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McCormick's Creek State Park is the oldest
The park was named after the area's first settler, John McCormick, who settled on there in 1816, along the canyon by the waterfalls. Up to that time, the land had been hunted by Miami Indians. McCormick's Creek Falls is the main attraction at McCormick's Creek State Park.
On May 12, 1916, a local newspaper editor suggested to an Indiana state legislator that the McCormick's Creek area would be a suitable location for a state park. German-born
File:McCormicks Creek lodge(exterior).JPG, Canyon Inn
File:Dining Room McCormicks Creek.JPG, Inn Dining Room
File:McCormicks Creek Inn Bedroom.JPG, Guest Room
Indiana Department of Natural Resources' official Web pageImage of McCormick's Creek FallsUnofficial web page
{{authority control Protected areas established in 1916 State parks of Indiana Waterfalls of Indiana
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 ...
in 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 sove ...
of 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 ...
, 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 visitors annually.
The park is 1 of 14 Indiana State Parks that are in the path of totality for the 2024 solar eclipse, with the park seeing 4 minutes and 1 second of totality.
History
The park was named after the area's first settler, John McCormick, who settled on there in 1816, along the canyon by the waterfalls. Up to that time, the land had been hunted by Miami Indians. McCormick's Creek Falls is the main attraction at McCormick's Creek State Park.
On May 12, 1916, a local newspaper editor suggested to an Indiana state legislator that the McCormick's Creek area would be a suitable location for a state park. German-born 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 ...
businessman Richard Lieber championed the idea of establishing a system of state parks for Indiana, and, after winning the property at auction with a bid of $5,250, received it from the Dr. Frederick Denkewalter estate. McCormick's Creek was formally opened on December 11, 1916; the centennial birthday of Indiana. In 1927 a naturalist program was started, a first for Indiana and the United States.http://www.in.gov/dnr/3245.htm Official (Indiana) DNR Historical Timeline
Much of the infrastructure of the park was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps
The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was a voluntary government unemployment, work relief program that ran from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men ages 18–25 and eventually expanded to ages 17–28. The CCC was a ...
during Franklin D. Roosevelt's 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 Con ...
era, and many of the CCC-built structures, retaining walls, and elegant, arched limestone bridges remain in use today. The park entrance gatehouse, former nature center, and a stone arch bridge over McCormick's Creek were listed on the National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...
in 1993. There are eight numbered hiking trails in the park, accessing features and park attractions, which include a fire tower, a scenic ravine and waterfall, small cave, sinkhole formations, and towering stands of second-growth Midwestern hardwoods. The park also features a fine system of equestrian paths.
Also on-site is The Canyon Inn, a former sanitarium that now hosts guests for the night. It has an Olympic-sized swimming pool. Overnight camping is also available. In addition, the Old State House quarry is a source of the Indiana limestone used in the Indiana State Capitol building.
Canyon and waterfall
The heart of the park is McCormick's Creek Canyon. The upper levels of the canyon are around above sea levels, dropping to the westfork
In cutlery or kitchenware, a fork (from la, furca 'pitchfork') is a utensil, now usually made of metal, whose long handle terminates in a head that branches into several narrow and often slightly curved tine (structural), tines with which one ...
of the White River which is near . The McCormick's Creek waterfall
A waterfall is a point in a river or stream where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf.
Waterfalls can be formed in several ...
is a primary attraction of the park, as Indiana has few waterfalls due to the relatively flat topography of the state.
Hiking trails
Wolf Cave Nature Preserve Trail #5. The Wolf Cave Trail is considered to be of MODERATE difficulty. The trail is long, and it loops through the Wolf Cave Nature Preserve. It is relatively level with a drop into a shallow valley. The trail begins at the Wolf Cave Parking Area. The forest along the route is a Beech-Maple forest. Wolf Cave was formed by the collapse of a cave, leaving only the middle section 'the cave' still roofed.McCormick's Creek State Park Map, Indiana Dept of Natural Resources McCormick's Creek Falls Trail Trail #3. This short is considered RUGGED. The trail begins across from Canyon Inn and drops down before rising at the edge of McCormick's Creek Canyon. The trail access and overlook parking lot here before descending to the bottom of the canyon. There are no bridges across the creek. Fluctuating water levels makes some areas seasonably inaccessible. The trail ends at Stoney Restroom, a short walk back to the Canyon Inn. McCormick's Cove Nature PreserveGallery
See also
* List of Indiana state parksReferences
Indiana Department of Natural Resources' official Web page
{{authority control Protected areas established in 1916 State parks of Indiana Waterfalls of Indiana
Canyons and gorges of Indiana This category contains canyons in the U.S. state of Indiana.
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 ...
Civilian Conservation Corps in Indiana
Protected areas of Owen County, Indiana
Nature centers in Indiana
1916 establishments in Indiana