Oct. 27, 2006

By Adam Scott

Fort Wayne, Indiana
fortwayne.com

Location: Fort Wayne is the county seat of Allen County and is located in northeastern Indiana. The city runs along Interstate 69 as the county touches the Ohio state border. Three rivers converge in the Fort Wayne area: St. Joseph, St. Mary's and Maumee.

Population: 248,341 (2005)

Brief History: The first settlement, called Kekionga, was established at the Maumee, St. Joseph and St. Mary's rivers in the mid-1600s by the Miami Tribe. In the 1680s, French traders established a post at the location because it was the chief portage between the Mississippi River and the Great Lakes. Before the turn of the 18th-century, the French established the first fort on the site, Fort Miamis. In 1721, Fort Miamis was replaced by Fort St. Philippe. In 1760, after defeat by British forces in the French and Indian War, the British Empire controlled the area. The fort was renamed "Fort Miami." By 1763, various Native American nations rebelled against British rule and retook the fort as part of Pontiac's Rebellion. The Miami regained control of Kekionga, ruling for more than 30 years. In 1790, President George Washington ordered the United States Army to secure Indiana. Three battles were fought in Kekionga against Little Turtle and the Miami Confederacy. General "Mad" Anthony Wayne led a third expedition, forcing Little Turtle to negotiate peace. After General Wayne refused it, the tribe was advanced to Fallen Timbers, where they were defeated on Aug. 20, 1794. On Oct. 22, 1794, the U.S. Army captured the Wabash-Erie portage from the Miami Confederacy and built a new fort near the three rivers. On Feb. 22, 1840, the growing town was incorporated as the city of Fort Wayne.

Interesting Fact: The first-ever professional baseball game was played in Fort Wayne on May 4, 1871. The Fort Wayne Kekiongas defeated the Cleveland Forest Citys 2-0. It was the opening game of the first professional baseball league, the National Association of Professional Base Ball Players (NABBP), which operated from 1871 until 1875.

Attractions:
• Allen County War Memorial Coliseum - 13,000-seat multi-purpose arena
• Fort Wayne Children's Zoo - 38-acre zoo that targets educating children about animals
• Fort Wayne Museum of Art - exhibits a 1,300-piece collection of 19th- and 20th-century art
• Johnny Appleseed Park - public park and site of Johnny Appleseed's grave
• Lincoln Bank Tower - an art deco skyscraper built in 1929; oldest skyscraper in Indiana
• Science Central - hands-on, interactive science center

Famous Residents, Past & Present:
• John Chapman (1774 to 1845) - better known as Johnny Appleseed
• Shelley Long (born 1949) - played Diane Chambers in Cheers
• Dave Thomas (1932 to 2002) - founder of Wendy's Old Fashioned Hamburgers
• Rod Woodson (born 1965) - All-America football player and NFL All-Pro
• Fred Zollner (1901 to 1982) - founder of the Fort Wayne Pistons, now the Detroit Pistons of the NBA

Anthony's High School Team: Bishop Luers High School Knights

Anthony on Fort Wayne: "There is a great mall and good shopping. There's a lot of rich football in Fort Wayne with Snider, Northrop and Bishop. In basketball, we had a couple of state champions come out of there. Fort Wayne also has the Komets (United Hockey League team) and Wizards (Midwest League baseball team). In downtown, Three Rivers Festival is a blast, and I went to the Germanfest for the first time this past year and that was a good time."

For each home game of the 2006 season, the hometown of a selected player will be featured in the game program. This week's athlete is defensive end Anthony Spencer from Fort Wayne, Ind.

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