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The Pioneer Way: Enduring Hardship and Toil:
They come by boat down the Ohio River. They come by wagon, jolting and jerking along the rough-hewn paths. They come on horseback and mile. And they walk, often hundreds of miles. Hope overcomes hardship as pioneers stream into Indiana by the tens of thousands in the early 1800s.
Migrants trek to Indiana, particularly from the neighboring "upload South" states of Kentucky, Virginia, and the Carolinas. Most of these settle in southern Indiana, along the Wabash and Ohio Rivers. Northern Indiana, more difficult to reach -- and its swampland less welcoming to would-be farmers -- becomes a refuge for many Native Americans pushed from their ancestral homes.
The state names Indianapolis its capital in 1821, in part to attract migrants to the central and northern regions. Over time, the lure of land and opportunity draws people to every corner of the state. |