America250: Tales of the Mississinewa and White River Settlement

Join us as we continue to celebrate America250 with a special local history presentation by public historian, author, and lecturer, Chris Flook! As Delaware County's first non-Native settlers established villages along the White and Mississinewa rivers, these waterways became central to East-Central Indiana's development. The presentation explores the settlement of those early river communities, settler interactions with Native Americans, and the evolving role that the rivers played in transportation and industry. It also examines the rivers' watersheds, the environmental impact of pollution, and the long arc of cleanup and recovery, showing how their changing landscape continues to shape identity and placemaking in Muncie and beyond. This program is free and open to the public. Presenter Bio: Chris Flook is a public historian from Muncie, Indiana. He's published four books of public history including Ghosts of Old Muncie, Indianapolis Graverobbing, Native Americans of East-Central Indiana, and Lost Towns of Delaware County. In 2016 he co-authored and edited Beech Grove Cemetery Comes to Life. Flook also writes the bi-monthly ByGone Muncie history column for the Star Press newspaper. In addition to actively volunteering at the Delaware County Historical Society, Flook works professionally as a motion graphics designer, photographer, and documentary filmmaker. He teaches motiongraphic design in the Department of Media at Ball State University as a senior lecturer.