Busseron Creek Reimagined: A Journey of Restoration
Introduction
A strong partnership emerged to protect a 3,950-acre property near Lake Glendora Test Facility in Sullivan County, Indiana. The Southern Indiana Sentinel Landscape (SISL) partnership, led by the Conservation Law Center (CLC), works to preserve and protect military missions, support sustainable farming and forestry, restore and sustain ecosystems, ensure thriving human communities, and improve climate resiliency.
In November 2022, SISL identified a real estate listing for a 191-acre property for sale in the heart of this nearly 4,000-acre contiguous land holding. If this piece had sold, the entire property would have been fractured, likely permanently. SISL swiftly began engaging partners to gauge interest to assist. The Conservation Fund (TCF) and the Indiana Chapter of The Nature Conservancy (TNC) both stepped into action with SISL almost immediately. Indiana Department of Natural Resources Division of Fish and Wildlife (DNR) enthusiastically supported being the eventual owners of this property. Thanks to the extremely supportive listing agent from Kurtz Auction and Realty, SISL was able to meet with key leadership from Peabody, who agreed to pull the property off the open market. This allowed time for the partnership to spring into action. SISL was able to secure commitments in funding to make the project a reality.
TCF was able to purchase the land from American Land Holdings of Indiana Inc., a subsidiary of Peabody Coal. TCF, then, closed on a conservation easement with DoD to secure that funding and transferred the property to DNR.
This land used to be part of the beloved DNR Minnehaha Fish and Wildlife Area. That property was available for public recreation through a lease from 1985 until 2016, when it permanently closed. These nearly 4,000 acres will once again, and permanently this time, be available for public outdoor recreation. Additionally, the land will support resilient ecosystem functions for clean air, clean water, wildlife habitat, and buffering of flooding through the massive contiguous wetlands present on the property.
Video by Indiana DNR. 2024. Introducing Busseron Creek Fish & Wildlife Area. All rights reserved.
Geologic History
The geologic history of the Busseron Creek area in Sullivan County, Indiana, is marked by two significant influences: coal formation and glacial activity. Both played key roles in shaping the landscape and natural resources of the region.
Coal Formation
- Geologic Background: Busseron Creek lies within the Illinois Basin, a key coal-producing region.
- Pennsylvania Period (300 million years ago): Swamps and forests covered the area, where plant material accumulated and was buried over time.
- Coal Formation: Heat and pressure transformed the organic matter into bituminous coal, creatin thick coal seams beneath the surface.
- Mining History: Since the 19th century, coal mining has shaped the landscape, causing subsidence and altering water flow in the creek and tributaries.
Glacial Activity
- Pleistocene Epoch: Glaciers advanced over northern Indiana, dramatically shaping the landscape.
- Glacial Till: As the glaciers retreated, they left behind layers of clay, silt, sand, and gravel, forming the hills and valleys around the creek.
- Soil and Water Flow: The fertile soils created by glacial deposits are crucial for agriculture. Melting glaciers also altered water drainage, carving valleys and depositing rich alluvial soils.
- Wetlands and Water Management: These changes helped form wetlands and continue to influence modern water management practices in the region.
These two geological forces, coal formation and glaciation, are central to understanding both the natural history and human use of the land around Busseron Creek. They have shaped not only the physical landscape but also the region’s economy and ecology.
Indigenous Peoples' History
We wish to acknowledge and honor the Wea people, on whose ancestral homelands and resources this project area is positioned. As noted in historical accounts,
“The Wea Tribe was a subtribe of the Miami Nation. In the late seventeenth century they lived near the western shore of Lake Michigan. During the next 150 years, they moved frequently and the 1750’s found them living on the Wabash and White Rivers, in the present States of Indiana and Illinois. The Weas supported the British during the Revolutionary War."
"On October 2, 1818, at St. Mary’s, Ohio, the Weas ceded most of their lands in Indiana, Illinois and Ohio, except for a reserve in Indiana, on the Wabash River. The remaining Indiana Reserve was ceded by the Treaty of August 16, 1820, 7 State. 209. Having disposed of all their lands, the remaining Wea removed to Missouri and Arkansas where they joined the other tribal members and the Piankashaws who had also left Indiana and Illinois. By the Treaty of October 29, 1832, 7 Stat. 410, the Wea, jointly with the Piankashaws, were granted 250 sections of land in what is now Miami County, Kansas, on lands adjacent to the Peoria and Kaskaskia Reserve... The Peoria Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma is a confederation of Kaskaskia, Peoria, Piankashaw, and Wea Indians united into a single tribe in 1854."
Early Settlers' History
Mr. Busseron's History
As settlers like Richard Maxwell began to claim land and establish communities in this area, they built upon a legacy shaped by early pioneers who had already left a mark on the region’s history. One such figure was François Riday Busseron.
François Riday Busseron was born in the Northwest territory in 1748. By 1778, he had been mayor of Vincennes already for several years and was aligned with the young nation of the United States of America. He played an instrumental role in resupplying Colonel George Rogers Clark’s soldiers in February 1779 when they were exhausted and soaked. Their powder was ruined, but Busseron had buried powder to hide it from the British who had previously taken all powder from the city. Busseron’s generosity in this matter and others cost him dearly though as he died at the age of 43, broke from being unable to get repaid for his loans.
Busseron Creek Name Origin
Busseron Creek, named for Francois Riday Busseron, leaves behind a legacy that connects several early communities in Indiana, despite the exact timing and reason for its naming being unclear. One of these communities was Busro, established by Shakers in 1808 in present-day Sullivan County. The settlement, likely named after the creek, also went by West Union, Shakervillage, and Shaker Prairie before disappearing by 1827. Just two miles away, the town of Busseron was platted in 1815 and described as "on the north end of the beautiful prairie of the same name."
Around 1810, Busseron Township was laid out in northwest Knox County, further embedding the name into the region's history. Another town named Busseron was established within the township on May 30, 1854, but by 1886, it had faded to just a name on the map. Although the physical presence of these places may have dwindled, the name "Busseron" continues to echo through the landscapes of creeks, prairies, and the remnants of early settlements.
Vicinity History
Mining Origins of Minnehaha
Minnehaha was given as a name to a series of surface and underground mines in the vicinity of this project area.
The first surface mine under the Minnehaha name began production on October 1, 1936, by Hickory Grove Coal Mining Company. Twenty-seven surface mines had the name Minnehaha in this area according to DNR records. Surface mining operations on all the Minnehaha mines had ceased by 1995.
One of the two underground mines began operations in 1939 by the Little Betty Mining Corporation and ceased operations in 1965, owned at that time by Fairview Collieries Corp. The other underground mine also began in 1939 by Fairview Collieries and ceased in 1965, owned at that time by Ayshire Collieries.
Changes in Ownership of Minnehaha Mine
Production began October 1, 1936
Coal Directory Year | Ownership |
|---|---|
1948 | Hickory Grove Coal Mining Company |
1951 | Little Betty Mining Corporation |
1957 | Fairview Collieries Corporation |
1979-1994 | Amax Coal Company |
Historical Aerials of Busseron Creek
The following aerial images, taken from 1937 to 2023, capture the gradual transformation of the Busseron Creek Conservation Project area. Each decade reveals the evolving landscape, shaped by both human intervention and natural restoration efforts:
Military History
Acoustic Testing Origins: Dugger Lake, IN Preceding Lake Glendora Facility
Prior to the current Lake Glendora Test Facility location, Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division (NSWC Crane) personnel utilized a small lake located in Dugger, IN to perform acoustic testing. This small lake was leased from a local coal company in July 1974.
From Acquisition to Activation: The Development of Lake Glendora Test Facility (1988-1996)
In 1988, NSWC Crane began efforts to acquire a 450-acre parcel of ground from the local coal company in Sullivan County, IN. This 450-acre parcel would later be known as Lake Glendora Test Facility. Efforts continued until a deal was finalized in 1990 and NSWC Crane took possession.
In 1991, the move from Dugger Lake to Lake Glendora commenced and by 1992, Sonobouy testing was up and running. For most of the early 1990s the site was without roads and buildings forcing personnel to work out of small barges and trailers. In 1996, a MILCON was awarded to construct buildings, roads, and route power & water. Additionally, the site was approved for explosive work at this time.
Mission and Capabilities of the Lake Glendora Test Facility
Lake Glendora is the only Navy owned water testing facility that is fully controlled and has no public access. The lake itself is 110 acres.
The facility’s mission is to support any and all proof of concept testing for risk reduction purposes prior to full scale or open water testing. The facility supports every branch of the military, other warfare centers, work for private party, academia, and other government organizations.
Lake Glendora is highly capable of supporting a very diverse workload.
Minnehaha Fish & Wildlife History
From Mining to Outdoor Recreation
The Minnehaha Fish & Wildlife Area in Sullivan County, Indiana, originated in 1985 when the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) leased over 12,000 acres from AMAX Coal Company. This lease, valued at just $100 per year, allowed the state to convert former mining land into a public recreation area, making it Indiana’s largest fish and wildlife area at the time. Minnehaha quickly became a popular destination for hunting, fishing, and wildlife observation, attracting visitors from across Indiana and surrounding states.
Preserving Recreation Amid Minnehaha's Loss
Over the years, substantial acreage was removed from this area, eventually reducing it to approximately 3,500 acres.
In 2016, the lease was terminated by the property owner, a subsidiary of Peabody Energy, leading to Minnehaha’s closure and raising concerns about the potential loss of public recreational land.
Minnehaha Fish and Wildlife Area: Land Reduction and Closure (1985-2016)
October 1984
- AMAX Coal lease with DNR for 1,800-acre public Busseron Bottoms Deer Hunting Area.
October 28, 1985
– Meadowlark Farms Inc. and Indiana Department of Natural Resources execute lease to create 12,500-acre Minnehaha Fish and Wildlife Area.
November 14, 1985
– Minnehaha Fish and Wildlife Area dedicated.
1995
– Down to 11,400 acres per DNR Hunting and Trapping Guide.
2002
– Down to 8,382 acres per DNR Hunting and Trapping Guide.
February 27, 2005
– Fears of potential Minnehaha closure loom with the original 20-year lease set to expire October 28, 2005.
October 23, 2005
- New lease not yet reached, with lease set to expire October 28.
October/November 2005
- New lease reached.
2009
– Down to 5,000 acres per DNR Hunting and Trapping Guide.
November 2013
– “Area A” of Minnehaha shut down, losing another 1,050 acres.
January 12, 2016
– American Land Holdings of Indiana terminated lease with DNR.
January 27, 2016
– DNR announced upcoming closure of Minnehaha FWA.
April 2016
– Minnehaha permanently closed. Final acreage as closing: 3500 acres.
Busseron Creek Conservation
[The reference to any company, its products, or services in this document does not imply Navy endorsement.]
