Lesson 8 - Conservation Takes Hold

The Indiana State Parks system was established in 1916 through the efforts of Colonel Richard Lieber, an Indianapolis businessman and German immigrant. He believed that a state parks system should be created as part of Indiana’s celebration of its centennial. In the years that followed, Lieber was a leader in the nationwide movement to establish state parks systems. He helped other states form state parks systems as well. He was named the first director of the Indiana Department of Conservation, a capacity in which he served for more than a decade.

Lieber was part of what has been dubbed the Progressive Era, demonstrated by his belief in social progress through the restorative powers of nature and in the incorruptible political activism of citizens. Lieber did not act alone in establishing the state parks. Juliet Strauss was a woman who played a key role in preserving land that became one of the first state parks. She was born Juliet Humphreys in Rockville, Indiana in January 1863. Young Juliet loved nature. She would wander the forests near her Parke County home. Strauss wasn’t a great student but she always seemed to have a knack for writing. Her love of nature and her talent for writing served her well throughout her life and would ensure her lasting legacy as an important part of Indiana’s history. Strauss began writing a column for the Rockville Tribune early in 1893. The column was titled “Squibs and Sayings” and contained her down-to-earth musings on daily life in rural Indiana. Living a middle class life away from high society in a small Indiana town meant that Strauss drew upon her own thoughts and experiences to write her column.

In 1915, Strauss used her role as the voice of rural Indiana to preserve the precious virgin timber at Turkey Run in Parke County. The land and trees were under threat from timber companies. Strauss began her campaign to save Turkey Run by writing to Governor Samuel Ralston to ask for his help. Ralston, inspired by Strauss’ letter, appointed the Turkey Run Commission, which included Strauss. He tasked the commission with preserving the forest at Turkey Run. Strauss enlisted the help of a writer friend at the Indianapolis News, who then told Lieber about her concerns about Turkey Run. As a leading conservationist, Lieber was immediately interested in saving the forest at Turkey Run. He seized the chance to promote his idea of a state parks system in Indiana. Lieber raised private funds to buy Turkey Run to give as a gift to the people of Indiana for the state’s 100th birthday in 1916. At first Lieber and Strauss lost the land to the Hoosier Veneer Company, which wanted it for timber. Six months later the Hoosier Veneer Company agreed to sell the land to the state for $40,000, netting a $10,000 profit. Strauss, who died just two years later in 1918, was honored by the Women’s Press Club of Indiana with a statue at Turkey Run State Park. This statue stands as a reminder of her contribution to Turkey Run State Park and the conservation of its forest.

See Background in Activity 1 for more information and vocabulary.

Shortly before his death in 1944, Lieber wrote and published a book called “America’s Natural Wealth.” It included a list of the features he believed were central to the development of any state park.

Note - Cagles Mill Lake was developed after Lieber’s death in 1952. It was the first large reservoir built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Indiana, and the main “state recreation area” adjacent to the lake was named for Lieber. This property may provide a good opportunity to compare and contrast some of the similarities and differences between a state park and a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reservoir in Indiana. The land around the lake is leased by the state and the state parks division is responsible for operation of all recreational facilities.

See Background in Activity 1 for more information and vocabulary.

Col. Richard Lieber helped to found our Indiana State Parks system as part of the State’s centennial in 1916, but he was also the director of the Department of Conservation from 1917-1933. After that, he remained involved in the state and national parks movement, and traveled across the country learning and sharing the experiences he had in Indiana. He was a highly respected conservationist.