The

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sov ...

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th st ...

has 24

state park State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the sub-national level within those nations which use "state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on account of its natural ...

s maintained and operated by

Indiana Department of Natural Resources The Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is the agency of the U.S. state of Indiana. There are many divisions within the DNR and each has a specific role. The DNR is not only responsible for maintaining resource areas but also manages In ...

(DNR). In addition, a separate state agency operates

White River State Park White River State Park is an urban park in downtown Indianapolis, Indiana. Situated along the eastern and western banks of its namesake White River, the park covers . The park is home to numerous attractions, including the Eiteljorg Museum of A ...

in downtown

Indianapolis Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Marion ...

Marion Marion may refer to: People *Marion (given name) * Marion (surname) * Marion Silva Fernandes, Brazilian footballer known simply as "Marion" * Marion (singer), Filipino singer-songwriter and pianist Marion Aunor (born 1992) Places Antarctica * M ...

and

Clark Clark is an English language surname, ultimately derived from the Latin with historical links to England, Scotland, and Ireland ''clericus'' meaning "scribe", "secretary" or a scholar within a religious order, referring to someone who was educated ...

are the only counties to have two parks. Brown County, the largest state park, has the greatest number of visitors, followed by

Indiana Dunes State Park Indiana Dunes State Park is an Indiana State Park located in Porter County, Indiana, United States, east of Chicago. The park is bounded by Lake Michigan to the northwest and is surrounded by as well as within the authorized boundaries of I ...

Richard Lieber Richard Lieber (September 5, 1869 – April 15, 1944) was a German-American businessman who became the father of the Indiana state parks system. At his death, he could be considered the most powerful spokesman in the United States for the co ...

was instrumental in the foundation of the Indiana State Park system. The first state park in Indiana was

McCormick's Creek State Park McCormick's Creek State Park is the oldest state park in the U.S. state of Indiana, dedicated on July 4, 1916, as part of the state's centennial celebration. It is located west of Bloomington in Owen County. The park receives about 640,000 vis ...

, in Owen County in 1916, followed in the same year by

Turkey Run State Park Turkey Run State Park, Indiana's second state park, is in Parke County in the west-central part of the state along State Road 47, east of U.S. 41. The first parcel of land was purchased for $40,200 in 1916, when Indiana's state park system ...

in Parke County. The number of state parks rose steadily in the 1920s, mostly by donations of land from local authorities to the state government. Of the initial twelve parks, only Muscatatuck State Park is no longer a state park, having been given back to Jennings County in 1968. It was during the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagion ...

of the 1930s that much infrastructure was built within the parks, constructed by

New Deal The New Deal was a series of programs, public work projects, financial reforms, and regulations enacted by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the United States between 1933 and 1939. Major federal programs agencies included the Civilian Cons ...

agencies such as the Civilian Conservation Corps and the

Works Progress Administration The Works Progress Administration (WPA; renamed in 1939 as the Work Projects Administration) was an American New Deal agency that employed millions of jobseekers (mostly men who were not formally educated) to carry out public works projects, i ...

, with the majority of this Depression-era construction still in use in the 21st century. This delay in infrastructure was due in part to Richard Lieber's belief that the parks should be kept as natural as possible. Initially, the state parks were intended to feature natural environments in Indiana. The establishment of

Mounds State Park Mounds State Park is a state park near Anderson, Madison County, Indiana featuring Native American heritage, and ten ceremonial mounds built by the prehistoric Adena culture indigenous peoples of eastern North America, and also used centuries l ...

for its historical nature and Shakamak State Park (an abandoned strip mine) purely for recreational purposes represented changes from the initial purposes of the Indiana state park system. While Indiana does not have as many state parks as some other states, it has avoided obtaining too many smaller properties that would be hard to manage. A goal of having at least one state park within an hour's drive for every Hoosier was met when

Prophetstown State Park Prophetstown State Park commemorates a Native American village founded in 1808 by Shawnee leaders Tecumseh and his brother Tenskwatawa north of present-day Lafayette, Indiana, which grew into a large, multi-tribal community. The park features an ...

was established in 2004. It is possible to view the Milky Way at 3 of the 24 Indiana State Parks, which are Shades State Park, Tippecanoe River State Park, and Turkey Run State Park.

State parks

References

External links

Indiana Department of Natural Resources Division of State Parks and Reservoirs
{{Lists of state parks by U.S. state Indiana state parks

State parks State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the sub-national level within those nations which use "state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on account of its natural ...

State parks

See also

References

External links