Logansport, Indiana

France Park

This former Indiana quarry has been transformed into a park and SCUBA site where divers can explore the drowned mining equipment.

Once a limestone quarry in the late 1800s, France Park was unexpectedly transformed into a lake when water from a natural spring began to seep into it.

That unusual incident left us with a park just four miles west of Logansport, Indiana that abounds in recreational opportunities. The main feature is the lake which is surrounded by high rocky cliff walls, very uncharacteristic of northern Indiana. In the warmer months, the beach is a hot spot for swimming tourists. A hiking trail along the cliffs circumnavigates the lake, passes some grass prairies with an observation tower, and provides some scenic views of the bright blue waters below. The park also operates a zip-line that sends visitors clear across the lake at high speeds. Another hiking trail veers away from the lake and follows the historic Wabash and Erie canal that was once used to transport stones from the quarry to the Mississippi River.

The lake’s unusual underwater features left over from its days as a quarry even attract SCUBA divers from all over the Midwest. Divers can explore the rusted ruins of trucks and other mining equipment on the lake floor or have a sighting of one of the large (seven foot) Spoonbill Sturgeon that were released into the lake and now lurk in its depths.