La Porte, Indiana

Episode 35 / 13 September 2017 / 102 min / full

Dr. covered nameenstein Has Lost Control, in LaPorte, Indiana

"La Porte, Indiana is on the northern border of the state, in La Porte County, zip code 46350, area code 219, an hour and twenty minutes from Chicago." about 0:06:08

The case: Murder of Dwayne Bush (June 1971); Murders of Darren Reed and Jeff Lopez (January to June 1983). Read the case file.

The figures, as told in 2017

Population

21,916

Median age

36.5

Two-bedroom rent

about $760

Cost of living

82

Religious

36%

Property crime

▲ almost twice

Violent crime

▼ less than half

History, in brief

• La Porte was settled in 1832; the land was purchased and a saw mill built in the first year. about 0:07:55
• The first settler built a permanent cabin on the ground where the courthouse square now is. about 0:08:19
• A federal land office was established at La Porte in 1833, where settlers came to buy land from the government. about 0:08:37
• A newspaper was established in 1836. about 0:09:00
• The La Porte Medical School opened in 1842; William Mayo, founder of the Mayo Clinic, was one of its graduates. about 0:09:03
• By 1852 the town already had 5,000 people. about 0:09:29
• The first mayor was elected in 1852. about 0:09:59
• The county courthouse was built in 1892 and still stands after major refurbishing. about 0:08:32
• A great many maple trees were planted and the town became known as Maple City. about 0:10:04
• Belle Gunness moved to the United States in 1881, advertised in newspapers for wealthy men and lured them to her farmland, where they disappeared. about 0:10:44
• The remains of more than forty men and children were found on Belle Gunness's property. about 0:11:23
• Belle Gunness burned down her own house to make it look as if she had died inside, but the body was not hers; she withdrew her money and was never tracked down. about 0:11:29

Open the episode file