LIFE OFF THE HIGHWAY

The European expansion into Indiana began with the French, then the British and finally, American expansion with the establishment of the Northwest Territory. The Ohio River was the main artery to access the Northwest Territory and its successor, Indiana Territory. The first counties lined the Ohio and Wabash Rivers. Of the twelve counties that border the Ohio and two more up the Wabash to Vincennes, most early county seats were on the river or a prime tributary. As more coun

Thousands of people drive north and south on US 31 in northern Indiana daily. Most nonchalantly pass a sign that points west to the Chief Menominee statue, but few take the 5.2 mile trip to learn a dark story about Indiana's heritage as "land of the Indians." His statue is located in a small park on Peach Road along with a rock memorializing the location of his tribe's village on the banks of Twin Lakes, the headwaters of the Yellow River, just north of here. Chief Menominee

I first visited St. Mary-of-the-Woods College in high school to attend the graduation of a friend from nursing school at the Cathedral of Immaculate Conception. I was not prepared to find such a beautiful church in "the middle of nowhere." Many Hoosiers are surprised to learn that there is a part of Indiana that lies west of the Wabash River at Terre Haute and that is why St. Mary-of-the-Woods is such a a well-kept secret. Years late, I introduced my wife to the Cathedral and