O'Bannon Woods

Frank and Judy O'Bannon on a hike through
the beloved woods that now bears their name.

It was his first day on the job as the DNR’s new director.

John Goss was sitting behind a desk, trying to organize things in an office big enough to park a couple of large automobiles.
I wandered in to see what I could do to help.

He looked up and asked, “What do you think of turning Wyandotte Woods into a state park?”

That had been a long-standing goal of then-Gov. Frank O’Bannon and many of his friends and neighbors in Harrison and Crawford counties. As a state senator, Frank had introduced legislation more than 20 years ago to turn Wyandotte Woods into a state park.

Wyandotte Woods had for many years been a state recreation area surrounded by Harrison-Crawford State Forest. The recreation area grew to include a modern 281-site campground, a campground for horse riders, Wyandotte Caves, tours, a pioneer village and a working 19th century haypress.

Those are the kinds of features people expect in a state park. And Frank knew that turning the property into a state park would result in better marketing and improvements that would bring more visitors to this beautiful southern Indiana community.

Frank enjoyed hiking on this land from the time he was a boy to when he served as governor. An avid bird watcher, Frank honed his skills at mimicking birdcalls in these hills.

The family home, which was built by combining a 175-year-old log cabin and a 140-year-old converted barn, borders the woods.

In December the property was renamed O’Bannon Woods. It is Indiana’s 24th state park. The 2,000-acre state park is surrounded by the 24,000-acre state forest. Park visitors have full access to the 100 miles of recreational trails that run through both properties.

Former First Lady Judy O’Bannon told the crowd at the dedication ceremony that Wyandotte Woods was so important to Frank that he took her there on her first trip to Corydon before they were married. “The state forest was one stop on the tour of sites that Frank felt I had to see,” she said.

The park isn’t named just for Frank. It honors all the O’Bannons who have done so much for Indiana.

Frank’s grandfather, Lew, purchased the Corydon Democrat newspaper in 1907 and was a candidate for lieutenant governor in 1924, unsuccessfully running on an anti-Ku Klux Klan platform. Frank’s father, Robert, ran the newspaper, worked as a lawyer and served as a state senator.

O’Bannon Woods has a bright future as a state park. A long-range master plan has been updated for the property that envisions an expansion of the horse riders’ campground, cabins and even a state park lodge.

In the more immediate future, a new aquatic facility will be developed if funding comes through in the next budget session of the General Assembly.

I had the great pleasure of working with Frank O’Bannon and John Goss since some of the earliest days of the Bayh/O’Bannon administration 16 years ago. Their legacy of adding more land for wildlife and recreation is one that should not be forgotten.

Please put O’Bannon Woods on your list of travel destinations. Enjoy the history and marvel in the scenery. It is a very special place.