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Indianapols The Story of a City
This is a history of the City of Indianapolis. From the beginning (1818) up through 1970.
- GenresHistory
261 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1971
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
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April 16, 2013Love this book thus far...just trying to imagine Indiana, Indianapolis as a vast and swampy forest!
September 29, 2021
There were interesting chapters, and it was pretty well-written, but the 1970 publication definitely made it feel dated. There were sections where I wasn't sure how much whitewashing was going on, especially in the post-KKK chapter where he talked about all the racial progress that had been made. He mentions there's still some work to be done to improve trust between the black community and police. The more things change, the more they stay the same.
Leary was more interested in political and business machinations than I am, which made parts of it a bit of a slog. The elements I found most interesting as a local were the random facts that connect forward to the city as I know it today. The very early days when the city a sparsely-populated swamp, and the descriptions of the city at specific points were really interesting.
There were also a few gems that he mentioned, but didn't give NEARLY enough information about. For example, this all we get on an unnamed "Buffalo Boy," who deserves so much more:
"The lad, a black boy in his teens, had appeared in town in an outlandish hat with a crimson band, leading a grizzled old buffalo which he sometimes rode, to the delight of the town children. Arrested for some minor offense and clapped into the log jail, he set it on fire during the night and in the excitement escaped by riding off on his buffalo."
Leary was more interested in political and business machinations than I am, which made parts of it a bit of a slog. The elements I found most interesting as a local were the random facts that connect forward to the city as I know it today. The very early days when the city a sparsely-populated swamp, and the descriptions of the city at specific points were really interesting.
There were also a few gems that he mentioned, but didn't give NEARLY enough information about. For example, this all we get on an unnamed "Buffalo Boy," who deserves so much more:
"The lad, a black boy in his teens, had appeared in town in an outlandish hat with a crimson band, leading a grizzled old buffalo which he sometimes rode, to the delight of the town children. Arrested for some minor offense and clapped into the log jail, he set it on fire during the night and in the excitement escaped by riding off on his buffalo."
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews