April 3, 2019

In February, the United States National Park Service announced its newest addition: Indiana Dunes National Park. Located along the shores of Lake Michigan in northern Indiana, the national park’s creation was the result of a conservation effort that began more than 100 years ago.

Indiana Dunes National Park includes numerous beaches along the shores of Lake Michigan. Credit: Pixabay

In the early 1900′s, the southern shores of Lake Michigan near Chicago were booming with new steel mills and electric power plants. The industrial development took its toll on the natural ecosystems of the lakeshore, however. In 1908, a group of conservationists created the Prairie Club of Chicago to help protect the area’s wildlife and natural landscapes. After the forming of the National Park Service in 1916, the Prairie Club and other groups pushed for the creation of a “Sand Dunes National Park” in nearby northern Indiana.

In 1917, plans for the national park were interrupted by the U.S. entry into World War I (1914-1918). The war effort put heavy precedence on industrial production, and conservation efforts were pushed aside. In 1926, the creation of Indiana Dunes State Park protected some areas, but conservationists continued to push for a larger national park. The Great Depression of the 1930′s and U.S. involvement in World War II (1939-1945) delayed the park’s expansion until 1966, when it became the larger Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. The protected area was then expanded several times before earning national park status in 2019.

Indiana Dunes National Park protects some 15,000 acres (6,070 hectares) of dunes, oak savannas, swamps, bogs, marshes, prairies, rivers, and forests. It also contains 15 miles of Lake Michigan shoreline and beaches. More than 1,100 species of flowering plants and ferns live in the park, as do hundreds of species of amphibians, birds, fish, insects, mammals, and reptiles. The park is home to an important great blue heron rookery (breeding ground) and large populations of coyotes and white-tailed deer.

Indiana Dunes National Park also includes five historic homes that were relocated from the 1933 Chicago World’s Fair. At the time of the fair, the homes demonstrated innovative architectural design, experimental materials, and such new technologies as central air conditioning and dishwashers.

December 9, 2016

Sunday, December 11, is the bicentenary of the Midwestern state of Indiana. Looking back 200 years to 1816, when Indiana became the 19th state in the Union, many people may be surprised that statehood did not come easily. Aside from convincing the U.S. Congress to accept Indiana as a state, there were some Hoosiers themselves that needed convincing.

A commemorative stamp celebrating Indiana’s 200th birthday features a sunset over cornfields near Milford in northern Indiana’s Kosciusko County. Credit: United States Postal Service

Many people were perfectly happy living in the Indiana territory and wanted nothing to do with the trappings of statehood. Some feared the higher taxes that came with statehood, as well as an increase in laws and regulations. Chief among the “just say no to statehood” faction was William Henry Harrison, the champion of Tippecanoe in 1811 and appointed (not elected) governor of the Indiana territory (as well as a future U.S. president). Harrison stood to lose considerable, almost dictatorial powers if the territory became a state. Statehood would also mean the abolition of slavery in Indiana, a practice many conservative landowners wanted to preserve.

Indiana’s state flag, at left, adopted in 1917, has a torch that stands for liberty and enlightenment. The 19th and largest star above the torch represents Indiana, the 19th state. The state seal, at right, adopted in 1963, shows a pioneer scene. Credit: World Book illustrations

A majority of Hoosiers, however, favored statehood and its democratic benefits, as well as its increased protection. Indiana was on the western frontier in the early 1800’s, and violence often overruled territorial statutes and ordinances. Hostility between Native Americans and settlers continued, too, as ever more of Indiana’s fertile soils were claimed for farming. The introduction of federal laws—as well as federal troops—would do much to calm Indiana’s frontier turbulence. Hoosiers also wanted the hospitals, schools, transportation, and other far-reaching benefits of statehood. Additionally, Indiana settlers wanted to elect a governor with limited power. Last, but perhaps most important, most Hoosiers wanted slavery to be outlawed.

The Indiana Territorial Assembly listened to the Hoosier majority and petitioned for statehood in late 1815. Congress approved the petition the next year, and President James Madison signed it into law.