The WPA Guide to Indiana

During the 1930s in the United States, the Works Progress Administration developed the Federal Writers’ Project to support writers and artists while making a national effort to document the country’s shared history and culture. The American Guide series consists of individual guides to each of the states. Little-known authors—many of whom would later become celebrated literary figures—were commissioned to write these important books. John Steinbeck, Saul Bellow, Zora Neale Hurston, and Ralph Ellison are among the more than 6,000 writers, editors, historians, and researchers who documented this celebration of local histories. Photographs, drawings, driving tours, detailed descriptions of towns, and rich cultural details exhibit each state’s unique flavor.

The WPA Guide to Indiana documents a region with a diverse group of people and backgrounds, appropriately known as “the Crossroads of America.” Bounded by Lake Michigan and the Ohio River, Indiana contains a wealth of natural resources—all carefully detailed in this guide. In addition to a great deal of interesting early 20th century history, the WPA guide to the Hoosier State also has one of the most richly documented Native American histories in the collection.