Tippecanoe River is a

state park State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the sub-national level within those nations which use "Federated state, state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on accou ...

Pulaski County, Indiana Pulaski County ( ) is a county located in the U.S. state of Indiana. According to the 2020 U.S. census, the population was 12,514. The county seat is Winamac. History Pulaski County was organized in 1835. Geography According to the 2010 ce ...

, United States. It is located south-southwest of

South Bend, Indiana South Bend is a city in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States, and its county seat. It lies along the St. Joseph River (Lake Michigan), St. Joseph River near its southernmost bend, from which it derives its name. It is the List of cities in ...

. It was formed in 1943 when the

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an List of federal agencies in the United States, agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government, within the US Department of the Interior. The service manages all List ...

gifted the land to Indiana's Department of Conservation land to form a state park; other land along the river becoming the Winamac Fish and Wildlife Area.http://www.in.gov/dnr/3245.htm Official (Indiana) DNR Historical Timeline Noted for a grove of old-growth

white pine ''Pinus'', the pines, is a genus of approximately 111 extant tree and shrub species. The genus is currently split into two subgenera: subgenus ''Pinus'' (hard pines), and subgenus ''Strobus'' (soft pines). Each of the subgenera have been further ...

trees, the park also preserves more than of undisturbed wetland shoreline on the

Tippecanoe River The Tippecanoe River ( ) is a gentle, U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed May 19, 2011 river in the Central Corn Belt Plains ecoregion in northern Indiana. It flows from Cro ...

, attracting some 127,495 visitors in 2018–2019.

History

During the

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

of the 1930s, the national government established the

Recreational Demonstration Area The Recreational Demonstration Area program (also known as the Recreation Demonstration Area program) was a National Park Service program during the 1930s and early 1940s that built forty-six public parks in twenty-four states on , chiefly near urba ...

in the

Department of the Interior The United States Department of the Interior (DOI) is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the management and conservation of most federal lands and natural resources. It also administers programs relatin ...

, National Park Service. The Park Service located low-quality farmlands with high-quality park potential. Along the Tippecanoe River, the Federal Government purchased .Tippecanoe River State Park, Indiana Department of Natural Resources; Indianapolis, Indiana 2008 The high sand content of the soil made these poor-quality farmlands. The riverway and forest made it quality parklands. Development of the Demonstration Area was undertaken by the

Works Progress Administration The Works Progress Administration (WPA; from 1935 to 1939, then known as the Work Projects Administration from 1939 to 1943) was an American New Deal agency that employed millions of jobseekers (mostly men who were not formally educated) to car ...

. In 1943, the property was transferred to the State of Indiana's Department of Conservation as a state park. On January 1, 1959, were transferred to the Division of Fish and Wildlife as the Winamac Fish and Wildlife Area. The state park retains of the original development.

River

Canoeing Canoeing is an activity which involves paddling a canoe with a single-bladed paddle. In some parts of Europe, canoeing refers to both canoeing and kayaking, with a canoe being called an 'open canoe' or Canadian. A few of the recreational ...

is very popular in the park, as the Tippecanoe River stretches along the park's borders. A canoe-exclusive campsite has ten sites. It is also a river otter release area.

Bluegill The bluegill (''Lepomis macrochirus''), sometimes referred to as "bream", "brim", "sunny", or, in Texas, "copper nose", is a species of North American freshwater fish, native to and commonly found in streams, rivers, lakes, ponds and wetlands ea ...

and

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Wood * Bass or basswood, the wood of the tilia americana tree Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in th ...

are commonly fished from the river. The river is too dangerous for swimming, so those camping in the park can go to the Bass Lake State Beach away.

Enjoying the park

There are of hiking trails and of horseback trails. Cultural arts programs and a seasonal naturalist are also available. Most visitors drive to the park, although pilots can land at the nearby Arens Airport and have a courtesy car take them to the park. Things to do * Boating – the park has a small boat launch on the river * Camping – There are five camping experiences to choose from. # Family camping # Potawatomi Group Camp # Youth Tenting # Rent-a-camp cabin # Canoe camping from the river * Fishing * Horseback riding – trails and a primitive campground are available to horsemen and -women. There are of shared hiking and horse trails in the park. * Hiking – a total of of trails are located throughout the park.

Protected areas

* Sand Hill Nature Preserve is located at the end of the park and is accessible on Trail #8, the ''Bluestem Trail''. * Tippecanoe River Nature Preserve is along the river near the center of the park. It is accessible on Trail #4, the ''Oxbow Trail''.

References

External links

* * {{authority control Protected areas established in 1943 State parks of Indiana Protected areas of Pulaski County, Indiana Works Progress Administration in Indiana