History of Indianapolis - Early Years

Early Years

Indianapolis was founded as the site for the new state capital in 1820 by an act of the Indiana General Assembly. Prior to its official founding, Indianapolis was a swampy area called the Fall Creek Settlement sparsely settled by fur traders. The first European American settler is generally believed to be George Pogue, who on March 2, 1819, settled in a double log cabin along the creek now called Pogue's Run. However, as early as 1822, it was argued that John Wesley McCormick was the first European American settler when he built a cabin along the White River in 1820 at the site of what is now the White River State Park in downtown Indianapolis. The state capital was moved from Corydon on January 10, 1825 and the state commissioned Alexander Ralston and Elias Pym Fordham to design the new capital city. Ralston was an apprentice to the French architect Pierre L'Enfant, and he helped L'Enfant plan Washington, D.C. Ralston's original plan for Indianapolis called for a city of only 1-square-mile (2.6 km2). Under Ralston's plan, at the center of the city was placed the Governor's Circle, a large circular commons, which was to be the site of the Governor's mansion. It was used as a market commons for over six years. Although an expensive Governor's mansion was finally constructed in 1827, no Governor ever lived in the house at Governor's Circle, as the site in the city center lacked any privacy. The Governor's mansion was finally demolished in 1857. Later, Governor's Circle became Monument Circle after the impressive 284-foot-tall (86.5-meter-tall) neoclassical limestone and bronze Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument, designed by German architect Bruno Schmitz, was completed on the site in 1901.