Elkhart is located in the northern part of the state of Indiana and a city in Elkhart County and is on the St. Joseph and Elkhart rivers in the eastern part of South Bend. The town was laid out in 1832 between the junction of the Indian trails, and the name was derived from an island that is situated in confluence to the rivers that are known by the Potawatomi word that means “elk heart,” since the share of the area resembles in shape. In 1870, with the establishment of the railway repair shop, it stimulated the growth and development of the town and became the division point for the New York Central Railroad. The manufacture of musical instruments became a primary economic activity, and it became a center as a national center for band-instrument manufacturing.