This year, Fishers High School will travel to Hamilton Southeastern on September 13 to meet on the gridiron for the annual Mudsock game. This game sells out each year and is one of the biggest events in Fishers, drawing nearly 8,000 people. Spectators are decked out in royal blue and red as they flock to root for their team in this fierce rivalry. This game has special meaning to Hamilton Southeastern Schools, and during halftime the Teachers of the Year are recognized on the field. While the game is mostly a friendly “battle” on the field between two great schools, it is inspired by a real-life and not-so-friendly “battle” in downtown Fishers in 1881.
It was a cold, brisk Saturday morning on November 19, 1881, as the saloons started to fill up with those looking to wet their whistle. Fishers, then known as Fishers Station, had a reputation for being lawless. The railroad attracted drifters and other unsavory characters to Fishers. Shortly before noon, an argument began between a local farmer and a drifter inside a saloon owned by Andy and Ed Ferrell. The argument turned physical, and the local farmer was declared the victor, with the drifter sent packing.
Another saloon owned by Hampton “Hamp” West was on the other side of the railroad tracks. The earlier fight caused people to take sides, and disastrous consequences followed as the whiskey continued to flow. The West saloon and the Ferrell saloon were rivals. West, with a few friends, went over to the Ferrell saloon to engage in a fight. West was beaten and bloodied, and somehow limped back to his bar.
A couple of hours later, patrons at the Ferrell saloon were not done fighting. One of those patrons was Benjamin Fouch, known for having a bad temper. He was prone to fighting, especially when he was drinking whiskey. Just as West brought the fight to them, they were prepared to return the favor. Inside West’s saloon, another fight broke out, which was more brutal than the previous ones. Pool cues, billiard balls, axe handles and brass knuckles were just a few items used as weapons.
While the melee was going on inside the saloon, West and Fouch seemed to be in a standoff. Fouch, holding an axe, charged at West. West grabbed a brass beer faucet and struck Fouch over the head. He immediately fell to the floor. Fouch was taken from the saloon by his friends and taken to a nearby home, where he died hours later. West was eventually arrested and charged with murder, but was found not guilty by reason of self-defense. Gunshots would still ring throughout the night and into the early morning hours, even as the Hamilton County sheriff arrived from Noblesville to restore order.
A month before, Wyatt Earp, his brothers, and Doc Holliday had a shootout with a group called the Cowboys at the O.K. Corral in Tombstone, Arizona. Although not as famous, and more of a bar brawl than a “battle,” it did garner worldwide attention. Newspapers as far as England reported on the incident.
Some may wonder why it was called the Battle of Mudsock, not the Battle of Fishers Station. This is because Mudsock was a nickname for Fishers. It was not an official name for Fishers and was not recognized by the post office. The name Mudsock was also not unique to Fishers. Many cities and towns were known as Mudsock, including the nearby town of Dundee in Madison County. It isn’t exactly known why Fishers was called Mudsock, but theories abound.
Many towns known as Mudsock center around the same theme: mud. The Wild West was a dirty place to live. There were no gravel or asphalt roads, only plank roads (roads composed of logs) and, of course, dirt roads. With no drainage system or ditches, the dirt easily turned to mud. The ground was so muddy that residents would get stuck in mud up to their ankles, hence the name Mudsock.
A town called Mudsock in Ohio gave two explanations for the origin of the name. First, the name was derived from the mud that would build up on horses’ ankles, which resembled brown socks. A second explanation was due to farmers dismounting from their horse and sinking into the mud. As they tried to pull their feet out, their shoes would come off, and then their socks. Fishers even had a saloon built on poles, and many times a drunk person would stumble outside only to get stuck in the mud.
Regardless of how the name came to be, it has stuck and is now interwoven into our history. While Mudsock may not have been an official name, it is a nickname that residents took pride in. An article in the Hamilton County Ledger from March 15, 1889, sums up the different names perfectly: “Known to the traveler as that great ironbound thoroughfare as Fishers, by those who send tender missives as Fishers Switch, by the country people as Fishers Station, and by rival hamlets who denizens want to be called smart, Mudsock.”
