Indiana State Parks Centennial Celebration
We’re ready for a big party in 2016!
Indiana State Parks traces its history back to 1916. Colonel Richard Lieber, an Indianapolis businessman and German immigrant, recommended that a state park system be created during the state’s centennial as
a 100th birthday gift to the people of Indiana. Lieber became a national leader in the state parks movement and assisted other states in forming their own systems as well. He became the first Director of the Indiana Department of Conservation, serving for more than a decade.
We’re counting down to our 100th birthday. Indiana’s first state park, McCormick’s Creek, was established in the summer of 1916. Turkey Run State Park followed closely behind. (The story of why Turkey Run wasn’t first is a good one – you’ll be hearing that soon!)
How To Help Us Celebrate
- WTIU produced Indiana State Parks: Treasures in Your Own Backyard for us in 2009. Get your copy at http://www.innsgifts.com/.
- We celebrated the 76th Anniversary of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) with an event at Fort Harrison in 2009. We’ll gather CCC veterans and their family members together at McCormick’s Creek State Park in 2010!
- Watch for a series of articles about each of our state parks and reservoirs in Outdoor Indiana beginning in May-June, 2010 and ending in 2016. These booklets can be pulled out and kept as collector’s items. Individual copies of each 8-page booklet will also be available as they are produced. Collect them all!
- We’re looking for great photos of you and your family visiting a state park or reservoir that we can scan and
include in the Indiana Memory Project. Contact gmurphy@dnr.IN.gov if you have images you are willing to share! - Classroom Lesson Plans - we’re looking for teachers to help us write these. If you are interested in assisting, contact us at gmurphy@dnr.IN.gov!
- Sponsorship opportunities. If you are interested in serving as a business or corporate sponsor of our Centennial Celebration, contact us for details at gmurphy@dnr.IN.gov.
- Make a donation to support the Indiana State Parks and Reservoirs Centennial Celebration. Visit the Indiana Natural Resources Foundation and write SPR100 in the memorial/honor line.
Discover Your State Parks and Reservoirs Stories
- SPR Timeline
- Discovering A Sense of Place is a booklet that summarizes each of our parks and reservoirs’ history and features.
- Indiana Memory Project - search for historic photos of state parks and reservoirs.
- Learn about interpretive history with Indiana State Parks and Reservoirs.
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