Can be traced to a blow in the mouth (Charles G. Conn) received in a street fight in Elkhart. After the Civil War Conn returned to Elkhart where he operated a small grocery and bakery business. As a side line he did silver plating and made rubber stamps. He also supplemented his small income by directing and playing in the Elkhart Town band. As a result of a fistfight Conn's lip was split so badly that he could not play his cornet. By combining his skills at silver plating and stamp making he succeeded in making a pliable cornet mouthpiece so that he could play in spite of his injury."

If true, what does this story tell us about the relative importance of external economies vs comparative advantage as an explanation for the concentration of band instrument manufacturing activities in Elkhart?