Fort Harrison State Park
Fort Harrison State Park - A look at the history
The park features a former Citizen's Military Training Camp, Civilian Conservation Corps camp, and World War II prisoner of war camp. There are also picnicking and walking/jogging routes.
Fort Harrison was opened in 1906 by United States President Theodore Roosevelt, honoring former President Benjamin Harrison, who came from Indianapolis. The idea came from Lieutenant Colonel Russell Harrison, boy of recently deceased Benjamin Harrison, who desired to keep a military center in Indianapolis due to the tradition of such Indianapolis military centers as Camp Morton. General Order # 117 on June 28, 1904, bought a land purchase for military use 9 miles (14 km) from downtown Indianapolis.
The fort was completed in 1908, after the construction of brick barracks, headquarters, officer's homes, and hospital. Other assistance structures, such as horse stables, were completed at the time. The Tenth Infantry Regiment immediately relocated after these centers were constructed. [4]
The fort represented the first effort to make a national army using state militia forces. It acted as class, soldier assistance, and troop reception for all United States military activities from World War I to Operation: Desert Storm. During World War II, the base had a Prisoner-of-war camp.
During the 1970s and 1980s, the area around Fort Harrison was drawing in citizens of Asian descent and, to a lower extent, Hispanics. [6]
The athlete village for the 1987 Pan American Games was developed inside Fort Benjamin Harrison. Dining, accommodations, nightclubbing, and practice facilities were constructed within the village.
Following the Cold War, the United States federal government started scaling down by closing bases. Therefore, in 1991 Fort Harrison of Indianapolis was decommissioned. It likewise featured one of the largest hardwood forests in main Indiana.
The United States Department of the Interior chose in 1995 to give 1,700 acres (6.9 km2) of Fort Harrison's 2,500 acres (10 km2) to the Indiana Department of Natural Resources for use as a state park, similar to how Charlestown State Park began in Southern Indiana. [8]
During the time that the Indiana State Governor's mansion was being redone in 2003 to make it accessible to disabled people, Indiana guv Frank O'Bannon and his better half lived at the Harrison House, the park's inn, as their main house. Prior to the development of the park, it was a nurse's dormitory throughout World War II and later a VIP house. As soon as the state governor's estate was finished, the O'Bannon's moved out and the Harrison House was as soon as again readily available for the general public to use.
Current strategies consist of moving the Bell Ford Bridge from Jackson County, Indiana, into the park, enabling an extra method for bikers and pedestrians to cross Fall Creek. [10]
Features [modify]
Fall Creek Boardwalk
Unlike many state parks in Indiana, it is a day-use park, with its only overnight facilities being the inn, The Fort Golf Resort, which was the old officers' club. [11] The fort's eighteen-hole golf course makes the park popular with Indianapolis golfers; it was redesigned by Pete Dye after the fort's closure, making it a 72-par course. Only golf enthusiasts are enabled on the course. The VIP housing became the Harrison House Suites, and the 4 Officer's Homes are available for over night accommodations as well.
There are 3 treking tracks, and one for horseback riding, with horse leasings offered. Among the hiking routes, Harrison Trace Trail, is paved, making it readily available for bicycle riders and in-line skating. The wildflowers replace the ravines and steep hillsides normal of state parks in southern Indiana. Bike and fishing are likewise offered; the park office offers the necessary state fishing license. In winter, ice fishing is available. [5] An interpretive center at the park office is available to notify visitors of the parks significant history and natural appeal. [8]
Fall Creek runs for 3.5 miles (5.6 km) inside the park, with smaller tributaries feeding it which are likewise within the borders of the park. Beaver, deer, turtles, frogs, and squirrels are the most commonly seen wildlife in the park; a heron pond is off-limits for visitors.
Museum of 20th Century Warfare [modify] The Museum of 20th Century Warfare lies in Building 711 in the Historic Camp Glenn location of the park with exhibits about the Fort and technology, artifacts, uniforms and soldiers of the 20th Century. [13] A 14-foot (4.3 m) design of the USS Indianapolis belongs to the long-term exhibit. Short-term exhibits are altered every 3 months. The museum's programming consists of re-enactments and living history camps. There is no admission cost besides the cost charged to get in the park.
The United States Department of the Interior selected in 1995 to provide 1,700 acres (6.9 km2) of Fort Harrison's 2,500 acres (10 km2) to the Indiana Department of Natural Resources for use as a state park, similar to how Charlestown State Park began in Southern Indiana. Unlike many state parks in Indiana, it is a day-use park, with its only over night facilities being the inn, The Fort Golf Resort, which was the old officers' club. The fort's eighteen-hole golf course makes the park popular with Indianapolis golf enthusiasts; it was redesigned by Pete Dye after the fort's closure, making it a 72-par course. An interpretive center at the park workplace is available to notify visitors of the parks considerable history and natural beauty. The Museum of 20th Century Warfare is located in Building 711 in the Historic Camp Glenn area of the park with shows about the Fort and technology, artifacts, uniforms and soldiers of the 20th Century.