Editing Fishers, Indiana (section)

==History==
===19th century===
In 1802, [[William Conner]] settled what is now Fishers. Conner built a log cabin and a trading post along the [[White River (Indiana)|White River]].<ref>Allison, 132-133</ref> The land that Conner settled is now known as [[Conner Prairie]] and is preserved as a living history museum.<ref name="aboutfishers">{{cite web |title=About Fishers |url=http://www.fishers.in.us/index.aspx?nid=424 |publisher=City of Fishers |access-date=23 October 2013}}</ref>
[[File:Conner-prairie-original-house.jpg|thumb|left|Conner House at Conner Prairie]]
Settlers started moving to the area after Indiana became a state in 1816 and the [[Lenape|Delaware Indians]] gave up their claims in Indiana and [[Ohio]] to the United States government in 1818 in the [[Treaty of St. Mary's]]. At the treaty William Conner served as an interpreter for [[Chief William Anderson]], his father-in-law. At the time William Conner was married to [[Mekinges Conner]], daughter of Chief William Anderson. In 1823, Hamilton County was chartered by the Indiana General Assembly and [[Delaware Township, Hamilton County, Indiana|Delaware Township]] was established and surveyed.<ref name="egovdocs1">{{cite web |url=http://www.fishers.in.us/egov/docs/1314215991703.htm |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130421171021/http://www.fishers.in.us/egov/docs/1314215991703.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=2013-04-21 |title=Town of Fishers, Indiana - Town of Fishers History |publisher=Fishers.in.us |date=2011-08-24 |access-date=2013-04-26 }}</ref> After the state of Indiana moved its capital to Indianapolis from [[Corydon, Indiana|Corydon]] in 1825, the community started to grow. After the move, John Finch established a horse-powered grinding mill, a blacksmith shop, and the area's first school.<ref name="egovdocs1"/> The next year the area's first water mill was constructed.<ref name="egovdocs1"/>

During 1826 the [[West-Harris House]], later nicknamed Ambassador House, was built near the [[White River (Indiana)|White River]] at present-day 96th Street and Allisonville Road in Fishers. The home was moved to its present-day site at 106th Street and Eller Road in 1996.<ref>{{cite web |title=Ambassador House History |url=http://www.ambassadorhouse.org/history.html |access-date=12 April 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130103043454/http://www.ambassadorhouse.org/history.html |archive-date=3 January 2013 }}</ref><ref name=Tuohy>{{cite news |author=John Tuohy |title=Progress being made on Ambassador House |newspaper=Indianapolis Star |date=July 26, 2007 |url=http://www.ambassadorhouse.org/newsarchive/FishersStar-072607-1.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131213112040/http://www.ambassadorhouse.org/newsarchive/FishersStar-072607-1.pdf |archive-date=December 13, 2013 |access-date=October 3, 2018}}</ref> [[Addison C. Harris]] (1840–1916), a prominent [[Indianapolis]] lawyer and former member of the [[Indiana Senate]] (1876 to 1880), acquired the property in 1880 and had the home remodeled and enlarged around 1895. Harris and wife, [[India Crago Harris]] (1848–1948), used the home as a summer residence. Its nickname of Ambassador House relates to Addison Harris's diplomatic service (1899 to 1901) as [[List of ambassadors of the United States to Austria|U.S. Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to Austria-Hungary]] during [[President of the United States|President]] [[William McKinley]]'s administration.<ref name=Courts>{{cite book | author=Leander J. Monks, Logan Esarey, and Ernest V. Shockley | title =Courts and Lawyers of Indiana | publisher =Federal Publishing Company | volume =3 | year =1916 | location =Indianapolis | pages=1306–07 | oclc=4158945}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Indianapolis Man Receives Appointment as Ambassador |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2307&dat=18990111&id=deIoAAAAIBAJ&pg=3686,3358147 |access-date=11 April 2013 |newspaper=Muncie Morning News |date=11 January 1899}}</ref> The restored Ambassador House is located on the grounds of Heritage Park at White River in Fishers and is operated as a local history museum and a site for community events and private rentals.<ref name=Tuohy/><ref>{{cite web| title =Fishers Heritage Park at White River | publisher =City of Fishers, Indiana | url =https://www.fishers.in.us/facilities/facility/details/fishersheritageparkatwhiteriver-15 | access-date =October 3, 2018}}</ref>

In 1849, construction began on the [[Peru & Indianapolis Railroad]], extending from [[Indianapolis]] to [[Chicago]].<ref>{{cite web |last=Parker |first=Francis |title=History of the Line |url=https://itm.org/HistoryOfTheLine.php |publisher=Indiana Transportation Museum |access-date=23 October 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131001175208/https://itm.org/HistoryOfTheLine.php |archive-date=1 October 2013 }}</ref> The railroad brought several people to the area then known as "Fisher's Switch". In 1872, Fisher's Switch, also known as "Fishers Station", was platted by Salathial Fisher at the present-day intersection of 116th Street and the railroad.<ref name="aboutfishers"/> Indiana's General Assembly incorporated Fisher's Station in 1891.<ref name="egovdocs1"/>

The [[William Conner House]] and [[West-Harris House]] are listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]].<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|version=2010a}}</ref>

===20th century===
In 1908, the post office changed the name of Fishers Switch to "Fishers" by dropping "Switch."<ref name="egovdocs1"/>

After William Conner's death in 1855, his family farm became a place of interest. The Hamilton County Historical Society placed a marker on the site of the William Conner farm in 1927.<ref name="egovdocs1"/> [[Eli Lilly (industrialist, born 1885)|Eli Lilly]], then head of [[Eli Lilly and Company]], purchased William Conner's farm in 1934 and began restoring it. In 1964, Lilly asked [[Earlham College]] to oversee the Conner farm, now known as [[Conner Prairie]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Evolution of a Museum: A History of Conner Prairie |url=http://www.connerprairie.org/Learn-And-Do/Indiana-History/Conner-Prairie-History/Conner-Prairie-History.aspx |publisher=Conner Prairie Interactive History Park |access-date=23 October 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130818214021/http://connerprairie.org/Learn-And-Do/Indiana-History/Conner-Prairie-History/Conner-Prairie-History.aspx |archive-date=18 August 2013 }}</ref>

In 1943, the Indianapolis Water Company constructed [[Geist Reservoir]] in order to prevent a deficit in Indianapolis's water supply. They believed that [[Fall Creek (Indiana)|Fall Creek]] and the White River would not keep up with the demand for water in Indianapolis. In the 1970s, the company wanted to triple the size of the lake, but the plan was rejected in 1978 and homes began to spring up around the reservoir.<ref>{{cite web |last=Tocco |first=Peter |title=Geist History |url=http://atgeist.com/blog/geist-history/ |work=Indianapolis Monthly, 1989 |publisher=atGeist.com |access-date=23 October 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131030011221/http://atgeist.com/blog/geist-history/ |archive-date=October 30, 2013 }}</ref> Germantown, a small settlement, currently resides at the bottom of the reservoir.

The Fishers population grew slowly to 344 by the 1960 census when rail shipment declined. Per township referendums in 1961, the town provided planning services for Delaware and Fall Creek Townships and approved residential zoning for most of the undeveloped area in the two townships.<ref name="egovdocs1"/>

The relocation of [[Indiana State Road 37|State Road 37]] to the east side of town and the connection with [[Interstate 69 in Indiana|Interstate 69]] ensured the future growth of Fishers as a commercial and residential center.<ref name="egovdocs1"/> The town of Fishers would soon become a fast-growing suburb of Indianapolis. Fall Creek Township became the site of a consolidation of area schools when [[Hamilton Southeastern High School]] was formed in the 1960s.<ref name="egovdocs1"/> In 1989 the town's population reached 7,000 and the first Freedom Festival was held. The festival has been held every year since then.
[[File:Farmstead, I-69, 1991 (Fishers, Ind.) - DPLA - 1d544580ea9941b6862fa05d39c497da.jpg|thumb|Interstate 69 passes a rural farmstead near 106th Street in 1991]]
The Thomas A. Weaver Municipal Complex opened as Fishers' civic and government center in 1992. The complex is home to the Fishers City Hall, the police and fire department headquarters buildings, the Fishers Post Office, the Hamilton County Convention and Visitor's Bureau, and the Fishers Chamber of Commerce. Eventually, a library and an office of the Indiana [[Department of motor vehicles|Bureau of Motor Vehicles]] were added. This is still the center of government in Fishers.<ref name="egovdocs1"/>

===21st century===
The 2000 census reported the population of Fishers at almost 38,000.<ref>{{cite web|title=Advanced Search|url=http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/00_SF1/DP1/1600000US1823278|archive-url=https://archive.today/20200212092733/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/00_SF1/DP1/1600000US1823278|url-status=dead|archive-date=2020-02-12|publisher=US Census Bureau}}</ref> With the town's affordable homes, growing economy, and proximity to Indianapolis and Interstate 69, the growth in Fishers was tremendous. In 2003 the town of Fishers requested a special census from the [[U.S. Census Bureau]] to accurately measure the rapid population growth since 2000.<ref name="egovdocs1"/> This census would put the town's population at 52,390, a 38 percent increase from the 2000 census.<ref name="egovdocs1"/> Since then much of the government's resources have been devoted to building parks, maintaining roads, and managing the rapid growth of the town.

In 2005, after a controversy over alleged mismanagement, Conner Prairie formally split from Earlham College, becoming an independent corporation.<ref>{{cite web |last=Scott |first=Phil |title=Conner Prairie independent |url=http://www.wthr.com/story/4303079/conner-prairie-independent?clienttype=printable |publisher=WTHR.com |access-date=23 October 2013}}</ref>

In January 2009, the Geist United Opposition conceded a four-year legal battle with Fishers over the involuntary [[annexation]] of the contiguous, unincorporated area around [[Geist Reservoir]]. This allowed Fishers to annex and incorporate this area of 2,200 homes on January 2, 2010, and to begin taxing it in 2011. This increased Fishers' population by about 5,500, making the town the eighth-largest community in Indiana.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.indystar.com/article/20090120/LOCAL0102/901200356 |title=Foes of Geist annexation end resistance |last=Ritchie |first=Carrie |date=January 20, 2009 |newspaper=[[The Indianapolis Star]] |access-date=2009-01-21 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140810173327/http://www.indystar.com/article/20090120/LOCAL0102/901200356 |archive-date=August 10, 2014 }}</ref>

In 2012, Fishers constructed a multipurpose trail in the downtown district and an amphitheater in the Thomas A. Weaver Municipal Complex.<ref name="egovdocs2">[http://www.fishers.in.us/egov/docs/1321475955878.htm]{{dead link|date=April 2013}}</ref> That November, the town announced the details of a major development project in the heart of downtown. The $33 million pedestrian-oriented, mixed-use development on the north side of 116th Street, just west of Municipal Drive, broke ground in mid-2013 and was scheduled to be completed in 2015.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fishers.in.us/egov/docs/1352698027908.htm |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130421174312/http://www.fishers.in.us/egov/docs/1352698027908.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=2013-04-21 |title=Town of Fishers, Indiana - Fishers Announces $33 Million Downtown Development Project |publisher=Fishers.in.us |date=2012-11-12 |access-date=2013-04-26 }}</ref>

====City controversy====
In 1998, a [[referendum]] to change Fishers from a town to a city was rejected by 75% of the town's voters.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fishers.in.us/about.asp |title=About Fishers|access-date=2008-02-08 |publisher=Town of Fishers |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071117090856/http://www.fishers.in.us/about.asp |archive-date = 2007-11-17}}</ref>

In 2008, a group named "CityYes" began collecting petition signatures for a voter referendum on the question of whether or not to become a city.<ref>{{Cite periodical |last=McLaughlin |first=Kathleen |date=January 19, 2009 |title=City of Fishers (pop 65,382): Indiana's largest town considers new form of government. / Town of Fishers considers new form of government <!-- website: "Town of Fishers considers new form of government"; ProQuest: "CITY OF FISHERS"; Gale: "City of Fishers pop 65,382: Indiana's largest town considers new form of government."; NewsBank: "Indiana's largest town considers new form of government" --> |url=https://www.ibj.com/articles/518-town-of-fishers-considers-new-form-of-government <!-- was http://www.allbusiness.com/government/elections-politics-campaigns-elections/11776403-1.html, accessed 2009-08-22 --> |access-date=2025-02-11 |department=PERIMETER |magazine=Indianapolis Business Journal |page=17 |volume=29 |issue=47 |id={{Gale|A192975015}}. [[NewsBank]] [https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=AWNB&docref=news/1261C2DB8A1EC648 1261C2DB8A1EC648], [https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=AWNB&docref=news/12671778F88AE250 12671778F88AE250]. {{ProQuest|220631331}}.}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.theindychannel.com/news/18411532/detail.html |title=Group Hopes Town's Residents Say 'City Yes' |date=January 5, 2009 |publisher=TheIndyChannel.com |access-date=2009-01-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090705234110/http://www.theindychannel.com/news/18411532/detail.html |archive-date=2009-07-05 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The town appointed a 44-member citizen study committee to review the benefits and drawbacks of a change of government type.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fishers.in.us/egov/docs/123964353362.htm |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120730055829/http://www.fishers.in.us/egov/docs/123964353362.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=2012-07-30 |title=City Town Study Committee Documents |publisher=Town of Fishers |access-date=2009-08-23 }}</ref>

In December 2010, the Fishers Town Council approved two referendum questions: whether or not to become a traditional city with an elected mayor and traditional city council or a modified city with a mayor elected by and from the expanded nine-member city council. The latter would have also merged the governments of Fishers and [[Fall Creek Township, Hamilton County, Indiana|Fall Creek Township]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Sikich |first=Chris |title=Fishers voters may get to decide if it's slicker to be a city |url=http://www.indystar.com/article/20101220/LOCAL0102/12200328/Fishers-voters-may-get-decide-s-slicker-city?odyssey=tab |access-date=December 21, 2010 |newspaper=The Indianapolis Star |date=December 20, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Sikich |first=Chris |title=Voters given the OK to decide whether Fishers will be a city |url=http://www.indystar.com/article/20101221/LOCAL0102/12210370/Voters-given-OK-decide-whether-Fishers-will-city?odyssey=tab |access-date=December 21, 2010 |newspaper=The Indianapolis Star |date=December 21, 2010}}</ref> In the referendum held November 6, 2012, voters rejected the merger with Fall Creek Township to become a modified city with an appointed mayor 62% to 37%, while approving a change to a traditional "second-class city",<ref name="SBOA: Cities and Towns">{{cite web |title=SBOA: Cities and Towns |url=http://www.in.gov/sboa/2435.htm |publisher=State of Indiana |access-date=21 May 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150316131547/http://www.in.gov/sboa/2435.htm |archive-date=16 March 2015 }}</ref> with an elected mayor 55% to 44%.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.indystar.com/article/20121106/NEWS05/211060337/Indiana-election-2012-Fishers-will-become-traditional-city |title=Indianapolis Politics/Government - Indianapolis Star - indystar.com |work=Indianapolis Star |access-date=23 December 2014 |archive-date=23 December 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141223173513/http://www.indystar.com/article/20121106/NEWS05/211060337/Indiana-election-2012-Fishers-will-become-traditional-city |url-status=dead }}</ref>