IN the Parks

I loved learning about fire towers and lookouts in Indiana and across the country. There's so much history here, and I barely scratched the surface! You can learn tons about fire towers at the Forest Fire Lookout Association site. If you want to see a presentation Teena Ligman did in March 2025 about them, including pictures, click here. You’ll hear much of the same information but get the awesome visuals a podcast can’t provide.If you have a kid who loves fire towers, check out Headstrong Hallie!, an illustrated kids’ book about Hallie Morse Daggett.I saw Clarisse Carroll's name spelled several ways (Clarisse, Clarrise, and Clarissie). I pronounced it Cla-reece; Teena pronounced it Cla-rissie. I'm not sure which is correct, and unfortunately, I didn't have time to track down any of her relatives. If you know the right pronunciation, please reach out! If you'd like to read more about her, here’s information. I learned a lot about the Georgia Fire Tower on the US Forest Service site.Finally, if you want to climb all Indiana’s fire towers and learn more about ones no longer in use, check them out here.Any mistakes -- and I'm sure there are some! -- are mine.

The Civilian Conservation Corps, started by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, made our state parks what they are today. Not only did these boys (as they were endearlingly called) work in Indiana, but throughout the entire country developing parks, protecting forests, and on soil conservation projects. White, Black, Native American, and Hispanic -- young men from all walks of life left their fingerprints on our country. I learned so much about the CCC from Glory-June Greiff whose book you can purchase on her website or potentially find at your local library. I also learned about the CCC from the book The Complete Guide to Indiana State Parks by Nathan D. Strange. In addition, the Indiana Historical Society was an enormous help in finding pictures of the boys and issues of the CCC company newsletters. I'm also hugely indebted to Katie Martin (no relation) for her excellent research. She and others wrote about Marshall Carter, but it was her work that directed me to his poem. I also found information about the CCC on the Steuben County website, read interviews with Roger Woodcock in the Whitley County paper, learned about several African-American enrollees through the DNR's research, and learned about CCC companies nationwide on the CCC Legacy site.Any mistakes are my own.

Come along with me to Pokagon State Park and let's tackle the 8-mile-long Hell's Point Challenge together! We'll learn all about the park including the Pokagon band of the Potawatomi, the CCC young men, the wide variety of park habitats, the Potawatomi Inn, stable barn, toboggan run, and more. We'll also learn a few hacks for how to get the most out of the toboggan run and how you can cheat the system for an easier way to complete the Hell's Point Challenge!While this episode is coming out AFTER the toboggan run closes, you’ll want to keep it in mind for next year! You should definitely book a room at the Potawatomi Inn. And be sure to support the Friends of Pokagon and check them out at their open meeting on April 6th.Any mistakes are my own.

What do a 200 year old grist mill and an astronaut have in common? Quite a lot actually! We head back to Spring Mill State Park to learn about the cultural impact of the place. You'll get a lesson in physics, history, and space travel as we learn about the pioneer village, the mill, and Gus Grissom. Plus, you'll find out what happened to the mill a couple years ago and how the reopening progress is going!The episode also touches on the CCC African American Company 539, how a volcano eruption in Indonesia affected Indiana, and plans to reopen the village's old distillery.If you want to learn more about The Year Without a Summer, check this out.I'm confident there are errors in this episode that have to do with my limited understanding of physics and mill operations. Rest assured, those are my own mistakes and do not reflect the park staff's knowledge and competence!

Spring Mill State Park in Mitchell, IN, offers everything a state park should -- nature, history, and culture. There's so much going on at this park, I had to make two episodes! In Part 1, you'll learn why old growth forests are important, find out what's hiding in the dark cave systems, and discover how you can explore the caves by foot or by boat. You'll also get the backstory on how an unexpected bird, the brown booby, transformed the park last year!Plus, you'll hear some updates on the newly renovated inn and learn about events the Friends of Spring Mill puts on every year. In Part 2, we'll spend time in the pioneer village checking out the redone grist mill and learn about astronaut Gus Grissom who grew up in Mitchell.If you want the Spring Mill wassail recipe, here it is!2 quarts apple cider 1 1/2 cups orange juice 3/4 cup pineapple juice 1 Tablespoon brown sugar 1 tsp lemon juice 2 cinnamon sticks Dash of ground cloves Combine all ingredients, bring to a boil.Reduce heat. Simmer for 1 hour.Discard cinnamon sticks. Enjoy!Any mistakes are my own.

On this special Valentine's Day episode, get ready to fall in LOVE with Indiana state parks! All 24 state parks, 8 reservoirs, 2 state forest recreation areas, and 2 off-roading parks add up to 36 properties! Could you hike them all in one year? Get ready to meet 3 Hoosiers who love the parks so much, they had to take on the challenge! They share their tips and tricks for batching parks together, how to find the best trails and views, and which parks they're excited to visit again. Plus, they'll share the life lessons they picked up along the way.Be sure to follow Mosaic Indiana State Parks Trailblazers on Instagram.Any mistakes are my own.