| Turkey Run State Park | |
|---|---|
 Sugar Creek in Turkey Run State Park | |
  Map of the local area | |
| Type | State park |
| Location | Parke County, Indiana, USA |
| Nearest city | Marshall, Indiana |
| Coordinates | 39°53.1′N 87°12.2′W / 39.8850°N 87.2033°W |
| Area | 2,382 acres (964 ha) |
| Created | 1916 |
| Operated by | Indiana Department of Natural Resources |
| Visitors | 706,323 (in 2018–2019)[1] |
| Website | Official Website |
Turkey Run State Park, Indiana's second state park, is in Parke County in the west-central part of the state along State Road 47, 2 miles (3.2 km) east of U.S. 41.
The first parcel of land was purchased for $40,200 in 1916, when Indiana's state park system was established during the state's centennial anniversary of its statehood.[2][3] The origin of the name "Turkey Run" is unknown, but the most accepted theory is that wild turkeys would congregate for warmth in the gorges (or "runs"), where early settlers could easily trap and hunt them.
The Lusk Home and Mill Site and the Richard Lieber Log Cabin within the park's grounds were included as individual sites on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974 and 2001, respectively. The park itself was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2019. Turkey Run also includes a system of trails, Rocky Hollow Falls Canyon Nature Preserve, a suspension bridge across Sugar Creek, camping sites, and other recreational areas. The Turkey Run Inn was built in 1919. Several guest cabins near the inn date from the 1930s and 1940s. The park draws some 700,000 visitors annually.[1]
The park is 1 of 14 Indiana State Parks that were in the path of totality for the 2024 solar eclipse, with the park experiencing 43 seconds of totality.[4]
- ^ a b "2018 / 2019 Estimated Fiscal Year Visits for Indiana State Parks ~ Alphabetical" (PDF). Indiana Department of Natural Resources. Archived (PDF) from the original on April 22, 2022. Retrieved November 2, 2021.
- ^ "Indiana State Historic Architectural and Archaeological Research Database (SHAARD)" (Searchable database). Department of Natural Resources, Division of Historic Preservation and Archaeology. Archived from the original on April 27, 2019. Retrieved November 13, 2019. Note: This includes Connie Ziegler (February 8, 2015). "National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Turkey Run State Park" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on November 15, 2019. Retrieved November 14, 2019. and Accompanying maps and photographs.
- ^ "DNR Historical Timeline". Indiana Department of Natural Resources. Archived from the original on March 26, 2007.
- ^ R, Mike (July 14, 2021). "Indiana 2024 Eclipse State Park Resources". CosmosPNW. Retrieved October 3, 2022.