[1] Richard Lieber was instrumental in the foundation of the Indiana State Park system.
[3] It was during the Great Depression of the 1930s that much infrastructure was built within the parks, constructed by New Deal agencies such as the Civilian Conservation Corps and the Works Progress Administration, with the majority of this Depression-era construction still in use in the 21st century.
This delay in infrastructure was due in part to Richard Lieber's belief that the parks should be kept as natural as possible.
[4] Initially, the state parks were intended to feature natural environments in Indiana.
The establishment of Mounds State Park for its historical nature and Shakamak State Park (an abandoned strip mine) purely for recreational purposes represented changes from the initial purposes of the Indiana state park system.