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South Bend, city (1990 pop. 105,511), seat of St. Joseph co., N Ind., on the great south bend of the St. Joseph River, in a farming and mint-growing region; inc. as a city 1865. An industrial city, its products include paint, machinery, plastics, metal items, and farm equipment. The Studebaker manufacturing corporation, founded there in 1852, was a major producer of automobiles in the 20th cent. until production ceased in 1963. Robert LaSalle, the French explorer, camped in the area in 1679. South Bend was settled c.1820 as a post of the American Fur Company on the site of a French mission and trading post. The old St. Joseph County Courthouse (1855) houses a museum. South Bend is the seat of the Univ. of Notre Dame, with its famous football team, athletic facilities, art gallery, and huge library. St. Mary's College and a branch of Indiana Univ. are also in the city.
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