The Troll Under the River
by Bill Spalding
“In the mid-nineteenth century, the Native Americans and the European settlers harmoniously inhabited the St. Joseph River Valley. The river enriched the nearby soil, making this a great place for agriculture. During the Industrial Revolution, Oliver Chilled Plow Works and Studebaker Brothers Manufacturing were founded, and the river turned the water wheels that powered the companies, creating a thriving economy. During the 1930s, the water level started to go down. According to a local legend, evil trolls inhabit the sewers, taking water for themselves. In recent weeks, many local residents have reported limited water supply on their properties, and some believe that the trolls, who will stop at nothing to destroy our water supply, are to blame. The sewers have been investigated numerous times, but the trolls have never been found.”
“That is just about the dumbest story I’ve ever heard,” exclaimed Justin Crowly to his professor. “Everyone knows trolls don’t exist. Residents are losing water because global warming is drying the soil and polluting the water.”
Justin was a student at the University of Notre Dame from Madison, Wisconsin. He was a lifelong Notre Dame football fan. One of the best players on his high school football team, he eventually received a full football scholarship to play for his lifelong favorite college team. Upon arriving, he learned that the university was greatly important to the nearby city of South Bend, Indiana, which fascinated him. The following spring, he enrolled in a class that taught the history, economy, and ecology of the region. His professor, Dr. Matt Harrison, was very fascinating.
According to a local legend that Dr. Harrison shared on the first day of class, giant trolls had been living in South Bend’s sewer system for decades, stealing river water for themselves. That is believed to be the reason for the drop in the water level of the St. Joseph River, which forced Oliver and Studebaker to close in the 1960s.
“What kind of idiot would be dumb enough to believe that?” asked Justin. “People lost their jobs and their money during the Depression, and they couldn’t afford crops. Therefore, they didn’t buy water, which weakened their soil. That’s why nobody has water.”
“Justin,” said Dr. Harrison, “it’s just a legend. It was made up during the Depression so that people wouldn’t feel guilty about not conserving water. Back in the 60s, Notre Dame head football coach Ara Parseghian used to scare his players with the legend, telling them that it was driving people away from the city. This encouraged his players to perform at their best in order to keep money flowing into the community.”
Justin wondered why the story was still widely circulated if it wasn’t true. After further consideration, he realized that the city had struggled in the years since the loss of industry. As a newcomer to the area, Justin had begun to read the city’s newspaper, the South Bend Tribune, which, for the past few weeks, had been reporting that the surface of the St. Joseph River was lower than it had been in years, and dropping. Also, several local residents had still been reporting that they had been experiencing a water shortage. Justin was suddenly fascinated by such an intriguing story.
“I truly wonder how this story got started. In a nationwide depression, people will believe just about anything. As soon as the weather warms up, I’m going to find out the truth once and for all.”
That evening, Justin returned to his room at Duncan Hall and explained the legend to his roommate Chris, who was an Agriculture major. Chris had grown up on a farm outside of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and he and Justin quickly became best friends after arriving on campus. Chris knew more about farm life than anyone Justin had ever met.
“Justin,” said Chris, “it really is just a legend. Soil always dries up after a massive drought. One year, it didn’t rain for about three months, and we were fresh out of crops to sell. We were afraid we’d lose the farm. But just when things looked completely hopeless, it rained again, and our farm became stronger than ever.”
Justin still wanted to investigate the truth. “Since the Depression, this area has gotten a ton of rain, yet water levels are still going down. It sounds intriguing. It may or may not be true, but I really would like to find out.”
Chris gave up trying to reason with Justin. “Look, Justin, if you want to go find the truth, be my guest, but kindly leave me out of it.”
A few months later, Justin took a bus to Downtown South Bend and visited the Local History and Genealogy room at the St. Joseph County Public Library at the corner of Main and Wayne Streets. Upon entering, he asked the reference desk woman about the legend and where he could find more information. As he read, he learned that many local historians have tried to locate the trolls for years but to no avail.
The legend states that the trolls have a secret entrance near the East Race Waterway, America’s first-ever artificial whitewater waterway. The waterway housed the water wheels for Oliver and Studebaker, but it fell out of favor after both companies closed. Local residents had reported hearing strange noises coming from underground, so it was filled in in the 1970s. It was reopened in 1984 to create the waterway it eventually became known for. While digging through South Bend Tribune archives, Justin happened upon a survey from 1973, in which 53% of South Bend residents believed the legend to be true, and Justin was even more determined to learn the truth.
Justin proceeded to begin his search at the East Race. Justin crossed the Jefferson Bridge and walked down the steps and under the bridge, where he happened upon the East Race and Seitz Park. Curiously, the river was already low, and it was continuing to drop. As if that wasn’t eerie enough, Justin then heard small sounds of laughter at the bottom of the fish ladder. He became very anxious, as he had no idea of the danger he was getting himself into.
He quietly went down the ladder and stood perfectly still and silent as he heard a sound of laughter in the distance. As the laughter got louder, Justin remained perfectly still, getting his phone ready to take a picture. Justin eventually traced the laughter to something he thought he’d never see: actual trolls from the legend. They really did exist.
The trolls were short and hairy and had bent knees, claws, sharp teeth, three eyes, and two horns. Justin barely had enough time to snap a picture of the trolls and send it back to Chris before the trolls nabbed him. Justin tried to escape, but the trolls held onto him too tightly. The trolls dragged Justin through a portal to a magical underground world.
Justin found himself transported to a dark underground society, filled with majestic flowing rivers and waterfalls. Looking out over a pasture, Justin noticed that all the rivers linked up and flowed into a giant basin. Next to that, he noticed that a portion of the water was loaded into a massive bucket via a large hose connected to a filter. The bucket was ten times the size of the bucket at Noah’s Ark Waterpark in his hometown of Madison, where he and his family were frequent visitors. If the water in the bucket were to be poured out, Justin realized that it was capable of wiping out entire civilizations with a flood.
“Welcome to the Troll Sector,” said one of the trolls who had captured Justin. “Sorry about capturing you like that, but I couldn’t have you running off to tell your mayor that we actually exist.”
“Look, dude,” said Justin, “I don’t know what you want with our city’s water, but I won’t stand for it. We need to shower, wash our hands, and do laundry.”
“If my plan is a success,” said the troll, “there won’t be any infrastructure for oxygen to hold together.” The troll then went on to explain his evil plan. “Let me tell you why we have been depleting your water supply. Back in the 19th century, we trolls also inhabited the St. Joseph River Valley. We greatly benefited from your surplus of crops and livestock for survival.”
The troll started to become angry. “But then you built factories. Manufacturing became the primary contributor to your local economy, nearly rendering agriculture obsolete and creating air pollution. Our civilization was crumbling, so we decided to steal your water to weaken your factories. Once we have completely drained your river of water, we will load it into this bucket, take it to your town, and dump it out from the Irish Hills, flooding your city off the face of the earth. This will allow us to start a new civilization along the St. Joseph River and take over your world.”
Justin was alarmed. He knew he needed to somehow stop the trolls from carrying out their evil plan. He started to climb down the side of the cliff to run toward the basin. The trolls pursued Justin again, and he could not outrun them. The trolls nabbed Justin, dragged him into a nearby underground dungeon, and handcuffed him to chains on the wall.
“We’ll let you out after your city is completely devoid of water,” explained a troll as they walked out the door.
“But I’m from Wisconsin!” Justin yelled as the door closed and locked.
Justin had learned that the legend told by Dr. Harrison was right. Trolls truly had been stealing South Bend’s water, and if he didn’t do something soon, the city would be flooded out of existence. There would be no Notre Dame, no East Race, no Morris Performing Arts Center, no Oliver Mansion, and no Potawatomi Zoo. Then the trolls would create an evil empire in what used to be a thriving community.
Justin didn’t know what to do. He had to think of something to save his fellow students and the larger Michiana community. He would have to escape from the dungeon somehow, but the chains were locked very tightly around his wrists. He sat still trying to come up with a plan.
Five years of football had greatly increased his upper body strength, and he was able to rip the chains of the wall. He used a rock to break the chains off his wrists. He combined the chains, creating a much longer chain, long enough to reach the window. He climbed the chain, and he used the rock to widen the space between the bars, just enough for him to squeeze through. Justin had escaped, but how would he empty the bucket and restore water back to South Bend?
To Justin’s luck, he discovered a jet ski in the river leading to the basin, allowing him to outmaneuver the trolls. He navigated the jet ski all the way to the basin, only to discover that the water filter and the bucket were completely surrounded by trolls. Justin picked up a rock and threw it at the bottom of the water filter, as if he was throwing the final touchdown pass to beat USC. The glass broke, causing the water to spill out. With the trolls distracted trying to salvage the water, Justin climbed up the water filter and jumped over to the massive bucket. He pulled up the handle, and he immediately jumped off the center of the edge of the bucket, and he pulled on the handle with all his strength. Eventually, Justin was able to tip the bucket over. A large deluge of water spilled out, flooding the Troll Sector. All the trolls drowned in the flood, and their entire infrastructure was destroyed.
Justin flowed with the water back into the St. Joseph River. The current carried him all the way to the end of the East Race, where he grabbed onto the deck. Multiple local first responders were already there to help him and rush him to the hospital. Dr. Harrison and Chris were already at his bedside.
Chris was happy to see that his roommate was okay. “Justin, I was really worried about you when I got your text. After I checked your class schedule, I immediately contacted Dr. Harrison and sent him the picture. He could not make out the location, so he told me to meet him in his office in Decio Hall, and we rushed to the local history room at the library. After careful research, we figured your photo was taken near the fish ladder by Seitz Park, so we launched the search and rescue around the East Race. You were quickly spotted in the large deluge of water that spewed into the river. We’re both delighted that you found the truth and saved us all, but next time, tell someone where you’re going.”
Following Justin’s recovery, he was named a local hero and given an honorary key to the city by Mayor James Mueller at a ceremony held at Notre Dame Stadium. “You have restored our city’s water supply, making our farmland richer and giving our local fish a path to Lake Michigan. But most importantly, you have destroyed the trolls that have secretly lived below us. Our city is saved, and we will prosper for years to come.”
With Justin’s help, the city sealed off the secret entrance to the Troll Sector. Bronze statues of Justin were erected to be displayed at Seitz Park, the County-City Building, the University of Notre Dame, and the South Bend History Museum. Three years later, Justin graduated from the university with a bachelor’s degree in environmental science. He accepted a job with the South Bend Department of Environmental Services, where he measured and preserved the city’s water supply. The city’s water levels remained relatively stable after the troll incident, and South Bend became a prosperous, thriving community once again.
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About the Author
Bill Spalding has lived in South Bend his entire life.
While pursuing his History major at Indiana University South Bend (IUSB),
he took a seminar with a focus on local history, which became the inspiration for this story.