Prophetstown State Park
{{short description|State park in Indiana, United States}}
{{for|the Illinois State Park|Prophetstown State Recreation Area}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}}
{{Infobox park
| name = Prophetstown
| photo = Prophetstown State Park.jpg
| photo_width =
| photo_alt =
| photo_caption = Prophetstown State Park, January 2012
| map = Indiana#USA
| map_width = 200
| map_caption = Location of Prophetstown State Park in Indiana
| map_alt = A map of Indiana showing the location of Prophetstown State Park
| type = State Park
| location = Tippecanoe County, Indiana, United States
| nearest_city = Battle Ground, Indiana
| coords = {{coord|40|30|0|N|86|50|0|W|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
| area = {{convert|2000|acre}}
| created = {{Start date|2004}}
| operator = Indiana Department of Natural Resources
| visitation_num = 334,375
| visitation_year = 2018–2019
| status =
| website = [http://www.in.gov/dnr/parklake/2971.htm Official 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.
History
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.{{Cite web|url = http://www.purdueexponent.org/city_state/article_7dc2ace6-38e6-5b36-a480-b2364ec2fdb2.html|title = Prophetstown park receives funds, promises activities for all Hoosiers|date = 2003-06-25|access-date = 2014-09-01 |website = Purdue Exponent|publisher = Purdue Exponent|last = Poston|first = Heather}} 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.{{Cite web|url = http://archives.jconline.com|title = State Park Timeline|date = 2013-06-15|access-date = 2014-08-31|website = Journal and Courier|publisher = Lafayette (IN) Journal and Courier}}
The Farm at Prophetstown is a non-profit organization that rents approximately {{convert|125|acre|ha}} from the Indiana Department of Natural Resources to show farming life as it was in the 1920s.
Facilities and activities
- Historic Prophetstown farmstead, a 1920s living history farm.
- Woodland Indian settlement with replicas of a Shawnee council house and medicine lodge
- Hiking trail ({{convert|2.75|mi|km}})
- Bicycle trail ({{convert|2.4|mi|km}})
- Interpretative naturalist services
- Picnic areas and shelters
- Camping, with 110 campsites and a dumping station
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [http://www.in.gov/dnr/parklake/2971.htm Indiana Department of Natural Resources' official Web page]
- [http://www.prophetstown.org/ The Farm at Prophetstown]
{{Protected Areas of Indiana}}
{{authority control}}
Category:Protected areas established in 2004
Category:State parks of Indiana
Category:Native American museums in Indiana
Category:Farm museums in Indiana
Category:Museums in Tippecanoe County, Indiana
Category:Protected areas of Tippecanoe County, Indiana