Collett Park

Josephus Collett had a busy lifestyle building railroads and making money. In 1883, he donated something to Terre Haute that made a difference in the community. 21.1 acres of wooded land about a mile east of the Wabash River on the city’s north side. More than a century after Collett died, the public park that carries his name is on its seventh generation.

The Action Track

The Action Track is a popular dirt-racing track in Terre Haute. There have been many professional race car drivers such as Jeff Gordon, Pancho Carter, Mario Andretti and Tony Stewart. The track was designed originally for horse racing back when it first opened in 1952. Currently its used for quarter midget association and drag racing. Anton “Tony” Hulman leased the land for the races. The track was operated by the Fraternal Order of Police for its first 20 years. This is a mainstay in Terre Haute due to the fact that it has been around for so many years and it’s something different and exciting for people to attend.

Square Donuts

935 Wabash Avenue is a popular place for donut eaters since 1967. With the custom cutter, Square Donuts is able to turn 150 dozen round doughnuts into 350 dozen square doughnuts using the same amount of dough. There are four employees that have worked at this Square Donuts for more than 20 years. Rick Comer is the third generation owner now. His father retired in 2004 after working 48 years. Rick’s grandmother, Eva Monkhouse, started the family business nearly a half century ago. The MSNBC did a special on this Square Donuts and interviewed a regular. Tom Keller is a businessman from Chicago. His business brings him to Terre Haute often enough to be a regular at Square Donuts. “I’ll tell our drivers, and they’ll say they’ve never heard of Square Donuts. They like them. They are very unique.” This is a different kind of obscure fame for Terre Haute as being the only place in America to find square doughnuts. Square Donuts has been recognized by the “odd-but-good eateries” for PBS and the HollyEats.com web site. Keith Olbermann, host of MSNBC “Countdown” show interviewed Square Donuts. I have tried these delicious treats in the past and I must say that they are better than the average doughnut. You can’t beat the price of $4.50 for a dozen.

National Road Heritage Trail

The trail starts at what was built in 1935 as a highway rest area along U.S. 40. The Twigg Rest Area closed in 1976, and was reopened in 2001 as a spot to start and stop on the trail. It stretches 6.8 miles of asphalt from Rose Hulman Institute of Technology, past the ISU’s football stadium, through Indiana State University and ends at the corner of 4^th street and Cherry. To me, jogging is a stress reliever and the National Road Heritage Trail is a complete 180 world compared to what Terre Haute has now become. I highly recommend everyone to experience this trail.

Anton "Tony" Hulman Jr

Terre Haute would not be what it is today, if it was not for Tony Hulman. While he was alive, he invested a lot of money in to the town of Terre Haute. Some of his major accomplishments include Hulman Links, the Hulman International Airport, the Hulman Center, Hulman Memorial Student Union, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, the Vigo County Historical Museum, and the Clabber Girl Building. His most famous accomplishment has to be the creation of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

He was born February 11, 1901 and he died October 27, 1977. He seemed to be in good health, he was fit and active for his age. His cause of death was heart failure, he ended up dying during surgery.

Hulman Links Golf Course

Hulman Links golf course is one of the Terre Haute’s attractions. Built in 1978 by the architect David Gill; Large funds and land was donated by Terre Haute’s Famous Anton “Tony” Hulman. Its tree-lined fairways make the course a championship layout. The slope rating for Hulman Links is a whopping 144. Hulman Links has been recognized for hosted several major events such as the Indiana State Open, Indiana PGA Match Play Championships and the NCAA Division III Men’s Finals. The following list is some of the accomplishments Hulman Links is known for in the golf world:

Golf Digest- 8^th “Best Public Course” in Indiana, 1996.

Golf Digest- Ranked 61^st nation-wide “Top 75 Public Courses” in 1990.

Golf Digest- Ranked 1^st nation-wide “Top 75 Public Courses” in 2009.

Golf Digest- Ranked 10^th “Best in State” public course for 1997 and 1998.

Indiana Business Magazine- 6^th toughest public golf course in 2006.

Birney Safety Cars of Terre Haute.

In December of 1918, Terre Haute went under a little reconstruction of public transportation. In December of 1919, almost all of the city services was safety-car mileage. What use to be 26 transportation cars, was now replaced with 53 up to date safety cars. The old cars could only travel at 8 or 9 miles an hour but these new Birney Safety Cars traveled at a 10 to 11 mph pace. Allowing people to get to their destination faster than before. In the above photo, the man you see standing in the middle of the road, at the bottom of the picture, is actually a traffic officer. This officer stopped vehicles traveling on Seventh Street to give the right-of-way to the Birney streetcars on Wabash Avenue. Some of the stores on left side of the photo are: United Cigar Stores, Patsy Mahaney's Candies, the Crescent Theater, and Doctor Frank Anshutz, dentist.