Indiana History Map Available from Ball State University Libraries

New Year, New Map: Indiana Firsts Map Available from Ball State University Libraries

The Ball State University Libraries’ GIS Research and Map Collection (GRMC) is creating custom maps of Indiana’s rich history.  The maps are geared toward the fourth-grade Indiana history curriculum and feature numerous people and places often neglected in the elementary social studies textbook.

The newest map (above, click to enlarge) is appropriate for the first of the New Year—First Things First: Innovations, Inventions, and Incidents in Indiana History.  This map details some of the “firsts” things in Indiana history.  For example, the Muncie/Congerville Flyers were one of the founding teams of the league that would later become the National Football League.  And the Reno Gang perpetrated the first train robbery in the United States in Seymour.

Whigs, Willkie, and the White House is a map featuring prominent figures and events in the state’s rich political history.  A map of Indiana’s automobile history and another about the state’s sports history are also available from the GRMC.

Other maps in the series include a map of Indiana’s music history, a map showing movies that take place in Indiana, a map of prominent authors from the state, a map of Indiana high school boys’ basketball state champions, and a map of Indiana points of interest.

All of the maps are available for download from the Libraries’ Cardinal Scholar institutional repository.  And the maps feature photographs from the Digital Media Repository and the Indiana Historical Society.  The maps may be printed and used in the classroom or for research, learning projects, or personal interest.  (The GRMC also offers large-format color printing on two plotters for members of the Ball State University community).

For more information about using maps in the classroom, please contact the GRMC at 765-285-1097.