Allen County, Indiana Genealogy

1902, April 3 - the last verified passenger pigeon in Indiana was shot near Laurel, Indiana. See April 3, 2017 photos of new marker.

1. April 3, 2020 post by Indiana Historical Bureau on Facebook :

   On April 3, 1902, the last verified passenger pigeon in the wild was shot near Laurel. The birds were once so abundant that they blocked out “almost the entire visible area of sky" in the Hoosier state. Their seemingly sudden disappearance sparked speculation that all the pigeons had drowned in the Gulf of Mexico, flew across the Pacific to Asia, or succumbed to some mysterious disease, but, their extinction was the result of human interference.

   The massive flocks of passenger pigeons afforded rural dwellers with the unprecedented chance to supply free, easily obtainable food for their families, and they took advantage of that with apparently little effect on the population. However, with the introduction of widespread railroads and canals, huntsmen were able for the first time to ship thousands of pigeons to far-away places to meet a growing demand for pigeon in up-scale restaurants. This, coupled with the destruction of their habitat, led to flock-size decreasing throughout the 1880s and 1890s until, at the turn of the 20th century, it became a rarity to see the birds.

   Their 1902 extinction in the wild spurred necessary support from the public for broader wildlife protection.

   Learn more with the Flocks that Darken the Heavens: The Passenger Pigeon in Indiana

   The image below is courtesy of Wikimedia. 

2. April 27, 2016 post by the Indiana Department of Natural Resources on Facebook: 

   Another bird that once occurred in Indiana and is now extinct is the Passenger Pigeon. There once were billions of these birds. In 1813, John James Audubon wrote of them at a location along the Ohio River near Harrison County. The air was literally filled with Pigeons; the light of noon-day was obscured as by an eclipse…The Pigeons were still passing in undiminished numbers, and continued to do so for three days in succession.” It became extinct in 1914. Left photo: Passenger Pigeon painted by Audubon. Right photo: 1805 surveyor's notebook about Dubois County pigeon roost. Photo by F. Oliver. Courtesy of Indiana State Archives.

3. March 28, 2017 post on Indiana Historical Bureau on Facebook:

   Passenger pigeons were once so abundant in Indiana that their flocks darkened the sky. In fact, they were the most abundant North American bird. So, how did they come to be extinct early in the 20th century?

   This marker, dedicated on the 115th anniversary of the shooting of the last verified passenger pigion in the wild, will celebrate the passenger pigeon and examine the reasons why this once abundant species became extinct by the twentieth century. Join us at Gazebo Park at the Whitewater Canal State Historic Site, 19083 Clayborn St., in Metamora, Indiana as we dedicate this new Indiana Historical Marker. For more information, see the event page here: 

   “Passenger Pigeon Extinction” Indiana State Historical Marker Will Be Dedicated in Metamora, Indiana dedication April 3, 2017 on

   IN.gov.

4. April 3, 2017 post by the Indiana Historical Bureau on Facebook:

   Today marks the 115th anniversary of the shooting of the last verified passenger pigeon in the wild. This species was once the most abundant North American bird, but a population in the billions in the late 1860s was nearly zero by 1900.

   We want to thank everyone who came out to the Whitewater Canal State Historic Site this afternoon to help commemorate our state's newest marker, which celebrates the passenger pigeon and examines the reasons why it became extinct by the twentieth century. It was a wonderful dedication! We hope to see more markers to our state's natural history in future years!

   Special thanks to everyone who helped spearhead this project, including the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Indiana State Historic Sites, Whitewater Canal State Historic Site, and Indiana Audubon Society.

    

   A similar April 22, 2017 post by the Indiana State Parks on Facebook showed more photos. 

   Passenger Pigeon Historical Marker Ceremony Sep 18, 2017 Marty Jones on YouTube
   Passenger Pigeon Extinction, Historical Marker Dedication Ceremony. Indiana Audubon, Metamora, Indiana, April 3, 2017

5. April 3, 2019 post by the Indiana Historical Bureau on Facebook:

   On April, 3, 1902, the last verified passenger pigeon in the wild was shot near Laurel [Indiana]. The birds were once so abundant that they blocked out “almost the entire visible area of sky" in the Hoosier state. Estimates indicate that three to five billion passenger pigeons inhabited North American from the 1500s through the early 1800s. After decades of over hunting and habitat destruction, the species was in dire straits by the early 20th century. In 1900, Congress signed the Lacey Act, which protected wild birds by making it a federal crime to hunt game with the intent of selling it in another state. However, it was already too late for the passenger pigeons and they soon passed into extinction.

   Learn more about the extinction of passenger pigeons and the environmental protections their disappearance spurred here: Flocks that Darken the Heavens: The Passenger Pigeon in Indiana

   Their image on the right shows John James Audubon’s painting of the male and female passenger pigeon.

6. The passenger pigeon by Mershon, W. B, Publication date 1907 on Archive.org.

7. Published figures and plates of the extinct passenger pigeon by Shufeldt, Robert W. (Robert Wilson), 1850-1934 on Archive.org.

1914, September 1 - Martha, the world's last Passenger Pigeon, died at the Cincinnati Zoo. The species lived in enormous migratory flocks until the early 20th century, when hunting and habitat destruction led to its demise. One flock in 1866 in southern Ontario was described as being 1 mi[le] (1.5 km) wide and 300 mi (500 km) long, took 14 hours to pass, and held in excess of 3.5 billion birds. That number, if accurate, would likely represent a large fraction of the entire population at the time. Some estimate 3 to 5 billion Passenger Pigeons were in the United States when Europeans arrived in North America. Others argue the species had not been common in the pre-Columbian period, but their numbers grew when devastation of the American Indian population by European diseases led to reduced competition for food. The species went from being one of the most abundant birds in the world during the 19th century to extinction early in the 20th century. At the time, Passenger Pigeons had one of the largest groups or flocks of any animal, second only to the Rocky Mountain locust. Read the rest of the article on Passenger Pigeon on Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. The last verified passenger pigeon in Indiana was shot April 3, 1902 near Laurel, Indiana. See our Passenger Pigeon page.

Oaks, Pigeons and a Forgotten Era looks at the ecological impact of passenger pigeons and how they shaped our forests by The History Guy: History Deserves to Be Remembered published September 19, 2018 on YouTube.

Passenger pigeons and other extinct or endangered birds posted June 28, 2014 on Archives of Hoosier History Live podcast on Saturdays, noon to 1 p.m. ET on WICR 88.7 FM. Passenger pigeons and Carolina parakeets are long gone from the Hoosier state - as well as everywhere else. In fact, the last wild passenger pigeon was shot in the southeastern Indiana town of Laurel in 1902, according to one of our guests. Not only will Hoosier History Live! explore species of birds that once existed in Indiana, we also will look at some of the 26 bird species considered endangered in the state. Whooping cranes and cerulean warblers are among them. Nelson will be joined by three guests.

Passenger Pigeon published January 21, 2011 on IndianaStateMuseum on YouTube
We are featuring an artifact of the month to share stories that only our curators know about the artifacts in their care. Enjoy listening to these little treasures of history

Birds of America (1923); (Volume 2) an Archive.org- Pearson, T. Gilbert (Thomas Gilbert), 1873-1943. Passenger Pigeons on pages 39-46, see Birds of America (1923); Volume 1 and Birds of America (1923); Volume 3 for information on other native birds.

1. The Revival of the Passenger Pigeon? published July 9, 2013 on History.com.
2. Why the Passenger Pigeon Went Extinct published May-June 2014 on Audubon.org.
3. Martha, A Cold and Lonely Last Migration by Pamela M. Henson on June 26, 2014 on Smithsonian Institution Archives.
4. You can see 2 passenger pigeons at the Indiana State Museum from their August 15, 2014 photo Tweet. They also tweeted: DYK? 16 places in Indiana have “pigeon” in their name, most likely referring to the now-extinct passenger pigeon. The term “stool pigeon” came from hunting passenger pigeons, hunters would tie a live bird to a stick or stool. And the last wild passenger pigeon was shot in Laurel, Indiana on April 3, 1902.
5. 100 Years After Her Death, Martha, the Last Passenger Pigeon, Still Resonates The famed bird now finds itself at the center of a flap over de-extinction by William Souder on Smithsonian.com.
6. Used for target practice, are they the origin of clay pigeons for target practice?
7. Flocks that Darken the Heavens: The Passenger Pigeon in Indiana millions of pigeons darkened Indiana skies in the 1870's were seen by the last Hoosiers to see them by Annette Scherber published February 14, 2017 on Indiana Historical Bureau blog.

8. August 28, 2014 post by Fold the Flock on Facebook:

   As many of you know, this Labor Day marks the centennial anniversary of the the extinction of the Passenger Pigeon. Martha, the last of her kind, died on September 1, 1914 in her cage at the Cincinnati Zoo. She stands as a symbol of nature’s fragility and what has been lost. We can only imagine the huge flocks that darkened the skies for days. To honor this momentous anniversary, Fold the Flocks invites you to watch this animation.

9. March 28, 2017 notice on Indiana Historical Bureau on Facebook:
   Passenger pigeons were once so abundant in Indiana that their flocks darkened the sky. In fact, they were the most abundant North American bird. So, how did they come to be extinct early in the 20th century?
   This marker, dedicated on the 115th anniversary of the shooting of the last verified passenger pigion in the wild, will celebrate the passenger pigeon and examine the reasons why this once abundant species became extinct by the twentieth century. Join us at Gazebo Park at the Whitewater Canal State Historic Site, 19083 Clayborn St., in Metamora, Indiana as we dedicate this new Indiana Historical Marker. For more information, see the event page here: https://www.facebook.com/events/1264303887020715/.
   “Passenger Pigeon Extinction” Indiana State Historical Marker Will Be Dedicated in Metamora, Indiana dedication April 3, 2017 on IN.gov.

10. Today marks the 115th anniversary of the shooting of the last verified passenger pigeon in the wild. This species was...

    Posted by Indiana Historical Bureau on Monday, April 3, 2017

    April 3, 2017 post by Indiana Historical Bureau on Facebook:

    Today marks the 115th anniversary of the shooting of the last verified passenger pigeon in the wild. This species was once the most abundant North American bird, but a population in the billions in the late 1860s was nearly zero by 1900.

    We want to thank everyone who came out to the Whitewater Canal State Historic Site this afternoon to help commemorate our state's newest marker, which celebrates the passenger pigeon and examines the reasons why it became extinct by the twentieth century. It was a wonderful dedication! We hope to see more markers to our state's natural history in future years!

    Special thanks to everyone who helped spearhead this project, including the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Indiana State Historic Sites, Whitewater Canal State Historic Site, and Indiana Audubon Society.

    [ dedicated for the last verified Indiana passenger pigeon shot in the wild near Laurel, Indiana on April 3, 1902 ].

11. More photos posted April 22, 2017 on Indiana State Parks on Facebook.
12. Billions to none... the extinction of the Passenger Pigeon In Audubon's time there was an estimated 3 billion passenger pigeons. By 1914 the last remaining pigeon would die... on Audubon.org. Why the Passenger Pigeon Went Extinct And whether it can, and should, be brought back to life a century after it disappeared. by Barry Yeoman, posted May-June 2014 in Audubon Magazine.
13. The epic story of why passenger pigeons became extinct and what that says about our current relationship with the natural world. When Europeans arrived in North America, 25 to 40 percent of the continent's birds were passenger pigeons, traveling in flocks so massive as to block out the sun for hours or even days. The downbeats of their wings would chill the air beneath and create a thundering roar that would drown out all other sound. John James Audubon, impressed by their speed and agility, said a lone passenger pigeon streaking through the forest “passes like a thought.” How prophetic-for although a billion pigeons crossed the skies 80 miles from Toronto in May of 1860, little more than fifty years later passenger pigeons were extinct. The last of the species, Martha, died in captivity at the Cincinnati Zoo on September 1, 1914. Copied from A Feathered River Across the Sky The Passenger Pigeon's Flight to Extinction by Joel Greenberg (Author) at Bloomsbury.com.