bureau county was a new england settlement. the first people of princeton were from new england. these people were "yankees." they were part of a group of new england farmers who went west into what was then the wilds of the northwest territory during the early 1800s. most of them came because of the erie canal. when they came to what is now bureau county, there was nothing but forest and wild prairie. the new englanders created farms, built roads, created government buildings and created post routes. culturally, bureau county would be very similar with early new england culture for most of its history. during slavery, it was a stop on the underground railroad at the home of owen lovejoy.