The history of Indiana's first port

Port of Indiana-Burns Harbor

It all started in northwest Indiana. It was there that the crusade to establish a public port in Indiana began and, consequently, the need for a Port Commission first became evident. For years, the idea of establishing a port on Indiana's northern Lake Michigan shore had been tossed around among legislators, businessmen, and lobbyists, but it was not until George A. Nelson, manager of the Valparaiso Chamber of Commerce, came along that the idea of a port began to form into a plan. According to Nelson, his strong interest in a lake port was sparked by a prediction made by banker/developer friend Patrick W. Clifford as the two stood looking out onto the lake in 1932. "There she is - Lake Michigan - pointed down into the heartland of the USA like a great finger into the bread basket of America," said Clifford. "As sure as we stand here, a great public port will be built in this area. Maybe not in our time, but let's see if we can make it happen."

For the next 30 years, Nelson worked to "make it happen," and in the end he succeeded. After campaigning and lobbying the Indiana General Assembly to the point that he became a "continual irritation" to those opposing a port, Nelson brought about the creation of the Indiana Board of Public Harbors and Terminals (IPBHT) in 1939. Though the Board remained relatively dormant during the war years that immediately followed its creation, it eventually spearheaded the effort to turn the Burns Ditch area into a deep-draft harbor. Whereas George Nelson was the vocal port proponent on the home front, in Washington the Lake Michigan port found an ally in Indiana Rep. Charles A. Halleck of the Portage/East Chicago district. His "Halleck Resolution," which was added to the 1937 Rivers and Harbors Act, effectively called for a survey of the Burns Ditch area and led to the eventual designation of that site for the port.

While the port proponents had their friends in Congress, they also had their enemies. For quite a while, great protest had been raised from residents of Chicago and the "Save the Dunes" Council about the future of the Indiana Dunes if a port were constructed. The Indiana Dunes State Park had been established during the 1920's to preserve a large amount of the region, but the unprotected area sought by Nelson, Halleck, and the IBPHT for a port raised concern about the fate of the entire State Park. After the Indiana General Assembly voted to begin purchasing dune land in the harbor area, the "Save the Dunes" issue came to the forefront. Leading the effort was Illinois Sen. Paul Douglas, commonly referred to at the time as the "third Senator from Indiana."

"It may seem strange," commented the senator when asked why he was dabbling in an Indiana affair, "that I should come here from Illinois to plead with all my heart for the protection of a small part of the sovereign state of Indiana - Yet I honestly feel that no apology is necessary, because the issues at stake are of the greatest national significance." Douglas' crusade indeed grew into an issue of "greatest national significance," and it was years before the issue was resolved and construction of a port began. Several public hearings were held and much debate went on in the U.S. Congress as both sides tried to understand each other and come to a compromise.

To Indiana Gov. Matthew Welsh, the issue was clear-cut. The St. Lawrence Seaway was finished, waterborne commerce was re-emerging, and a Lake Michigan port was essential for Indiana. "With the rapid development of the European Common Market," Welsh said, "and the need for opening additional foreign as well as domestic markets for Indiana industrial and agricultural products, the construction of the Port of Indiana offers one of our finest opportunities for improving the economy of the state." When one looks at northwest Indiana and the jobs created by the port today, it is easy to see that the Governor was exactly right. Two years after Welsh made this statement, the battle in Congress came to a close with the passage of the 1965 Rivers and Harbors appropriations bill, and after being signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson, construction began in earnest. In 1970, the Port of Indiana at Burns Harbor officially opened as it received its first ship in May. At the dedication, the port's most avid supporter, George Nelson, was in attendance. Within five years it had a dozen tenants. Today, the Port of Indiana-Burns Harbor is one of the most modern of all the Great Lakes ports and is home to about 30 companies.