Steuben County, Indiana
Steuben County is a county located in the northeast corner of the U.S. state of Indiana.  The county was named after Baron von Steuben, a Prussian military officer who helped train the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War.

The county seat is Angola. The area was developed for agriculture in the 19th century and has many natural resources. The county contains a state park and 105 lakes of various sizes.  Some of the larger lakes are Lake James, Lake George, Clear Lake, Jimmerson Lake, Lake Gage, and Crooked Lake.  As of 2010, the county population was 34,185.

Steuben County comprises the Angola, IN Micropolitan Statistical Area.

History
This area was historically occupied by the Potawatomi people, who were one of the three tribes in the Council of Three Fires. Typically they lived in highly decentralized bands. Treaties signed by some leaders with United States representatives ceded large areas of their territory to the US.

Steuben County was officially created by European Americans in 1837 from LaGrange County, and named for Baron Frederick von Steuben, an officer of the American Revolutionary War. In 1840 the Potawatomi were forcibly removed from this area and neighboring territory in Michigan and Ohio to Indian Territory in Kansas.

A Potawatomi chief, Baw Beese, led a band that was based at what later became known as Baw Beese Lake nearby in Michigan. His daughter Winona married Negnaska and lived in what is now Indiana. She was executed in the 1830s by her husband's people after she killed Negnaska for selling her pony. Winona's husband had pledged his rifle to Aaron B. Goodwin of Fremont, Indiana for the use of a 5-gallon keg. The Indians had the keg filled with whiskey at Nichols' store in Jamestown, and he took all the money they had. Negnaska sold his wife Winona's pony in order to pawn his rifle. Winona owned the pony outright, either as a gift from her father or having bought it with her own money. She killed Negnaska in anger for selling what was hers. Winona was held by the tribe for a few hours, until her husband's nearest relative arrived to execute her. As was their custom, he stabbed her to the heart as she had her husband.
	
John D. Barnard and Sheldon Havens were said to have encountered the Potawatomi group after the execution; they helped them move the bodies to a nearby grave that had been dug. The Indians did not bury the bodies until after the white men were out of sight. But Dr. B.F. Sheldon found out about it and exhumed the bodies for dissection a few days later, outraging the mourning Potawatomi. About two weeks later some Potawatomi returned the keg to Goodwin and tried to retrieve Negnaska's rifle, but Goodwin pretended not to know the man had been killed and refused to release the rifle to his friends.

Geography
According to the 2010 census, the county has a total area of , of which  (or 95.80%) is land and  (or 4.20%) is water.

Cities and towns
Angola
Ashley
Clear Lake
Fremont
Hamilton
Hudson
Orland
Pleasant Lake

Unincorporated towns

Townships
Clear Lake
Fremont
Jackson
Jamestown
Millgrove
Otsego
Pleasant
Richland
Salem
Scott
Steuben
York

Adjacent counties

Branch County, Michigan  (north)
Hillsdale County, Michigan  (northeast)
Williams County, Ohio  (east)
DeKalb County  (south)
Noble County (southwest)
LaGrange County (west)

Major highways
    Indiana Toll Road (Interstate 80 and Interstate 90)
  Interstate 69
  U.S. Route 20
  State Road 1
  State Road 120
  State Road 127
  State Road 327
  State Road 427
  State Road 827

Attractions  
Pokagon State Park, a popular state park with year-round activities is located entirely in the county.

Climate and weather 

In recent years, average temperatures in Angola have ranged from a low of  in January to a high of  in July, although a record low of  was recorded in January 1981 and a record high of  was recorded in July 1936.  Average monthly precipitation ranged from  in February to  in August.

Government

The county government is a constitutional body, and is granted specific powers by the Constitution of Indiana, and by the Indiana Code.

County Council: The county council is the legislative branch of the county government and controls all the spending and revenue collection in the county. Representatives are elected from county districts. The council members serve four-year terms. They are responsible for setting salaries, the annual budget, and special spending. The council also has limited authority to impose local taxes, in the form of an income and property tax that is subject to state level approval, excise taxes, and service taxes.

Board of Commissioners: The executive body of the county is made of a board of commissioners. The commissioners are elected county-wide, in staggered terms, and each serves a four-year term. One of the commissioners, typically the most senior, serves as president. The commissioners are charged with executing the acts legislated by the council, collecting revenue, and managing the day-to-day functions of the county government.

Court: The county maintains a small claims court that can handle some civil cases. The judge on the court is elected to a term of four years and must be a member of the Indiana Bar Association. The judge is assisted by a constable who is also elected to a four-year term. In some cases, court decisions can be appealed to the state level circuit court.

County Officials: The county has several other elected offices, including sheriff, coroner, auditor, treasurer, recorder, surveyor, and circuit court clerk. Each of these elected officers serves a term of four years and oversees a different part of county government. Members elected to county government positions are required to declare party affiliations and to be residents of the county.

Steuben County is part of Indiana's 3rd congressional district and in 2008 was represented by Mark Souder in the United States Congress.

Demographics

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 34,185 people, 13,310 households, and 9,153 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 19,377 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 96.8% white, 0.5% black or African American, 0.5% Asian, 0.3% American Indian, 0.9% from other races, and 0.9% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 2.9% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 37.8% were German, 12.6% were English, 10.5% were Irish, and 8.2% were American.

Of the 13,310 households, 30.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.3% were married couples living together, 9.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 31.2% were non-families, and 25.3% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 2.94. The median age was 40.2 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $47,697 and the median income for a family was $57,154. Males had a median income of $40,833 versus $29,614 for females. The per capita income for the county was $22,950. About 7.7% of families and 10.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.4% of those under age 18 and 6.3% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Colleges and universities 
Trine University

School districts 
Fremont Community Schools
Hamilton Community Schools
M S D of Steuben County
Prairie Heights Community School Corporation

Notable people

Edgar "Pop" Buell (1913–1980), humanitarian aid worker in Laos in the 1960s and 1970s, was born in Richland Township and farmed there until he joined International Voluntary Services in 1960.
Sile Doty, infamous robber, burglar, horse thief, highwayman, counterfeiter, and criminal gang leader.