Whether you are looking for a weekend hike in the woods, a family outing, or great locations to study the local flora and fauna, Indiana state parks provide something for everyone. Visiting all 25 state parks in Indiana, Nathan Strange and Matt Williams profile and photograph the features that make Indiana parks beautiful and unique. Each park profile includes an engaging history of the park's origins and interviews with dedicated staff members about their favorite landscapes, wildlife, and adventures available in each park. This complete guidebook also offers extensive descriptions of the best park trails, along with the authors' hiking experiences, helpful maps, and directions. Featuring 109 exquisite full-color photographs and inside facts, The Complete Guide to Indiana State Parks is a must-have for every Hoosier and visitor to the state. "In all, this book is a handy one-volume reference for both the occasional park visitor and the devotee of Indiana's varied state parks."― Daily Journal Nathan D. Strange is a writer, naturalist, and author of A Guide to the Knobstone Trail. Matt Williams has worked for the Nature Conservancy for the past 16 years and is a specialist in prescribed fire and endangered species management. He is author and photographer of Indiana State Parks: A Centennial Celebration. The Complete Guide To Indiana State Parks By Nathan D. Strange, Matt Williams Indiana University Press Copyright © 2018 Nathan Strange All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-0-253-02519-7 Contents Preface, ix, Introduction, xiii, 1
McCormick's Creek State Park, 2, 2
Turkey Run State Park, 12, 3
Clifty Falls State Park, 26, 4
Indiana Dunes State Park, 36, 5
Pokagon State Park, 46, 6
Spring Mill State Park, 57, 7
Shakamak State Park, 69, 8
Brown County State Park, 78, 9
Mounds State Park, 89, 10
Lincoln State Park, 98, 11
Tippecanoe River State Park, 107, 12
Versailles State Park, 115, 13
Shades State Park, 124, 14
Whitewater Memorial State Park, 135, 15
Chain O' Lakes State Park, 141, 16
Ouabache State Park, 149, 17
Harmonie State Park, 156, 18
Potato Creek State Park, 166, 19
Summit Lake State Park, 178, 20
Falls of the Ohio State Park, 184, 21
Charlestown State Park, 190, 22
Fort Harrison State Park, 198, 23
O'Bannon Woods State Park, 209, 24
Prophetstown State Park, 218, CHAPTER 1 McCormick's Creek State Park Established 1916 — 1,961 acres 250 McCormick's Creek Park Road Spencer, IN 47460 (812) 829-2235 39.294444, -86.727778 The region was at one time settled by Miami, Delaware, Potawatomi, and Eel River Indians who are thought to have hunted and made camps along the White River and McCormick's Creek. During the era of European settlement, the land was first acquired by John McCormick on September 20, 1816. McCormick never visited the land, but his two sons Thomas and Hudson operated mills on the creek, and his daughter Nancy, with her husband Jesse Peden, raised livestock and chickens, had a vegetable garden, and farmed hundreds of acres of wheat. In order to keep milk, butter, and eggs from spoiling, a springhouse was constructed, using old-fashioned ingenuity and the local geology to keep the building cold. Using the cold water from a spring, milk cans were placed in a trough to keep cool while butter and eggs were placed on shelves around the building. When Jesse and Nancy's son Tom took over the farm, he constructed a large barn after the farm's original log barn burned down in 1857. The new barn, of massive proportion, was set on top of gigantic limestone pillars assembled by a stonemason from England. Large hickory timbers, 64 feet long, stretched the length of the pillars. As years passed, the land became a patchwork of smaller farms and properties, leaving barns and a schoolhouse to decay. Artemus Pratt's five-room home once stood where the Beech Grove Shelter currently resides. Sidney Henrick lived in a home just above McCormick's Creek Falls on the ridge, while his brother James owned a home where the Canyon Inn now stands. Near the McCormick's Creek Falls parking area, the Laymon family owned a five-room home with a log barn just west of the house. Fredrick Denkewalter continued to add to the structure, creating a hodge podge building known as the Denkewalter Sanitarium. Near the park superintendent's house, an original settler to the area named Dunn had a home, and Harrison Bean built a two-room home near the campgrounds near Trail 7. The one-room schoolhouse was located near the old stone bridge and at one time had 96 students enrolled at the school. With so many pupils, there was not enough room for desks, so benches were built around the interior walls. QUARRY When the Great Chicago fire devastated that city in 1871, the demands for limestone increased. In 1878 the Statehouse Quarry, a limestone quarry built on a bluff of solid stone along McCormick's Creek, began operating on what is n
McCormick's Creek State Park, 2, 2
Turkey Run State Park, 12, 3
Clifty Falls State Park, 26, 4
Indiana Dunes State Park, 36, 5
Pokagon State Park, 46, 6
Spring Mill State Park, 57, 7
Shakamak State Park, 69, 8
Brown County State Park, 78, 9
Mounds State Park, 89, 10
Lincoln State Park, 98, 11
Tippecanoe River State Park, 107, 12
Versailles State Park, 115, 13
Shades State Park, 124, 14
Whitewater Memorial State Park, 135, 15
Chain O' Lakes State Park, 141, 16
Ouabache State Park, 149, 17
Harmonie State Park, 156, 18
Potato Creek State Park, 166, 19
Summit Lake State Park, 178, 20
Falls of the Ohio State Park, 184, 21
Charlestown State Park, 190, 22
Fort Harrison State Park, 198, 23
O'Bannon Woods State Park, 209, 24
Prophetstown State Park, 218, CHAPTER 1 McCormick's Creek State Park Established 1916 — 1,961 acres 250 McCormick's Creek Park Road Spencer, IN 47460 (812) 829-2235 39.294444, -86.727778 The region was at one time settled by Miami, Delaware, Potawatomi, and Eel River Indians who are thought to have hunted and made camps along the White River and McCormick's Creek. During the era of European settlement, the land was first acquired by John McCormick on September 20, 1816. McCormick never visited the land, but his two sons Thomas and Hudson operated mills on the creek, and his daughter Nancy, with her husband Jesse Peden, raised livestock and chickens, had a vegetable garden, and farmed hundreds of acres of wheat. In order to keep milk, butter, and eggs from spoiling, a springhouse was constructed, using old-fashioned ingenuity and the local geology to keep the building cold. Using the cold water from a spring, milk cans were placed in a trough to keep cool while butter and eggs were placed on shelves around the building. When Jesse and Nancy's son Tom took over the farm, he constructed a large barn after the farm's original log barn burned down in 1857. The new barn, of massive proportion, was set on top of gigantic limestone pillars assembled by a stonemason from England. Large hickory timbers, 64 feet long, stretched the length of the pillars. As years passed, the land became a patchwork of smaller farms and properties, leaving barns and a schoolhouse to decay. Artemus Pratt's five-room home once stood where the Beech Grove Shelter currently resides. Sidney Henrick lived in a home just above McCormick's Creek Falls on the ridge, while his brother James owned a home where the Canyon Inn now stands. Near the McCormick's Creek Falls parking area, the Laymon family owned a five-room home with a log barn just west of the house. Fredrick Denkewalter continued to add to the structure, creating a hodge podge building known as the Denkewalter Sanitarium. Near the park superintendent's house, an original settler to the area named Dunn had a home, and Harrison Bean built a two-room home near the campgrounds near Trail 7. The one-room schoolhouse was located near the old stone bridge and at one time had 96 students enrolled at the school. With so many pupils, there was not enough room for desks, so benches were built around the interior walls. QUARRY When the Great Chicago fire devastated that city in 1871, the demands for limestone increased. In 1878 the Statehouse Quarry, a limestone quarry built on a bluff of solid stone along McCormick's Creek, began operating on what is n