1963 - Krueger High School is built.

1963 - The city acquires the Old Lighthouse for historical purposes. He leases the building to the Michigan City Historical Society.

1963: A children's library opens at 314 E. 8th St. In 1966 she moved to a house at 320 E. 8th St. When the new library opened in 1977, the youth and adult collections were merged.

1964: The Franklin Hotel burns down (November 20). It was formerly the Vreeland Hotel, Michigan City's luxury hotel. The Franklin Hotel had closed in 1958 and reopened the following year. It has been sold multiple times and was under foreclosure at the time of the fire. Its ownership at the time was disputed.

1964: Tom Nowatzke, alumnus of Elston High School (class of 1961), is selected as a first-round pick (No. 11 overall) by the Detroit Lions in the National Football League draft (November 28). He played for the Detroit Lions from 1965 to 1969 and for the Baltimore Colts from 1970 to 1972. He scored a touchdown in Super Bowl V for the Colts, who defeated Dallas 16-13 (January 17, 1971). He played in 96 NFL games, rushing for 1,249 yards and 100 receptions for 605 yards. In college he played for Indiana University.

1965 - Michigan City is named an All-America City by the National Municipal League.

1965 - Heisman Harbour, a 30-acre marina, is developed.

1965 – Construction of Purdue North Central begins. The campus opens in 1968.

1965: Chesapeake y Ohio Railway gründet South Shore Railroad.

1965 - Plans for Marquette Mall unveiled Sears, J.C. Penney and other retailers are moving from downtown to the new mall.

1965: The United States sends troops to the conflict in Vietnam. Many Michigan City men are valiantly serving as troops.

1965: The Michigan City Naval Reserve was deactivated. The armory is leased to the city from 1968 to 1977. During this time it will be used for a youth center and Parks Department basketball games.

Late 1960s: Demolition of Washington Park amusement park.

1966 - Michigan City Red Devils win State High School Boys' Basketball Tournament vs. Indianapolis Tech, 63-52 (March 19).

1966 - The Spaulding Hotel closes.

1966 - The Elston Occupations Building is constructed at Elston High School. Later the name was changed to A.K. Smith Area Career Center honoring Superintendent A.K. blacksmith

1967 - During a major snowstorm, 26 inches of snow fell in two days.

1967 – A major new clean air ordinance is enacted, improving air quality in the community.

1968 - Senator Robert Kennedy visits Michigan City and speaks in court.

1968 - Saint Anthony's Hospital expands, culminating in the opening of a new five-story building on January 10.

1969 - Peristyle demolished in Washington Park (October 7).

1969 - Mullen Elementary School is built. It opened on November 9, 1969. The school was named in honor of attorney Thomas C. Mullen.

1969 - Franklin Square, a city park and pedestrian shopping mall spanning 500-900 blocks of Franklin Street, is completed. It is inaugurated on November 22, 1969.

1970 - The Pullman Standard factory closes December 18, after laying off more than 1,000 workers.

1970 – Construction of NIPSCO's new power plant and cooling tower begins.

1970: Elston students John Christopher and Kevil Mansfield win a federal court decision that they cannot be suspended from school because of long hair (February 20).

1970 - Two days of rioting broke out in the city's North End following the Midsummer Festival parade. The riots were sparked by an incident in which police arrested and beat three black men outside a local tavern in what began as a parking violation. Over the next two days, windows were smashed, firebombs and rocks thrown, shops looted, and sporadic shooting. Fourteen-year-old Emmett Wright was shot in the left leg and eight other people were injured. The Star Laundry was destroyed in a fire and Henry Lumber and Kaeding Boats were damaged in the fire. A state of emergency was declared and a force of 150 police officers and 150 members of the National Guard patrolled the city (July 11 and 12, 1970).

1971 - Rogers High School, Michigan City's second high school, opens on Pahs Road. It is named after physician Jesse B. Rogers (1865-1938).

1972 - I-94/USA Junction 421, connecting Michigan City to the Interstate, is completed.

1972 - The Tivoli Theater closes (November 30).

1973 - The Pullman-Standard property, used by manufacturing companies Bobco Inc. and Poloron, burns down in a major fire that spreads to other properties in the North End on July 18. Firefighters from other cities are being called to tackle the blaze, which has spread across eight square blocks. The cleanup has not been completed for five years.

1973 - The Old Lighthouse Museum opens to the public (9 June).

1973 - The old bandstand is renovated by the Questers, a community group who continue to maintain the structure.

1973: The new post office at Washington and 4th St. opens (October 22).

1974 - The old lighthouse is listed on the National Register of Historic Places (November 5).

1975 - First-Merchants National Bank, 515 Franklin Square, built. First-Merchants was formed in 1962 from the merger of First National Bank and Merchants National Bank. The bank later merged with Citizen's Bank to form First Citizens Bank. In 1997 it was renamed Horizon Bank.

1976 - Johnny Cash's "Michigan City Howdy Do" is featured on the album One Piece at a Time.

1976 - Wonderland discount store destroyed in fire (November 22).

1976–1978: The former Central Michigan stores later occupied by Tonn and Blank are demolished. A condominium is being built on the site.

1977 - The Michigan City Public Library moves to a new facility designed by Helmut Jahn. It is inaugurated on October 30, 1977. The old library building is sold to John Blank for use as a community arts center.

1977 - The Army National Guard takes control of the Armory. Company B, 113th Engineer Battalion, stationed there until 1986.

1978 - The John G. Blank Art Center opens.

1978 - The Bicentennial Amphitheater (Guy Foremen Amphitheater) is built. The Michigan City Municipal Band's final concert will be held at the Old Band Stand.

1978 – Fire causes $100,000 in damage to Rogers High School auditorium (June 16).

1978 - The Sheridan Health Spa, formerly the Hermitage Social Club, is destroyed by arson (November 1).

1978 – The original Saint Anthony Hospital building is demolished.

1979 – The city's first town hall opens.

1979: The Spaulding Hotel, Sears Building and Lido Theater are demolished.

1979: The library's Mall branch closes.

Late 70s - new police station

1980 - The first Boat Show takes place on the water in Michigan City.

1980: Plans for the new North End are published.

1980 – The Elston Junior High Building (formerly Elston High School) on Detroit and Spring streets is closed and the building demolished (April 2). A performing arts center, gymnasium and new entrance will be built on the site.

1980 - The United Steelworkers Union strikes against NIPSCO.

1980: A siege at Indiana State Prison, taking seven men hostage, lasts 16 hours. All hostages were safely released.

1980 - Production ends at the Burnham Glove Company factory in Michigan City, but the retail store remains open.

1980 - A fire destroys nine stores at the Evergreen Park mall (April 8).

1980 - Former Kubik South Side Hardware building destroyed by fire (May 22).

1981: Cable television is brought to Michigan City.

1981 - Rogers player Dan Palombizio named Mr. Basketball, Michigan City's first. Rogers' Delray Brooks won Mr. Basketball in 1984 and Elston's Charles Macon won in 1992.

1981 - The Rogers High School girls' golf team wins the state championship. They also claim the state title in the 1982 season.

1981: Amtrak begins scheduled stops in Michigan City. Amtrak's first train, the Wolverine, stopped in Michigan City on April 26.

1982 - LaPorte Mayor A.J. Rumely and his wife are shot dead in a home invasion. Rumely's wife dies.

1982: Three stores in 11th & Franklin destroyed in fire (February 2-3).

1982 - The Rodini restaurant is destroyed by fire (January 15). The restaurant will be remodeled later.

1984 - Rogers basketballer Delray Brooks named Indiana Player of the Year and Co-Mr. basketball, along with Anderson's Troy Lewis.

1984 - The Temple of Orak, the ancient Arab order of nobles of the mystical shrine, is dedicated (June 3). The temple is located at 421 north of I-94.

1985 – First Michigan City teachers' strike (February 19). The strike lasts 18 days.

1980s - The NIPSCO facility hosts laser light shows that project images onto the cooling tower.

1986 - 1st Squadron, 238th Cavalry, LRSD stationed at Armory.

1986: City airport closure on US 421 (December 21). The city sells the land and buys Joe Phillips Airport at US 35. This airport will become the new Michigan City Municipal Airport.

1987: Construction of the US 12 bridge began over Trail Creek, replacing the Second Street Bridge.

1987 - Lighthouse Place outlet center opens.

1987 - Michigan City hosts the yacht races for the Pan American Games.

1984 - The catwalk (raised walkway) to the East Pier Lighthouse is listed on the National Register of Historic Places (February 17).

1988: The South Shore Railroad announces its closure. Rail passenger service is acquired by the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District.

1988 - The Coast Guard station is rebuilt.

1988 - 1015. AG Postal Company based at the Armory until 1993. They are used in Operation Desert Storm.

1989 - The film Prancer, shot on location in LaPorte County and Three Oaks, MI and directed by LaPorte native John Hancock, is released.

1990-present

1990 - Four buildings in 7th & Franklin destroyed in fire, with losses in excess of $1 million (January 28).

1990 - Franklin Square is demolished. Franklin Street reopens to downtown traffic (10 August).

1990 - Michigan City Center Boosters formed. They later become the Mainstreet Association.

1990 - 1015. AG Postal Company mobilized to Saudi Arabia (October 25). They provide mail services to more than 250,000 soldiers. Half of the unit's members are from Michigan City. They left Saudi Arabia on April 27, 1991.

1990 - Crowds take to the streets and march to City Hall demanding a race change in the city. Rocks and bottles are thrown at a nearby riot (June 3).

1991 – The Washington Park Bandstand is listed on the National Register of Historic Places (June 26). The Bandstand, designed by S.M. Miles, was dedicated on July 6, 1911. It was restored by the Marquette chapter of The Questers in the 1970s.

1992 - Elston High School basketball player Charles Macon is named Mr. Basketball.

1993 - The Elston High School girls' cross country team wins the state championship. The team wins the state again in 1994.

1993 – Company E (Bridge) 113 Engineers stationed at Lakefront Armory until 2003.

1994 - The Elston Red Devils cross country team wins the state championship. They repeat the state championship in 1995.

1994: Memorial Plaza is dedicated to all veterans on Veterans Day (November 11). A memorial honoring Vietnam War Medal of Honor recipient Pfc. Daniel D. Bruce is located at the center of Monument Circle. Another memorial honors all branches of service in POW-MIA.

1995 - Ames Field is redeveloped and used as a football stadium and venue for the Drum and Bugle Corps.

1995 - Rogers and Elston are combined at Michigan City High School, located in the Rogers Building. Elston becomes a high school. The school board vote to consolidate took place on October 25, 1994. The newly combined Michigan City High School opens August 25, 1995 with 1,612 students.

1995 - The Michigan City High School volleyball team wins the state championship, the first volleyball championship in the city's history.

1995 - Se demuele Harborside Homes.

1995 - The city purchases the elevated walkway to the East Pier Lighthouse.

1996 - National Lakeshore compares Crescent Dunes to NIPSCO.

1996 - President Clinton visits Michigan City and speaks from his train en route to the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.

1997 – The Blue Chip Casino opens.

1997 - Meijer Abre and S. Franklin St.

1997 - Long Beach Elementary School and Eastport Elementary School closed.

1999 - The Marquette Blazers win the first of nine volleyball state championships in eleven years. They repeated their state championship victories in 2000 and 2001. Between 1999 and 2009, the Blazers played in every championship game.

1998 - The final year of the Miss Indiana Scholarship Pageant was held in Michigan City.

2001 - The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 resulted in a large number of local donations and charitable efforts.

2001 - LaPorte County Hazmat receives 45 suspicious white substance reports after national anthrax scare. They were all benign.

2001 - Bethlehem Steel files for bankruptcy.

2002 - Franklin St. is repaved and remodeled.

2003 – Bethlehem Steel is acquired by International Steel Group with the plant remaining operational.

2003 – Cierre de St. Mary’s School, Park School und Michigan City Alternative High School (junio).

2003 - The Art Center moves to its current location on 2nd Street and is renamed the Lubeznik Center for the Arts.

2003 – Army National Guard Military Police Detachment 938 deployed to the Lakefront Armory. They will be deployed in Iraq from September 1, 2004 to May 13, 2006. The department will be relocated to Gary in 2009.

2004 - The Marquette Catholic Blazers volleyball team wins the state championship for the fourth time. They win the state championship over the next five seasons (2005-2009).

2004 – 113 combat engineers and 938 MPs from LaPorte County deployed to Iraq.

2005 – The Pullman Park skate park opens in early May. It will be inaugurated on July 16th. World number ranked skateboarder Anthony Furlong attends the inauguration.

2007: The Blue Chip Casino lays the foundation for a hotel tower and event center. The 22-story tower, completed in 2009, is now the tallest building in the county.

2007: The Michigan City YMCA closes and loses its charter.

2007 - The body of suspected serial killer Belle Gunness is exhumed for DNA analysis. The search for a reliable source for DNA comparisons continues.

2007 - Michigan City Municipal Airport is named Airport of the Year by the Indiana Aviation Association.

2008 – Property tax reassessments do not meet government requirements, delaying the completion of tax bills and property tax payment to local governments by several years.

2008: Michigan City takes jurisdiction of Michigan Boulevard from US 12 to Indiana 212 and begins infrastructure redevelopment plans.

2008 - The global financial crisis causes rising unemployment and tax challenges in Michigan City and elsewhere.

2008 - A new terminal building is constructed at Michigan City Municipal Airport.

2009 - The organization that oversees the South Shore proposes realigning tracks and removing tracks embedded at 11th Street, prompting debate and criticism.

2009 - The first Great Lakes Grand Prix is ​​held. An estimated 80,000 spectators follow the professional regatta. The race takes place annually.

2009 - The 190th Transportation Battalion, HHD National Guard, deployed to the Armory.

2010 - State and federal agents raid the Sanitary District looking for signs of environmental crime. A whistleblower complaint filed by the Indiana Attorney's Office is resolved and the district awards a $215,000 settlement. The manager of the sewage treatment plant is retiring. He later pleads guilty to making false statements under the Clean Water Act.

2010: Michigan City is ranked #1 in the Forbes Culture and Entertainment category for Best Small Places for Business and Careers.

2010 - Se forma el Uptown Arts District.

2010 – Oasis Splash Park opens in Washington Park (May 28).

2010 - The Michigan City Wolves' Pop Warner Jr. Peewee team wins the national championship in the second of five consecutive trips to the national championship round.

2011 - Charles C. Westcott Park (Gateway Park) opens on the site of the former Harborside Homes.

2012 - City purchases East Pierhead Light Tower.

2012: Federal Mogul's Michigan City plant closes.

2013: Nathan Woessner, a six-year-old Illinois boy, falls into a sinkhole on Mount Baldy, resulting in an hour-long rescue effort. He is rescued unharmed from a ten-foot-deep sand in an incident dubbed "the miracle at Mount Baldy." The story appears on the national news. Mt. Baldy is closed to the public indefinitely after more sinkholes were discovered.

2014 - The Marquette High School boys' basketball team wins the Class 1A State Championship in Indiana (March 29). The team was also Class 1A runners-up in 2015.

2014 - Elston Middle School and Niemann Elementary School close at the end of the 2013-14 school year.

2015 - Michigan City adopts a new slogan: Create. To play. To repeat.

2015: North Pointe Pavilion opens in Washington Park (September 26). The pavilion replaces the Jaycee stage, which was demolished.

2015 - The Michigan City Police Department begins outfitting officers with body cameras.

2016: ArtSpace Uptown Artist Lofts opens in spring. The Michigan City Redevelopment Commission donated the Warren Building to ArtSpace in 2013. ArtSpace completes a $13 million heritage preservation/renovation project to convert the building into artist lofts. The first resident moves in on March 4th.

2016 - Groundbreaking for a new Franciscan St. Anthony Health Hospital on a lot near Interstate 94 (May 2).

2016: Michigan City High School's Daniel Armstrong takes first place in high jump at Indiana State Finals. Makiyah Smallwood wins the 110 hurdles. The MCHS track team finished second overall in the final.

2016 – Purdue University North Central and Purdue University Calumet merge to form Purdue University Northwest.

2016 - The International Friendship Gardens are renamed the Friendship Botanical Gardens.

2016 – A new police station opens at 1201 E. Michigan Boulevard (August 1).

2016 - Lake Hills Elementary becomes Northwest Indiana's first STEM magnet school.

2016 - The AK Smith Career Center celebrates its first class of Fire Science graduates who will work as firefighters.

2016 – Michigan City Promise Scholarship Program (August) established, providing up to $5,000 per year to eligible Michigan City High School graduates. In 2022, scholarship eligibility will be expanded to students living in rental housing and graduates of Marquette High School.

2017 – The MCHS Wolves football team wins the regional championship for the first time in city history, defeating Concord 21-7 (November 10).

2017 - Mt. Baldy Beach reopens to the public.

2017 - JROTC Drill Team wins first place in Armed Platoon category.

2017- A new park opens behind the police station on the site of the former Eastport School.

2017 – The Haskell Building breaks ground on US-20, the site of the Ameriplex Marquette Building Park.

2017 - The Star Center moves to its new headquarters at 422 Franklin St. The operation is a collaborative space for La Porte County nonprofits Unity Foundation, United Way, Drug Free Partnership and Healthy Communities.

2018 - Franciscan Health helps sponsor a new community garden in the Eastport neighborhood.

2018 - The Marquette Catholic Blazers women's basketball team wins the state championship. In 2019 they successfully defended their state title.

2018 - The Michigan City Zoo celebrates its 90th anniversary.

2018 - The Safe Harbor robotics team wins first place in the state robotics championship.

2018 - Michigan City receives a $600,000 EPA grant to clean up Trail Creek and surrounding land.

2019- The observation tower at the Michigan City Zoo is being repaired.

2019 - St. Anthony Hospital officially closes its doors at its original location after 114 years.

2019 - Following the passage of House Bill 684, Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore is recognized as Indiana Dunes National Park.

2019 - Mt. Zion Church celebrates its 100th anniversary.

2019 - Sullair begins a $30 million expansion project, including a new 80,000 square foot facility. The completion of the project was February 2021.

2019 - Michigan City Soul Steppers participate in the 100th Annual Veterans Day Parade in New York City.

2020 – The interfaith community PADS is renovating Sacred Heart Church to open its first permanent location. PADS acts as a temporary shelter for the homeless in LaPorte County.

2020 – Groundbreaking for a $22.5 million Michigan City Courthouse expansion and renovation (September). Renovation ends in February 2022.

2021 - La Porte County Commissioners approve the name change of the George Washington Bicentennial Bridge, the bascule bridge from Franklin St. across Trail Creek to the Harriet Colfax Memorial Bridge (April 21).

2021 - Singing Sands Trail opens. Construction of the non-motorized trail, the Michigan City segment of the Marquette Greenway Trail, began in 2019.

2021 – The MCHS Wolves football team wins the regional championship beating Valparaíso 31-28 in double overtime to claim their third regional title (November 12).