On this day in 1816, Indiana became the 19 th state. The Paleo-Indians are believed to be the first people to inhabit what is now Indiana . The name Indiana simply means the land of Indians . The first European to cross into Indiana was the French explorer Rene-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle in 1679. Soon after, French Canadian traders arrived in the area. They set up trade with the Native Americans. Various forts were built with the intention of controlling trade. The British soon learned of this lucrative trading and tried to lay claim. Fighting between the British and the French Canadians continued throughout the 1750s. The Native Americans sided with the French Canadians in the French and Indian War but the British claimed victory in 1763, forcing the French to surrender their lands. Indiana became part of the Northwest Territory for the United States in 1787. In 1800 Ohio was separated from the Territory which now became known as simply the Indiana Territory...
by Jeanne Ruczhak-Eckman