For many years in the late 1800's the town of Elkhart was one of the largest
shipping points on the C&A (Chicago & Alton) Railroad, due to the
large stock raising farms of John Dean Gillett. Noted for importing Durham
cattle from Scotland and developing the Shorthorn cattle breed, Gillett shipped
over 2,000 head of cattle and 1,000 head of hogs to Europe annually. The London
Gazette dubbed him "The Cattle King of the World". Gillett and his
grandson Hiram Keays won numerous awards at the Chicago livestock show.