Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition/Terre Haute

TERRE HAUTE, a city of the United States, in Harrison township, Vigo county (of which it is the county seat), in the western part of Indiana. It is situated in 39° 27′ N. lat. and 87° 54′ W. long., at a height of 492 feet above the sea, upon the east bank of the Wabash river, 186 miles nearly south of Chicago and 73 miles west-south-west of Indianapolis. The city stands upon level ground, about 60 feet above the ordinary surface of the river. It is regularly laid out, with wide streets, lined with shade trees; its principal buildings are the State normal school and the Polytechnic Institute. Six great railroad lines pass through Terre Haute, connecting it directly with the cities of the Mississippi valley. This fact, together with its proximity to the coal-mines of Clay county, has greatly promoted its growth as a manufacturing centre. It had in 1880 a population of 26,042, as against 16,103 in 1870.