On This Day In Indianapolis History by Dawn Bakken delights from the collage of pictures on the front cover to the last page. The introduction gives an extremely brief overview of Indianapolis history. Then comes the substance of the book. Each day of the year is featured in bold print. The years, however, vary immensely. After each listed date, there is a paragraph chock full of history related to that date. For example, the first entry is January 1, 1970, the day Unigov took effect. The next entry is January 2, 1910, when a newspaper headline highlighted an interurban accident. Bakken uses this headline as a segue way to discuss the story of interurbans in the Indianapolis area.
The days follow in order by date, but not year. Many of the entries start by referring to a headline or advertisement from a central Indiana newspaper. Even the names of all the newspapers are interesting. After the headline, Bakken writes a paragraph of a couple of hundred words that gives the historical background of the subject. One learns a remarkable amount of Indianapolis history by reading the series of paragraphs. I looked up my birthday and learned that on December 21, 1928, Hinkle Fieldhouse was dedicated. Then there is a short history of the fieldhouse including those high school basketball tourney games such as highlighted in the movie, Hoosiers. By reading another date, I learned that Indianpolis’ first mayor left to seek gold in the California Gold Rush after completing his term of service. Bakken doesn’t say whether he actually found gold. Another entry tells about the Soldiers and Sailors Monument. Amazingly enough, Lew Wallace emceed the program which featured James Whitcomb Riley reading a poem specially written for the day and a band playing an original John Phillips Sousa march dedicated to the Memorial.
Everyone will learn new and interesting facts about our city by reading this exceptionally readable book. Meet Bakken and discuss Indianapolis history with her at Bookmamas, 9 Johnson Ave., on Sat., Feb. 6 at 2 p.m.
