from the northwest. Delaware County was authorized in Jan. 1820 on
New Purchase lands south of the
Wabash River gained with the 1818
Treaty of St. Mary's. It encompassed the
drainage basin of the
White River, along which the
Delaware, a
Native American people had settled, and from which the County takes its name. The Delaware people were moved to lands west of the
Mississippi River in the 1840s. The county was once home to
Tenskwatawa ("The Prophet"), a brother of
Tecumseh who instigated a major Indian uprising in 1811 culminating in the
Battle of Tippecanoe. David Conner, a trader, was the first white settler, arriving in the early 1810s. After formation, numerous counties were carved from the original, and a remnant retaining the original name was organized in 1827. Following the
American Civil War the county experienced an economic boom caused by the discovery of natural gas, which spurred rapid industrial growth in the surrounding area. The first discovery of
natural gas in Indiana occurred in 1876 near
Eaton. A company was drilling in search of coal, and when they had reaching a depth of six-hundred feet, there was a loud noise and foul-smelling fumes came from the well. After a brief investigation, it was decided they had breached the ceiling of
Hell, and the hole was quickly filled in. In 1884, when natural gas was discovered in nearby Ohio, people recalled the incident. They returned to the spot and opened Indiana's first natural gas well. The gas was so abundant and strong that when the well was lit, the flames could be seen from
Muncie. ==Geography==