Shakamak State Park
The Nature Center on the west side of the lake
LocationClay, Greene, and Sullivan counties, Indiana, United States
Nearest cityJasonville, Indiana
Area1,766 acres (7.15 km2)
Established1929
Visitors232,660 (in 2018–2019)[1]
Governing bodyIndiana Department of Natural Resources
http://www.in.gov/dnr/parklake/2969.htm
Shakamak State Park Historic District
Shakamak State Park is located in Clay County, Indiana
Shakamak State Park
Shakamak State Park is located in Indiana
Shakamak State Park
Shakamak State Park is located in the United States
Shakamak State Park
Nearest cityJasonville, Indiana
Coordinates39°10′12″N 87°14′24″W / 39.17000°N 87.24000°W / 39.17000; -87.24000
Area685 acres (277 ha)
Built byCCC; WPA
Architectural stylePark Rustic
MPSNew Deal Resources on Indiana State Lands MPS
NRHP reference No.00000199[2]
Added to NRHPMarch 15, 2000

Shakamak State Park is a state park in Indiana, United States. It is located 30 miles (48 km) southeast of Terre Haute, Indiana.

Shakamak's main attraction is its fishing. Shakamak has several outdoor recreational activities such as swimming, hiking, paddle boating, row boating, camping, fishing. The park offers rentals for cabins and campsites and is located just 3 miles (4.8 km) from Jasonville, Indiana. The park receives about 230,000 visitors annually.[1]

The park is 1 of 14 Indiana State Parks that are in the path of totality for the 2024 solar eclipse, with the park experiencing 3 minutes and 53 seconds of totality.[3]

History

Shakamak State Park was dedicated on September 3, 1928. The land was donated for a state park from the counties of Clay, Greene and Sullivan. The name "Shakamak" was chosen by the park's founders. The word is said to mean "river of the long fish" in the language of either the Delaware (Lenape) or Kickapoo Indians, and was said to be used by them to describe the nearby Eel River. The park founders simply adopted the name for the park long after any Delaware departed the area—well over 100 years before in 1819.[4]

The first lake of Shakamak Park was created by the stopping up of a 5-foot (1.5 m) sewer and additional lakes were added in following years (30 years later in the case of Lake Kickapoo). There were no lakes in the area prior to that time. It was purposely stocked with bass by Richard Lieber in May 1930, starting the park's fame for fishing in July 1932 after sufficient time had passed for the original bass to reproduce enough to populate the lake.[5] Further development of the park also occurred with the help of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). CCC Company 522 was located in the park from 1933 until 1942.[6]

It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2000 as a national historic district.[2]

Shakamak hosted many Mid-States AAU Championship Swim Meets, drawing a huge attendance. A platform and a 5 and 10 meter diving platform (called the "16" and "32" by local swimmers preferring to measure the heights approximately in feet) was created for the meets and remained open and in use by the general swimming public until the 1990s when Shakamak Lake was closed to swimming and a swimming pool was constructed.

The park is located approximately 3 miles (4.8 km) from Jasonville, Indiana, a town with the motto of "The Gateway to Shakamak".

References

  1. 1 2 "2018 / 2019 Estimated Fiscal Year Visits for Indiana State Parks ~ Alphabetical" (PDF). Indiana Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved November 2, 2021.
  2. 1 2 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  3. ↑ R, Mike (July 14, 2021). "Indiana 2024 Eclipse State Park Resources". CosmosPNW. Retrieved October 3, 2022.
  4. ↑ "DNR: DNR History". Archived from the original on April 18, 2010. Retrieved April 20, 2010. Official (Indiana) DNR Historical Timeline
  5. ↑ Shakamak State Park Indiana Swimming Pier History Archived 2013-01-24 at archive.today
  6. ↑ "Indiana State Historic Architectural and Archaeological Research Database (SHAARD)" (Searchable database). Department of Natural Resources, Division of Historic Preservation and Archaeology. Retrieved August 1, 2015. Note: This includes Glory-June Grieff (March 1999). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form: Shakamak State Park Historic District" (PDF). Retrieved August 1, 2015. and Accompanying photographs.
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