| description |
The birth of the Ohio River, the primary feature of the park, began in the Ice Age, when glaciers and periodic natural damming began to form the river. Historically, the river was shallow enough to walk across in the hot summer months, but in the late 1800s construction started on a series of man-made dams that made the river what it is today. Currently 981 miles long, the Ohio offers many recreational opportunities from catfishing to water skiing. Rugged and winding, the Fourteenmile Creek valley is one of the oldest un-glaciated stream valleys in Indiana. As a tributary to the Ohio, the creek today appears as a long, winding "ribbon" lake rather than as a flowing stream. This unique look is due to locks and dams on the river. During the periods when the river level is increasing, Fourteenmile Creek actually appears to be flowing in reverse, as rising river waters back into the creek valley. From 1940-1995, the park land was part of the Indiana Armory Ammunition Plant, which totaled approximately 15,000 acres at one time. Before the establishment of the plant, most of what was to become the park was used for farmland or pasture land. Old aerial photographs show the park as open area with few trees. Prudent resource management during the last 50-plus years by the Army allowed and encouraged reforestation of the rugged hills and deep ravines. |