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Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th U.S. state on December 11, 1816.<\/p>\n
History:<\/h2>\nNative Americans:<\/h3>\n
The earliest inhabitants of what is now Indiana were various cultural groups of Native Americans.\u00a0 Eventually the Hopewell<\/a> and Mississippian culture<\/a>s emerged, lasting from 1000 until the 15th century.<\/p>\n The historic Native American tribes in the area at the time of European encounter spoke different languages of the Algonquian<\/a> family. \u00a0They included the Shawnee<\/a>, Miami<\/a>, and Illini<\/a>. \u00a0Later they were joined by refugee tribes from eastern regions including the Delaware<\/a> who settled in the White and Whitewater River Valleys.<\/p>\n In 1679 the French explorer Ren\u00e9-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle<\/a> was the first European to cross into Indiana after reaching present-day South Bend<\/a> at the Saint Joseph River<\/a>.\u00a0 He returned the following year to learn about the region. \u00a0French-Canadian fur traders soon arrived, bringing blankets, jewelry, tools, whiskey and weapons to trade for skins with the Native Americans. \u00a0By 1702, Sieur Juchereau<\/a> established the first trading post near Vincennes<\/a>. \u00a0In 1715 Sieur de Vincennes<\/a> built Fort Miami<\/a> at Kekionga, now Fort Wayne<\/a>. \u00a0In 1717, another Canadian, Picote de Beletre<\/a>, built Fort Ouiatenon<\/a> on the Wabash River<\/a>, to try to control Native American trade routes from Lake Erie<\/a> to the Mississippi River<\/a>. \u00a0In 1732 Sieur de Vincennes built a second fur trading post at Vincennes. \u00a0French Canadian settlers, who had left the earlier post because of hostilities, returned in larger numbers. \u00a0In a period of a few years, British colonists arrived from the East and contended against the Canadians for control of the lucrative fur trade. \u00a0Fighting between the French and British colonists occurred throughout the 1750s as a result.<\/p>\n The Native American tribes of Indiana sided with the French Canadians during the French and Indian War<\/a> (also known as the Seven Years’ War). With British victory in 1763, the French were forced to cede all their lands in North America east of the Mississippi River and north and west of the colonies to the British crown.<\/p>\n In 1787 the US defined present-day Indiana as part of its Northwest Territory<\/a>. \u00a0In 1800 Congress separated Ohio from the Northwest Territory, designating the rest of the land as the Indiana Territory<\/a>.\u00a0 President Thomas Jefferson<\/a> chose William Henry Harrison<\/a> as the governor of the territory and Vincennes was established as the capital.\u00a0 After Michigan Territory<\/a> was separated and the Illinois Territory<\/a> was formed, Indiana was reduced to its current size and geography.<\/p>\n In 1810 the Shawnee chief Tecumseh<\/a> and his brother Tenskwatawa<\/a> encouraged other tribes in the territory to resist European settlement. \u00a0Tensions rose and the US authorized Harrison to launch a preemptive expedition against Tecumseh’s Confederacy<\/a>; the US gained victory at the Battle of Tippecanoe<\/a> on November 7, 1811. \u00a0Tecumseh was killed in 1813 during the Battle of Thames<\/a>. \u00a0After his death, armed resistance to United States control ended in the region. Most Native American tribes in the state were later removed to west of the Mississippi River in the 1820s and 1830s after US negotiations and purchase of their lands.<\/p>\n President James Madison approved Indiana’s admission into the union as the nineteenth state on December 11, 1816.\u00a0 In 1825, the state capital was moved from Corydon to Indianapolis.<\/p>\n Many European immigrants went west to settle in Indiana in the early 19th century. \u00a0The largest immigrant group to settle in Indiana were Germans, as well as numerous immigrants from Ireland and England. \u00a0Americans who were primarily ethnically English migrated from the Northern Tier of New York and New England, as well as the mid-Atlantic state of Pennsylvania.\u00a0 The arrival of steamboats on the Ohio River in 1811, and the National Road<\/a> at Richmond in 1829 greatly facilitated settlement of northern and western Indiana.<\/p>\n During the American Civil War, Indiana became politically influential and played an important role in the affairs of the nation. \u00a0As the first western state to mobilize for the United States in the war, Indiana had soldiers participating in all of the major engagements.<\/p>\n Indiana remained a largely agricultural state; post-war industries included food processing, such as milling grain, distilling it into alcohol, and meatpacking; building of wagons, buggies, farm machinery, and hardware.<\/p>\n With the onset of the industrial revolution, Indiana industry began to grow at an accelerated rate across the northern part of the state. \u00a0In the early 20th century, Indiana developed into a strong manufacturing state with ties to the new auto industry.\u00a0 Haynes-Apperson<\/a>, the nation’s first commercially successful auto company, operated in Kokomo<\/a> until 1925.<\/p>\n During the 1930s, Indiana, like the rest of the nation, was affected by the Great Depression<\/a>. \u00a0The economic downturn had a wide-ranging negative impact on Indiana, such as the decline of urbanization.\u00a0 World War II helped lift the economy in Indiana, as the war required steel, food and other goods that were produced in the state.\u00a0 Roughly 10 percent of Indiana’s population joined the armed forces, while hundreds of industries earned war production contracts and began making war material.\u00a0 Indiana manufactured 4.5 percent of total United States military armaments produced during World War II, ranking eighth among the 48 states.<\/p>\n With the conclusion of World War II, Indiana rebounded. \u00a0Industry became the primary employer, a trend that continued into the 1960s. \u00a0Urbanization during the 1950s and 1960s led to substantial growth in the state’s cities. \u00a0The auto, steel and pharmaceutical industries topped Indiana’s major businesses.<\/p>\n The 1973 oil crisis created a recession that hurt the automotive industry in Indiana. \u00a0Companies such as Delco Electronics<\/a> and Delphi<\/a> began a long series of downsizing that contributed to high unemployment rates in manufacturing areas.\u00a0 The restructuring and de-industrialization trend continued until the 1980s, when the state economy began to diversify and recover.<\/p>\n Located in the Midwestern United States, Indiana is one of eight states that make up the Great Lakes Region<\/a>.\u00a0 Indiana is bordered on the north by Michigan, on the east by Ohio, and on the west by Illinois.\u00a0 Lake Michigan borders Indiana on the northwest and the Ohio River separates Indiana from Kentucky on the south.<\/p>\n The average altitude of Indiana is about 760 feet above sea level.\u00a0 The highest point in the state is Hoosier Hill<\/a> in Wayne County at 1,257 feet above sea level.<\/p>\n The state includes two natural regions of the United States: the Central Lowlands<\/a> and the Interior Low Plateaus<\/a>.\u00a0 The till plains make up the northern and central regions of Indiana. \u00a0Much of its appearance is a result of elements left behind by glaciers. \u00a0Central Indiana is mainly flat with some low rolling hills and soil composed of glacial sands, gravel and clay, which results in exceptional farmland.\u00a0 Northern Indiana is similar, except for the presence of higher and hillier terminal moraines and hundreds of kettle lakes.<\/p>\n In northwest Indiana there are various sand ridges and dunes, some reaching nearly 200 feet in height.<\/p>\n These are located along the Lake Michigan<\/a> shoreline and also inland to the Kankakee Outwash Plai<\/a>n. Southern Indiana is characterized by valleys and rugged, hilly terrain, contrasting from much of the state. \u00a0Here, bedrock is exposed at the surface and isn’t buried in glacial till like further north. Because of the prevalent Indiana limestone, there are numerous caves, caverns, and quarries in the area.<\/p>\n Indiana has a diverse economy with a gross state product of $341.9 billion in 2016.<\/p>\n In 2016, Indiana was home to seven Fortune 500<\/a> companies with a combined $142.5 billion in revenue.<\/p>\n Northwest Indiana has been the largest steel producing center in the U.S. since 1975 and accounted for 27 percent of American-made steel in 2016.<\/p>\n Indiana is home to the international headquarters and research facilities of pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly<\/a> in Indianapolis, the state’s largest corporation, as well as the world headquarters of Mead Johnson Nutritionals<\/a> in Evansville<\/a>.\u00a0 Overall, Indiana ranks fifth among all U.S. states in total sales and shipments of pharmaceutical products and second highest in the number of biopharmaceutical related jobs.<\/p>\n Other Fortune 500 companies headquartered in Indiana include Cummins, In<\/a>c. and Simon Property Group<\/a>.<\/p>\n Indiana is located within the U.S. Corn Belt and Grain Belt<\/a>. \u00a0The state has a feedlot-style system raising corn to fatten hogs and cattle. \u00a0Along with corn, soybeans are also a major cash crop. \u00a0Its proximity to large urban centers, such as Indianapolis and Chicago, assure that dairying, egg production, and specialty horticulture occur. \u00a0Other crops include melons, tomatoes, grapes, mint, popping corn, and tobacco in the southern counties.\u00a0 Most of the original land was not prairie and had to be cleared of deciduous trees. \u00a0Many parcels of woodland remain and support a furniture-making sector in the southern portion of the state.<\/p>\n Indianapolis International Airport<\/a> serves the greater Indianapolis area and has finished constructing a new passenger terminal. \u00a0The new airport opened in November 2008 and offers a new midfield passenger terminal, concourses, air traffic control tower, parking garage, and airfield and apron improvements.<\/p>\n Other major airports include Evansville Regional Airport<\/a>, Fort Wayne International Airport<\/a>, and South Bend International Airport<\/a>. \u00a0A long-standing proposal to turn Gary Chicago International<\/a> Airport into Chicago’s third major airport received a boost in early 2006 with the approval of $48 million in federal funding over the next ten years.<\/p>\n The major U.S. Interstate highways in Indiana are I-64<\/a>, I-65<\/a>, I-69<\/a>, I-70<\/a>, I-74<\/a>, I-80<\/a>, I-90<\/a>, I-94<\/a>, and. \u00a0The various highways intersecting in and around Indianapolis, along with its historical status as a major railroad hub, and the canals that once crossed Indiana, are the source of the state’s motto, the Crossroads of America. \u00a0There are also many U.S. routes and state highways maintained by the Indiana Department of Transportation<\/a>.<\/p>\n A $3 billion project extending I-69 is currently underway. \u00a0The project was divided into six sections, with the first four sections, linking Evansville to Bloomington<\/a>, now complete. \u00a0The fifth section, between Bloomington and Martinsville<\/a>, is currently under construction, while the sixth and final phase to Indianapolis is in planning.<\/p>\n To commemorate the state\u2019s 1916 centennial anniversary, the Indiana General Assembly<\/a> issued a resolution to adopt a state flag. \u00a0At the request of the General Assembly, a contest was sponsored by the Indiana Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution<\/a> to design a flag to serve as the official state banner. \u00a0As an incentive to increase the number of submissions, the contest offered the winner a one hundred dollar cash prize. \u00a0More than two hundred submissions were received and examined by the Society before a winner was selected. \u00a0The entry created by Paul Hadley of Mooresville, Indiana<\/a>, was ultimately chosen as the winner of the contest and the cash prize.<\/p>\n On May 31, 1917, the flag was chosen as the state’s official banner. The General Assembly made only one change to Hadley’s original design: they added the word Indiana, in a crescent shape, over the top of the torch. \u00a0The state banner was later renamed the state’s flag in a new statute passed in 1955 that also standardized the dimensions of the flag.<\/p>\n The flag consists of a gold torch that represents liberty and enlightenment; the rays around the torch represent their far-reaching influence. \u00a0The nineteen stars represent Indiana’s place as the nineteenth state to join the United States. \u00a0The thirteen stars in the outer loop symbolize the original Thirteen Colonies, the five inner stars represent the next five states added to the Union, and the one large star above the torch represents Indiana.<\/p>\n For well over a century and a half the people of Indiana have been called Hoosiers. \u00a0It is one of the oldest of state nicknames and has had a wider acceptance than most.<\/p>\n It is known that Hoosier it came into general usage in the 1830s. \u00a0John Finley of Richmond wrote a poem, “The Hoosier’s Nest,” which was used as the “Carrier’s Address” of the Indianapolis Journal, Jan. 1, 1833. \u00a0It was widely copied throughout the country and even abroad. \u00a0Finley originally wrote Hoosier as “Hoosher.” \u00a0Apparently the poet felt that it was sufficiently familiar to be understandable to his readers. \u00a0A few days later, on January 8, 1833, at the Jackson Day dinner at Indianapolis, John W. Davis offered “The Hoosher State of Indiana” as a toast. \u00a0And in August, former Indiana governor James B. Ray<\/a> announced that he intended to publish a newspaper, The Hoosier, at Greencastle, Indiana<\/a>.<\/p>\n A few instances of the earlier written use of Hoosier have been found. \u00a0The word appears in the “Carrier’s Address” of the Indiana Democrat on January 3, 1832. \u00a0G. L. Murdock wrote on February 11, 1831, in a letter to General John Tipton, “Our Boat will [be] named the Indiana Hoosier.” \u00a0In a publication printed in 1860, Recollections . . . of the Wabash Valley, Sandford Cox quotes a diary which he dates July 14, 1827, “There is a Yankee trick for you — done up by a Hoosier.”<\/p>\n Several popular theories for the nickname exist, including:<\/p>\n When a visitor hailed a pioneer cabin in Indiana or knocked upon its door, the settler would respond, “Who’s yere?” \u00a0And from this frequent response Indiana became the “Who’s yere” or Hoosier state.<\/p>\n Indiana river-men were so spectacularly successful in trouncing or “hushing” their adversaries in the brawling that was then common that they became known as “hushers,” and eventually Hoosiers.<\/p>\n There was once a contractor named Hoosier employed on the Louisville and Portland Canal who preferred to hire laborers from Indiana. \u00a0They were called “Hoosier’s men” and eventually all Indianans were called Hoosiers.<\/p>\n It is also claimed that Indiana\u2019s earliest settlers were enthusiastic and vicious fighters who gouged, scratched and bit off noses and ears. This was so common an occurrence that a settler coming into a tavern the morning after a fight and seeing an ear on the floor would touch it with his toe and casually ask, “Whose ear?”<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2018\/10\/Angels-Mounds-300x160.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
European Exploration:<\/h3>\n
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Western Expansion:<\/h3>\n
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Statehood:<\/h3>\n
Civil War:<\/h3>\n
Early 20th Century:<\/h3>\n
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Modern Era:<\/h3>\n
Geography:<\/h2>\n
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Economy:<\/h2>\n
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Transportation:<\/h2>\n
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Flag of Indiana:<\/h2>\n
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State Nickname:<\/h2>\n
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