Indiana Holidays

Indiana sits, as its motto claims, at “the crossroads of America.” It borders Lake Michigan and the state of Michigan to the north, Ohio to the east, Kentucky to the south, and Illinois to the west, making it an integral part of the American Midwest. Except for Hawaii, Indiana is the smallest state west of the Appalachian Mountains.

After the American Revolution the lands of Indiana were open to U.S. settlers. The influx of white immigrants brought increased war with the Native American tribes. The conflicts continued until the 1811 Battle of Tippecanoe, which was won by General, and future president, William Henry Harrison. With a name that is generally thought to mean “land of the Indians,” Indiana was admitted on Dec. 11, 1816, as the 19th state of the union. Its capital has been at Indianapolis since 1825.

Some interesting facts about Indiana:

The first train robbery in the United States occurred in Indiana on October 6, 1866. A gang known as the Reno Brothers stopped an Ohio and Mississippi train in Jackson County and made off with $13,000.

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway hosted the first Indianapolis 500 mile race on its 2.5-mile track on May 30, 1911, two years after it opened. Equipped to seat an audience of more than 250,000, the Speedway is the world’s largest spectator sporting arena.

Although authorities claimed the county jail in Crown Point was “escape proof,” notorious bank robber John Dillinger successfully broke free from his cell on March 3, 1934, by threatening guards with a fake pistol carved from wood. Using the sheriff’s car to make his getaway, Dillinger crossed the Indiana-Illinois border, setting off a federal manhunt that led to his death by FBI agents on July 22nd.