There is a rich history in Pokagon State Park, one that dates back to its designation as the fifth state park in Indiana in 1925. What was originally known as Lake James State Park was renamed to honor Leopold and Simon Pokagon, the father and son leaders of the Potawatomi Native American tribe who made their home in the region in the 19th Century.

The Land of Lakes Amateur Radio Club is joining with Friends of Pokagon on the 23rd of August to mark the park's centennial. Special event station K9P will be on the air from the park from 9 a.m. until dusk.

The celebration acknowledges the importance of the park, where the government's Civilian Conservation Corps lived and worked from 1934 to 1942, helping shape the park's wooded hills, wetlands and open meadows through the addition of landscaping elements built from natural stone and logs. The park is on the shores of Lake James and comprises 1,260-acres. It carries the POTA designation of US-4182.