Place Information
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Hammond is a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. It is part of Chicagoland. The population was 83,048 at the 2000 census.
History of Hammond, Indiana
Hammond was incorporated on April 21, 1884. The first permanent residents arrived around 1847 to settle on land between the Grand and Little Calumet Rivers, on the South end of Lake Michigan. Those first residents were German farmers newly arrived from Europe looking for land and opportunity. Before that time, the area was a crossroad for Indian tribes, explorers, stagecoach lines and supply lines to the West. Convenient location and abundant fresh water from Lake Michigan led to the beginning of Hammond's industrialization in 1869 with the G.H. Hammond Company packing house following merchants and farmers to the area. Hammond is the oldest city in Lake County. On June 22, 1918, the Hammond circus train wreck occurred about 5 1/2 miles east of the city, killing 86 and injuring 127 persons. According to the 1960 U.S. Census Hammond's population reached a record high of 111,698 residents. Hammond is also the home of The First Baptist Church of Hammond, one of the nation's largest congregations. Population recorded through its history [1]
The Hammond Pros (1920-1926)The Hammond Professionals was one of the country's earliest professional football teams. When the American Professional Football League was formed in 1920, the Hammond Pros was a charter member, as it also was when the league changed its name to National Football League in 1922. However, four years later, when the NFL decided to reduce the number of teams, it did so by simply folding smaller franchises and the Hammond Pros was one of the teams folded. During the six years the Hammond Pros team was in existence, the NFL had six African-American players, six of whom played for the Pros. The NFL's first African-American head coach was Hall-of-Famer coach Fritz Pollard of the Pros. Research Tips
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