Indiana wears the results of ancient continental ice sheets across five-sixths of its land. Kettle lakes and huge piles of glacial gravel lie sprinkled across northern sections. A mixtures of clay, sand, rocks, and other sediments called glacial till provides central Indiana’s gentle landscape with fertile prairie soils.

Early mound-building peoples left traces of their presence, but Algonquin peoples lived here when the French arrived in the 1670s. To protect their water route between the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River, the French constructed forts along Indiana rivers, including Vincennes on the lower Wabash. Settlers poured in via this southern connection in the years that followed, leading conflicts with Native Americans.

Abundant rains and warm summers made the state a farming leader. Indiana industry sprouted with the arrival of the railroads at mid-century. Indiana’s central location gave rise to the nickname Crossroads of America. Indianapolis became an early hub of farm product shipping and processing.

Indiana’s economy, like others in the region, is shifting from an emphasis on heavy industry to a more technology-oriented job market. The opening of automobile assembly plants has brought thousands of new jobs over the three decades. Indiana continues to be a top-ranking agricultural state, and jobs in service industries, such as tourism, insurance, and pharmaceuticals, are increasing.