Indiana was the 19th state to be admitted to the Union, joining on December 11th, 1816,
4 years and 225 days after Louisiana, the 18th state.
Indiana, with an approximate 6.7 million inhabitants, is directly ahead of Missouri by population
with 600,000 more inhabitants and directly behind Tennessee with 100,000 less inhabitants.
The state, at 36,418 square miles [94,321sq km], is larger than 12 states.
Indiana borders Lake Michigan and Michigan to the North, Ohio to the East, Kentucky to
the South, and Illinois to the West.
The majority of the state is in the Eastern time zone, with the Northwestern and Southwestern
corners being in the Central time zone.
The highest point in Indiana is Hoosier Hill at 1,257 feet above sea level, named for the
nickname of Indiana’s inhabitants, Hoosiers.
The area where the Wabash River flows into the Ohio River is the lowest point in the
state at 320 feet above sea level.
Indiana is home to the Indiana Dunes National Park, 23 square miles of sand dunes on the
shores of Lake Michigan.
This region has been a national lakeshore since 1966 and, as of 2020, became the newest
National Park in the country, designated February 15th 2019.
Benjamin Harrison, the 23rd President from 1889 to 1893, was born in Ohio, but would
live in Indiana for much of his life, serving as one of Indiana’s senators before his
Presidential run.
Six vice Presidents are primarily affiliated with Indiana, 3 of which were actually born
in the state.
Indianapolis is the largest city in Indiana with nearly 880,000 inhabitants in the city
proper and 2 .05 million in the metropolitan area.
Located in central Indiana, Indianapolis serves as the current state capital and has been
since 1825.
The second largest Indiana city, Fort Wayne, is Northeast of Indianapolis and has a population
of some 270,000 in the city proper and 420,000 in the metropolitan area.
Fort Wayne is the seat of Allen County, one of Indiana’s 92 counties.
Marion County, with over 900,000 inhabitants, is the largest county in Indiana, and the
55th largest in the nation.
The flag of Indiana dates back to 1916 at the time of Indiana’s centennial.
Still lacking a state flag 100 years after statehood, a contest would be held to find
a flag for the state, prompting Paul Hadley of Mooresville to design a flag and enter.
Hadley’s design would win, being officially adopted as the state’s flag on May 11th,
1917.
Hadley’s flag is still the flag we see today, consisting of a central torch representing
liberty and enlightenment surrounded by an outer circle of 13 stars, representing the
original 13 colonies, an additional five stars in a half circle representing the 5 states
that joined before Indiana, and a final 19th star representing Indiana itself as the 19th
state.
The modern history of Indiana begins in the midst of the Beaver Wars.
These conflicts, involving the Iroquis and several other French-backed Native tribes,
would begin as a result of the growing fur trade in North America, lasting nearly a century
from 1609 to 1701.
Europeans wouldn’t reach Indiana until the 1670s, with French fur-trading beginning in
the state shortly thereafter.
The first European settlement would be established by the French in 1673, 6 years before Rene-Robert
Cavelier would claim Indiana in 1679.
Indiana’s Wabash river was important to the French, as it allowed for much easier
travel between French holdings in Canada and Louisiana.
Indiana, located near the French-British border, was highly contested between the two clashing
powers.
Tensions would culminate in the French and Indian War, during which the French would
be forced out of Indiana entirely by 1761.
Despite military conflicts continuing between the British and French-allied Natives following
this, the French would sign the Treaty of Paris in 1763 and give up control of Indiana
to the British.
Despite this change and efforts by the British to limit French influence in the region, French
fur traders would continue to operate in Indiana.
It was around this time that the area was first called ‘Indiana’, simply meaning
‘Land of the Indians’.
In 1773, 10 years following British acquisition of Indiana, the British would allow Quebec
to administer Indiana to appease French settlers in the state—an act that was cited by the
Americans as one of the causes for their split from Britain.
With the conclusion of the American Revolution, Indiana would become a part of the United
States.
The Native Americans of the area, allied with the British, and the expanding U.S. would
lead to the Northwest Indian war.
In the end, the U.S. would come to occupy Indiana and it’s surrounding territories,
all of which would become part of the Northwest Territory in 1787.
Ohio’s bid for statehood would cause Congress to split the Northwest Territory into smaller
regions—creating the Indiana Territory on July 4th, 1800.
The Battle of Tippecanoe, taking place in Central Indiana in 1811, would serve as a
catalyst for the War of 1812.
This conflict, pitting the U.S. against the British once again, was the first major event
involving the Indiana Territory.
By 1816 the war had ended, and Indiana began to pursue statehood, being admitted on December
11th.
Several treaties signed in the coming years would gradually push Natives off their land,
allowing the population of Indiana to move Northward.
Indianapolis would be connected to the Eastern U.S. via road in 1829.
It was around this time Indiana residents would begin to be known as Hoosiers, the origin
of which is unknown even today.
The state, disallowing slavery since it’s conception, would remain in the Union during
the Civil War.
The war would further the population shift from Southern Indiana to the North, becoming
increasingly reliant on the Great Lakes.
Indiana would grow greatly following the war, with the world’s largest natural gas field,
that was known at the time, greatly aiding the development of several cities across the
state.
Like much of the Great Lakes region, Indiana’s heavy industry would grow entering the 1900s.
The Great Flood of 1913 would cause great damage to Indiana and several other states,
causing hundreds of millions in property damage and some 650 deaths nationally.
Some 130,000 Hoosiers would fight in the First World War, and, following the Great Depression
and entering the 40s, another 400,000 in the Second World War.
Today, Indiana outpaces much of the Midwest in population growth and continues to be an
influential member of the Union.
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