Indiana entered the Union on a cold December day in 1816, but its story did not begin with the signing of a document in Washington. It began in the quiet rise of ancient mounds, in the footsteps of hunters along the White River, and in the long echo of cultures that shaped the land long before anyone called it a state. By the time Congress approved Indiana’s admission, the region had already lived through French traders, British ambitions, American expansion, and the fierce resolve of leaders like Tecumseh who understood what was at stake.