HAMMOND

city, Lake county, northwestern Indiana, U.S., in the Calumet industrial complex between Chicago and Gary, on the Grand Calumet River, near Lake Michigan. It was founded in 1869 when George Hammond, a pioneer in shipping refrigerated beef, established with Marcus Towle the State Line Slaughterhouse. Ice from the river and inland lakes was used for packing the meat. Until destroyed by fire in 1901, the packinghouse was the city's largest industry. The city, originally called Hohman, and then State Line because it is on the IllinoisIndiana boundary, was renamed in 1873 to honour the meat-packer. Handicapped by the lack of a harbour, it failed to attract the heavy industry found in neighbouring cities but did develop diversified light manufacturing. The Purdue UniversityCalumet Campus is there. Inc. 1883. Pop. (1990) city, 84,236; Gary-Hammond PMSA, 604,526.