aptain Salmon Lusk, a native of Vermont, was probably the first settler to set eyes on what is now Turkey Run State Park, which he received of the government as a reward for his service in the army under General William Henry Harrison. In 1822 Captain Lusk and his bride built a log cabin at the Narrows along Sugar Creek, and in 1826, a mill at the same location. A village grew and prospered until January 1, 1847, when a great flood in Sugar Creek swept away the mill and the buildings of the town. Today at the Narrows, about 50 feet upstream from the old covered bridge where the stream runs between the high walls of solid rock, you may see the Narrows, you will also see a stately red brick house. This is the famous Lusk home, built by Salmon Lusk in 1841 after the family outgrew the original log cabin, and the only building that was left untouched when the flood carried Lusk's Mill to destruction. Salmon Lusk and his sons made the bricks for the house, carved the rich walnut woodwork, and built the entire house.

In 1869 Captain Lusk died, leaving his homestead and 1000 acres of woodlands to his son, John. Here John Lusk remained with his mother, whom he loved dearly. When she died in 1880 John became a recluse from the world, with but one absorbing interest - he loved and revered the trees that were his heritage. Living alone in the brick house, he stubbornly resisted every effort made by others to cut down the trees. It is to his determined fortitude that we today owe the beauty of this tract of land which is now Turkey Run.

When John Lusk died in 1915, the Lusk estate was put up at public auction. A group of loyal Hoosiers purchased 288 acres of the estate and, on November 11,1916, presented it to the State of Indiana.

And so Turkey Run State Park was created, becoming one of the links in the great state park system of Indiana which is second to none in our country. Under the direction of the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) it has grown in size and beauty making it a haven for those who seek rest and recreation in a natural environment away from the stress and strain of modern life.