TERRE HAUTE (terie hot), a city of western Indiana, U.S.A., on the Wabash river, 73 m. W.S.W. of Indianapolis; county seat of Vigo county. It is on Federal highways 4o and 41; has a municipal airport ; and is served by the Big Four, the Chicago and Eastern Illinois, the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pa cific, and the Pennsylvania railways. Pop. (1920) 66,o83 (89% native white) ; but it fell to 62,810 in 1930 by the Federal census. The city occupies 10 sq.m., 6o ft. above the river. It has 16 parks, covering 538 ac. ; municipal swimming pools and golf courses; a stadium seating 16,000; 36 public and 8 parochial schools ; 68 churches ; and 3 daily newspapers. It is the seat of the Indiana State Normal School (established 1865 and opened 1870) and the Rose Polytechnic Institute, founded by Chauncey Rose (1794-1877) and opened in 1883; and 4 m. N.W. is the college (for girls) of St. Mary-of-the-Woods, founded in 1840 by the Sisters of Providence. Oil in commercial quantities has been found in Vigo county and in Sullivan (adjoining), and Terre Haute has a well which has been yielding for 4o years. Terre
Haute is in the heart of a bituminous coal field and the output of the county was 4,468,773 tons in 1926. The city has a by product coke plant with a capacity of 75o tons daily. Other im portant industries are railway shops, stamping works, paper and box factories, rolling mills, glass works and flour mills. The total factory output in 1927 was valued at Terre Haute is one of the oldest cities of Indiana. Fort Harrison (abandoned 1817) was erected here in 1810–ii. In 1812 the fort was successfully defended against an attack of the Indians by its commandant Captain Zachary Taylor. Round the fort grew up a settlement, which developed after the War of 1812 into an important commercial centre. The town was incorporated in 1838 and became a city in 1853. In 186o it had a population of which increased to 26,042 in 188o and 36,673 in 1900.