The State Capital Indianapolis, situated on the banks of the White River, is the agricultural and industrial centre of Indiana. The history of Indiana was shaped by its rivers, the Ohio, Maumee and Wasbash.


Indianapolis Canal

Nowadays Indiana is famous for its annual car race “the Indianapolis 500". Back in the 1800’s it was known for the appalling suffering of its miners. One in twelve died underground while one in three received a serious injury when working underground. Breaker boys (young lads who picked out the slate pieces from among the coal) grew up to become adults with permanently bent backs following 14-hour working days during their growing years.

Mineworkers were predominantly Irish and English until about 1890 when Eastern Europeans and Italians came looking for work in the mines. Tension between old miners and new, mining company owners and miners led to a miners’ strike led by the United Mineworkers Union that started on 21 April 1894 and lasted for eight weeks leaving cities without heat and light and caused factories to close. Fights broke out and damage was inflicted in mine shafts and on coal trains. This was the beginning of rising social tensions among immigrants from so many different countries and eventually led to political intervention and the establishment of rules about immigration.

With agricultural decline and subsequent depression, mines were closed for six months out of every twelve and earnings fell dramatically. Gradually conditions improved and people’s standards of living improved home owning and the purchase of household items on credit were on the increase. Failure to recognise that the country was over-producing for insufficient consumers led to the Crash in 1929 that left huge numbers of people unemployed and homeless following job losses and re-possessions. Many destitute people lived in pitiful conditions.

After World War II the fortunes of Indiana were reversed and magnificent high-rise buildings, excellent roads and the affluence of the State today bear witness to the reputation for hard work that its citizens enjoy.


Amish road sign

Shipshewana to the north-east is a large Amish community – originating from the Swiss Anabaptist movement of 1525, a form of Protestant Reform that was against mainstream, established churches. At Shipshewana is the Menno Hof Mennonite Anabaptist Interpretive Centre with explanatory literature and records introducing visitors to the simple beliefs of the Amish people. Here you can purchase hand made quilts, carved furniture, farm produce and cakes at the Centre.


Amish public transport

The Amish reject modern technology and use horse and carts for transport. They manage without electricity, telephones or the internet, wear plain clothes and cover their heads as did their ancestors in the seventeenth century who came seeking a place where they could be free from religious persecution and where they could practise their way of life in peace.

Football enthusiasts should head for South Bend where, at the University of Notre Dame College Football Hall of Fame, you can undertake self-test trials to rate your performance in kicking, passing and blocking. Films and video clips of historical matches are shown in the circular theatre giving you the feeling of being in a game yourself.


Indiana Dunes Bath House

On Lake Michigan is the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore 15,000 acre refuge. This unique place offers visitors the opportunity to see numerous ecosystems from prairie to glacier remains and a huge range of birds and plants.

At Fort Wayne you can see the Allen County Courthouse that was built in 1902, as well as the Lincoln Museum, crammed with Abraham Lincoln memorabilia.


Fort Wayne Court House, Indiana

The area of the hilly Ohio River is a delight to explore and you travel through towns with evocative names like Rising Sun and Patriot.

Indianapolis itself offers the visitor first class museums and art galleries and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway track Hall of Fame where “Indy 500” memorabilia is on display along with a large number of cars. You can even sample the track on a guided test drive.

Monument Circle marks the city centre and above it is the Soldier and Sailor Monument, the Beaux Arts Obelisk.

Lockerbie Square offers a step back into the past with its humble immigrant worker homes of the 19th century. Poet James Whitcomb Riley’s former home here is open to the public as the Riley Museum.

Getting there

Indianapolis International Airport is the largest airport in Indiana but there are three smaller airports also serving the State: South Bend Regional Airport, Fort Wayne International Airport and Evansville Regional Airport

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