By Theresa Quill
Featured Item or Collection: Indiana Historic Maps; Indiana Sanborn Maps
One of the most distinctive landmarks on the Indiana University Bloomington (IU) campus is a small creek, sometimes optimistically referred to as a "river" that flows through the heart of campus. In the spring, students hang hammocks along its bank, classes take samples to study water quality, and the campus maintains a large green space in central campus because periodic floods preclude any new buildings from encroaching on the creek. This creek is currently called The Campus River, though it has had other names throughout IU's 200+ year history.
The Campus River on a snowy day. Photo Credit James Brosher/Indiana University
Scanned maps from the Herman B Wells Library's Map Collection help us trace not only the name changes of this campus landmark, but also the environmental impact the creek has had on the town.
This map from 1896 shows the first known name of the creek, "Spanker's Branch". Anecdotally the creek got this name from the punishment handed down to children who played in the slow-moving water, though some accounts claim it was named after a local family. On this map you can see the creek meandering through campus and most of downtown before joining up with Clear Creek. The creek eventually flows into the White River.
"Detail Geological Map of the Vicinity of Bloomington, Indiana" 1896. https://purl.dlib.indiana.edu/iudl/images/VAC3073/VAC3073-M-01138
By 1910 the creek was informally known as Jordan Creek, after former IU President David Starr Jordan. However, the creek's name would not officially change to the "Jordan River" until a 1994 Board of Trustees Vote[1].
Map of Bloomington, Indiana 1910.
The Mighty Jordan River's name changed once again in 2020 when Indiana University President Michael A. McRobbie tasked a committee with renaming spaces named for former IU President David Starr Jordan who was a prominent eugenicist.[2] The Creek was renamed "Campus River".
In addition to the multiple changes in the name of our beloved "river", the actual presence of the river has changed over time. Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps show how the creek used to flow through downtown Bloomington with wooden bridges across several streets.
Sanborn Fire Insurance Map, Bloomington Indiana. 1898.
Today, the creek has been routed underground in a system of culverts, seen in this map made from the Bloomington, Indiana Hydrology dataset.
Hydrology: Bloomington, Indiana
Both historic maps and geospatial datasets can be found in the Geoportal, allowing users to trace history across time and format.
What BTAA Library submitted the item?
Indiana University
Where can I find out more?
- What's The History of The Jordan River? Indiana Public Media, 2019
- The Mighty Jordan The Herald-Times, 2004
- Hidden River Pathway Project Gets Underway to Reconstruct Downtown Stormwater Infrastructure. City of Bloomington, 2021
Theresa Quill is the Map and Spatial Data Librarian at Indiana University Bloomington.
[2] https://news.iu.edu/live/news/27125-president-mcrobbie-to-recommend-removal-of-jordan