Indiana's State Motto: The Crossroads of America - adopted in 1937
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All of the documents referenced here are available on line at http://www.statelib.lib.in.us/www/ihb/resources/document.html
Some Indiana History
Indiana was a paradise that provided for all the needs of it tribal inhabitants. There was only about 20,000 people living in the area. There were no horses in Indiana when the white man first came here and they had not yet invented the wheel; the natives traveled by foot and canoe.
Indiana's waterways gave them the ability to travel from the Great Lakes to the Mississippi River and beyond. Without roads for horse drawn wagons, the Indians had no practical use for the wheel.
The Native American Hoosiers created paths called portages between the lakes, streams, and rivers. They built light weight canoes and carried them from waterway to waterway. This is one of the reasons the tribes built villages near rivers and creeks.
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In the late 1700's Indiana looked something like this. This map illustrates the Indian's ability to travel by Hoosier waterways.
The Indians also followed animal trails, the most famous in Indiana being the Buffalo Trace. It ran from the grassy plains of Illinois, crossing the Wabash River at Vincennes, going across Indiana to Clarksville Indiana across the Ohio River into Kentucky. US 150 in Indiana is based on the Buffalo Trace. It went across Southern Indiana and passed by several salt licks. The Buffalo Trace never went through Washington County though; it ran just a half mile south of Hardinsburg in the south-west corner of the county. Going East to West it passed through what is now the counties of: Floyd, Harrison, Crawford, Orange, Dubois, Pike, and Knox.
The Buffalo Trace was dangerous to travel. Cougars often attacked travelers and Indians and thieves also set up ambushes along the trail. When a family was attacked in 1807 by Indians, US soldiers began to patrol the Buffalo Trace. During the War of 1812 William Henry Harrison sent 150 men to protect the travelers.
Read Washington County resident Major George Beck's letter to William Henry Harrison, (the governor of the Indiana Territory who later became Indiana's only US President) requesting more patrol of the area after the Pigeon Roost Massacre.
The Delaware and the Shawnee Indians had moved to Indiana from Ohio as the settlers moved West into their tribal grounds. They were allowed to settle there by the Miami Tribe. Indiana was under the rule of Miami Chief Little Turtle, who had many tribes under his rule. It is difficult to accurately depict the area each tribe occupied. They weren't at war and made their villages near each other in a spotty fashion.
The Indians had their own commerce system and transportation system with connected communities throughout Indiana. The tribes traded goods with each other and Indian businessmen were plenty. Although they didn't use money, the Indian Trader was a profit seeking businessman who didn't hunt or farm to make a living.
+=+=+ Indiana's Names +=+=+
The North-West Territory - Est. 1784
The Indiana Territory - Est. 1800
State of Indiana - Est. 1816
Slavery In Indiana
The United States abolished the slave trade in 1808 though the practice continued illegally in the southern states.
Slavery in Indiana has been illegal since the passing of the Northwest Ordinance of 1787, 21 years before the US deemed it illegal. This happened when Indiana was a part of the North-West Territory, before it was the Indiana Territory, or the State of Indiana.
The Northwest Ordinance of 1787 holds true for Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, Minnesota, and Illinois, who were all a part of the North-West Territory.
If you think you can you might. If you think you can't you're right.
Indiana Community Histories
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Indiana in 1816
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In 1816 the town of Mitchell, in what is now Lawrence County, was not a part of Indiana, although Orleans was in the Hoosier state.
On December 11, 1816 President James Madison gave his approval to make "The Indiana Territory" - into the "State of Indiana". This gave Indiana the ability to build and improve roads through better tax collection. They had to prove that 60,000 people lived In Indiana for it to become a state, and with that came some economic taxing clout. Indiana had over 64,000 settlers living in it when it became a state in 1816.
Indiana Pioneer Migration
View the major roads leading to Indiana.
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Click here For an Animated Migration Map
Punishment in the State of Indiana
New laws were made for the state of Indiana to have jails and prisons built. Tax collection would allow Indiana to reform the established penal system. Criminals in the Indiana Territory were generally sentenced to the whipping post, but now they would be jailed in lieu of lashes. A public hanging was the legal way to execute a criminal in 1816.
Much of this information is in part derived from: Heartland of America, Living Indiana History, Published by David-Stewart Publishing Company, Inc. ©1965
Animals no longer living in Indiana
| Animal | Last Seen in Indiana |
| Elk | 1830 |
| Bison | 1830 |
| Lynx | 1832 |
| Red Wolf | 1832 |
| Black Rat | 1845 |
| Black Bear | 1850 |
| Mountain Lion | 1851 |
| Wolverine | 1852 |
| Fisher | 1859 |
| Gray Wolf | 1908 |
| Porcupine | 1908 |
| Eastern Spotted Skunk | 1920 |
| River Otter (now reintroduced) | 1942 |
| Prairie Chicken | 1972 |
From Awesome Almanac Indiana by Nancy Jacobson. B&B Publishing, 1993.
Fear makes you less than you really are.
This information is the research of many people across the United States and may contain errors. It is presented as the best information to date. Like all of those whose work I have incorporated herein, my research is a work in progress and subject to change without notice. A special thanks to Marlene Ricci of CA, Dwayne Meyer of CA, Jacqueline Bean of TX, Debbie Dick of IN, Milus Miller of IL, Carol Hendricks Miller of IN, Clarence Miller of IN, and Harold Glen Miller of IN. There are numerous others too; many of which are unknown, but their findings and stories are still much appreciated. Much of this would not have been possible with out their information. Also this website includes historical facts gathered from Washington County History, Indiana History, Rowan County and Salisbury North Carolina Historical sources and other US Historical sources.
James A. Miller - Great -Great -Great -Great Grandson of Adam Miller and Hannah Sheets.
©2006 The Millers of Washington County
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Last Updated 02/21/06 03:42:53 PM -0800