This book is the result of wandering the highways and byways of Indiana and exploring the history and mystery of the state. It is a collection of stories about Hoosiers that may be amusing, surprising, filled with intrigue, educational, and revelations of little-known facts about people. It is about Hoosier lives cut from many bolts of fabric that have been pieced into the quilt called the state of Indiana.


You will read how a chance encounter on a train caused one man to write one of the most popular and memorable books of all time along with the fascinating story about an African-American slave lady in Vincennes who sued and won her freedom when Indiana became a state. You will read and learn about a family of ne'er-do-wells who introduced the world to the art of robbing trains, a runner named Danny who never lost a race, how the stars announced the birth of a great leader, a Reuben who is not a sandwich but pushed his weight around, a doctor whose great interests lay in inventing things, a woman from New Palestine who is the CEO of a major company, two of the greatest coaches ever, a boy named Wonga who became a giant in the entertainment world and how another boy selling newspapers became a huge Hollywood star.