Near Shelbyville in Shelby County, Indiana — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Whetzel Trace
After the War of 1812
Photographed by Trevor L Whited, September 4, 2023
1. Whetzel Trace Marker
looking north up state road 9
After the War of 1812, the U.S. renewed efforts to obtain Indian lands in the Indiana Territory. In October 1818, the Miami, Potawatomi, Wea, and Delaware nations under pressure signed treaties with the U.S. exchanging millions of acres of their lands in central Indiana for annuities and goods, opening this forest region to settlers looking for land to farm.
In 1818, Jacob Whetzel, his son Cyrus, and axmen cut an east-west trail that began near Laurel on the Whitewater River, crossed the Big Blue River near here, and ended near Waverly and the bluffs on White River. Settlers from east and south used this trace and helped establish Shelby, Rush, Johnson,Morgan, and Marion counties and the new capital at Indianapolis.
Erected 2011 by Indiana Historical Bureau, Shelby County Historical Society, and County Fourth Grade Students. (Marker Number 73.2011.1.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Indigenous Peoples and Communities • Roads & Vehicles. In addition, it is included in the Indiana Historical Bureau Markers series list. A significant historical month for this entry is October 1818.
Location. Marker has been reported missing. It was located near 39° 35.608′ N, 85°
this page online
Regionally, this marker was in Central Indiana. It was also in the American Midwest and in the Corn Belt. Globally, it was in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it found itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture and also the Northwest Territory.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 5 miles of this location, measured as the crow flies: Thomas A. Hendricks 1819- 1885 (approx. 4.6 miles away); Wilbur Shaw (approx. 4.6 miles away); Site of Home of Thomas Andrews Hendricks (approx. 4.7 miles away); The Julius Joseph Fountain (approx. 4.8 miles away); The Bears of Blue River (approx. 4.8 miles away); Historic Shelbyville High School (approx. 4.9 miles away); Indiana's First Railroad (approx. 4.9 miles away); Civil War Memorial - Shelby County Indiana (approx. 5 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Shelbyville.
Photographed by Trevor L Whited, September 4, 2023
2. Whetzel Trace Marker
Photographed by Tom Bosse, June 27, 2025
3. Whetzel Trace Marker
Marker missing as of 6-27-25.
Credits. This page was last revised on July 2, 2025. It was originally submitted on September 18, 2012, by Kern Butler of Auburn, Indiana. This page has been viewed 1,727 times since then and 46 times this year. Last updated on June 30, 2025, by Tom Bosse of Jefferson City, Tennessee. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on September 4, 2023, by Trevor L Whited of Kokomo, Indiana. 3. submitted on June 30, 2025, by Tom Bosse of Jefferson City, Tennessee. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
