Native American tribes inhabited the Midwest for thousands of years before the first white settlers arrived in the 1600s. Within a century of their arrival, tensions between the French and English led to the French and Indian War in 1755. When both sides signed the Treaty of Paris in 1763, Britain gained formal control of the region that is now Indiana, whose name means “Land of the Indians.”

The influx of white settlers caused conflicts with Native Americans, and clashes continued until future president Gen. William Henry Harrison led federal troops to victory at the Battle of Tippecanoe in 1811. Indiana was admitted in 1816 as the 19th state, and its capital has remained Indianapolis since 1825.

After the war, advances in transportation and manufacturing led to rapid population growth in northern Indiana, and although the state remained primarily rural, dependence on river transportation and the old pioneer influence began to wane. With borders on Lake Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky and Illinois, the state is a hub to trade throughout the region.

In the beginning of the 20th century, automobile manufacturing became a major industry there, and vehicles were produced in more than 40 Indiana cities. Though many of the factories eventually failed during the Great Depression, in 1911, the state became the host of the most famous automobile race in the world, the Indianapolis 500.