Chain O'Lakes State Park (Indiana)
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| Chain O'Lakes State Park | |
|---|---|
IUCN category V (protected landscape/seascape) | |
  Location of Chain O'Lakes State Park in Indiana | |
| Location | Noble County, Indiana, United States |
| Nearest city | Albion, Indiana |
| Coordinates | 41°19′59″N 85°22′50″W / 41.33306°N 85.38056°W |
| Area | 2,718 acres (11.00 km2) |
| Established | 1960 |
| Visitors | 336,392 (in 2018–2019)[1] |
| Governing body | Indiana Department of Natural Resources |
| www | |
Chain O’Lakes is an Indiana state park on 2,718 acres (11.00 km2) in Noble County, Indiana, in the United States. The park is located near the towns of Albion and Avilla and is 19 miles (31 km) northwest of the northeastern Indiana's major city, Fort Wayne.
The desire by residents of Northeastern Indiana to have their own state park grew into a concerted effort to establish Chain O’Lakes State Park during the 1940s and 1950s. Various local government officials, civic organizations, chambers of commerce and newspapers from communities across Northeastern Indiana—including Albion, Columbia City, Churubusco, Kendallville, and Fort Wayne—began to promote and support the park's establishment. The Chain O'Lakes Joint Park Board began a massive fundraising effort, which collected funds to establish the park from counties across Northeastern Indiana. A significant amount of funds were collected specifically in Allen County—where Fort Wayne is located. Notable opposition to the park's establishment came from DeKalb County—a neighbor to Noble County—where officials refused to support a plan to protect the land surrounding the Chain O'Lakes because they wanted to build a state road on the land. Eventually, enabling legislation to establish the park made its way through the Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Governor Ralph F. Gates was an outspoken supporter of the effort to establish the park, continuing to promote the cause even after leaving office. Chain O'Lakes State Park was established in 1960. Then-Indiana Governor Harold W. Handley spoke at the park's opening ceremony, as did former Governor Gates.[2]
