Kokomo is located in the northern-central part of the state of Indiana and a city and seat of Howard County and is within the northern part of Indianapolis. The area where the present-day Kokomo stands were laid out in 1844 by a trader named David Foster and is on the part of the reservation that was once held by Chief La Fontaine. The settlement’s development that was established was hampered by the spread of the malaria disease along the swamps in the area, which was then drained after. In 1853, the Peru and Indianapolis Railroad reached the area and was then stimulated by the community’s growth. Natural gas was discovered along the creek in 1886 and subsequently started to boom for the next ten years and attracted many industries; however, the natural gas ran out.