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Prophetstown State Park

Coordinates: 40°30′0″N 86°50′0″W / 40.50000°N 86.83333°W / 40.50000; -86.83333
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Prophetstown
Prophetstown State Park, January 2012
A map of Indiana showing the location of Prophetstown State Park
A map of Indiana showing the location of Prophetstown State Park
Location of Prophetstown State Park in Indiana
A map of Indiana showing the location of Prophetstown State Park
A map of Indiana showing the location of Prophetstown State Park
Prophetstown State Park (the United States)
TypeState Park
LocationTippecanoe County, Indiana, United States
Nearest cityBattle Ground, Indiana
Coordinates40°30′0″N 86°50′0″W / 40.50000°N 86.83333°W / 40.50000; -86.83333
Area2,000 acres (810 ha)
Created2004 (2004)
Operated byIndiana Department of Natural Resources
Visitors334,375 (in 2018–2019)[1]
WebsiteOfficial Website

Prophetstown State Park commemorates a Native American village founded in 1808 by Shawnee leaders Tecumseh and his brother Tenskwatawa north of present-day Lafayette, Indiana, which grew into a large, multi-tribal community. The park features an open-air museum at Prophetstown, with living history exhibits including a Shawnee village and a 1920s-era farmstead. Battle Ground, Indiana, is a village about a mile east of the site of the Battle of Tippecanoe in 1811, a crucial battle in Tecumseh's War which ultimately led to the demise of Prophetstown. The state park was established in 2004 and receives about 335,000 visitors annually.[1]

History

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The park was first proposed in 1989 but did not receive funding from the Indiana legislature until 1994. Land acquisition continued through 1999 when the legislature funded $3.7 million to create the park. Indiana Governor Joe Kernan formally dedicated the park in 2004. The campground opened the following year and was a partnership with Lafayette as part of the Lafayette Inn tax proceeds.[2] Construction of the aquatic park began in October 2012 and was completed in 2013 after lobbying by local officials to drive more visitors to the park and Tippecanoe County.[3]

The Farm at Prophetstown is a non-profit organization that rents approximately 125 acres (51 ha) from the Indiana Department of Natural Resources to show farming life as it was in the 1920s.

Facilities and activities

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Prophetstown barn
  • Historic Prophetstown farmstead, a 1920s living history farm.
  • Woodland Indian settlement with replicas of a Shawnee council house and medicine lodge
  • Hiking trail (2.75 miles (4.43 km))
  • Bicycle trail (2.4 miles (3.9 km))
  • Interpretative naturalist services
  • Picnic areas and shelters
  • Camping, with 110 campsites and a dumping station

References

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  1. ^ a b "2018 / 2019 Estimated Fiscal Year Visits for Indiana State Parks ~ Alphabetical" (PDF). Indiana Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved November 2, 2021.
  2. ^ Poston, Heather (June 25, 2003). "Prophetstown park receives funds, promises activities for all Hoosiers". Purdue Exponent. Purdue Exponent. Retrieved September 1, 2014.
  3. ^ "State Park Timeline". Journal and Courier. Lafayette (IN) Journal and Courier. June 15, 2013. Retrieved August 31, 2014.
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