Fort Wayne’s Rivers

The last stop of my summer loop around Indiana was Fort Wayne – a city with three rivers.

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Three big rivers converge in Fort Wayne: St. Joseph, St. Mary, and Maumee, which all flow north to Lake Erie, making this region the largest watershed that feeds the Great Lakes.

This is a bicycle-friendly city with connecting greenways that travel along the rivers and take you downtown.

There’s a lot of history hidden in Fort Wayne. Native Americans were here first, with permanent villages. When Indiana was still part of the Northwest Territories, US generals and troops were sent out to settle the area. Twice. Indians successfully wiped them out in the largest Native victory you’ve never heard of. Then Crazy General Wayne arrived, and the rest is, well, history.

On a steamy afternoon, I took ride on the Sweet Breeze canal boat. A local historian narrated the tour as we motored a loop around the confluence of rivers. Highly recommended and tickets are only $20!

I heard a story about an Indian chief who had a prized apple orchard, known throughout the region for his excellent fruit. The settlers wiped out his village and burned down the orchard. Feeling bad about it later, the settlers decided to name the town after the Indian. So what city in Indiana do you think they named after the chief who lost his orchard? Indianapolis?
Nope. It was Gary, Indiana. The chief’s name was Gary.

Actually, there is an apple connection here. Fort Wayne was the home of Johnny Appleseed, the famed horticulturist who planted seedlings across several states. His grave is here, lovingly surrounded by apple trees.

Being a city with three rivers, downtown Fort Wayne is criss-crossed with bridges. Some old, some new, all wonderful.

Along with the fabulous bike greenway, the city has invested in a string of public parks. It encourages people to be out and about.

After a long day of pedaling, I returned to my campground at Johnny Appleseed Park near the St. Joseph dam. It’s a popular fishing pier, day and night.

I’m sure there’s more to Fort Wayne than I was able to see in a couple of days. But I did enjoy its rivers!