11/20/2023
Thanks so much to the Indiana Dunes for sharing this information about our region's cultural, historical, social, and natural past. Prior to the forced removal of Indigenous peoples of our region, countless generations used an extensive network of trails that crisscrossed our area, many of which you might drive down today on a daily basis.
These trails became the earliest roads of NW Indiana and Chicago's Southland, including Sauk Trail, which was a major east-west path - a transcontinental route that split into the Oregon and Sante Fe Trails further west. The same Sauk Trail is today's Route 30, Hwy 330, 73rd Avenue, Old Lincoln Hwy, and Lincoln Hwy. Stretches of Ridge Road further west in Lake County also follow this trail.
The below map was developed by local historian and author Kenneth Schoon, who compiled it using historic maps and accounts. The map notes village sites, including many with names as they were known around 1830.
Prior to the forced removal of Indigenous peoples of northern Indiana, countless generations used an extensive network of trails that crisscrossed the region. These trails were crucial for travel around Lake Michigan; they followed paths of least resistance and avoided streams and wetlands when possible. Many of these trails followed old beach ridges left from ancestral Lake Michigan.
This map was developed by local historian and author Kenneth Schoon who compiled it using historic maps and accounts. The map notes village sites, including many with names as they were known around 1830. It generally highlights the major routes, though it's important to keep in mind that innumerable spur trails branched from these paths.
Not unexpectantly, these trails became the earliest roads of Northwest Indiana. Route 12 follows the old Calumet Beach Trail from the Laporte/Porter County line west to Oak Hill Road. Stretches of Ridge Road further west in Lake County also follow this trail. Many village sites became the first Euro-American communities; Chiqua's Town is today's Valparaiso, and McGuinn's Village became Merrillville.
The major east-west path was the Sauk Trail, a transcontinental route that split into the Oregon and Sante Fe Trails further west. From Dyer east to Valparaiso, Sauk Trail is today's Route 30, Hwy 330, 73rd Avenue, Old Lincoln Hwy, and Lincoln Hwy.
As you travel across the region, remember those who came before you that helped shape the landscape we experience today.
Image credit: Kenneth Schoon from his book "Calumet Beginnings."
Alt text: Black and white map of Northwest Indiana including historic Indigenous trails and villages.
