Churubusco

History

Originally, the area of Churubusco was made up of two towns founded in the 19th century by European Americans: Union and Franklin (in honor of Founding Father Benjamin Franklin) that bordered each other across a railroad track. In the 1840s, the populations of both Franklin and Union grew large enough to qualify each for a post office. Before that time, residents of both towns had to trek 11 miles by foot or horse and buggy to nearby Columbia City to get their mail. Since the towns were in the same location, the Postmaster General ordered the towns to apply for a joint post office. The Postmaster General denied the use of either "Union" and "Franklin" as the new post office name, since both were already used by other Indiana towns. After a community meeting, the residents selected Churubusco for the new post office, named after the site of the 1847 Battle of Churubusco, in Mexico during the Mexican–American War. At the time, after the suggestion of local school teacher Eliza Rich, the townsfolk thought it was as patriotic a name as Union and Franklin, since the United States won a large victory there. More importantly, they were certain no other Indiana town would already have chosen such a unique name. The Churubusco post office has been in operation since 1848. The name Churubusco is a Spanish corruption of an indigenous Nahuatl toponym (place name) referring to a temple area celebrating the Aztec god Huitzilopochtli. It is bordered by the Rio Churubusco in Mexico City. The Spanish-Nahuatl word literally translates as 'place (or temple) of Huitzilopochtli (the left side or south of the hummingbird)'.

Geography

According to the 2010 census, Churubusco has a total area of , all land.

Most-observed species

• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  7,680
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  6,019
• House Sparrow

  Passer domesticus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  5,979
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  5,795
• White-breasted Nuthatch

  Sitta carolinensis Latham, 1790 · Aves
  5,406
• Downy Woodpecker

  Dryobates pubescens (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  5,328
• American Goldfinch

  Spinus tristis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  5,315
• Tufted Titmouse

  Baeolophus bicolor (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  5,189

Largest nearby schools

• Churubusco Jr-Sr High School
  High · Churubusco · 647 students · 16.2:1 ratio
• Northern Heights Elementary School
  Elementary · Columbia City · 510 students · 18.2:1 ratio
• Churubusco Elementary School
  Elementary · Churubusco · 485 students · 14.3:1 ratio
• Coesse School
  Elementary · Columbia City · 271 students · 16.9:1 ratio
• Mary Raber Elementary School
  Elementary · Columbia City · 251 students · 16.7:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 2.9 — 2024-12-29
  1 km SSE of Hicksville, Ohio
• M 2.6 — 2015-06-12
  6 km NW of Convoy, Ohio
• M 3 — 2012-01-26
  5 km NE of Topeka, Indiana
• M 2.5 — 2004-01-30
  2 km S of Rockford, Ohio