Fort Harrison State Park

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Fort Harrison
"Designation"	State Park
"Location"	Indiana USA
"Nearest Cities"	Indianapolis, Indiana
"Coordinates"	coord|39.86|N|86.01|W|type:landmark_region:US
"Area"	1,700 acres
"Date of Establishment"	1996
"Governing Body"	Indiana DNR

Fort Harrison, sometimes called Fort Ben, [Bloom, Phil. "Hiking Indiana", pg.94] is an Indiana state park located in the northeast section of Indianapolis, Indiana, and occupies part of the former site of Fort Benjamin Harrison. 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 trails.

History

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, son of recently deceased Benjamin Harrison, who wanted to keep a military facility in Indianapolis due to the legacy of such Indianapolis military facilities as Camp Morton. General Order #117 on June 28, 1904, ordered a land purchase for military use nine miles (14 km) from downtown Indianapolis. [Conn, Earl L. "My Indiana:101 Places to See" (Indiana Historical Society Press, 2006). pg. 94] [Official State Park brochure: http://www.in.gov/dnr/files/ftharrison_trail.pdf]

The fort was finished in 1908, after the construction of brick barracks, headquarters, officer's houses, and hospital. Other support structures, such as horse stables, were finished at the time. The Tenth Infantry Regiment immediately moved in after these facilities were constructed. [Bodenhamer, David. "The Encyclopedia of Indianapolis" (Indiana University Press, 1994) pg.31]

The fort represented the first effort to make an "national" army using state militia forces. It acted as classrooms, soldier support, and troop reception for all United States military activities from World War I to . During World War II, the base had a Prisoner-of-war camp. [ [http://www.in.gov/dnr/parklake/properties/park_fortharrison.html State Parks & Reservoirs ] ] [Official State Park brochure]

During the 1970s and 1980s, the area around Fort Harrison was attracting residents of Asian descent and, to a lesser extent, Hispanics. [Bodenhamer 58]

The athlete village for the 1987 Pan American Games was built inside Fort Benjamin Harrison. Dining, lodging, nightclubbing, and practice facilities were constructed within the village. [Bodenhamer 1074]

Following the Cold War, the United States government began downsizing by closing bases. Thus, in 1991 Fort Harrison of Indianapolis was decommissioned. The base had several amenities, including an officers' club, three officers' homes, special housing for Very Important Persons, and an eighteen-hole golf course. It also featured one of the largest hardwood forests in central Indiana. [Conn 94]

The United States Department of the Interior chose in 1995 to give convert|1700|acre|km2 of Fort Harrison's convert|2500|acre|km2 to the Indiana Department of Natural Resources for use as a state park, similar to how Charlestown State Park started in Southern Indiana. [Conn 94]

During the time that the Indiana State Governor's mansion was being redone in 2003, to make it accessible to handicapped individuals, Indiana governor Frank O'Bannon and his wife lived at the Harrison House, the park's inn, as their official residence. Prior to the formation of the park, it was a nurse's dorm during World War II and later a VIP residence. They spent most of the year living there. Once the state governor's mansion was finished, the O'Bannon's moved out and the Harrison House was once again available for the general public to use. [Temporary quarters just fine with O'Bannons. "Indianapolis Business Journal" August 25, 2003]

Current planes include moving the Bell Ford Bridge from Jackson County, Indiana into the park, allowing an additional way for pedestrians and bikers to cross Fall Creek. [ [http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080822/NEWS02/808220795/1025/NLETTER08&source=nletter-news Covered bridge remains to move - Jackson span set for park in Indy] "Associated Press" August 22, 2008]

Features

Unlike most 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. [ [http://www.in.gov/dnr/parklake/inns/ftharrison/about.html Fort Harrison Golf Resort & Conference Center | State Parks & Reservoirs ] ] The fort's eighteen-hole golf course makes the park popular with Indianapolis golfers; it was redesigned by Pete Dye after the forts closure, making it a 72-par course. Only golfers are allowed on the course. The VIP housing became the Harrison House Suites, and the three Officer's Homes are available for overnight lodging as well. There are three hiking trails, and one for horseback riding, with horse rentals available. One of the hiking trails, Harrison Trace Trail, is paved, making it available for bikers and in-line skating. The wildflowers take the place of the ravines and steep hillsides typical of state parks in southern Indiana. Bike and fishing are also available; the park office sells the necessary state fishing permit. In winter, ice fishing is available. [ [http://www.in.gov/dnr/parklake/properties/park_fortharrison.html State Parks & Reservoirs ] ] An interpretive center at the park office is available to inform visitors of the parks considerable history and natural beauty. [Conn 94]

Fall Creek runs for convert|3.5|mi|km inside the park, with smaller tributaries feeding it which are also within the boundaries of the park. Beaver, deer, frogs, squirrels, and turtles are the most commonly seen critters in the park; an heron pond is off-limits for visitors. [McKinney, Sally. "Hiking Indiana" pg.95]

ee also

*List of parks in Indianapolis, Indiana

References

External links

* [http://www.in.gov/dnr/parklake/properties/park_fortharrison.html Official web page (seems not working as of July 2008]
* [http://www.in.gov/dnr/parklake/6715.htm Official web page]