Indiana State Parks

Large state map of Indiana focusing on state parks and other places of interest.

A nice map of Indiana highlighting the nine state parks managed by Department of Conservation, now the Department of Natural Resources. Richard Lieber, the director, is considered the father of Indiana State Parks and oversaw the acquisition and development of all nine parks, beginning in 1916. Lieber was a German who fought through significant public backlash to his appointment, as the United States had recently entered WWI. In addition to the state parks (now numbering 25 in Indiana), ninety other points of interest are listed and include universities, historical sites, and natural features. Also of interest is the U.S. and State Highway Legend, which shows the various degrees of surface roads available throughout the state prior to the implementation of the Interstate Highway System.

Published in the middle of the Great Depression, this map would have reminded Hoosiers of all the wonderful (and largely free) opportunities available in their own backyard, as well as the ongoing development that would propel the state out of its economic slump.