However, in 2013, a Boston start-up company, Free Flow Power Corp., took interest in Williams dam along with about four other similar dams in Indiana. Free Flow Power Corp. sought to reharness the power of the water as it falls over the dam, using it to generate electricity for homes and businesses in the area. Doing so would provide an alternative to energy produced using fossil fuels, such as coal or oil. This project was largely opposed by locals, who voiced concerns over protecting native and endangered species of fish, mussels, and other wildlife that are important to the natural and social processes of the river. Fishable Indiana Streams for Hoosiers (FISH) is one of the organizations that opposed the project, and Free Flow Power Corp.’s licensing was surrendered in 2018.

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On the East Fork of the White River, which runs through the southern part of the state, lies Williams Dam. Built in 1913 as a hydroelectric dam, Williams would provide private homes and the stone industries with electricity until the 1950s. Today, the 17-foot-tall dam serves as a historic and recreational site, popular for fishing, camping, and enjoying the beauty that the White River has to offer. 

Williams Dam

This tour visits some of the most prominent historical sites on both the East and West forks of the White River in south-central Indiana. 

The Delaware people referred to themselves as the Lenape, and they referred to the White River in Indiana as the Wapahani River. They travelled from their homeland in the Delaware River Valley towards Indiana on their forced expansion westward, pushed by white European settlers. Their tribe was dwindling in numbers by the time they reached Indiana in the late 18th century due to the spread of disease and conflicts with Europeans. Settling in what was previously Miami Indian territory, the Lenape would settle between what is present day Muncie, IN, and just north of the present northern Marion County line. Kiktuchwenind, also known as Chief Anderson, was one of the Native American chiefs that spoke for the tribe in the Treaty of Greenville. His youngest daughter, Mekinges, would marry a white trader named William Conner, who participated in the historic fur trade, aided by transport on the White River. The Treaty of St. Mary’s, signed in 1818, ceded most of the land in central Indiana to the Europeans, marking the end of the time that the Lenape would dwell in this part of the state.

On the afternoon of May 25, 1801, the banks of the White River would receive eight individuals traveling by canoe on their way to the Delaware Indian settlement known as Waperminskink. Two of these individuals were white, Moravian missionaries who were pursuing their goal of attempting to convert as many Delaware people to Christianity as possible. Their work began five days later, and the small settlement of Waperminskink would eventually transform into a mission station, complete with nine log houses which were about 14-16 square feet, five Indian huts, a church, a schoolhouse, a barn, stables, and gardens. By the year 1806, the missionaries would grow weary and fearful of their converts, who often opposed their teachings and drank too much whiskey for the missionaries' liking. They packed their bags and rode back to their home in Pennsylvania on horseback. 

Delaware Indian Settlement: Waperminskink (present day Anderson)

Flatboats were a popular form of transporting goods and people at the time that construction began on the canal, and navigation proved difficult in Indiana's crooked natural rivers. Noah Major, a pioneer of Morgan County, estimated the number of flatboats that traveled through the state at this time to be about 15 boat per year between 1829 and 1853. In order to increase the potential for transportation and commerce in the state, the Indiana Central Canal would be planned to span 296 miles from Peru, Indiana, to Evansville. However, the $3.5 million dollar project would be brought to a halt due to the economic Panic of 1837, leaving only eight miles completed in Indianapolis, with another 80 miles partially constructed between Anderson and Martinsville. In 1871, the canal was purchased by the Indianapolis Water Company to provide power for pumping well water into Indianapolis residents' homes. In 1904, the company began using water directly from the canal as a source of drinking water for its customers. Today, the Canal moves water from the White River six and a half miles to the Citizens White River Treatment Plant, just west of downtown Indianapolis.

Construction began on the Indiana Central Canal in 1836, with intentions to connect the Wabash River to the Ohio River, closely following the route of the White River, in order to improve transportation and economic exchange in central Indiana. The canal would only partially be completed, leaving an eight-mile stretch that runs parallel to the White River today. 

Indiana Central Canal

The location for the proposed nature preserve lies on the far eastern edge of the Highland Golf and Country Club in Indianapolis, covering an area of 12.2 acres. The White River Bluffs are a unique geologic feature produced by glacial deposits of gravel over 12,000 years ago. The preserve, which is set to open in 2021, will be dedicated to protecting and supporting some of Indiana’s most valuable (and vulnerable) wildlife species. For example, the Central Indiana Land Trust announced in their Spring 2020 newsletter their plans for a hanging butterfly habitat, comprised of plants such as milkweed, prickly pear cactus, purple coneflower, and violets to encourage the migration and breeding of pollinators.The habitat and ecology of the White River are some of the top priorities for preservation included in the White River Vision Plan. The natural areas assessment for this project includes inventories of many of the rare and valuable species that call this river home. Freshwater mussels are one of these species, which predominated in the river in the early 1800s with more than 70 different species of mussels. Mussels act as natural filters for the river, removing large amounts of sediment and organic matter as they move along the bed.  From the 1890s through the 1960s, freshwater mussels were harvested for the button and pearl industries, and now they compete with invasive Asian clams for habitat in the river.Fish have also played an important role in the river’s ecology. Since 1895, 158 fish species have been known to exist in the White River’s watershed. Carp were introduced to the river after forest-clearing and wetland drainage in the 1800s had caused a mass decline in natural fish populations. Since then, carp have disturbed the riverbed by eating and uprooting vegetation and outcompeting native fish for resources. Furthermore, discharges of chemical waste and runoff from urban and agricultural areas have contributed to the deprivation of oxygen in the water and, in some cases, to the direct poisoning of fish. Due to the levels of pollution, a fish consumption advisory has been issued for the entire White River, limiting consumers to eating a maximum of eight ounces of White River fish per month.

As part of the White River Vision Plan, announced by community leaders in 2019, a proposal was made, and plans were revealed to preserve and develop parts of the natural water source that runs through central Indiana. The goal is to create a natural attraction, similar to a national park. One feature of this plan is the White River Bluffs Nature Preserve, which will allow visitors to hike about 85 feet above the river, taking in the scenic views of some of Indianapolis’ oldest trees and most valued wildlife, such as the bald eagle. 

Historical Review of the White River in Indiana

Williams Dam

Introduction

Images

Backstory and Context

Sources

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