First families to arrive in Marion County

First off, it should be noted that Native Americans lived in the dense forests and marshlands of the land that became Marion County before any settlers of European heritage arrived. In particular, the Lenape tribe of Indians (called the Delaware by white settlers) had established villages in the central Indiana region. Then other people began to filter into the wilderness of Marion County circa 1820. At some point in early 1819, a basket maker named Ute Perkins wandered through and built a cabin. He didn't stay too long; historians say he felt lonely and isolated in the dark woods and left to settle in Rush County.