Contents
Preface
The Ice Age Made Modern Indiana
Mounds Leave Evidence of Indigenous Hoosiers
Indiana’s Economy Built on Farm Foundation
First White Man in Indiana? Un Francais, sans doute
Land of Three Rivers—From Miami Capital to Fort Wayne
On the Banks of the Wabash, History Happened
Bison Migrating West Created First Indiana Road
First Church Congregation Still Thriving in Vincennes
Revolutionary Hero George Rogers Clark
Hoosier Values Shaped by the Northwest Ordinance
Little Turtle Led in War and Peace
William Henry Harrison Shaped Indiana from Vincennes
Lewis and Clark Joined Forces in Indiana
Swiss Created Early Commercial Winery in Indiana
Tippecanoe a Turning Point in U.S.–Native American Relations
Frontier Violence Erupted at Pigeon Roost
Harmonists Sought to Create a Perfect Society
Indiana Years Shaped Abraham Lincoln
Indiana’s Framers Met under Famous Elm Tree
Indiana Became Nineteenth State under Madison
Jonathan Jennings’ Story One of Triumph and Tragedy
Slavery Existed in Free Indiana
Committee Picked Indianapolis as Capital
Massacre at Fall Creek Tested Frontier Justice
Marquis de Lafayette a Big Hit in Jeffersonville
Indiana University Began as a Seminary in 1820
Free Blacks Migrated to Indiana from the South
National Road Moved People, Mail, and Goods
Limestone: Indiana’s Gift to the World
Fleeting Canal Era Had Lasting Impact
Obscure Pioneer Poet Had National Fame
Potawatomi Forced from Indiana at Gunpoint
Lanier Made a Mark in Banking, Railroads
French Missionary Founded Notre Dame du Lac
Riley Revered for His Homespun Poetry
Coffins Helped Fugitive Slaves Escape to Canada
1851 Constitution Has Kept Indiana Debt Free
George Julian Served Indiana as Radical Republican
Caleb Mills: The Father of Indiana’s Public Schools
Dublin Hosted Indiana’s First Woman’s Rights Convention
T. C. Steele Celebrated the Hoosier Landscape
Boat Production Big Business in Nineteenth Century—and Today
West Baden and French Lick Offered Luxury in the Country
Morton Kept State in Lincoln’s Corner during Civil War
Hoosiers Responded to Lincoln’s Call
Indiana African American Regiment Engaged at “Crater”
Indiana State Fair Promoted Farm Innovation
Purdue’s Land-Grant Origins Still Apparent
Eli Lilly Founded Indiana’s Best-Known Business
The Famous, Infamous, and Humble Laid to Rest at Crown Hill
Lew Wallace: Hoosier Renaissance Man
Railroads Transformed Indiana’s Landscape
Gene Stratton-Porter: Author and Naturalist
A Better Plow, Thanks to South Bend’s James Oliver
Covered Bridges Rare Sight on Indiana Landscape
King Coal Fuels Indiana
James Hinton: Indiana’s First African American Lawmaker
Indiana Capitol a Gathering Place for Hoosiers
Natural Gas Discovery Proved Flash in the Pan
Amish Thriving in Northern Indiana
Benjamin Harrison: An Activist President
Indiana Miami Denied Federal Recognition
Elwood Haynes: Automobile Pioneer
Social Gospel Pastors Battled Urban Problems
Major Taylor Was Fastest Bicycle Rider in World
Sports Hero Dan Patch Never Lost a Race
Draining of Kankakee Basin Destroyed Habitat
Indiana is Nation’s Round-Barn Capital
Indiana Opened First Mental Hospital in 1848
Carnegie Libraries Distinguish Indiana Landscape
Gary: The City that U.S. Steel Built
Indiana Pioneered Eugenics with 1907 Law
Indiana Authors Enjoyed Best-Selling Reputations
Indianapolis 500 Synonymous with Indiana
Vice President Thomas Marshall Put Constitution above Self
State Parks are Enduring Legacy from 1916 Centennial
Hoosier First American to Die in World War I
Eugene V. Debs Opposed War, Championed Labor
Klan Enjoyed Short-Lived Political Power
Car Companies Thrived in Indiana
Virginia Jenckes Was First Female Hoosier in Congress
Paul McNutt Wielded Unprecedented Power as Governor
1937 Ohio River Flood Swamped Evansville
Ernie Pyle Brought World War II Home to Readers
Hickam Field Recalls Famous Hoosier Airman
USS Indianapolis Played Key Role in War before Tragic End
Black Commerce and Jazz Sizzled on Indiana Avenue
Wendell Willkie Ran Credible Race against Franklin D. Roosevelt
Sherman Minton and Brown v. Board of Education
Fort Wayne: A City of Entrepreneurs
Love Affair with Cars Led to Drive-Ins
Hoagy and Cole Topped the Song Charts
Columbus Known for Engines and Aesthetics
A Common Identity Built upon Basketball
Purdue Astronauts Braved the Final Frontier
Bean Blossom Is Synonym for Bluegrass in Indiana
Indianapolis Stayed Calm as Nation Burned
Unigov Saved Indianapolis’s Economy and Tax Base
9/11 Etched in Hoosiers’ Memories
A Bicentennial Gift to Hoosiers: Meltzer Woods